Mentoring

I don’t believe there is any ‘correct’ way to write a short story, and I don’t seek to make authors write in a certain style or mode.

At the heart of my mentoring are one-to-one sessions (typically 90 minutes, but sometimes shorter, sometimes longer) where – together – we discuss, interpret, interrogate – and have fun with! – a specific short story of yours. Over time, our sessions may take us deeper, allowing us to explore the seabed of your writing: examining what you’re seeking to do in your stories, and what they’re seeking from you.

Each mentoring session is completely different to the last one. Ahead of our meetings, I read and re-read your work closely (at least four times). Through my observations, questions, and expressions of confusion, I try to make the space for you to hear yourself think and see your work anew.

Please note: at present, my mentoring sessions are for short stories only.

Before we start digging really deep into your work we will arrange a Preliminary Session. An essential part of my process is listening, and this Preliminary Session is an opportunity for us to discuss matters such as:
- your writing aims, hopes, fears
- what you've previously been working on
- what you might like to work on next
- books and authors that you love
- things you’re unsure about, and the niggles you just can’t shake
Ahead of this Preliminary Session session, I’ll have read a short story of yours that you attached in your enquiry message. Taking the story and our conversation together, I can better understand where you’re coming from, where you’re seeking to go, and how we might work best together.
Sometimes the author is still figuring these things out, and that's all good and natural and all part of the process.
Then we go deep
If you have another story that’s ready to share, we can arrange a full session dedicated solely to it. Ahead of the session, I’ll have read the story at least four times.
During the sessions themselves, my approach is integrative: I’ll ask questions about the text as it’s presented on the page, and I’ll ask questions about authorial decisions, omissions, and intentions – both conscious and buried. As well as interrogating the technical aspects of your fiction (such as point of view, handling of Time, story structure, character motivation, dialogue, creating action, conveying interiority etc.), we’ll investigate what you’re seeking to do, what you’re presently doing, what you’re afraid of doing, what might be holding you back, and where your writing is asking you to go.
After the session, we can set a date for the next piece, or the redraft, and then we go again. Many writers find these deadlines (and the accountability) particularly useful.
But what if you don’t have work that’s ready or go, or you hate all your work, or you just want to write something new?
If you’re feeling stuck or unable to finish stories, or have just lost the joy in your writing, we can devise a plan to get you going again. Drawing on my experiences as an author, editor, reader, teacher, and a permanent student of literature, I approach my mentoring intuitively and sometimes counter-intuitively. Ultimately, I aim to bring rigour, lightness, and humility to our sessions, leaving you energised and excited to get back to the page.
For a further sense of how I think about writing, the following links might be useful:
This short piece (2000 words) explores some of my thinking around writing and editing short stories: Whittling Up.
One Night Stands – I commissioned four writers (Marie-Helene Bertino, Rebecca Ivory, Stephen Sexton, Jon McGregor) to each write a story in a single night. Afterwards, I recorded a two-part podcast where I spoke to the authors about the process: Part 1 | Part 2.
Notes on Rejection – I commissioned and edited a series of short essays reflecting on the experience of rejection, and wrote an introductory essay.
In my experience, the writers who benefit most from these kinds of sessions are:
i) those who have already shared their work with others in the past and are familiar with receiving feedback and critique
ii) those who haven’t done the above, but who have worked independently for a couple of years at least, have a small pile of stories, and maybe feel they’ve gone as far as they can go on their own
iii) people who are ready to be emotionally open
If I don’t think your work is quite yet ready to benefit from the process:
I might suggest instead a one-hour Gaining Clarity session; and if I don’t think I’m the right reader for your work, I will be honest (and hopefully tactful) with you from the start.
Whether you have published or not is mostly irrelevant to me
But if you feel you’re at an earlier stage in your writing (published or otherwise), I wouldn’t necessarily advise seeking a mentoring session. I really believe in the value of those early years of discovering one’s own way, and I’m conscious of getting in the way. At the same time, I also know that encouragement or a little guidance at the right moment can be utterly crucial. So, by all means, get in touch if it feels right – and we can work out the best next steps together.
Please note:
If you are presently engaged in a writing course, I would suggest waiting until the course is over before we begin working together.
‘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
We typically begin with a one-off, 1-hour Preliminary Session. If you are paying your own way, the cost for this is €175, which covers both the session and my prep time (including reading a story of yours) ahead of our meeting.
Thereafter:
Sessions dedicated to a story of yours will typically run between 60 and 90 minutes and cost somewhere in the region of €250 to €350. This fee covers my total prep time, the session itself, and our correspondences. There will be a slightly higher fee for stories over 5000 words.
Session lengths and fees will be agreed ahead of time. (After I’ve read the story once and have a sense of how best to proceed.)
*
The above is for sessions where you have work that’s ready to go. If, however, you are presently experiencing stuckness and you’re not able to begin or finish writing a story, we can find inventive ways to help you get going again – for which we’ll work out an appropriate fee.
Please note:
I work with authors independently (i.e. the writers pay me directly) and through state-funded initiatives, such as the National Mentoring Programme in Ireland. In some countries, writers can apply for bursaries to cover mentoring costs (e.g. Arts Council Ireland’s Agility Award; Arts Council England’s DYCP programme). My rates are roughly aligned with the fees paid by Irish organisations such as The Stinging Fly and the Irish Writers Centre.
I aim to be flexible for authors paying for the sessions themselves, and I’ll be upfront about costs from the very start.

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 work has been published in The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story; Best European Fiction; Zoetrope; Granta; The Stinging Fly, and my stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
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 works have been nominated for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize; the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Sunday Times Short Story Award, and The Story Prize (U.S.). 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.
I have worked professionally in publishing since 2009, beginning my career at the Lilliput Press.
For twelve years, I worked at The Stinging Fly, in many capacities, 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 time, 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 Pro gramme.
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.