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Exploit the Familiar: A Practical Dissection of How Stephen King Scares Us

A 2-Day Online Fiction Workshop

Saturday, October 26th & Sunday, October 27th, 1-4 PM

Scaring someone on the page is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve. It's not enough to have a frightening idea or to describe the horrific entity in your head. You need a strategy to make the horror feel real inside your reader. No one has done this more times than Stephen King.

In this class, we'll dissect the principles underpinning King's worlds, the rhetorical techniques he uses to disarm our disbelief, and most importantly, his exploitation of interiority. These concepts will be supported by close readings of excerpts from King's earlier works -- Salem's Lot, The Shining, Pet Sematary, IT - group discussions, as well as writing exercises designed to be low-pressure, generative, and freeing. By the end of the class, you will have the foundations of a practical approach that Stephen King has used to turn our inner worlds against us.

 

+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur ONLINE via Zoom. For online attendance, students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the class.

+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).

$120 Members/$175 Nonmembers


Ahsan Butt earned his MFA in Fiction at Antioch University of Los Angeles. His short-fiction and essays have appeared in Pleiades, West Branch, Split Lip Magazine, Barrelhouse, The Massachusetts Review, The Normal School, SmokeLong Quarterly, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. He is currently a Senior Editor at South Asian Avant Garde: A Dissident Literary Anthology (SAAG) and writes a newsletter on horror writing. Find him at ahsanb.com.


ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.

PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION

QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.

REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.

REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.

SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Email programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due by October 12 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION