Crafting the Supernatural

Course summary: Learn to build gripping supernatural fiction through original premises, consistent rules, hauntings, creatures, magic, suspense, believable characters, and earned endings. Finish with a revised supernatural story and a professional story portfolio.

Course overview: This 10-module, 40-lesson course teaches writers to create the impossible with clear rules and human stakes. It welcomes beginning and developing writers of paranormal fiction, supernatural horror, ghost stories, contemporary fantasy, and uncanny literary tales. No prerequisites are required. Allow 3–5 hours per week and preserve every scene and planning sheet for the capstone.

Learning outcomes: Define a reader promise; develop and test supernatural rules; design haunting, curse, creature, and ritual systems; write purposeful scenes; escalate conflict; revise continuity; position a manuscript for its intended readers; and submit a complete, polished story.

AI Writing Partner policy: You may ask AI to question unclear rules, compare two openings, or check continuity against a rule sheet you provide. The writer chooses all story facts, characters, sentences, and revisions. Verify any outside claims, protect private drafts, and never present AI-invented research as evidence. The exercises can be completed without AI.

Completion standards: Complete all 40 lesson labs and self-checks, collect a portfolio of premise cards, rule ledgers, outlines, and scenes, then submit the final story and supporting documents described in Lesson 10.4. Revise any component that does not meet the criteria taught in its lesson.