Workshops & Events

(If you'd like to book me for a workshop, author visit, panel discussion, or something else, it is worth having a quick look at this page before getting in touch.) 

A quick spiel:

I've been doing school and library author visits for older children (9+) and teenagers since the publication of my first book, Dear Diary…, in 2000, and continue to do various events spreading enthusiasm (and maybe occasional wisdom) about writing, stories and books, particularly during the annual Children's Book Festival. I’ve taught/facilitated creative writing workshops for kids (7+), teens, and adults since 2005ish in schools, libraries, community centres, festivals, arts centres, etc, and been a guest speaker at various colleges and organisations about writing, publishing, children’s & YA fiction, etc. I’m also very happy to chair bookish/writerly events for festivals. (My full CV lives on LinkedIn.)

I’m based in Dublin, but do travel around Ireland and the UK for events. I’m also happy to deliver shorter sessions over Zoom or Teams.

With nearly 25 years of experience of this stuff, I always want to be clear about what each kind of event looks like and what reasonable expectations might be. I hope the information below helps.

Author Visits:

• These are events for schools and libraries, often during the Children's Book Festival, in which I speak a little bit about my work and then writing in general, addressing issues like 'where do you get your ideas from?' The idea behind these is to get young people interested in reading, and excited about creativity.

• I prefer to do mostly Q&A format, which means that students can have as much input as possible and we can discuss whatever they want to talk about: sometimes that's about the publishing process, sometimes it might be about current children's or YA fiction, sometimes it might be about how to develop characters or finish stories...

• I'm completely happy to sign students' own copies or library copies of my books. If you need to order copies of any of my books, you can order from Argosy or your local bookshop.

• It's a good idea to prepare students as much as possible so that they'll get the most out of the visit - e.g. if there’s a recent book out, it’s good to be familiar with it (I’m talking about ten minutes of ‘here’s what the back cover says’ rather than an in-depth study here). Giving them a sense of what kind of stuff a particular writer writes (e.g. contemporary fiction, historical fiction) is helpful.

• Sessions that go on for more than an hour are usually tiring for all concerned. However, if students need to move to a different room/building and get settled, trying to squeeze a talk into a single class period isn't always the best idea. Somewhere between 40-60 minutes seems to work well. (It's worth going shorter for reluctant readers, and longer for hand-picked interested students.)

• For author visits I'm happy to speak to larger groups (e.g. year groups) but I will note that often smaller groups (under 30 students) tends to work better. If the same group of students have participated in other events, it's a good idea to think about what's worked well in the past - sometimes large groups make students less likely to behave or to ask questions.

• I've spoken to groups of all ages but fourth class (primary school) upwards is best. I love visits to secondary schools too.

• My events are low-tech. I don't need a projector or anything fancy. Water is nice. Cups of tea are utterly delightful. I'm happy to do 2-3 visits per day (once there are tea breaks in between). The fee charged for events includes preparation and travel time.

• I don't expect total silence from these groups in the least, and I know with school groups there are often kids who'd rather not be there, but if you have real messers in the group and they're disrupting the session for everyone else, it's best if a teacher or librarian takes them out of the room for a minute rather than me stopping and having to ask them to leave. (Ruins the fun, it does.)

Creative Writing Workshops:

• Creative writing workshops are different from author visits in that the focus is far less on me sharing my own experience and more on getting the students to do their own writing. I'll draw on my own experience but also discuss strategies that have worked for other writers, including previous students of mine. There's usually a mix of discussion and writing time.

• I've delivered writing workshops for children of 7+, teenagers, and adults, in schools, libraries and literary festivals around the country, focusing on all kinds of things - getting started, developing characters, inventing storylines, world-building, writing dialogue, writing children's and YA fiction, exploring genres, how to revise your work, etc. If there's something in particular you'd like me to cover, please let me know in advance. My most popular one-off workshops are: Getting Started, Writing A Novel, and Children's & YA Fiction.

• Writing workshops lend themselves to smaller groups - 12-15 is ideal, 20 is an absolute maximum. For schools, please keep in mind that workshops are much more dependent on active participation than author visits and may not be suitable for all students.

• Writing workshops are not literacy sessions - the emphasis is on creative writing and getting stuff down on the page, rather than the finer points of grammar. I've worked with a wide range of ability levels but I would urge schools in particular to be wary of once-off workshops for students still struggling with putting sentences on the page. (Storytelling or drama workshops may be a better fit in those instances.)

• 'Writing is rewriting' is one of the things writers often say and it's very true - much of what is done in a creative writing workshop is a first draft, which can then be revised and polished over time. Any plans to showcase student work should keep this in mind. I never make participants read work aloud if they'd prefer not to, especially if it's a first draft, and in school settings it's a good idea if teachers can avoid reading over students' shoulders.

• Workshops can last from 45 mins up to a full day (if longer than 90 minutes, the time will include a short break) - what suits best will depend on the age group, the setting, the focus, etc. As with visits, I charge a fee for the event that includes preparation and travel. For venues far from Dublin, it might be worth thinking about getting me to do more than one workshop - e.g. an Introduction to Creative Writing and then a Writing Children's Fiction session, or a workshop for teenagers and then one for 9-12s.

Publishing Seminars:

• Publishing seminars are focused on the 'getting your work out there' side of things - everything from 'how do you know your work is ready?' to 'what should you include in a cover letter?', with a side order of 'how do you keep going in the face of rejection?'

• These are suitable for older teens and adults, and aim to be practical, encouraging and realistic. Participants should leave with a clearer sense of how publishing works, how to go about identifying venues for their writing, and how to navigate the vast amount of information out there.

• A general 'how to get published' seminar will focus mostly on book-length work (and then mostly novels), but I have tailored sessions available that focus on literary journals (i.e. what to do with shorter work) and children's/YA fiction. In situations where organisers may not know which will best suit their audience (e.g. participants in a one-off session at a festival), I'll begin with briefly asking everyone where they're at and go from there.

• As above: there is a fee involved that will include preparation and travel time.

Other Talks, Workshops, etc.

• I've been a guest speaker for several of the masters' programmes in writing in Ireland as well as various college literary societies.

• I'm available to speak at conferences and festivals on various issues relating to writing, including creative writing in general, writing for children and teenagers, contemporary YA fiction, getting published, creative writing and gifted students, creative writing and mental health, etc.

• I love a good panel discussion and have chaired events and been on panels for various literary and arts festivals - if it's in any way book-ish or writer-y, I'm probably interested. (My social media is mostly bookish and should give you some sense of what I like/get nerdy about.)

• If there's something else writing-related you're looking for and you think I might be a good person to ask, please do.