ACROSS Nottingham, students are learning about the art and craft of storytelling from people who do it for a living.

And soon, they'll have books to show for their efforts.

First Story is a nationwide programme that pays for writers to go into secondary schools to give creative writing workshops. At the end of the writer's time at the school, the charity publishes an anthology of the work that's been created.

The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, comes to Nottingham on January 25 to officially launch the programme in the city.

Sarah Stubbings, First Story programme manager for the East Midlands, said it hasn't been at all difficult to find writers or schools willing to participate.

"It's been very, very positively received," she said. "There has been a huge amount of support right from the very beginning."

Most writers, when approached, jumped at the chance despite the significant time commitment.

"It's a matter of 'would you like to do it?' and they were all very keen," she said. "It is quite a long-term commitment for them."

That commitment includes one workshop a week for two terms as well as occasional other events.

While the official launch happens later this month, writers have been in Notts schools since September.

Among them is Jon McGregor, who is running the workshop at Ellis Guildford School. The award-winning writer, whose novels include Booker longlisted works If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and So Many Ways to Begin, has enjoyed not being able to rely on his writerly CV to impress his young charges.

"In a way the nice thing is that I don't think they're desperately impressed by that," he said. "It's certainly not anything that's got in the way. I haven't been able to use that as a kind of free ride – I've still had to work quite hard to keep their interest. I haven't been able to swan around being the famous writer."

Instead he's found budding writers ready to be challenged.

"Because it's after school it's always been up to them whether they come or not," he said. He had thought there might have been a drop-off after the first few sessions, but they've all kept coming back consistently.

From the first week, he said, they jumped into the writing exercises. Talking about writing – discussing and dissecting their own work and their peers' work – proved harder.

Developing that critical sense is difficult, but necessary. And, said Mr McGregor, it's coming together.

"They're maybe not used to going over the same piece of work lots of time which is obviously what I'm all about – most writers would see that as a necessary part of the process," he said.

But that is what First Story is all about.

"For the pupils in the schools we're working with," Sarah Stubbings said, "it's the first experience they've had in working with a writer."