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The brainchild of Roddy Doyle and former Amnesty director Seán Love, Fighting Words is a writing workshop that helps children put their stories into illustrated book form in two hours. Arminta Wallacesits in on a class that will soon be extended to adults

ON THE FLOOR of the Fighting Words creative writing centre just off Dublin’s Russell Street, 20 children sit on round, brightly coloured cushions. The girls of sixth class at St Columba’s primary school, Glasnevin, are about to become published authors. By the end of the two-hour session each student will go home clutching their very own book, complete with illustrations and author photograph on the back cover. But first they have to produce a story, and before they can do that, they have to conjure up some characters.