Home   |    Join a Community    |    Learn the Craft    |    Get Motivated    |    Contact Us

Read what students say about our courses!

Facilitator:  Ayn Hunt (On hold until further notice)

Workshop Syllabus

Gothics and Gothic elements are hot right now. Publishers have created special lines for them, and these books are flying off the shelves. But what exactly are Gothics? What are Gothic elements? And what publishers are we talking about here? In this interactive course taught by multi-published Gothic writer Ayn Hunt learn how to write Gothics, what Gothic elements are, how to use them in other genres to make your book stand out, and which publishers are seeking them now.

Week 1: 
Introduction
You will learn a brief history of Gothic novels, what current genres have branched out from them, and how they’ve evolved. A discussion of the overview of mood and tone of Gothics will be given with an interactive writing exercise to help get you started. Each completed exercise will then be critiqued by the instructor, and given back to you with her feedback.

Nuts and Bolts
Point of View, Setting, Location, Gothic details and Gothic elements will be discussed as well as techniques for heightening suspense. You will have a writing exercise to practice what you’ve learned. The exercise will be critiqued by the instructor, and given back to you with her feedback.

Week 2: 
Special Effects
How to create the proper mood and atmosphere using the language of the Gothic will be discussed. Two writing exercises will be provided to create mood and atmosphere and to incorporate all that’s been discussed. These exercises will be critiqued by the instructor and given back to you with her feedback.

Gothic Characters
We’ll focus on how many characters to use, and what roles they play as well as how to create them. You will have a writing exercise that will be critiqued by the instructor, and given back to you with her feedback.

Week 3: 
Vile Gothic Villains, Evil Forces and Really Nasty Gothic Ghouls
Villains, Forces and Ghouls will be discussed; how to create them and how to use them to enhance your Gothic. A writing exercise will be given for creating these dastardly foes and pitting them against your main  character.

Adding Final Ingredients and Stirring the Gothic Brew
A discussion of how to make your Gothic stand out and mixing everything together. You will be given a writing exercise incorporating all you’ve learned. This exercise will then be critiqued by instructor and given back to you with her feedback.

Week 4: 
Converting/Incorporation
A lecture about converting everything Gothic into other genres will be addressed and conversely, discussion of how to modify basic elements of various genres into the Gothic novel. Included will be two writing exercises which will then be critiqued and returned.

Publishers!
This lecture will focus on specific large and small publishers who are actively seeking Gothics and Gothic elements in other genres. URLs and who to contact will also be given. This lecture will also include an encapsulated wrap-up of everything learned.

Objective:
By the end of this interactive class, students will have mastered Gothic elements and the techniques Gothic writers use to heighten suspense and keep readers turning the pages.  Students will have also learned how to transfer this knowledge into their chosen genre or if they wish, to start writing their own Gothic novels. In addition, they’ll have a solid grasp of the evolution of Gothics into many of the modern genres of today.

Prerequisite:  None.

About the Facilitator:

Ayn Hunt is a full-time writer and lifelong Texan who has wanted to write ever since she can remember. She's the author of three published Gothic Mysteries: Unwilling Killers, Obsessed and The Haunting. Because she strives for realism in her books she started researching ghosts several years ago and now has a nonfiction newsletter about them called Haunted Happenings. In addition to going out to the several hundred subscribers who request it by e-mail, it also appears on the website of AnotherRealm.com and GottaWriteNetwork.com, where Ayn is the Paranormal editor. She also writes freelance articles which have appeared in various on-line publications such as Neverary.com and WomenonWriting.com.

Married for 32 years, she loves cats, taking long walks and reading everything that crosses her path.

Registration: Select the payment service you want to use.
Workshop Duration: 4 weeks  
Tuition: $89

Classes on hold for 2012

Payments via Paypal:

Select your session January 3rd Feb. 7th March 14th April 18th May 23rd June 27th

   

IMPORTANT!  Your receipt and information will come to the e-mail address associated with your PayPal account.  If you do not check this account, you will not receive your receipt or workshop invitation!

To pay by check or money order CLICK HERE
By registering, you indicate that you have read our 
Workshop Terms of Service.

Recommended

The following books are not required purchases for this course, but are highly recommended by the facilitator.

Unwilling Killers
by Ayn Hunt

At the request of her aging aunt Jessica Moore, a young schoolteacher, goes undercover to solve the murder of a wealthy industrialist. To do so effectively, she rents rooms in the murdered man's mansion, which is reputed to be haunted and which his ancient housekeeper, Mrs. Johnson has mysteriously inherited. But as Jessica enters, she knows she is being watched. What she, nor the ancient housekeeper know, however, is that two men are hiding inside the vast old place, watching Jessica's arrival and plotting to kill her tonight.

The Haunting
by Ayn Hunt

Return to Workshops    |   Workshop FAQs   |  Privacy Policy   |   Feedback   |   Terms of Service