A POPULAR Scottish author visited a Greenock secondary school to hold a creative writing masterclass for budding young wordsmiths.

Chris McQueer, who penned 'Hings' and 'HWFG', visited Inverclyde Academy to speak to third year pupils ahead of them writing their folio for upcoming exams.

The event was organised by librarian Katie Veitch and was funded through the Scottish Book Trust's First Minister's Reading Fund - and pupils were keen to pick up some tips from the published author.

Katie said: "I had previously read Chris's books and thought they were great.

"I knew his work would really resonate with our young people.

"Chris was on hand to offer his expertise on all things creative writing to help S3 prepare for their exam pieces.

"We feel incredibly lucky to have welcomed him to the school, it's great that we are able to have successful authors like Chris coming in and sharing their stories with our young people."

Chris is not the first literary professional to visit the school, with S2 pupils enjoying a session with storyteller Kati Waitzmann last year.

The Glasgow author praised the local youngsters for their enthusiasm and ideas - as well as the facilities on hand for them to develop their skills.

He told the Tele: "I had a great afternoon at Inverclyde Academy.

"I was blown away by the imagination, creativity and writing ability of the pupils.

"I always loved creative writing when I was at school and it was so nice to teach a lesson of my own.

"I was really impressed by the whole set-up but especially the school's library and the brilliant work done by Katie Veitch.

"I really hope I get to come back through to Greenock again and I wish all the pupils the best of luck for the rest of the school year."