Creative Writing Course - NUI Maynooth

partnership

Hi

I have always wanted to write and having gone in a different direction career wise now ant to do something in this area. However I am a person that needs structure. I have searched on line to see what creative writing courses are out there as a way of getting started and my choice seems to be one day courses, weekend courses or to go for a year round course. I think the one day or weekend courses would be good to get started but knowing me I probably still would not do. There is a part time evening Fetac course in NUI Maynooth starting in September which i am considering but it costs €950. Has anyone done this or are there any other similar courses which people would recommend. I am attracted to it because it does give a recognised qualification as well.

silvine

Some thoughts:

1) €950 is very expensive for a creative writing course

2) It's not really a career where you need a qualification so that's it's a FETAC course means little

3) There's lots of alternative cheaper courses. Check out the Irish Writers' Centre, UCD, Someblindalleys.com. Also Claire Keegan runs weekend workshops for €250.

4) If you're determined to opt for a more formal course UCD and Trinity run dedicated MAs but from what I hear there's as much about giving you time to write as they are "teaching you" how to write.

5) If you're serious you should be writing every day. You don't need a course to do that but getting your work critiqued can help. Considering a writing group.

partnership

Yes it is a lot of money which I will find it hard to get. I know that there are other workshops out there but do not want a short weekend as I will do it and forget it. I don't have self-discipline so if I am attending somewhere weekly over an extended period where I have to produce stuff for I am more likely to do and continue to do. So basicly I am looking for something weekly over a period of about 6 months.

Kinski

Know nothing about the course, but one advantage of it being a FETAC course is that it probably qualifies for grants etc. (if you are eligible for such things). I'd imagine you need to hold a degree to get on a Masters programme in creative writing.

bigsmokewriting

Hi OP, we run evening courses at our place in the city centre - http://www.bigsmokewritingfactory.com/ - our autumn schedule will be up in a couple of weeks. You could start off with our Beginning To Write course (10 weeks) in the autumn, then move on to an Intermediate workshop or a specialist course (Fiction, Poetry, Novel Writing, Playwriting etc) after that. We also run one-day and weekend workshops throughout the year, both creative ones (Memoir, Screenwriting, Short Stories, Starting A Novel) and practical (Introduction to Getting Published). Might be more useful than committing to a year-long course as you can use the Beginners' class to figure out what area you're interested in, and then move onto another course that's more suited to that.

Just to echo what people have said re: FETAC qualifications - that makes no difference from the writing side of things, though I don't know if there's anywhere that just wants 'any' FETAC course.

There are MAs in creative writing but honestly you'd want to have been writing for a while before applying for them - some of our students would go on to masters programmes having taken a few evening courses, for example. They're not designed for people just starting off.

Also check out things like Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) - http://www.nanowrimo.org - not quite the same as formal classes of course but a lot of people find the community and participation terrific for keeping them motivated and writing during November!

bigsmokewriting

Kinski wrote: »

Know nothing about the course, but one advantage of it being a FETAC course is that it probably qualifies for grants etc. (if you are eligible for such things). I'd imagine you need to hold a degree to get on a Masters programme in creative writing.

Also - yes, degree or lots-and-lots of experience, but in practice this usually means a degree plus some experience. Doesn't necessarily have to be in English Lit though.

Antilles

I've got a degree in English Lit and seven years experience flipping burgers. Would that work?