Creative Writing Genre II: Horror, Mystery, and Suspense

The Creative Writing Genre II: Horror, Mystery, and Suspense Course introduces students to the conventions and techniques of horror, mystery, and suspense writing and to the relevance of these styles to all forms of writing. Understanding what drives mysteries; the tension that defines suspense; and the fear of death, failure, and the unknown that make horror piquant is useful knowledge to every genre. This course will present the works of key creators of these stories in media from the short story to the “monster” movie to survival-themed games.

Course Outline

• Clues, Red Herrings, and Reveals
• Building Dramatic Tension
• Monster and Creative Character Development
• Classic Short Fiction
• Suspense On-Screen