Finding an idea that’s original and fresh is one of the keys to success in a busy marketplace, but how you tell that story is just as important. Understanding creativity, fiction writing techniques and the scaffolding you need to create a strong story house is essential. Sam Blake explains how to adapt the process to give your own work the best chance of success.

This event requires participants to register in advance. 

Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin writes crime as Sam Blake, the multiple No 1 bestseller shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year three times.  Her seventh bestseller, The Mystery of Four, and her recently published YA debut, Something Terrible Happened Last Night, are both in shops now. Vanessa is the founder of Europe’s biggest writing resources website, the award-winning writing.ie, the Writers Ink online writing group, and Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival. Vanessa is a board member of the Society of Authors, and a fellow of the RSA. Having developed a range of initiatives in the writing world, she is a champion for emerging writers, working with agents and publishers both in the UK and Ireland, and spotting new talent. Vanessa joined the Board of the Crime Writers Association in 2021 and takes a dynamic lead in organising National Crime Reading Month.