Building a Mystery

Are you drawn to murder and mayhem? Are you fascinated by crime stories? Can’t get enough of authors like Stieg Larsson, Janet Evanovich, and Sue Grafton?

If you want to join their ranks, it helps to have an insider’s view of the genre and a community of writers with which to share your work.

This eight-week, team-taught course combines a mystery writing workshop with a best-selling author’s insider’s view. Instructors—crime/suspense writer Lori Rader Day and best-selling mystery author Clare O’Donohue—will introduce you to the essential elements of plotting a mystery, use writing prompts to let you dig deeper into your characters and conflicts, and guide you through readings of the genre’s masters. The five sessions with Lori will focus on workshopping student manuscripts, providing opportunities to give and get feedback, and finding your own mystery-writing community. Clare’s three sessions will give you tips for building a mystery-writing career—including how to develop a mystery series.

Join us to learn how to construct the perfect crime!