Best seller

Writing a Psychological Thriller

A course by Emily Barr , Novelist

Novelist. Truro, United Kingdom.
Joined May 2021

Learn creative writing techniques to bring mysterious stories to life that grab the reader’s attention from the first page

Best seller
97% positive reviews (233)
7,990 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn creative writing techniques to bring mysterious stories to life that grab the reader’s attention from the first page

Humans have a need for stories, even scary ones, to make sense of the world around them. Novelist Emily Barr specializes in writing thrillers for both adults and young adults. She has published numerous novels, and won various awards for her work, including WHSmith’s New Talent Award.

In this course, Emily teaches you the fundamental elements of writing a psychological thriller. Write the opening of your own book, a 25-word synopsis, and plan for the rest of your project with an experienced novelist as your guide. Are you ready to take your readers on a thrilling journey?

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What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 19 downloads

Research and Workspace
11 minutes, 43 seconds
The Plot
17 minutes, 58 seconds
The Character
12 minutes, 24 seconds
The Theme
5 minutes, 30 seconds
The Setting
6 minutes, 44 seconds
The Dialogue
7 minutes, 52 seconds
  • 97% positive reviews (233)
  • 7,990 students
  • 15 lessons (2h 17m)
  • 19 additional resources (9 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

You will write the opening of your own thriller novel, and a clear plan for the rest of the story.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone interested in writing a thriller novel.

Requirements and materials

No prior knowledge or experience is needed to take this course.

You will just need a computer or a pen and paper, depending on how you prefer to work, along with a notebook for writing exercises.


Reviews

7,990 Students
233 Reviews
97% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

Emily Barr

A course by Emily Barr

Teacher Plus
Novelist

Emily Barr is an award-winning novelist based in Cornwall, England, with over 20 years of writing experience. She grew up surrounded by books and was an avid reader and writer, even as a child. While studying art history at the University of London, she worked for her university newspaper, during which time she won a student journalism award for her work experience at The Guardian. She went on to work full-time for the newspaper and, during her time traveling for her column, dedicated herself to writing what she was truly passionate about–fiction. Emily later found an agent and secured her first publishing deal for her thriller novel, Backpack, which saw her win WHSmith’s New Talent Award.

Since then, Emily’s work has been published by Headline and Penguin, as well as many others worldwide. She also writes horror and sci-fi in the US under the name Evie Green, and is currently working on her 6th young adult book with Penguin.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Get Ready to Write

    • What Is a Psychological Thriller?
    • Overcoming the Creative Block
    • Research and Workspace
  • U3

    The Elements of Your Psychological Thriller

    • The Plot
    • How to Write
    • The Character
    • The Setting
    • The Theme
    • The Dialogue
    • The Opening Pages and the Ending
  • U4

    Now Keep Writing

    • ‘25 Word’ Synopsis
    • Editing
    • Introducing Secondary Characters and Subplots
  • FP

    Final project

    • Writing a Psychological Thriller

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

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Writing a Psychological Thriller. Writing course by Emily Barr Best seller

Writing a Psychological Thriller

A course by Emily Barr
Novelist. Truro, United Kingdom.
Joined May 2021
  • 97% positive reviews (233)
  • 7,990 students