the Irish Writers Centre and libraries (Writing A Psychological Thriller), and
business colleges (Introduction to writing fiction).
I’m open to queries about workshops or courses - just drop me a line via the contact page, email (thefictionshed@gmail.com) or on twitter.
I’m also in the process of developing a new, intensive online fiction writing course.
Watch this space ...
Feedback from previous writing courses
'I absolutely loved the experience of attending Liza's workshops. Although initially questioning my ability to write creatively and in particular in the area of 'Writing a Psychological Thriller', Liza's course ignited in me an enthusiasm to learn and an openness to move beyond my fear of being vulnerable to feedback. Liza is an incredibly generous and well prepared teacher/mentor. Her passion for writing is infectious and her detailed, insightful, constructive feedback is particularly impressive and encouraging. I can't recommend her courses highly enough'. Niamh Digan
‘In a remote class full of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, Liza did a great job breaking down the fundamentals of crafting a story, curating a relevant and engaging reading list, and balancing group instruction and individual feedback. She always made sure everyone got a chance to participate while still keeping the class on schedule—a Herculean feat! I learned a ton from Liza, and I know anyone who takes a class from her will emerge a better, more thoughtful writer.’ Keith Barry
‘I had the pleasure of participating in a six week programme facilitated by Liza Costello in the autumn of 2022. What a delight, from beginning to end each class was engaging, informative and very well structured. Prepared resources were well chosen and varied and invited comment and interaction from all participants. The tone of the workshop was highly positive as was reflected in the level of participation from all participants. Am hoping that Liza will make further workshops available.’ Roisín Ó Gribín
‘I took Liza's 'Writing a psychological thriller' course on a whim. It turned out to be one of the best creative writing courses that I have taken. Week by week Liza showed us how to construct a psychological thriller. We read extracts from famous novels and discussed how and why they were successful. For me, it was just the right balance between theory and practice. I'm hoping that I get the opportunity to take other classes or workshops with Liza in the near future.’ Linda H
‘I attended Liza's writing course in Athlone library that focussed on the psychological thriller. I absolutely loved it! Over the course of six weeks Liza brought us on a journey of the history of the psychological thriller and she helped us understand the essential components in writing a novel. She provided excellent structure and plans for writing and at the same time managed to encourage us to use our gut feeling and emotion. Her wide knowledge of literature was a pleasure to observe, each session was very well planned and her teaching style was both structured and relaxed. Each class left me wanting to read more and the course gave me the confidence to think about writing my own stories.’ Anne Jeffers
‘Liza is a delightful and engaging teacher, and I thoroughly enjoyed her classes. I am very grateful to her for sharing her vast pool of knowledge with me.’ Chantalle Loughran
‘Liza's course on writing psychological thrillers was relaxed, informative, insightful, fun and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for all budding authors and those wishing to better understand their existing work and why it works/ falls short.’ Lorraine Murphy
‘Liza has a great instinct for the story telling process but more than that she is cannily aware of the techniques that can be used to make a story shine. There is a huge store of knowledge and expertise at Liza's fingertips.’ David Sparling
‘I really enjoyed attending Liza's online course Writing a Psychological Thriller and am very happy with every aspect- teaching, course content, materials and especially the feedback element. It was really helpful and specific, as a general fiction writing course was really not what I needed at that point in my writing. Input from the other students also was very informative and enjoyable!’ Deirdre Flannery
