Steve Cavanagh, the world-renowned, Belfast-born crime fiction novelist, travelled to the Coleraine campus on 27 April to deliver an inspirational talk to Ulster University students about the possibilities of creative writing.
Mr Cavanagh, who has sold over five-million crime fiction novels, has won numerous international awards and had his work translated and published in forty-seven languages, stressed that writing is not only good for mental health and intellectual satisfaction – it can lead to a lucrative career.
The talk proved to be a huge success. Mr Cavanagh spoke formally for an hour, offering tips on everything from thinking of an idea and starting the writing process to approaching an agent and proposing books to publishers. He answered many questions from the floor. After the more formal part of the event, he spoke to many students individually, taking time to encourage them to make every effort to communicate with whoever might want to read their work.
The event was organised by English Literature lecturers, Dr Kevin De Ornellas and Dr Frank Ferguson. Students from all three undergraduate years attended, as did a number of doctoral researchers and members of academic staff.
Dr De Ornellas was delighted with the success of the event:
“I knew that the event would be popular – but it exceeded expectations. The lecture theatre was packed and we had to go to other rooms to scurry for extra chairs. Steve’s erudition in both law and literature and mastery of prose fiction writing is evident – but his humour and patient generosity with the students surpassed my hopes. It was genuinely one of the best experiences that I have had in twenty splendid years at Ulster University.”
Dr Ferguson was equally pleased:
“We were particularly delighted to welcome Steve Cavanagh to meet with and speak to our creative writing undergraduates. He gave an inspirational talk on writing and publishing to a very grateful audience and spent a long time with the students, offering advice and sharing insights for their future writing careers. It was a wonderful experience for everybody and will remain long in the memory of everyone who attended.”
Dr Kate Byrne, the English Literature Course Director, studies and teaches detective fiction, so particularly enjoyed attending the event and meeting Steve.
“It was great for the English Department to welcome best-selling crime fiction writer Steve Cavanagh, who spoke with wit and wisdom about his craft, and generously shared his tips and advice with creative writing students.”
There were a lot of expressions of gratitude from students too.
Level 2 English Literature student Johanna Lena Bar said:
“When I heard there was a guest talk about creative writing, I went there purely out of curiosity and because I had time to spare between lectures. It turned out to be the best time. Steve’s talk was engaging and presented an understandable and very valuable approach to writing, to creativity and to publishing. I’ll take a lot away from it and I am very glad that I decided to sit in on Steve’s talk that day.”
Nicola Hagan, despite being busy working on her last Level Three assignments, signed up for the session as soon as she heard about it.
“As an aspiring writer I could not be more thankful to Steve for talking with us! I left the lecture feeling confident on how to combat writer's block and navigate publication. Steve's lecture was deeply insightful and inspiring, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have learned from him.”
More experienced, already published creative writers enjoyed the event too.
The doctoral researcher, Jessica Ní Dhóráin, despite her own considerable achievements, said that she was “in awe” of Mr Cavanagh.
“Steve was dynamic to listen to and gave really practical advice to our budding writers across all genres and styles. He listened to every question like it was the most important question he’d heard, and it felt like he was rooting for all the possible books in the room to see success!”
Part-time Lecturer, Dr Amanda Miranova-Stronge, was struck by both the vast erudition and the gentle openness of Mr Cavanagh:
“It was an honour to have Steve Cavanagh speak to the creative writing students. Even with his international acclaim and awards, he was a grounded and humble individual. He offered a truthful portrayal of the difficulties associated with publishing houses, agents, and the industry at large, but he did so without making the journey seem impossible or beyond reach. He delivered a talk full of laughter and anecdotes, sharing helpful tips that served as both valuable lessons and sources of inspiration for aspiring writers.”
The final word goes to Steve Cavanagh himself, who said with typical modesty and generosity:
“Huge thanks to all your staff and students - a lovely day - and I’ll be back if and when you ever need me again.”
Find out more:
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