Writing the Horror Novella with Cynthia Pelayo [Full]

In this 8-week workshop, we will work to bypass our inner critics to achieve a weekly targeted writing goal of 2,000 words per week to reach an initial draft of a novella by the end of the workshop. 

During each weekly lecture, we will discuss horror as a genre, its elements, and history while also reviewing the mechanics and structure of a novella, focusing on recent novellas within the horror genre. 

The lectures will be divided into a discussion of the week's reading, followed by a lecture on the horror genre and elements, then moving into craft and structure. Each week’s class will end with inspiration and motivation techniques to complete a targeted writing goal with strategies for completion. 

We will have four critique sessions every other week, focusing on using the "Asking Method," in which students will ask each other relevant questions about their text. The "Asking Method" will be utilized to inspire and motivate. 

The outcome of the course will be to complete a drafted novella while coming away with an understanding of various ways to structure and shape a novella while having acquired some writing and motivation techniques to complete future work. 

Topics Covered:

• Elements and history of the Horror genre
• Structure and mechanics of novella
• Utilization of the asking method for giving and receiving feedback on in-progress work

Student Takeaways: 

• A better understanding of the genre
• A completed novella draft (approximately 16,000 words)

Content Notice: This class may include discussions and readings including but not limited to graphic depictions / discussions of death, murder, gore, dismemberment, abuse, suicidal ideation, grief, parent death, child death, child trauma, and more. The instructor will ensure they provide a content reminder before the beginning of each lecture and reading to indicate topics that are to be discussed that day.

This class meets online for eight, two-hour sessions.

Meeting Dates: Tuesdays, October 15, 22, 29, November 15, 12, 19, 26, and December 3, from 4 -6 pm Pacific Time.

Though a portion of each session is lecture-based, attendees will be asked to participate in discussion via chat, voice, and/or video.

Required Reading List:

• The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle
• Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
• Linghun by Ai Jiang 

Additional Recommended Texts:

• Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark
• Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
• The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
• Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

About the Instructor: 

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award–winning author. Her novels include Vanishing Daughters, Forgotten Sisters, Children of Chicago and The Shoemaker’s Magician. She is also the editor of Ghosts of Where We Are From, a Latinx Horror anthology featuring today's bestselling Latin American authors upcoming from Simon & Schuster. In addition to writing genre-blending novels that incorporate elements of fairy tales, mystery, detective, crime, and horror, Pelayo has written numerous short stories and the poetry collection Crime Scene. The recipient of the 2021 International Latino Book Award, she holds a master of fine arts in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives in Chicago with her family. 

 Website

This event will be held in Zoom. By registering for this class, you agree to follow the Clarion West Code of Conduct and Zoom policies. 

Limited Free Seating: 

We offer a percentage of seats in every class to People of the Global Majority (Asian, Black, African, Latina/o/x, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and/or have been racialized as 'ethnic minorities') for free, regardless of financial need. 

Eligible folks should complete this form to enter the lottery for free seats.  If a seat is available, we will email you 7-10 days before the class begins. For more information, see our equity and inclusion policies.

Sliding Scale Pricing:

The Supporting Tuition rate is shown for each class or workshop for folks who can pay it. Paying the Supporting Tuition rate enables us to continue to pay our staff and instructors equitably, as well as support access to classes for others who may be in a different situation. 

The Helping Hands rate is available to folks under more limited economic circumstances, no matter your background.

For more information, see our financial aid policies.

Our Refund Policy:

Clarion West will refund all class fees if the request is made 30 days before the class date. Refund requests made within 30 days of the class will be honored if we can fill the seat.

Any exceptions are subject to approval by our workshop staff.