Writing Psychological Thrillers



Overview

This enduringly popular genre continues to captivate – and sell. Why do we think this is? What is it about the fusion between a psychological novel and a thriller that can create such compelling, and often unsettling novels? What techniques do authors use to produce a successful one? 

Over the course of ten weeks, we will offer some answers to these questions and examine the mechanics of the genre alongside the elements of fiction which comprise it. There will be the opportunity to workshop novels in progress. The course is aimed at those wishing to develop and finish their psychological novel, as well as those wishing to begin one and we will approach everyone's work with enthusiasm and care.

There are no set texts but we will focus on, although not be limited to, works written by and about women: 

  • Rebecca (1938), Daphne Du Maurier
  • The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), Patricia Highsmith
  • The Secret History (1992), Donna Tartt
  • Alias Grace (1996), Margaret Atwood
  • Notes on a Scandal (2003), Zoe Heller
  • We Need to Talk About Kevin (2003), Lionel Shriver
  • The Little Stranger (2009), Sarah Waters
  • The Little House (2010), Philippa Gregory
  • Lie With Me (2016), Sabine Durrant

Programme details

Course starts: 30 Sep 2025

Week 1: Introductions, genres and sub-genres

Week 2: Beginnings, and the hook

Week 3: Narrators: Finding your voice

Week 4: Plot and place 

Week 5: Characterisation 

Week 6: Suspense and tension

Week 7: Dialogue and silence

Week 8: Structure

Week 9: Themes and Endings

Week 10: Editing and the publishing process

Digital Certification

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points

Digital Certificate of Completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Daisy McNally

Daisy completed her PhD in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in 2021.  She is also a graduate of the Bath Spa MA in Creative Writing and wrote her debut novel I See Through You (Orion, 2018) during that time. Daisy read English Literature at Durham and now teaches on the Undergraduate Diploma for Creative Writing at Oxford, as well as on a variety of summer and day schools. She is currently working on a new novel.

Learn more about Daisy, including her time as a creative writing student at the Department by reading her full profile.

Course aims

  • To provide students with insight into the major aspects of the psychological novel, and an increased confidence in their own ability to write one.
  • To recognise the main constituents of a psychological novel.
  • To apply the techniques in their own writing by which these constituents may be mastered.
  • To encourage students to read and think more critically about the psychological novel.
     

Teaching methods

Sessions will take the form of guided seminars, with student input and interaction. Each week will involve textual reading and analysis. There will be the opportunity for students to read their work aloud and to give and receive feedback.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have an enhanced knowledge and understanding of the psychological novel;
  • demonstrate at least some aspects of technical ability in their own writing;
  • have developed a greater ability to read texts critically.

Assessment methods

At the end of the course students will submit a 500-word synopsis and a 1000-word piece (self-contained or part of a larger work). Students will also have the opportunity to submit a formative piece of up to 500 words.

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.

Application

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

Little or no previous experience necessary.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support