Shirley Jackson as Muse: An 8-Week Generative Fiction Workshop, Starts Thursday, October 1st, 2026
Starts Thursday, October 1st, 2026
Class will meet weekly via Wet Ink (asynchronous)
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.
Instructor Lauren Davis is the author of the short story collection The Nothing (YesYes Books, 2025) and the poetry collections Home Beneath the Church (Fernwood Press) and When I Drowned. Her fiction won the Landing Zone Magazine's Flash Fiction Contest, and her fiction and poetry have been finalists for the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize and the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction, among others. Her poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in numerous literary publications and anthologies, including Prairie Schooner, Spillway, Poet Lore, Ibbetson Street, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminars. Davis lives with her husband and two black cats on the Olympic Peninsula in a Victorian seaport community.
Meet the Teaching Artist:
Read an Interview with Lauren on Shirley Jackson as Muse.
Who is this class for?
This online fiction writing workshop is for writers at all levels who want to explore Shirley Jackson's unique style and themes. Whether you're drawn to psychological tension, dark fiction, or the art of the unsettling, this course will help you infuse your work with depth and complexity.
What to expect:
Step into the haunting and captivating world of Shirley Jackson in this 8-week fiction workshop. Through reading, analysis, and generative writing exercises, you will gain a deeper appreciation for Jackson's writing and develop practical skills for crafting narratives that grip readers' attention.
Guided by instructor Lauren Davis, you will delve deep into Jackson's unique blend of dark themes, psychological exploration, and horror, using her work as a catalyst to spark your own creativity. This online writing class invites you to explore the chilling brilliance of Shirley Jackson's writing through her acclaimed collection The Lottery and Other Stories.
Join us for an immersive exploration of Shirley Jackson's literary legacy, where you'll not only uncover the secrets behind her chilling tales but also harness her influence to ignite your own creative spark. Under the guidance of instructor Lauren Davis, you'll craft your own stories that resonate with darkness, suspense, and the enigmatic allure that defines Jackson's writing. Note: Our peer workshop will utilize a strict deadline as a courtesy to ensure all participants have the same amount of time to participate and provide feedback to each other.
What are the writing goals?
In this course, students will:
Reading and Analysis: Through a comprehensive reading and discussion of Shirley Jackson's acclaimed short story collection The Lottery and Other Stories, students will dissect her narratives, characters, and themes. By analyzing Jackson's storytelling techniques, students will gain insights into her mastery of suspense, psychological tension, and eerie atmosphere.
Exploring Dark Themes: Participants will explore and identify the underlying dark themes and psychological nuances that permeate Jackson's stories. By unpacking the intricacies of her writing, students will gain an understanding of how to infuse their own work with depth, complexity, and a touch of the unsettling.
Generative Writing: Using Jackson's stories as inspiration, students will embark on a journey of creativity, generating their own first drafts of short stories. Through various writing prompts and exercises, participants will harness the power of Jackson's literary legacy to create new and original fiction.
Technique Integration: Building on the knowledge gained from studying Jackson's works, students will learn how to incorporate her writing techniques into their own drafts. From creating suspenseful scenes to crafting memorable characters, participants will develop a toolkit for infusing their stories with tension and intrigue.
Participants will have the opportunity to receive private instructor feedback on four 5,000-word short stories.
Readings
Students will read The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. Students will need to acquire their own copy of the book.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1: Read Section I and Discuss Stories
Week 2: Generate and Submit Short Story Draft
Week 3: Read Section II and Discuss Stories
Week 4: Generate and Submit Short Story Draft
Week 5: Read Section III and Discuss Stories
Week 6: Generate and Submit Short Story Draft
Week 7: Read Section IV and Discuss Stories
Week 8: Generate and Submit Short Story Draft
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Close reading of Shirley Jackson's only short story collection
- Knowledge and appreciation of psychological and dark fiction theory
- Generation of four short story drafts
- Private instructor feedback on four 5,000-word short stories
- Peer feedback on one 5,000-word short story
Join us for an immersive exploration of Shirley Jackson's literary legacy, where you'll not only uncover the secrets behind her chilling tales but also harness her influence to ignite your own creative spark.
Under the guidance of instructor Lauren Davis, you'll craft your own stories that resonate with darkness, suspense, and the enigmatic allure that defines Jackson's writing.
ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:
This class is entirely asynchronous which means you complete the weekly assignments on your own schedule. There are no set meeting times in order to allow for greater participation; your cohort will consist of writers from across different time zones, which allows for a wonderful diversity of voices.
Along with your weekly deadlines there is plenty of interaction with Lauren and your peers within Wet Ink, our dedicated online classroom. Craft materials, lectures, reading assignments, and writing prompts are all available through the online classroom. Students also post work and provide and receive feedback within the online classroom environment.
You can get the work done as you see fit week-to-week, so it is perfect for any schedule. There are discussion questions each week inspired by the assigned readings and topics in the lecture notes. Students are encouraged to take these wherever is most compelling and/or useful for them. Lauren engages with these discussions throughout the week and you will receive feedback from all assigned writing activities.
HOW DOES WET INK WORK?
Wet Ink was built and designed specifically for online writing classes. Wet Ink is private, easy to use, and very interactive. You can learn more about the Wet Ink platform by Watching a Class Demo.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
- Instructor: Lauren Davis
- Class starts Thursday, October 1, 2026
- Class will meet weekly via Wet Ink (asynchronous). Once you have enrolled the instructor will send you a link to our online classroom, provided via Wet Ink.
- Tuition is $545 USD