For students who already know the basics of horror writing, this class provides an opportunity to expand their skills and hone their craft. We will leap headlong into the use of symbolism and figurative language, exploring the roots of classic horror and looking towards the future of contemporary horror writing. 

Students may choose to create a new work of fiction for this class or to bring an older or unfinished story to improve and complete. Each class will consist of an instructional period on our daily topic, a timed writing period, and a workshopping/feedback portion. 

Students enrolled in this class should have experience writing fiction and ideally have had some formal instruction in creative writing from me or another writing teacher. I strongly recommend Horror Writing for Middle Schoolers as a foundation class for younger writers entering this class. If you aren't sure which class level is appropriate for your student, please contact me for a short assessment of their writing. As with my introductory class, students should be able to handle reading and writing frightening fiction at an age appropriate level. Workshopping and peer feedback are a necessary part of improving writing, thus students will be expected to participate with video/voice on Zoom, rather than the chat feature only. 

Students should plan to spend a minimum of 2 hours of their own time each week working on their short story. Together, we will strive hard to create complete, cohesive works of short fiction that students may use in academic/creative portfolios or submit for contests or publication. 

Weeks 1-3 focus on lecture, in-class writing assignments, and out-of-class assignments designed to move the writer through their first draft. Week 4 will be devoted to in-class workshopping of the stories. 

Learner progress will be evaluated through participation in class activities, completion of assignments, and improvement in individual student work – not in comparison to the work of other students.