Let’s start by saying that each course at Misse is an individual journey, we don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach. Our goal is to meet you where you stand, to find out and identify where you want to land and to help you plot a journey there. To this end our courses are small with no more than six writers; this allows us to focus on your needs.
COURSE INTRODUCTION
During the week you will look at how to use in emotion in your writing, how to create memorable characters and how to edit your work. Paul will lead writing exercises, give talks using concrete examples from texts and help you fill your writer’s toolbox with skills you can apply to your work. There will also be plenty of time for questions and a session on how the industry works.
PRACTICALITIES
Course Length: One week. The week starts with a welcome introduction after you have settled in on Sunday evening, then wraps up with our open mic night on Saturday evening (7 nights).
Schedule: Morning: Teaching and one-to-one feedback sessions. Sessions can include excursions to a nearby market, chateau or other adventures. Writing/free time in the afternoon and early evening each day.
Travel Details:
Free pick-up (Sunday) and drop-off (Sunday) at:
Saumur Station. Saumur is accessible by train from Nantes Atlantique International Airport, Tours airport and CDG airport in Paris. Full details here.
Pick-up 17:15
Drop-off 12:00 (or earlier if necessary)
You can also take the train to Thouars, our nearest town, and we’ll collect you
You can also drive. We’ll send directions and GPS coordinates.
Meals & Drinks: Misse is also home to the Loire Kitchen cooking school, so food is of a very high standard. Breakfast, lunch & dinner each day, including wine & cocktails. Coffee, tea, juices, soft drinks and snacks available all the time.
Accommodation: Misse guest rooms have been designed to be the perfect writer’s space year-round: you’ll have comfort, quiet, privacy and a wonderful view over your surroundings. All of our guest rooms have en suite bathrooms, good lighting, a desk and a comfortable chair. For more details see our rooms pagee.
Applications are *CLOSED* for the Paul McVeigh Residency. Now in its third year, previous winners have gone on to get agents, book deals and win literary prizes.
The residency will take place near Glengariff, in its stunning forest park, West Cork, from Sunday 25th January until Sunday 1st February 2026. The opportunity is for emerging writers of fiction and non-fiction aged 21 and over living in Ireland and the UK.
What’s new this year? There are three places in total; two available in the cottage and one in the detached out building. Before applying please read the detailed description of the property below.
There is a £20 application fee which entitles ALL applicants to three professional development sessions:
An hour-long group zoom session on writing a query letter with Sam Blake and Maria McHale, Directors of Writers Ink.
An industry session by Writers and Artists Yearbook team on ‘How to Pitch Your Book’. This 30-minute session will look at ways to approach the challenge of summing up a whole book in so few words, discuss pitch research, and share examples of successful pitches that you can use as a model for your own. We’ll also discuss how pitches can differ depending on the kind of book you are writing (fiction genres, memoir and non-fiction), as well as how the pitch functions in the context of your submission package. The session will end with a brief Q&A, so come ready with your questions!
A 30 min group zoom session on reading your work live with actor Tony Flynn.
THE WINNERS
Pre Care:
The three writers will have an online session academic/author, Yvonne Battle-Felton, to discuss how to make the most of the residency.
Standard class travel provided.
Welcome
Anna Burtt and Paul McVeigh will greet the three winners to settle them into their accommodation and answer any questions. There will be a welcome dinner and drinks.
The winners will be taken on a trip to the beautiful harbour town of Bantry to visit Bantry Bookshop where they will get one-on-one reading recommendations, receive €50 book tokens to spend in-shop and a special gift from the shop.
There will be a trip to Cork city to meet literary festival director, Pat Cotter, to talk about the industry and the festival circuit.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided – family style. Basic tea and coffee provided. Alcohol, food outside of meals, special food items must be covered by the individual.
AFTERCARE
1. Anna Burtt will give each writer a half-hour publishing consultancy by zoom.
2. Pervious residency winner, Patrick Holloway, will give a group zoom session on his experience as a debut novelist – getting an agent and a publishing deal.
3. All three residency winners will also receive a copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and a bundle of W&A Writing Companion Guides. They’ll receive a year’s free subscription to the Writers & Artists Listings Subscription (a digital database of publishing industry contacts), which also includes access to Agent Pages – individual profiles for over 500 literary agents – to help writers personalise their approaches when submitting to literary agents.
4. The winners will get membership for Writing.ie – a platform for the writing community filled with advice and resources.
Entry Eligibility & How to apply
Send an email to pmcveighresidency@gmail.com attaching 1000 word extract of your prose – fiction and non-fiction accepted. Include in the body of the email a short bio outlining your publication history, if any.
*We are not looking for poetry at this time, thank you.
2. You must be available on the full dates of the residency – no changes possible.
3. Applicants must be 21 or over at time of residency.
4. Please put in your subject heading UK, or Ireland (if on the island of Ireland).
5. You can have had some short works published but not a solo book. (Poetry pamphlet/collections and self-published excepted)
6. Deadline: 30 November 2025
7. Please attach proof of payment. If not available, please provide date and time of payment.
7. Judges are Cathy Galvin, Paul McVeigh and previous residency winner Hilary White.
Longlist announced Friday December 5th.
Shortlist announced Friday December 12th.
Winners announced Friday December 19th.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The two bedrooms in the cottage are in its converted attic. Three important things to consider; firstly, the short staircase to the attic very study but steep. Secondly, the bedrooms are adjoining. Thirdly, there is only one toilet/shower for you both to share and it is downstairs.
If the stairs are off-putting, the ground floor has a daybed that extends into a double. The out building is single floored but there is a slight grass incline to access it.
You are out in the countryside in the middle of national park with beautiful scenery and walks. The nearest village is Glengariff, a 10-15 min drive, and not walkable. I will be staying nearby and will have a car for excursions etc.
PLEASE CONSIDER THE ABOVE CAREFULLY BEFORE APPLYING. Questions to pmcveighresidency@gmail.com
This is an abridged extract from my article in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2023, discussing what I has learned about the world of short stories.
“In the rush for publication, writing for radio is often forgotten, and the irony is that radio is probably the largest commissioner of short stories in the UK and Ireland. Put BBC Radio 4 Short Story in your search bar and you will find a treasure trove of recordings read by our greatest performers.”
Short Story Workshop: Write Short Stories that Stand Out
3 x two-hour workshop sessions
Workshop Description
In this course you will find out what competition judges, anthology and journal editors look for in a short story. You will get tips on where to start the action and how to grab the reader. You will also look at submission opportunities, how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.
Workshop Dates
This workshop will be hosted in the Marketplace Theatre, Armagh on the following dates. Your £66 fee covers all three workshop sessions.
“It is a huge delight to be working with award-winning novelist and short story writer Paul McVeighas our inaugural writer-in-residence. At a time of such distance from each other, we wanted to be able of offer you the chance to work either one-to-one or in small groups with one of the most powerful voices in contemporary literature. With just a few places left, don’t miss his workshop on making abandoned ideas work on September 22nd. One-on-one slots are also available over the next few months.”
You can check out all the ways to get involved here.
West Cork Literary Festival’s writing workshops are moving online and you can take at a workshop from the safety and comfort of your home. Thanks to the support of Cork County Council they can offer these workshops at 50% of their normal tuition fee. Course details and booking info.
This is a short video I made for BBC Radio to help budding writers out there. It includes my advice on best writing books and where to begin. I hope you enjoy it.
My class ‘Those Killer First Chapters: Getting the attention of agents and editors’ is back. Waterstones Piccadilly, London, July 2.
Thank you and congratulations Felicia Yap: “I attended Paul’s workshop two weeks before I went on submission. A truly enjoyable day and I learnt a lot. Sometimes, a single technical idea can make a real difference to our journeys as writers. I came away from Paul’s workshop with not one but several exciting possibilities. And yes, THE DAY AFTER YESTERDAY did get lots of attention merely two weeks later!” Selling for a 6 figure sum.
Paul McVeigh 