Getting Started Writing Short Horror Stories

A 7-DAY MINICOURSE

GET TO KNOW YOUR DARK SIDE

Have you always dreamed of writing short & scary fiction but have never known where to start? Or you’re the kind of person who has a million rough drafts sitting on their hard drives with no endings? Or you’re always off in your own world, doodling monsters in your mind’s eye, wondering how to get those creatures out from your brain and onto the page?

Our 7-day MiniCourse is your next step into the wonderful world of writing short scary stories.

What is the 7-day minicourse?

a challenge...

a course...

a workshop...

…all rolled into one.

During the week of the course, you and your fellow students will be given a 7-day challenge — to write and polish up your very own short horror story! You’ll receive daily course content and check-ins with your course tutors to help walk you through the entire process, from generating ideas, getting the words down onto the page, and editing the story into something you’re happy with sending out into the world to hopefully… scare the crap out of some readers.

What's included?

  • Daily videos with tutorials & tips along with downloadable worksheets

  • Access to a private chat room where you’ll get access to our writers along with your course colleagues, all ready to answer questions or to bounce ideas off of

  • A critique of your short story from two professional horror writers with suggestions for next steps

  • An end-of-challenge celebratory drink via Zoom

Who's it for?

  • The horror fan looking to put pen to paper

  • The writer looking for a kick up the arse to sit down and write something from beginning to end whilst picking up a few new tips and tricks along the way

  • The writer looking for like-minded creatives to read their work, give feedback, and to offer a little moral support

  • The burgeoning novelist who wants to try something a little shorter before jumping in at the deep end

Your Course Tutors

Luke Kondor

Luke Kondor started writing on his computer in his early teens and never looked back… and now he has very sore eyes. He also runs and produces a short story podcast called The Other Stories, which has amassed over 8-million downloads and has a monthly listenership of ~200k downloads. He has two novellas coming out in 2021 with small presses, Eraserhead Press and JournalStone Publishing. In 2015, he won the best Low-Budget Film Award at the London Short Film Festival for a film he made in 7 days with no camera and no money.

Currently he works from a dining room table in the middle of Sherwood Forest and lives with his fiancée, Cat, their pet cat, Oscar, and their larger, angrier cat, Alaska, who is actually a dog.

Daniel Willcocks

Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author and award-winning podcaster of dark fiction. He is an author coach, founder and CEO of Activated Authors; one fifth of digital story studio, Hawk & Cleaver; co-founder of iTunes-busting fiction podcast, ‘The Other Stories‘;’ CEO of horror imprint, Devil’s Rock Publishing; host of the ‘Activated Authors‘ podcast; and the co-host of the ‘Next Level Authors’ podcast.

Dan is furiously passionate about creativity and productivity. He has written 60+ books since 2015 for himself and on behalf of ghostwriting clients. His mission in life is to activate creatives and authors to ensure they keep their creative flames and passions burning in a sustainable, positive, and healthy way.

Sign Up Now

New Course Dates TBA

Spaces limited. First come, first served.
£ 100
  • Your short story complete in just one week. Guidance and critique from two bestselling authors and multi-million downloaded podcasters.

Self-Study Option

Unlimited access to videos, worksheets. and assignments
£ 29
99
  • Access to all course materials without workshop & story critique​

Who are Hawk & Cleaver?

Over the last six years, the Hawk & Cleaver story studio has edited and published over 400 short stories and we’ve read so many that the mere thought of the number reduces most men to tears. I don’t mean it makes men cry. I mean it melts them down into a blubbering puddle of goo.

Now we’re finally opening up our studio to help other writers improve their craft, polish their stories, and scare the pants off of unsuspecting readers.

“I didn’t expect that!”

— An unsuspecting reader

Whilst we can’t guarantee you’ll be the next Stephen King or Joe Hill or Tabitha King… or any of the members of the King household, we can sure as hell make sure your story is in the best shape that it can be, before you send it out into the world, whether that’s for an open submission call, for your own collection, or just for pants-crapping fun.