Writing Darkness: Horror, Mystery and Suspense

From Mary Shelley to Stephen King, horror in literature has always commanded a huge audience. Some of humanity’s oldest stories are dark tales, cautioning against a lurking threat, foretelling a coming disaster or telling of vengeful spirit’s wrath. During the course, we will examine why our relationship with the darker side of fiction has endured the millennia, and why there will always be a market for scary stories. We will create haunted places and people, stoke fear and fight demons in the pursuit of unsettling and evocative fiction.

Over the course of twelve weeks, we will consider how to write relatable fear, how to create a brooding atmosphere and how to make setting an intrinsic character in your fiction. Each session will include short tutorials on technique with practical exercises, peer and individual feedback as well as reading recommendations to help you enrich your own dark fiction.

By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the tools and techniques needed to write truly spine-chilling tales, craft characters which defy the conventions of the genre and create vivid settings. You will have a greater understanding of how and why the darkness in fiction represents the struggles of society and how this has evolved from campfire stories into the online world.