Rewriting History with William Ryan
Info
Date: January 5, 2026
Time: 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Duration: 6 weeks
Level: Advanced | Intermediate | Beginner |
Cost: €200 (€180 Members)
Location: Online
This course will take place online on Mondays for 6 weeks.
Course Summary
This 6 week course is aimed at writers who are interested in writing long form historical fiction and who wish to use primary/secondary research to develop their story. It is suitable for experienced writers who are working on a first draft or at the planning stage of a project, as well as beginners who hope to turn a promising idea into something more.
Course Outline
This course will use original material from the lives of two real-life brothers who fought (and died) in the first world war. Over six weeks, the course will use the research materials, as well as others gathered by the participants, to develop a plot and fictional characters for a novel. The course will involve writing exercises and feedback, research tasks, as well as plot discussions and character development in online breakout rooms.
The research package will be available before the course and participants will benefit most if they have read through the package beforehand.
Course Outcomes
This workshop will give the attendees insight into the techniques of historical research, the various sources available and how they can be used to build an accurate and believable world for their story to take place in. It will use photographs and other sources to develop credible and consistent characters and place the characters in a plot that will be developed over the 6 weeks of the course.
William Ryan is the author of six historical novels, including the Moscow Noir series set in 1930s Russia, The Constant Soldier, A House of Ghosts and The Winter Guest. His books have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the Historical Writers Association’s Gold Crown, the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and the Crime Writer Association’s Gold, Steel, Historical and New Blood Daggers. He has also lectured in creative writing at the University of East Anglia and City University.
Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email info@irishwriterscentre.ie.
