“Keep the man on haunted ground, and he’ll haunt.” (Robert Bloch, author of Psycho) Most fiction of the dark fantastic relies heavily on setting and atmosphere to generate suspense, tension, and good old-fashioned terror. We will discuss how setting and landscape impact fiction, then dive into generative writing prompts and exercises. Be prepared to write (using tablet, laptop, or carbon-based media) and to read work aloud.
Elizabeth Hand is the author of nineteen award-winning novels and five collections of short fiction and essays. Her work includes the series of psychological thrillers featuring Cass Neary, “one of noir's great anti-heroes” (Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love), historical crime novel Curious Toys, about visionary artist Henry Darger, Hokuloa Road, and most recently, A Haunting on the Hill. Her novel Unspeakable Things will be published next year. She divides her time between the Maine coast and North London.