May’s Day of Reckoning Writing Workshop

The next Day of Reckoning online writing workshop will be hosted by Storyville Studio on Saturday, May 9th from 9am-5pm Central time. Instructors include me, Livia Llewellyn, Priya Sharma, Mercedes M. Yardley, Karen Runge, Brian Evenson and Sarah Read. Richard Thomas will act as moderator. In addition to the online workshopping, class participants will receive feedback from the instructors on one of their short stories.

Seats are limited; sign up soon if you’re interested!

Schedule:

YES IN MY BACKYARD: REGIONAL HORROR WRITING WITH LIVIA LLEWELLYN

9:00 — 10:00 A.M. CST

New England, Southern, city, suburbia: how to put the evocative power of where you live/have lived to work in your horror.

FABULOUS BEASTS Q&A WITH PRIYA SHARMA

10:00 — 11:00 A.M. CST

How to grow a tale. An in-depth conversation about “Fabulous Beasts,” a story that was a World Fantasy Award winner, a Shirley Jackson nominee, and a selection for both The Best Horror of the Year and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror.

SHARE THE HORROR: CAN A GOOD SOUL WRITE DARK THINGS? WITH MERCEDES M. YARDLEY

11:00 A.M.—12:00 P.M. CST

We’ll discuss not only how a “good” person can explore darkness, but why it’s a valuable thing to do so.

Break for Lunch.

12:00— 1:00 P.M. CST

THE BEAUTY IN THE BEAST: WRITING TRAUMA HORROR WITH HUMANITY KAREN RUNGE

1:00 — 2:00 P.M. CST

Let’s take a look at real monsters and traumatic subjects: how to write a disturbing scene with insight and compassion, and how to utilize extreme themes in a way that enriches the emotive power of your story.

WRITING HORROR WITH LUCY A. SNYDER

2:00 — 3:00 P.M. CST

Join five time Bram Stoker Award winner Lucy A. Snyder for a discussion of horror and its subgenres. The session will feature exercises on creating an atmosphere of dread and a discussion of current markets.

SPEAKING BETWEEN THE LINES SARAH READ

3:00 — 4:00 P.M. CST

Dialogue is so much more than the words on the page. Some of the most important elements are what isn’t said. Learn about how to infuse your dialogue with subtext.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS WITH BRIAN EVENSON

4:00 — 5:00 P.M. CST

We will look at different ways of doing character description: concise, lengthy, on the run, physical, metaphorical, etc., and consider what each provides.