Writing Stories that Leave an Impression with Pauline Clooney
Info
Date: January 18, 2023
Time: 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks
Level: Beginner | Emerging |
Cost: €240 (€220 Members)
Online or In-Person? In-Person
Course Summary
This course takes you through the craft of writing the short story, it introduces you to the masters of the form, both classical and contemporary, and affords you the opportunity to write a story each week or work on one story intensely over the eight weeks.
Course Outline
Each course consists of 8 weekly 2-hour sessions structured as follows:
- Introductory chat about the weekly reading assignment, followed by a prompted 10-minute written exercise.
- An instructive session, based on a PowerPoint/handout on the art of writing where a different element of craft is explored each week.
- A short discussion referencing the weekly reading assignment.
- Workshopping weekly written assignments from 2 students.
- 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 story openings.
Week 2: Characterisation.
Week 3: Dialogue.
Week 4: Setting.
Week 5. Point of view.
Week 6. Plot and Theme
Week 7. Language and description.
Week 8. Editing, Rewriting and Revision
Course Outcomes
The aim of this course is that every student will have written at least one complete short story by week 8, but more importantly that they have acquired the skills and motivation to continue writing stories.
Pauline Clooney, an award-winning writer, originally from Laois, now lives in Kildare. Her novel, Charlotte & Arthur, published by Merdog Books, was listed by Eilís ní Dhuibhne in the Irish Times as one of her books of 2021. Her short stories have appeared in various anthologies and journals such as Come into the House: Tales of Secrets, History, and Mystery, and HCE Review, UCD’s Arts and Literary Journal.
In 2015 Pauline won the Penguin Ireland/ RTE Guide short story competition.
Pauline is the 2021 recipient of the Dennis O Driscoll literary bursary awarded by Kildare County Council. In 2022 Pauline was a recipient of an Arts Council Agility Award
She is currently working on her second novel and a short story collection.
