Ask An Editor!

A one-hour, one-to-one session. Phone call or Zoom.

As a writer, I’ve experienced first-hand the transformative effects of talking through a writing problem, and the tremendous value of a listening ear. As an editor and mentor, I’ve seen over and over again how a problem can crack open when the right question is asked at the right time.

This call is a place for you to air whatever’s niggling you and to articulate what you’re really seeking to do. It’s also an opportunity to gain practical information about writing and publishing.

By making space to hear ourselves think, we can reframe our writing concerns as opportunities – and return to our work with a revived sense of possibility.

‘Over the past seven years, Tom has helped create an intellectual and psychological space for me as a writer that has been, and continues to be, completely transformative.’

—Chetna Maroo, author of Western Lane, (Picador, 2023)

ENQUIRE!

  • No!

    All writers are welcome to book a session – both new and established.

  • No.

    Though if I think it would be prudent for me to look at a few pages, I’ll let you know in my initial reply.

    If you are seeking intensive feedback on your writing, I recommend taking a look at my Mentoring sessions.

  • €95 per session

    €80 for the first session if you’ve done my drafting workshop!

    For concession rates, please get in touch.

  • ‘Every writer should have a mentor like Thomas Morris. He is reassuring, encouraging, honest, and incredibly insightful. He recognises the essence of a story, which is something every writer needs in a reader and editor. He is the perfect mentor for writers at all stages of their career.’

    —Rebecca Ivory, author of Free Therapy

    ‘Over the past seven years, Tom has helped create an intellectual and psychological space for me as a writer that has been, and continues to be, completely transformative.’

    —Chetna Maroo, author of Western Lane

    'Thomas Morris helped me to re-see the short story: to examine my thoughts and convictions around the form, to let in more fun, to dig deeper into the gooey heart of what makes fiction worthwhile and exciting. A truly wonderful teacher and editor, whose insights have helped my writing tremendously.'

    —John Patrick McHugh, author of Pure Gold and Fun and Games

  • I have worked in publishing for sixteen years, starting my career at the Lilliput Press in 2009.

    In recent years, I have worked as an editor and mentor with authors such as Nicole Flattery, Rebecca Ivory, Michael Magee, and Chetna Maroo.

    For twelve years, I worked at The Stinging Fly, including two years as Editor of the magazine. The Stinging Fly has an open submissions policy – anyone can submit work to the magazine, and it’s from these submissions that the magazine puts together each issue. During my editorship, I read thousands of short stories and worked with hundreds of writers. It was a privilege to read all this fiction and poetry, and to edit and nurture so many superb writers – a number of whom have since gone on to publish books of their own.

    In later years, I became Editor at Large and ran the Stinging Fly Writer Development Programme, where I mentored a number of writers working towards their first books. During this period, I was also commissioning and editing fiction, essays, and literary criticism.

    Nowadays I work with writers on a freelance basis and through state-funded initiatives such as the National Mentoring Programme.

    A fuller account of my editing and publishing experience is available here.

  • I have delivered workshops, talks and seminars at universities across Ireland and the UK, including University College Cork, where I taught on the MA in Creative Writing. I have also taught and given talks for institutions and organisations such as The Irish Writers Centre, The Faber Academy, The Stinging Fly, and The Arvon Foundation.

  • I am the author of two books of stories: We Don’t Know What We’re Doing (2015) and Open Up (2023), both published by Faber & Faber.

    My awards include the Wales Book of the Year, The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award, and a Somerset Maugham Award. In 2023, I was named as one of the 20 Best Young British Novelists by Granta magazine. My work has been shortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize; and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the Sunday Times Short Story Award. My books have been chosen as a Book of the Year by The Guardian, The Observer, The Spectator, The Irish Times, and The Irish Independent.

    Stories of mine have been published, anthologised, and broadcast in venues including: The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story; Best European Fiction; Zoetrope; Granta; and BBC Radio 4.

    An Italian-language edition of Open Up will be published by Edizione Sur in February 2026. A French edition is forthcoming in 2027.