Writing Commercial Fiction with Eithne Shortall

Course Content

Commercial or popular fiction covers mainstream genres such as thrillers, romance, women’s fiction, crime and up-lit. This course will give participants a strong understanding of how these genres are differentiated, what they demand, and what readers are looking for. It will prepare participants to write their own commercial fiction novel, looking at everything from idea to plot to characters. The course is suitable for aspiring writers wishing to produce work in these genres.

Course Outline

What makes a good book? What makes you pick it off the shelves in the bookshop? What makes you want to devour it? And, once you start, what is it that keeps you reading? The course will consider all of these aspects as well as helping participants to originate and hone ideas, to plot out their own commercial fiction novels, to create and develop characters, and to start writing.

Idea, pitch, plot and characters will be explored over the six weeks with participants welcome to do a small amount of writing work between classes to enable their progression. This writing is optional. Each class will allow time for a short writing or developmental session.

Course Outcomes

Participants should leave the course feeling confident in what they want to write and equipped to do so. It is the perfect foundation for anyone aspiring to write a commercial fiction novel.

Eithne Shortall is the author of four bestselling novels, with the fifth being published this autumn. Her work has been published in 13 global territories, translated into nine languages and been optioned for the screen. Her books have won awards, such as Best Page Turner at the UK’s Big Book Awards, and been nominated for others, such as the Irish Book Awards. Her books have been named in multiple Best Books of the Year lists and selected for the BBC Radio 2 book club. She is the former chief arts writer with the Sunday Times Ireland. She lives in Dublin with her young family.