Writing Dark Fiction

Is a darker story calling to you?

From murderous narrators and taboo subjects, to satanic cults, small town murders, post-apocalyptic social decay, and the cannibalistic protagonists of modern feminist rage fiction, dark fiction explores themes and subjects that subvert the established norms and expectations of popular literature, allowing us to hold onto the safety rails while we venture into the darker recesses of the human experience.

Represented in such novels as Fight Club, Room, Sharp Objects, The Stepford Wives, Night Bitch, The Road, A Clockwork Orange, Geek Love, and American Psycho, dark fiction has allowed writers and readers to confront difficult emotions, process trauma, grapple with moral ambiguity and poke fun at societal norms.

This course is for those who are drawn to, or are currently exploring, darker themes and topics in their writing. You’ll learn how to create reprehensible, but fascinating characters, where to draw the line when exploring taboo subjects, how to portray realistic toxic relationships, how to build an unsettling atmosphere and more.

At the end of the course, you’ll produce work that will speak to a deeper truth, and linger in the minds of your readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

Learning and teaching

How the module will be delivered

There will be two-hour meetings once a week (20 contact hours in all), which will include discussions, exercises, craft lectures and workshops.

There may also be audio-visual clips and students might be directed to some relevant podcasts.

Learners will be encouraged to read texts introduced by the tutor and other members of the group. They will also be encouraged to share their creative work and obtain peer feedback on their writing.

Online provision will be made available through Learning Central with relevant links to resources, class handouts and PowerPoint presentations.

The university’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Central, provides a useful resource for course materials, lecture slides and additional reading.

Skills that will be practised and developed

By the end of the period of learning, the typical student will have:

• Learnt to engage critically with the work of established authors.
• The ability to respond sensitively and constructively to the writing of their peers.
• The ability to communicate ideas and experiences with vividness and clarity.
• The ability to use information technology resources to assist with portfolio presentation.

Coursework and assessment

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module a student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of core aspects of the dark fiction genre
• Demonstrate an awareness of the fundamental terminology and concepts of creative writing in relation to dark fiction
• Produce a new piece of dark fiction that uses key concepts and tropes of the genre
• Respond constructively to their peers’ writing and gain self-awareness regarding their own
• Recognise and engage with critical debates in relation to the dark fiction genre

Assessment

The module will be marked using the Pass / Fail system used for the other creative writing modules in the department.

Type of Assessment

Portfolio (100%)

A 1500-word fiction piece which demonstrates engagement with the genre of dark fiction, accompanied by a 300-word critical commentary engaging reflectively with the fiction piece, drawing on critical debates in the area.

Duration: N/A

Submission date: One week after the end of the module

Reassessment: Second attempt at portfolio submission is permitted.

Syllabus Content

The module will be based around workshops, which will include regular peer and tutor feedback. Indicative content is likely to include:

• What is dark fiction, and why do we write it?
• How far is too far when exploring taboo subjects?
• Monsters, killers, and everything in between
• Dark science fiction and fantasy
• Horror and dystopia
• Writing atmosphere and location
• Exploring dark characters and unreliable narrators
• Delving into madness and dark psychology
• Morals and society
• Catharsis and hopelessness

Reading suggestions

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
• The Shining by Stephen King
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim
• Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
• On Writing by Stephen King
• On Writers and Writing by Margaret Atwood
• Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami

A full reading list will be provided by the tutor.

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.