CW 98 W — Killer Fiction: Mysteries, Thrillers, and Horror Workshop
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Jarrod Shusterman, Sofia Lapuente
Date(s): Jan 13—Mar 17
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Closed
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 13—Mar 17
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Instructor(s): Jarrod Shusterman, Sofia Lapuente
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
Mysteries, thrillers, and horror stories trace back to the dawn of storytelling, and they’ve never been more popular. This workshop explores the psychological and narrative techniques that make these stories so compelling, with a focus on creating suspense and dread that builds from page to page.
We will study Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare, a contemporary horror novel, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, a masterclass in psychological suspense. We’ll examine how setting, character, pacing, and plot twists work across these genres, drawing insights from craft guides like Save the Cat!, experts like Robert McKee, and even Aristotle’s Poetics.
Each student will workshop a story or chapter of up to 5,000 words and receive detailed feedback from peers and instructors. Students will leave with a project outline, practical exercises to keep moving, and guidance on how to query agents. You’ll craft pages so gripping they’ll keep readers turning past their bedtime—and maybe even linger in their dreams.
We will study Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare, a contemporary horror novel, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, a masterclass in psychological suspense. We’ll examine how setting, character, pacing, and plot twists work across these genres, drawing insights from craft guides like Save the Cat!, experts like Robert McKee, and even Aristotle’s Poetics.
Each student will workshop a story or chapter of up to 5,000 words and receive detailed feedback from peers and instructors. Students will leave with a project outline, practical exercises to keep moving, and guidance on how to query agents. You’ll craft pages so gripping they’ll keep readers turning past their bedtime—and maybe even linger in their dreams.
JARROD SHUSTERMAN
Author
Jarrod Shusterman is the New York Times best-selling co-author of Roxy and Dry, which he is adapting for the screen with Neal Shusterman. He also writes with Sofía Lapuente, and they co-authored the novel Retro and collaborated on Gleanings, the fourth installment of the Arc of a Scythe series. His work has received starred reviews in Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, as well as a Green Earth Book Award and two German National Book Award nominations. SOFIA LAPUENTE
Author
Sofía Lapuente is the co-author of the novel Retro with Jarrod Shusterman. She also collaborated on Gleanings, the fourth installment of the Arc of a Scythe series, which is being adapted for the screen by Universal. Lapuente immigrated to the United States with a dream of storytelling and since then has been published in over a dozen languages worldwide. She is a writer, creative writing instructor, screenwriter, and former producer and casting director on an Emmy-nominated show.Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Paula Hawkins, The Girl On The Train (ISBN 978-1594634024)
(Required) Adam Cesare, Clown in a Cornfield (ISBN 978-0062854599)
(Required) Adam Cesare, Clown in a Cornfield (ISBN 978-0062854599)