What happens when you can no longer trust what you see, remember, or believe? In this four-week course, we'll explore the art of psychological suspense and learn how to keep readers questioning what is real and whether a character's perception can be trusted. We'll examine techniques involving unreliable narrators, paranoia, obsession, buried secrets, shifting realities, and the gradual unraveling of a character's sense of self. Through short readings and discussions of writers such as Shirley Jackson, Gillian Flynn, Paul Tremblay, and Stephen King, we'll look closely at how accomplished authors create uncertainty, manipulate reader expectations, plant clues, and sustain tension without giving away the truth too soon. We'll then put those techniques into practice in our own fiction. Participants can expect in-class writing exercises, guided discussions, craft-focused lectures, and first-blush feedback on their work. The emphasis will be on experimentation, generating new material, and developing practical techniques you can take directly into your own psychological suspense or horror writing.
Scheduling note: This class will skip the week of Thanksgiving.
