Galway’s Laureate na nÓg has unveiled details of her new non-fiction book – aimed at inspiring creativity among children and young people across Ireland.

Award-winning author Patricia Forde has written a fun and practical guide, Making It Up As You Go Along: A Children’s Guide to Writing Stories, which will be published by Little Island on October 1.

Marking the centrepiece of her tenure as Laureate na nÓg, the Moycullen writer wants to ignite the creativity of eight to twelve-year-olds across Ireland.

Patricia – who was announced as the seventh Laureate na nÓg in May 2023 and will hold the title until 2026 – works in English and in Irish, with work ranging from picture books to speculative middle-grade fiction.

She has written more than twenty books, as well as plays, television series and, recently, a film.

And this book will cover everything an aspiring storyteller needs to know, from where to find inspiration to creating characters to structuring plot.

Beautifully illustrated by Mary Murphy, the book also features letters to the reader penned by some of the country’s most beloved authors and illustrators, including literary powerhouses Derek Landy, Eoin Colfer and another popular Galway writer, Catherine Doyle.

The book was officially launched at this year’s Children’s Books Ireland International Conference in Dublin on Saturday – and Patricia described it as a call to action for young dreamers, writers, and readers ready to shape the stories of tomorrow.

“When I became Laureate na nÓg in 2023, I decided the theme of my tenure would be ‘Samhlaigh, Samhlaigh! Making It Up As We Go Along’ because creativity and imagination has enriched my life and I wanted to ensure that every child in Ireland can unearth their own creative potential,” she said.

“This book is a fun and practical guide for children and includes tips and techniques used by some of Ireland’s foremost children’s authors in their own work. This book will be part of the legacy of my time as Laureate, and I hope it will help to inspire and empower the next generation of storytellers.”

Arts Council chair Maura McGrath said that, as well as being a beautiful publication in its own right, ‘Making It Up As You Go Along’ includes a foreword by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and letters to the reader full of advice from a stellar line-up of twelve leading Irish children’s writers.

“The publication of ‘Making It Up As You Go Along’ is an incredible crescendo to Patricia’s time as Laureate na nÓg,” she said.

“Her tenure also featured the 2024 ‘Whole Wild World’ tour of the west coast of Ireland, stretching from Malin Head to Mizen head and is celebrated in the Whole Wild World documentary, debuted at this year’s Children’s Books Ireland Conference.”

Pictured: Well read…Mary Murphy and Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde with Cúan, Aoife, Kate, Fenna and Amelia, all pupils from fifth class in Gaelscoil Áine, Glasnevin.