Course Title:

Course dates:   February 4th -March 25th, 2026 . 7pm -9.30pm weekly (Wednesday)

Course Level: All levels

Course Summary:  

This course takes you through the craft of writing, whether that is a short story or a novel, it introduces you to the masters of the forms, both classical and contemporary, and affords you the opportunity to write a story or the chapter of your novel each week or work on one or two stories/chapters intensely over the eight weeks. 

Course Outline: 

Each course consists of 8 weekly 2 hour, 30 minutes sessions structured as follows:

1. Introductory chat followed by a prompted 10-minute written exercise. 
2. An instructive session, based on a PowerPoint/handout on the art of writing where a different element of craft is explored each week.
3. A  short discussion referencing the weekly reading assignment.
4. Workshopping weekly written assignments from at least two students.
5. Concluding chat about the writing plans for the week ahead.

The elements of craft covered each week are as follows:

Week 1: Introduction to the short form and openings.

Week 2: Characterisation, exploring how characters drive a story, or perhaps more accurately, how a character’s desire for something drives the story.

Week 3: Dialogue, what it is used for and what it is never used for.

Week 4: Setting, how time and place can add to your story.

Week 5: language and description, looking at the difference between concrete images and abstractions and how word choice helps to ground your story in a sensual world.

Week 6: Voice and point of view, examining ways to find your voice and tell your story your way.

Week 7: Plot and Theme, looks at how the plot of a story can revolve around a core question which is based on a central concept (theme).

Week 8: Endings, editing and rewriting, explores how you know, following a revision process, when it is time for the final full stop.

Course Outcomes:

The aim of this course is that every student will have written at least one complete short story or one chapter of their novel by week 8, but more importantly that they have acquired the skills, motivation and disciplined routines to continue writing.

Biography:

Pauline Clooney is an award-winning author and experienced creative writing workshop facilitator with Kildare Writing Centre, which she founded in 2016.

A frequent speaker and facilitator at festivals in Ireland and internationally, she most recently collaborated with Kildare Readers Festival and June Fest in 2025.

In October 2021, her novel, Charlotte and Arthur, was published by Merdog Books.

She is the recipient of many literary awards including the 2024 Freedom to write award from The John Hewitt Society, Irish Pen and the Irish Foreign Ministry, an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland, the 2021 recipient of the Dennis O'Driscoll Literary Bursary for Professional writers with Kildare County Council, and two Tyrone Guthrie Bursaries, also from Kildare County Council.

Her short fiction has won the Dingle Literary Festival Short Story competition 2024, the Penguin Ireland/ RTE Guide Short Story competition 2015 and been shortlisted and placed runner up in many more, including Irish Writer’s Centre Novel Fair, Doolin Short Story competition, Colm Tóibín Short Story Competition, Hennessey New Irish Writing and the Fish Publishing International Short Story Prize.

Her short fiction has been published in many magazines and online. She is currently working on a contemporary novel and a short story collection. 

Eight participants (max) accepted on course. 

You can book your place by clicking on the link below.

Course fee €300 including refreshments. 

A deposit of 50% of the course fee is needed to secure the place. The balance will be required when the course begins, either as a once off payment of the remaining 50% or in two further instalments of 25% each, to be negotiated with the facilitator.