Interested in writing short stories? Struggling to know where to start? Wondering how and when to end your story? This interactive session facilitated by Belfast based writer Jan Carson will guide you through the basics of writing imaginative and engaging short fiction.

The two hour session will focus upon key themes such as developing ideas, writing believable characters and convincing dialogue, plot, structure, pacing and concision. It will also look at how to engage your readers from the first line and hold their attention through to the final word. This workshop will be engaging, fun and packed full of useful tips and exercises. It’s suitable for beginning writers. All you need is a notebook, a pen and a fully functioning imagination.

Jan Carson is a writer and community arts facilitator based in Belfast. She has published three novels, three short story collections and two micro-fiction collections. Her novel The Fire Starters won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland 2019. Jan’s latest novel, The Raptures was published by Doubleday in early 2022 and was subsequently shortlisted for the An Post Irish Novel of the Year and Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her short story collection Quickly, While They Still Have Horses was published by Doubleday in April 2024.