There was an interesting conference today in Dublin all about writing classes/workshops which I’ve been following on Twitter. A question came up – why do writers teach creative writing? Is it for the money? Book sales? To find material.

And it got me thinking. Why do I teach?

In fact I was teaching only last night – Writing for Children at the Irish Writer’s Centre. We talked about what makes a good children’s book – unforgettable characters, beautiful writing, a cracking plot, emotion, drama . . . ? We talked about memory and using our past to shape fictional characters. And above all, it was fun. I learned a lot and I hope the other writers did too!

And that’s the main reason I teach: because it’s fun. Writing is a lonely old business, and now and again it’s very healthy to step out from behind the desk and meet ‘real people’. I also teach because I believe in passing things on. I’ve been very lucky in my writing life, many, many people have been very kind and helpful to me. And if I can help someone else, even in a small way, I believe it’s my duty to do …