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I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been appointed to the faculty at To Write Well—an online private educational organization devoted to teaching the craft of writing through workshops that go deeper than the basics. 

Between now and next October, To Write Well will offer five sections of a ten-week course in Paranormal Fiction.  I’ll teach Part 1 – Grasping the Ghost Story, and fellow writer C.L. Ross will teach Part 2, which will delve into other types of paranormal fiction and lore (vampires, werewolves, etc.)  As of this writing, it’s the only Paranormal Fiction course being offered anywhere. 

As for what will be covered in Grasping the Ghost Story: Ghost stories exist to unsettle and terrify—but in order for that to happen, certain subtle elements must be present.  Using a literary approach with an eye toward Poe’s Single Effect Theory, Grasping the Ghost Story will illumine the finer points of creating such subtlety.  Close readings, critical responses, exercises, and free-writing will hone the student’s recognition and command of what is the very essence of a good ghost story—one that will haunt the reader long after he’s turned out the lights. 

Students taking this course will enter with a draft of a ghost story that they’re working on, and it will be assumed that the student has a solid understanding of the basic and advanced elements of fiction.  Since the ghost story is the foundation for other types of paranormal fiction, this course will be required before signing up for Part 2. 

I’m tremendously excited about this opportunity—it’s a chance to work in what I really love!