An Introduction to Novels-in-Verse with Meg Grehan

Course Summary:

An in-depth look at the novel-in-verse and how to make the form your own. There are so many ways to use the free verse form to express, impact and inspire. We’ll be exploring the form and how we can use it to create work truly unique to us. We’ll learn to use our instincts, playfulness and innovation to craft our own stories in verse and take a look at aspects such as pacing, sound, shape and character voice when writing a novel-in-verse.

Course Outline:

Over the course of two days you’ll be introduced to a diverse range of novels-in-verse and learn how to find inspiration while crafting something utterly unique, something only you can create. You’ll learn the basics of poetry and how to use various aspects, methods and techniques to tell a story in your very own way. You will learn to merge the worlds of poetry and prose to open up a whole new way of telling the story you want to tell. There will be in-session writing exercises and you are more than welcome to share your work and receive feedback, though sharing is not compulsory. You will have the freedom to write whatever you feel you need to write and guidance to help you express it as creatively as possible.

Course Outcomes:

An understanding of the verse novel and the techniques that make them work, as well as the freedom to write however you feel best explores and expresses what you wish to explore and express. Comfort and confidence writing in a creative and playful form.

Meg Grehan is the author of four novels-in-verse for young readers. Her work has won two Children’s Books Ireland Award, has been twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the An Post Irish Book Awards. The Deepest Breath was adapted for the stage in New York. Her work has been translated into Polish, Danish, French and Spanish.

Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email info@irishwriterscentre.ie.