A killer plot is only half the story. No matter what kind of fiction you’re writing, knowing how to build and exploit suspense is crucial. Suspense quickens the pace of your narrative, adds thrilling elements of mystery and unpredictability, and makes the difference between a potboiler and a pulse-quickening page turner.

Tutor Claire McGowan, author of the acclaimed Paula Maguire crime series, is an expert in the finer points of suspense. She will teach authors of any genre of fiction how to use different elements of writing to create dramatic tension, as well as ways in which to provide a satisfying conclusion to a suspenseful plotline.

You’ll learn how to use every part of your writing – from your characters to your narration – to keep your readers on the edge of their seats. You’ll also find out how to provide powerful conclusions to every build-up, which will leave your readers satisfied – if emotionally exhausted.

This course is for…

Fiction authors who wants to inject excitement and drama into their writing.
People that have completed a first draft of a novel which they feel lacks pace or drama.

Claire McGowan published her first novel in 2012 and has followed it up with many others in the crime fiction genre and also in women’s fiction (writing as Eva Woods). She’s had three radio plays broadcast on Radio 4 and two number 1 bestsellers on Kindle. She ran the UK’s first MA in crime writing for five years and regularly teaches and talks about writing. She was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year award in 2019 and also writes scripts, articles and short stories.

Date: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April 2023, 14:00 – 17:00 BST
Location: Online
Cost: £255.83

Book via Eventbrite