FICT 161 W — Mystery and Thriller Workshop: Misdirection, Mayhem, and More
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Deborah Johnson
Date(s): Apr 1—Jun 7
Class Recording Available: Yes
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Unit(s): 3
Enrollment Limit: 19
Status: Closed
Quarter: Spring
Unit(s): 3
Duration: 10 weeks
Date(s): Apr 1—Jun 7
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Instructor(s): Deborah Johnson
Enrollment Limit: 19
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
Have you ever delightedly sifted red herrings from clues in a great mystery novel or marveled at its plot twists? Have you ever closed the cover of an irresistible page-turner and thought, "I’d love to be able to do that, but I have no idea where to start"? This course will demystify the steps involved in creating and crafting a suspenseful thriller or mystery plot. First, we will hone our basic idea down to its most compelling essence. Using this foundation, we will learn how to build characters who enhance our story. Finally, we will turn our attention to the actual plotting of our mystery, thriller, or suspense novel—where to lay clues and how to misdirect the reader with well-placed distractions and interesting subplots. We will focus on the essentials of pacing and the art of ratcheting up the tension as the novel approaches its climactic moment. Short weekly writing assignments will allow us a chance to practice what we learn. Along the way, we will read experts such as Dorothy L. Sayers, Tana French, and Benjamin Black (John Banville). Students will emerge from this course with the first chapter of their novel and strong knowledge of how to proceed from there.
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 is completing a new novel, a ghost story about the beginnings of rock and roll set in 1950s Mississippi. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Elizabeth George, Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel (ISBN 978-1984878335)
(Required) Tana French, In the Woods (ISBN 978-0143113492)
(Required) James Patterson & David Ellis, The Black Book (ISBN 978-1455542673)
(Required) Tana French, In the Woods (ISBN 978-0143113492)
(Required) James Patterson & David Ellis, The Black Book (ISBN 978-1455542673)