{"product_id":"sustaining-dread-horror-novel-writing-workshop-online-february-2027","title":"Sustaining Dread: Writing the Horror Novel — 4-Week Online Fiction Workshop with Fin Leary Starts Monday, February 1st, 2027","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHorror Novel Writing Workshop: Sustain Dread | Feb 2027 Online\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSustaining Dread Writing Workshop: Writing the Horror Novel with Fin Leary\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBegins Monday, February 1, 2027\u003cbr\u003eClass will meet weekly via Zoom on Mondays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET (Sessions: February 1, 8, 15, and 22)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e🌍 Class Times by Time Zone:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLos Angeles (PST): 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChicago (CST): 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew York (EST): 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNow Enrolling!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAny questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstructor Fin Leary (they\/them) is a transgender and autistic author, a program manager at We Need Diverse Books, and an instructor at Emerson College, GrubStreet, and the Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop. Fin is the 2026 Young Adult Writer-in-Residence at Porter Square Books, and the 2026 Westfield State University Alumni of the Year. Fin was a 2024 Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ+ Voices Fellow for Young Adult Fiction. They are a contributor to the young adult horror anthology \u003cem\u003eThese Bodies Ain’t Broken\u003c\/em\u003e edited by Madeline Dyer (Page Street Publishing, 2025). Their fiction has been supported by the McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House), Lambda Literary, the St. Botolph Club Foundation, the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, Sundress Academy for the Arts, and Narrative Initiative, and their poetry has been supported by GBH and the City of Boston Mayor’s Poetry Program. Fin lives with their orange literary cat and a rainbow bookshelf outside of Boston, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMeet the Teaching Artist\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/writingworkshops.com\/blogs\/news\/meet-the-teaching-artist-fin-leary-horror-novel-writing\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Fin Leary on Sustaining Dread in the Horror Novel\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eFin Leary on Sustaining Dread in the Horror Novel\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho is this class for?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis intermediate online writing class is for fiction writers who have begun a horror novel and are in the early drafting stages, or who are just starting to outline and draft. It is also a strong fit for horror writers who keep trying to draft a novel but continually feel stuck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat to expect:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining Dread is a 4-week horror writing workshop for writers working toward a complete first draft of a horror novel. Short stories can live on a single spike of fear. A novel has to hold dread across hundreds of pages. This course focuses on the strategies horror authors use to sustain dread, pacing, and escalation for the length of a book, so readers keep being surprised and the emotional intensity keeps building without wearing them out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach live Zoom session builds your horror craft and moves your novel forward. You’ll start with character wants, fears, and flaws, including what your reader fears. Then you’ll work on escalating emotional tension, craft strategies for the murky middle and the climax, and endings that feel earned. Starting in Week 2, you’ll build an outline for your novel that escalates the threat, controls the pacing, and gives you a structure that holds. Readings focus on the essential elements of an effective horror novel and on keeping your drafting momentum. Plan on 2–3 hours of work outside of class each week.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis creative writing course includes a full workshop. Each student submits one piece of up to 6,000 words and receives written feedback from Fin along with feedback from peers. You’ll leave this online fiction workshop with a clear plan for the rest of your draft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat are the writing goals?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this course, students will produce a detailed outline for their horror novel along with a revised first chapter. Each student will submit one piece of up to 6,000 words from their novel-in-progress for workshop and receive written feedback from the instructor along with peer feedback.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReadings\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReadings may include excerpts from \u003cem\u003eYou Weren’t Meant to Be Human\u003c\/em\u003e by Andrew Joseph White, \u003cem\u003eModel Home\u003c\/em\u003e by Rivers Solomon, and \u003cem\u003eIn the Dream House\u003c\/em\u003e by Carmen Maria Machado.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCOURSE OUTLINE\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 1: Your Characters: Wants, Fears, and Flaws\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA particular focus on character fears, and reader fears! How do we build believable and interesting fear in a horror novel, and how does this set the stage?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 2: Escalating Emotional Tension\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat does it look like to employ emotion on the page, and how do we escalate tension and dread? During Week 2, writers will begin their outlines for their horror novels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 3: Fear and the Long Haul\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe’ll discuss craft strategies specific to writing the murky middle and the climax of the novel, and how to continue to surprise your readers, throw in plot twists, and elevate the dread and fear without leaving your readers frustrated or exhausted. We will also discuss how to figure out what length your horror novel should be and what it means to create a compelling timeline and pacing that works for the story you’re telling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 4: Writing Endings that Work\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat makes the ending to a horror novel feel earned? How much hope versus hopelessness do we imbue in our endings? To what extent do all plot lines need to feel wrapped up, and which questions are left answered versus unanswered?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCOURSE TAKEAWAYS:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA detailed outline for your horror novel, built to sustain dread and escalate the threat across a full-length manuscript\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA revised first chapter of your novel-in-progress\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten instructor feedback and peer feedback on up to 6,000 words of your novel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStrategies for building believable character and reader fears that set the stage for the whole book\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTools for pacing the murky middle and climax, surprising readers, and building intensity without exhausting them\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA framework for writing a horror ending that feels earned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePAYMENT OPTIONS:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTuition is $330 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInstructor: Fin Leary\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBegins Monday, February 1, 2027\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClass will meet weekly via Zoom on Mondays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuition is $330 USD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Writing Workshops Org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67517090300152,"sku":null,"price":592.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0287\/3917\/4532\/files\/SustainingDreadWritingtheHorrorNovelwithFinLeary.png?v=1790360808","url":"https:\/\/writingworkshops.com\/en-nz\/products\/sustaining-dread-horror-novel-writing-workshop-online-february-2027","provider":"Writing Workshops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}