Learn the Art of Horror Writing for Fun and Profit

SANTA BARBARA, CA, September 15, 2010 (Press-News.org) Virtual University has announced a new addition to its catalog of online writing courses. The new course, "The Art of Writing Horror," explores a very popular genre of fiction and will teach writers how to spin chilling short stories and novels for fun and profit.

Author, producer and international educator Laurie Notch developed the course for Virtual University and is teaching the class. Beginning writers are welcome. Participants will learn the basics of writing horror fiction: how to structure a plot so that the story flows from beginning to end; how to create tension, conflict, and cliffhangers; how to use dialogue to reveal a character's evil motives, and how to set a frightening mood, create fear, and heighten suspense. Writers who complete the course will have the knowledge necessary to spin tales of mayhem and madness that will keep readers turning pages, eager for more.

Horror stories have been popular for centuries. These chilling stories give us a healthy respect for danger, teach values, and help us face - even mock - death. While terror is rooted in conditions that exist in the external world, horror comes from the darkness that dwells in the human mind. Whether you yearn to write about ghosts, creepy dolls, insane asylums, or axe-wielding maniacs, this writing workshop will help you discover the horror in everyday life and turn it into a potential bestseller.

Writers who complete this course should be able to:

* Understand how horror fiction differs from other writing genre
* Identify the elements that make horror classics such as The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street and Dracula so chilling
* Try new techniques for writing eerie events and horrible happenings
* Analyze the masters of horror and understand why they wrote what they did
* Explore the Gothic Movement and the works of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, and Bram Stoker
* Be familiar with the three main groups of horror: psychological, allegorical and sociological
* Effectively use the essential ingredients of horror writing to create great settings and atmosphere
* Invent creepy, twisted characters and riveting action
* Learn how to structure a horror plot so that the story flows from beginning to end
* Break bad habits such as cliches, mixed metaphors, vague language, redundancy, and passive voice
* Gain insights on how to market, pitch, and promote your horror story

The registration fee for this course is $30 and enrollments are now being accepted. Unlike a traditional classroom, there is no waiting for classes to begin at Virtual University -- students can enroll and start learning immediately. The instructor's "office" is open 24/7, and students work at their own pace from the comfort of their home or office.

For more information about "The Art of Writing Horror" or to enroll in this course, visit the course home page at http://vu.ksurf.net/catalog/3112.html

For information about more than 100 other courses on a wide variety of topics including HTML and Web design, creative writing, self-help/inspirational themes, and academic courses, browse the Virtual University catalog of online classes at http://vu.ksurf.net/calendar.html

About Laurie Notch:

Author and international educator Laurie Notch has published fiction, nonfiction, and cyber graphic novels. She has lectured at Tufts University and other colleges in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia. She holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from St. Cloud State University, Minnesota and an M.A. in Applied Anthropology with specialization in Social Semiotics from American University in Washington D.C. She is the Managing Editor of the print and online "Adventures for the Average Woman Magazine" whose mission is to promote women in the literary and visual arts. She is President of Wasted Minds Entertainment, a media production company that has produced television pilots including Strange Attractors (a reality TV program that investigates the odd and extraordinary), Ghost Quest (with an all female ghost hunting team), and Supernatural Hotspots (another paranormal show), as well as the documentary Spanking Tinkerbell ("the buzz" of the 2007 National Publicity Summit.) She is the author of the novel The Spoiler and writes articles for eHow.com, The Examiner, and other Web publications. Notch says she gets her inspiration from Rod Serling, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and Stephen King.

About Virtual University:

Virtual University is a friendly and supportive e-learning community that offers more than 100 low-cost, non-credit courses for continuing education, corporate training and self-improvement. Instructor-led and self-directed classes are available on many in-demand subjects including HTML and Web design, Internet technology, creative and nonfiction writing, self-help/inspirational themes, and academic subjects. Virtual University is a subsidiary of KSURF Knowledge Web and can be reached at http://vu.ksurf.net