Best seller

Introduction to Writing Horror Stories

A course by María Fernanda Ampuero , Author

Author. Madrid, Spain.
Joined February 2021

Learn to transform your deepest fears into compelling, terrifying and unforgettable stories that impact readers

  • Best seller English, Spanish
  • 98% positive reviews (245)
  • 5719 students

Learn to transform your deepest fears into compelling, terrifying and unforgettable stories that impact readers

For journalist and writer María Fernanda Ampuero, one of the keys to writing good horror stories is starting out with something frightening, then cranking up the volume to make it utterly terrifying. Her stories contain the level of brutality needed to impact the reader, while managing to balance it out with authenticity, tension, and lots of affection towards her characters.

In this course, learn to draw inspiration from real-life fears to write horror stories. Lull your reader into a sense of calm at the beginning, then gradually increase the tension until that final shriek! Your teacher also gives you tips to get your work seen and published.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 18 downloads

English, Spanish
  • 98% positive reviews (245)
  • 5719 students
  • 15 lessons (1h 47m)
  • 18 additional resources (2 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English, Spanish
  • Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Write a horror story based on an anecdote, a piece of news, a memory, a nightmare, a social issue, an urban legend, or something that's genuinely one of your deepest fears.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Any horror fanatic who wants to learn basic techniques for writing a story from the genre.

Requirements and materials

You need to know and love the horror genre, both in cinema and literature.

In terms of materials, you need a pencil, pen, notebook, computer, and the overwhelming desire to frighten your readers.


Reviews

5719 Students
245 Reviews
98% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

María Fernanda Ampuero

Although born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, journalist and writer María Fernanda Ampuero has lived in Quito, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Madrid. Her texts have been included in countless anthologies and her latest book of short stories, Cockfight (Páginas de Espuma, 2018), was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times in Spanish, in addition to receiving the Joaquín Gallegos Lara award for the best book of short stories of the year.

She has also published two books of journalistic chronicles: Lo que aprendí en la peluquería (Dinediciones, 2011) and Permiso de Residencia (Caracola, 2013). She has collaborated with important literary chronicle magazines such as Gatopardo, Piaüi, and Internazionale. Her work has been translated into English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, and Chinese.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • Presentation
    • Influences
  • U2

    What are fears made of?

    • Tell me your worst nightmares
    • And now, where do I get a monster?
    • The voice from beyond the grave
    • It was a monster, it is a monster, it will be a monster
  • U3

    My mother wants to kill me

    • Everything was going so well
    • The sinister knocks at the door
    • Do not look under the bed
    • Look under the bed
    • The call comes from your own home
    • I'll go with you to hell itself
    • The exorcist's last words
  • U4

    The final scream

    • Ranger to the rescue
    • A book of black magic
  • FP

    Final project

    • Writing a story: from the chronicle to the fictional narrative

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.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Introduction to Writing Horror Stories. Writing course by María Fernanda Ampuero Best seller

Introduction to Writing Horror Stories

A course by María Fernanda Ampuero
Author. Madrid, Spain.
Joined February 2021
  • 98% positive reviews (245)
  • 5719 students