FICT 161 W — Misdirection and Mayhem: Mystery and Thriller Workshop
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Deborah Johnson
Date(s): Apr 3—Jun 4
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Please Note: Class will meet on Thursdays, 12:00 - 1:00 pm (PT). Note: No class Thursday, April 2. The first class will meet on Friday, April 3 instead.
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 5
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Feb 23, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Spring
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 3—Jun 4
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 5
Instructor(s): Deborah Johnson
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Feb 23, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: Class will meet on Thursdays, 12:00 - 1:00 pm (PT). Note: No class Thursday, April 2. The first class will meet on Friday, April 3 instead.
Have you ever sifted red herrings from clues in a mystery novel or marveled at the twists of a thriller and thought, “I’d love to do that, but I have no idea how”? This course will demystify the process of writing suspense fiction readers can’t put down. You’ll start by developing a strong premise, then build characters that enhance the story before moving to plotting. Lectures and discussions will cover when to plant clues, how to misdirect readers with well-placed distractions, and how best to weave in subplots. We’ll also explore pacing and the art of ratcheting up tension as the novel nears its climax. Short weekly writing assignments will help you apply what you learn. Along the way, we’ll read masters like Dorothy L. Sayers, Tana French, and Benjamin Black (John Banville). You’ll leave with a gripping first chapter and the tools and momentum to keep your story racing forward.
Since most of the learning in this course takes place asynchronously in threaded discussions on the Canvas classroom site, the live Zoom sessions are limited to 60 minutes per week.
DEBORAH JOHNSON
Author
Deborah Johnson’s novel The Secret of Magic received the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. Her previous novel, The Air Between Us, received the Mississippi Library Association Award for fiction. She worked in Rome for many years as an editor and translator and as a broadcaster at Vatican Radio. She has completed a new novel, Washington and Leigh, a ghost story about the beginnings of rock and roll set in 1950s Mississippi, which will be published in Spring 2026. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Elizabeth George, Mastering the Process (ISBN 978-1984878335)
(Required) Tana French, In the Woods (ISBN 978-0143113492)
(Required) James Patterson and David Ellis, The Black Book (ISBN 978-1455542673)
(Required) Tana French, In the Woods (ISBN 978-0143113492)
(Required) James Patterson and David Ellis, The Black Book (ISBN 978-1455542673)