Can I or anyone else teach people to write? Yes and no. I certainly don't agree with Stephen King that creative writing classes are a waste of time. The facilitator can provide direction, exercises, discipline, as well as a place where people can bounce their attempts off each other -- and I often feel that in a group they learn as much from each other as from me -- but in the end it's up to them whether they can stick with it.

There's almost always a drop-out rate and I try not to worry about it or take it personally. I think it occurs because of the way many people think about writing, that there's some kind of an instant secret formula I can give them. When they find they have to sit down and sweat for hours (was it Gabriel Garcia Marquez who commented that writing was like carpentry?), that it's actually very hard work, they often don't have the staying power.

That said, I believe that most people attending a class are able to produce a piece of writing they can be proud of. Maybe they won't write a best-seller but simply to produce some reminiscence from the past, make up a little story or even compose a sonnet, can provide great pleasure and satisfaction. And I never cease to wonder at what occurs when I set a class assignment to thirty people and get thirty totally individual responses to it. It's magic.

People's College, 32 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

I started teaching there in 1995. It used to be a twenty-two week course over two terms but I found that the natural drop-out rate often made the second term a little short on participants. Now people have the option of starting in October and finishing in December or continuing through until March, or else joining the course after Christmas for the second term. This injects energy into the group and has worked well.

It's a big, heterogeneous group with an enormous mix of age, background and writing experience. Beginners nudge against people who have been writing for years but who feel they need direction. We cover a broad range of topics over the course: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, what you will. There are class exercises and home assignments but since a lot of the participants attend simply for something to do on a cold winter night, the atmosphere is far from academic. I want the course to be fun   -- which doesn't mean superficial.

A key aspect of the course is that at the end we produce a little book of the students' work. Often it's their first time in print and a good souvenir.

The group meets on Tuesday nights from 6.15 pm to 7.45 pm, regularly adjourning afterwards to the Teachers' Club to continue the discussion.

The cover illustrations are by Paula Curran.

UCD Adult Education Class

The Short Story and Beyond.

I have been teaching this ten week course since the late 1990s. It is more intense than the People's College group and more rigidly structured. Again the group starts out very large -- about thirty participants -- but inevitably shrinks to about 16-20 by the end.

We break the elements of the story artificially -- for a story is or should be an organic whole -- into such areas as point of view, character development, plot, dialogue, setting, language and so on. The topic for the week is discussed, there is usually a class exercise and always a home assignment. Each week, as well, three or four people will read their pieces to the group for comment. As with all my courses, I myself read everything the student gives up to me and try to make a few constructive suggestions.

The class meets on Wednesdays from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm at UCD Belfield, Dublin 4.

Irish Writers' Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin 1

From time to time I teach an intensive writing weekend or an eight-week morning class at the centre. The subject can vary from general writing specifically to fiction, the level can be beginners or intermediate. These groups are small and intimate and the setting, in the lovely restored Georgian building, is inspirational. There is more scope for each individual to present his or her work to the group, so it is particularly useful for writers who feel the need for feedback. Again, I set class exercises and home assignments.

Eblana Writers

This group was set up by some graduates from the People's College Writers' Group and others. They meet once a month at the United Arts Club, Dublin.

For more information on any of these courses, please refer to the relevant college or centre.