Advanced Editing Skills: Suspense and Thriller (Apr 5 – May 16, 2027)
$450.00
Description
$450 (Members: $405) | How to edit suspense and thriller novels – advanced instruction | How to develop an editorial theory and editorial methodology| 6 weeks | Instructor-led | Advanced
Ready to go beyond the basics and dig more deeply into editing suspense and thriller novels? This new six-week instructor-led course is designed for editors who work with suspense and thriller authors or intend to work with suspense and thriller authors.
This class will be especially appealing for any editor who has an established editorial business but feels they’re not working with a clear editorial purpose or with a clear procedure for assuring effective results. Throughout the class, you’ll work on creating your own editorial theory (including your own theory about storytelling), and fine-tuning your own editorial methodology.
The class goes beyond the basics of genre description/definition and discussion of tropes. It delves into story problems associated with suspense and thriller, including:
- Basic storytelling expectations
- Problems with the premise
- Plot twists that create confusion instead of suspense
- Secrets inappropriately handled
- Ineffective timing of reveals and reveals that don’t have emotional impact
- Difference between tension and suspense (and why this matters)
- Challenges with pacing
- Author not understanding how investigations work
- Story not building enough suspense
- Slow burn that doesn’t burn
- Old and outdated information and tropes
- Visual versus narrative drama
- And more!
Because thrillers and suspense are often part of a series with a recurring main character, the class covers common series problems such as frontloading all the backstory, introducing all the characters in the story world all at once (even before they matter to the story), trying to force in plot events that matter to subsequent books in the series but not this one, and more.
We’ll also touch on editing short thriller and suspense fiction, such as might be included in an anthology or given away by the author to readers.
But the significant skill development in this class is about using the class materials to develop a clear, coherent editorial theory and methodology. Not only will this improve your editing, it will help your editing become more efficient and predictable (making your business easier to sustain). At the same time, a clear editorial methodology ensures that your approach is the most helpful one possible for the author.
Each week includes a new lesson and a new assignment to be submitted for the instructor’s feedback along with online forum discussions about developmental issues.
Prerequisites: to take this class, you must have taken the self-paced DE 1- 6 series AND Editing Mystery/Thriller/Suspense.
The class is entirely online and asynchronous (you don’t have to be in any particular place at any particular time to participate) but weekly assignments are due by specific deadlines.
