Top 11 Creative Writing Courses in Galway With Certificates

Hiya! Looking for Creative writing courses in Galway? Are you one of those who want to unleash the creative giant in you? If you are someone who can use your imagination to express your thoughts clearly, with a flair for writing, and you have the desire to improve your writing craft, come on along and we shall explore some of the options for you. Whether you want to pursue this craft as a hobby or make it a full-time career option, there are a number of institutes offering Creative writing courses in Galway to help you get started.

Before diving into a search for Creative writing courses in Galway, we will very briefly touch on what Creative Writing is, the different types, the important elements, and the skills required for one to succeed in the field. This will give you a basic idea before you start your journey in the Creative Writing arena.

Creative Writing in a Nutshell:

Creative Writing in simple terms is translating one’s imagination into words using enthralling or attention-grabbing vocabulary. Imagination is the key component whether one is trying to express a feeling or thought. It is a medium where the author strikes an emotional chord with the readers, unlike Expository Writing which is fact-based. Creative Writing is writing for art’s sake.

Types of Creative Writing:

The art of Creative Writing takes various forms and is not limited by definition. It includes:

• Poetry
• Lyrics
• Plays
• Scripts – movie, television
• Speeches
• Personal essays
• Memoirs
• Fiction – short stories, novels, novellas, etc

Important Elements of Creative Writing:

Creative writing has no hard and fast rules as long as it gets the reader’s attention. Among the important elements are:

1. The plot: The broad framework, along with the central problem that needs to be solved.
2. The Background: how the character changes over the course of the story and how it affects the storyline.
3. Point of view: Is the story being told from the character’s point of view or a third party’s point of view?
4. Dialogue, Metaphors, Figures of Speech: What are your characters saying, how do they interact with each other and the environment around them? You want to get creative with your language and make your characters unique.
5. Emotional appeal: What emotions do you want the reader to feel? You want to get a reaction, so you have to be bold in your storytelling.
6. Heavy description: detailed description of the many aspects of your character. You need to show the reader the world around your character.

Skills Required for Creative Writers:

Drawing from what is said above, as the term Creative Writing suggests, one should definitely be in possession of creativity or powerful imagination, good vocabulary, and excellent writing skills. But apart from these fundamental requirements, if you are looking to become successful in the field, the following qualities will hold you in good stead.

• Self-discipline, Motivation, Persistence, and Perseverance.

These personality traits are of crucial importance as Creative Writing is sometimes a long drawn and arduous process. “Writer’s block” is often experienced by even the best writers. Sometimes giving up or quitting would look like the easiest solution. But if you want to see your writing through to the final output and make your chances of success better, it is essential to cultivate these skills.

• Good research skills.

True, you are going to tell the story based on your imagination. But researching the topic will help to add more authenticity, and improve knowledge on the subject which will ultimately result in a convincing piece of work.

• Capacity to meet deadlines.

The goal is to set realistic deadlines depending on the scope of your project. If research, interviewing sources, traveling, writing, editing, and revising, are involved, your project will involve much more work and time. Once deadlines are set, honoring them is important so that your credibility is assured and people will have confidence in your abilities.

• Basic technical knowledge.

Having an idea of the technicalities involved in different types of writing allows you to decide on the best format when writing a piece. Knowledge of the different available tools on various platforms (both traditional and digital) to assist with writing and publishing, and learning how to use them will be an added advantage for those who are serious about this field.

Institutions Offering Creative Writing Courses in Galway

Now that we have understood the fundamentals, let’s take a look at some of the better-known options for Creative writing courses in Galway. Before that, instead of just restricting yourself to the “Creative Writing” aspect, why not look a bit further and gain exposure to the broader “Content Writing” domain? Getting an overall understanding of different writing forms and the technicalities involved will put you in a much more advantageous position.

1. IIM SKILLS:

Why not enroll in a comprehensive Writing Course that offers you so much more? Be sure to check out the Content Writing Course by IIM SKILLS. This is a Master Certification course with 4 weeks of live classroom training, accompanied by a 3-month guaranteed internship program where you get to practice all the skills learned. You can master 30 types of writing skills through 140 hours of extensive learning.

You Will Get Familiar With:

WordPress, Keyword Research, Blogging, Article Writing, Press Release, Product Description, Business Listing, Commercial Page, E-book, Book Review, Copy Writing, Video Script, SOP, Resume, Portfolio, Email Writing, Social Media Writing, Instructional Booklet, Brochures, Flyers, Infographic, Technical Writing 101, Legal Writing, Research Papers, White Papers, SEO On-Page & Off-Page, Publishing A Book (Live), Writing For Times of India, How to Sell Content Writing Services, Search Console & Web Analytics, Affiliate Marketing & Adsense.

The Creative Writing module covered within the Content Writing Course will touch on how to write creative content for Books – Fiction and Non-fiction, Poems, Scripts, and more.  It will also help one understand the difference between creative writing, copywriting, and content writing.

2. University of Galway:

Established in 1845, the University offers Creative Writing courses in Galway as part of its Undergrad and Postgrad offerings. The emphasis is on practice-based learning and experience which takes into consideration industry requirements in Writing related fields.

Courses:

• Bachelor of Arts (English and Creative Writing)

This 4-year course allows students to explore all major genres of Creative Writing which include Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, and Screenwriting, and will then be able to identify their areas of interest. Weekly guest lectures by established writers allow student engagement with the experts and a chance to have one on one sessions to develop a deeper understanding of the nuances in the field. As part of the course curriculum, Exchange programs are also undertaken with universities abroad.

To find out more, please contact:

Dr. John Kenny
John McGahern Lecturer in Creative Writing
School of English and Creative Arts

Email:  john.kenny@nuigalway.ie
Telephone: +353 91 495612

• MA (Writing)

This is a one-year, full-time course open to candidates from any disciplinary background and covers a range of Writing genres. There are continuous assessments of regular writing assignments and end-of-semester projects. In addition, the weekly ‘Writers Seminar’ brings together writers, publishers, agents, and other visitors from the writing profession.

The faculty comprises all established authors in the literary field. This is one of the finer options for Creative Writing Courses in Galway as graduates have secured job opportunities in teaching, journalism, publishing, editing, public relations, and marketing and are also eligible to pursue doctoral programs in the Humanities.

To find out more, please contact:

Elaine Feeney
Email: elaine.feeney@universityofgalway.ie

3. Martin Keaveney Creative Writing:

If you prefer the online mode of learning, Martin Keaveney Creative Writing provides a host of remote Creative Writing Courses in Galway. The courses are led by Martin Keaveney – the owner of this creative writing school and a highly accomplished tutor and writer associated with the National University of Ireland.

Having worked with hundreds of creative writers and literature enthusiasts from across the globe with online courses and in-person conferences and seminars, he is one of the highly recognized figures in the Creative Writing world.

Courses:

You have a variety of courses to choose from starting from the beginner level to the advanced level.

1. Creative Writing Introduction: A 8-week course where participants are introduced to the skill of creative writing while working on genres such as sci-fi, crime, horror, and realism.
2. Creative Writing Intermediate: A 8-week course where students explore the genres of comedy, historical fiction, children’s fiction, fantasy, memoir, nonfiction, radio, and comics.
3. Creative Writing Complete: A 1-year comprehensive course designed for new or experienced writers with a variety of modules and project-based.
4. Creative Writing Advanced: A 8-week course where writers may have a writing project or projects they wish to work on for the duration of the course.

To learn more, contact: https://martinkeaveney.com/

4. GTI Part-Time:

Galway Technical Institute is one of the leading colleges in Ireland for further education and training. The institute offers a wide range of part-time courses for adults, including Creative Writing, and would be a great choice if you are looking for Creative Writing courses in Galway that would accommodate your work schedule.

Courses:

1. Creative Writing Beginners: 8 weekly classes targeting those who are just starting to write. Already published work by writers will be used as a basis for writing exercises each week at the end of which participants will begin to find their own writing voice.
2. Creative Writing Intermediate: 10 weekly online classes for those who already have a foundation in creative writing and/or have published work. The course covers strong characterization, narrative voice, dialogue writing, and writing engaging descriptions among others.

Both these courses are conducted by a husband-and-wife duo Kevin Higgins, a renowned poet, essayist, and story writer, and Susan Millar DuMars, who is an accomplished author and a celebrated personality in the literary field.

Contact:

kevin.higgins@gretb.ie

susan.dumars@gretb.ie

https://www.gti.ie

5. Creative Writing Ink:

Run by the author and publisher Olive O’Brien, Creative Writing Ink offers you a choice among a series of online creative writing courses in Galway, which promise to improve your writing skills through one-to-one exercises, lectures, and feedback. The courses offer great flexibility as they are conducted by assigned tutors through email correspondence.

They are of a 6-week duration with weekly notes, assignments, and written feedback provided. Courses are tailor-made for beginners, intermediate level, and advanced levels, and there are also individual courses on offer that cater to specific genres like Poetry, Memoir, Crime Fiction, short stories, novels, Science fiction, fantasy, and Radio drama. What’s more, they have classes for children and teenagers as well.

Contact them at:

E-mail: info@creativewriting.ie

Also Read:

• Creative Writing Courses in Canada
• Creative Writing Courses in Dubai
• Creative Writing Courses in Europe
• Creative Writing Courses in Malaysia
• Creative Writing Courses in New Zealand
• Creative Writing Courses in the UK

6. Irish Writers Centre:

The Irish Writers Centre, governed by a voluntary Board of Directors, has been in existence since 1991 as a leading support and development organization for writers on an all-island basis. Their aim is to work with all types of writers, actively encourage them, provide opportunities to develop their skills, and advance their ambitions, with the added bonus of being part of a community.

They have a wide range of courses designed for writers at every stage of their careers. With in-person, online, and newly introduced Self-paced learning courses, they extend flexibility and the ability to learn at one’s own time and pace. Courses are genre specific and conducted by seasoned facilitators who are accomplished in the literary field.

So, if you are on the lookout for Creative Writing Courses in Galway that provides a community-based kind of learning with opportunities to connect and bond with fellow writers, the Irish Writers Centre could be your option.

For further details, contact:

(+353) 1 872 1302

info@writerscentre.ie

7. Kilroy’s College

Established in 1932, Kilroy’s college has more than 80 years in the field of education and is a QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) accredited institute which ensures learners achieve qualifications that are valued nationally and internationally. Leaning on great experience combined with the latest teaching methods, it has earned the reputation of being a leading educator.

Course: Creative Writing Course:

This is a one-year correspondence/online course with an emphasis on planning and editing work to ensure that the best possible material is produced. With a personal tutor at every stage of the course, advice, guidance and constructive criticism will be offered to enable and encourage candidates to sharpen their writing skills, provide deeper insights and also learn how to avoid pitfalls in writing.

On successful completion, the Kilroy’s College Diploma in Creative Writing will be awarded to candidates in recognition of their educational achievement. Since the delivery method is correspondence, Kilroy’s College can be your choice for Creative Writing Courses in Galway.

Contact:

Telephone: Ireland 01 639 4660, International Phone: + 353 1 639 466

Email: homestudy@kilroyscollege.ie

8. The Open College

Established in 2004, it is one of the first private colleges to be recognized, approved, and accredited by FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council), and subsequently by Qualifications & Quality Ireland (QQI). The college offers distance learning programs through sophisticated eLearning platforms thereby providing opportunities for independent study and informal learning – a great option if you are sourcing Creative Writing Courses in Galway with a flexible learning option.

Course: Creative Writing Course (QQI Level 5)

This QQI Level 5 Creative Writing course is a 2- month course designed to give students an understanding of the writing process, and important elements of fiction writing, and also explore avenues for publishing work done while gaining a Nationally Accredited certification. Topics covered include Writing skills, characterization, Structure and Plot Development, Setting and Atmosphere, and Getting published.

For more details, contact:

Phone:  01 2061828 / 01 2061829

Email: info@theopencollege.com.

9. The Creative Writers Workshop, Galway

The Creative Writers Workshop instituted in 1991 by Irene Graham, an established writing coach and author could be a great option for online Creative Writing Courses in Galway.  For nearly three decades Irene Graham has helped writers from all backgrounds discover their writing voice, develop language and sculpt the content of their writing projects.

Courses:

1. Private Fiction & Autobiographical Fiction Writing Course

This is a 4-week intensive course with one-on-one private coaching which promises a full understanding of all the elements of creative fiction writing. The course combines innovative right-brain/left-brain writing exercises that aid visualization and helps speed up the creation process. Continuous feedback and guidance will be provided as one proceeds with the course.

2. Memoir Writing Online Course

A 16-week course with live weekly sessions will help develop an understanding of how to create a story based on life experiences and how the same is to be structured creatively to suit the narrative. The course is designed for new, emerging, and published writers.

3. Memoir Writing Masterclass

This is a 6 month live online course, with bi-weekly sessions limited only to 8 participants per session. Intended to guide dedicated writers to develop, focus, structure, and create a memoir for publication.

10. Udemy

It is the world’s largest and most cost-effective educational platform that offers a plethora of online Creative Writing courses in a way that you are spoilt for choice. They cater to all types of writer levels – beginner, intermediate and advanced, as well as offer specialized courses in specific genres.

You can find the right instructor, pick the courses that are of the desired duration, and start learning at your own pace. With the wide range of budget-friendly courses available, nothing stops you from sampling different courses in creative writing offered on this platform and making a comprehensive package of your own.

Popular on Udemy

• Course: Complete Creative Writing – All Genres – The Full Course.

Created by Trace Crawford – an instructor, writer, and teacher with over 25 years of experience, it promises fun and practical sessions in relation to Fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction – the four genres of creative writing.

11. Coursera

• Course: Creative Writing Specialization

Offered by Wesleyan University, it covers elements of three major creative writing genres: short story, narrative essay, and memoir. With a series of 4 courses that can be taken in any order and a capstone, the course is designed for anyone from the aspiring short story writer to established novelist.

 So, there you have options galore when searching for Creative Writing Courses in Galway. It is now up to you to choose one that fits your requirements, including timings, duration, and budget.

FAQs

1. What academic qualifications do I need to become a Creative writer?

Ans: None, in the formal sense. The only thing you need to possess is a love for writing. You can learn everything else.

2. What can one do with Creative Writing?

Ans: Some examples of fields where certification in creative writing will help include among others:

• Content writing
• Copywriting
• Blogging
• Journalism
• Social Media
• Web content
• Marketing
• Communications/Public Relations

This list is not exhaustive. It needs to be known that the fields in which tools and techniques learned in Creative Writing can be used are not just limited to being an author and getting your work published. In any job, creativity and the ability to communicate vividly are highly appreciated and much in demand. So, use the skills learned to gain a competitive edge in your workplace.

3. Is Creative Writing hard to do?

Ans: It can be hard because to write creatively, you need imagination and originality, which can be challenging sometimes. In school we have been taught to write in a structured or one may say linear way, and the same principle does not hold well when it comes to writing creatively. The story has to be looked at from different angles and approached in a nonlinear way to result in an enthralling piece of work. But that should not be a deterrent for you. Taking a course or being part of a writing workshop will expose you to the nitty gritty of how best you can overcome “writer’s block” and take your work forward.

4. Is Creative Writing an innate talent or a skill?

Ans: The “desire” to write has to be innate – that is not something that can be taught. Not everyone out there can put pen to paper purely because not everyone is passionate about writing. This is the same with any craft. When one has the desire, then all it takes is to get a bit of polishing and refinement to the craft. Getting trained either through self-study – from books, seminars, workshops, online, or enrolling in a course where one can be guided by an experienced mentor can ensure steady improvement over time. With practice, consistency, dedication, hard work, and investing time and energy one can become a master of this craft.

In Conclusion

Galway is steeped in history, tradition, and culture, attracting writers and people from the Arts for generations. The city is home to extraordinarily talented and outstanding poets, writers, and storytellers. Passion is in their blood and there is never-ending creativity all around. So, if you want to be a part of this remarkable, energetic and vibrant creative community, you can enhance your creative spark and make your voice heard by choosing from the many Creative writing courses in Galway listed above. Go ahead and awaken that creative muse in you!