Crime and Thriller Writing Summer School

An intensive week-long crime writing short course teaching you how to write a thriller. This fast-track course is a condensed version of the Crime and Thriller Writing 10 week programme.

Taught online, the course will include an in-depth look at what makes a crime novel and how to make your own writing strong, compelling and ready to submit.

Delivered over five days in a short concentrated burst, you will learn the key elements of crime and thriller writing, including plotting, pacing, tension, characterisation and analysis of all the elements that give a book that page-turning quality. This highly practical course is suitable for both beginners and also those who have already started writing but need some direction.

After this course, students might also be interested in Short Story Writing, Novel Writing and Longer Works, and Writers' Workshop.

Who is it for?

Gain a solid foundation in what makes a successful crime and thriller story and how to go about planning, plotting and writing one.

Timetable

The course takes place everyday from 10.30am - 3.30pm over one week from July 19^th to 23^rd with an hours break for lunch.

• Monday
  Introduction to crime fiction and thrillers
  Heroes, villains and victims: creating characters that live off the page
• Tuesday
  Writing effective dialogue
  ‘Voice’ and point-of-view
• Wednesday
  How to plot your novel
  Handling pace and adding tension
• Thursday
  Writing settings that hook the reader
  Using description for tension and atmosphere.
• Friday
  Editing your book
  Getting published.

Benefits

Learn craft of crime fiction from a best-selling thriller writer in just one week over the summer.

Explore our Writing Summer Schools here.

You will learn a variety of techniques from building plot and using effective description to creating dynamic characters that live off the page. You'll also learn how to build tension and pace into your writing; creating crime scene settings; and how to use research to bring veracity to your stories.

The structure of each day will be as follows:

Morning session 10:00-12:00, lunch 12:00-13:00, afternoon session 13:00-15:00

By the end of the week, you will be able to:

• Define what makes a crime story work
• Create believable characters that will live off the page
• Understand plot twists and how to use them to the best effect
• Use effective description in your writing
• Build tension and pace into your writing
• Create settings that evoke a strong sense of place.

There is no formal assessment for the course but students are expected to contribute to class discussions, complete any homework assignments and be open to giving and receiving feedback on their work in progress.

No prior knowledge required as this course is suitable for beginners and also those who would like more direction in their writing.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn, Weidenfeld Nicholson, 2013

Someone Else’s Skin, Sarah Hilary, Headline, 2016

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie, Harper Collins, 2007

Slow Horses, Mick Herron, John Murray, 2017