Writing A Thriller

Learn how to plan, draft, and write a killer thriller!
  • Learn how to keep your readers in suspense with best-selling author Sarah J. Naughton
  • Finish the course with a complete toolkit of thriller techniques and a master plan
  • Join our super supportive community to support your writing journey
Get this course and so much more
  • Learn how to keep your readers in suspense with best-selling author Sarah J. Naughton
  • Finish the course with a complete toolkit of thriller techniques and a master plan
  • Join our super supportive community to support your writing journey
Join monthly
Join annually

Plan, draft and write a killer thiller with advice from best-selling auhor Sarah J Naughton!

Delve into the dark and gritty world of thrillers with the guidance of a best-selling author in this fantastic add-on plotting course, packed full of tips and tricks from someone who really knows her stuff.

Maybe you have an idea for a thriller but aren’t sure where to start. Maybe you’ve already started writing but could do with a lil encouragement and pep along the way. Or maybe you’ve finished a draft and are busy tweaking and editing and in need of some extra guidance. Wherever you are in the process, there’ll be something in this course to help you out

Use the advice and exercises in this course to choreograph a series of plot twists, create a cracking outline, identify the fundamentals of the thriller genre, pick ‘n’ choose the best thrillery elements for your story, and discover the ins and outs of the publishing business.

All with the support and feedback from your fellow WHQers!

What's inside the course?

Course Content

The Sacred Writers' HQ Promise

You’ll write your butt off

You have stories in your head and you want to get your butt in a chair and get them onto paper, but life gets in the way. Kids, work, executive dysfunction, the state of the world, important doomscrolling – all these things conspire against you, but you know there’s a better way and you are ready to stop fucking about and start writing. 

Learn how to carve time, prioritise your work, and evolve a deep creative practice
Gain strategies for getting the most out of every writing session
Find ways to love your writing, keep on going and finish your story

What's included

  • Text-based course units
  • Easy to follow exercises
  • Support forums and access to the best writing community this side of the internet
  • Love and validation and more writing-based pep than you can shake a stick at
  • Snacks*

*bring your own snacks

Nice things from nice people

After hanging around as a freebie member and completing the free courses, I was so convinced by the improvements to my writing – and amused by the emails! – I signed up for three months… I’m still here, months later! I’ve learnt so much, from courses like Plotstormers and The First Draft, and from fellow WHQers, I would rather give up cake and chocolate than let my membership lapse! Love you WHQ!

Jan M

Writers’ HQ has honestly been life changing for me! After doing the 14 Days to a Solid Writing Habit course, which gave me a great kick start, I have been doing Plotstormers II to help me edit my novel. How do I say this without swearing? Fuck it, it’s been sodding amazing! It’s helping me so much to edit my novel. I’ve also been doing the Flash Fiction course and a piece of mine is on the Welkin Prize shortlist!

Agnes H

I cannot imagine life without WHQ
I’ve been a subscriber since April 2019 and I now cannot imagine life without WHQ. It’s like my inner sanctum and I bang on about it to everyone all the time. They must get sick of me. In the past when I’ve had to knock other subscriptions on the head because of money, there was never any question of me doing the same for this wonderful organisation.

Lauren P

WHQ is fantastic! I did a free writing course with WHQ at the start of the pandemic and joined up straight after – since then I have had over twenty pieces published, been long and shortlisted in various competitions and won one at the beginning of this year – the tutors, and the encouragement of the forum members, are fantastic.

Claire

A wonderful community. Before I joined WHQ I never dreamed of submitting my work to magazines. Since becoming a paid-up member 5 months ago, I’ve had 6 flash fictions and 2 poems accepted for publication – entirely thanks to the inspiration and support of this wonderful community.

Sarah K

Get instant access when you join the most word-writing, tea-drinking, story-slinging, biscuit-dunking, productivity-boosting, super supportive writing community this side of the internet

Woohoo yeah do it do it yeah woo etc and so on

Freebies

  • Two creative writing courses
  • Flash Face Off and Flash Face Off Live
  • The Secret Retreat forum
  • That's it
  • If you want more you have to upgrade, sozzzz
  • See you on the inside mwa mwa mwa
Come on in

Glorious Writing Beasts

  • Weekly write-alongs
  • Monthly live masterclasses with guest authors
  • Monthly Q&A support group
  • Monthly online retreats
  • Over 25 mammoth creative writing courses
  • Always-on workshop library
  • Flash Face Off, Flash Face Off Live and Introduction to Flash course and workshop
  • Monthly festivals and challenges
Join monthly (£20)
Join annually (save £50)

Read this before going to the forum!

The widget that lets you sign into the forum with your WHQ login has given up. 

We are trying to coax it back into existence. So far neither bribery, begging or crying has worked. We are currently trying shaking our fists at the sky and going ‘grrrr’.

You can still get to the forum though! Do this:

  1. Click the button below
  2. On the forum login page, click reset password USING THE SAME EMAIL YOU USE FOR WHQ
  3. Click the link in the email and reset your password

IMPORTANT: This means you will have TWO (2) passwords/logins. One for the WHQ main site and one for the forum. It’s a pain in the arse. We’re sorry. It is temporary, but at least you can dick about on the forum again. OKAY BYE. 

Click here to go to the forum

Confirm your place at Writing A Thriller.

Once you hit the button, you’ll get a confirmation email, and we’ll send you the Zoom link an hour before the event. 

Yayyyy! You've bagged a place at Writing A Thriller.

We’ve sent the Zoom link to your inbox and we’ll send it again one hour before the event. 

If you don’t get an email, check your spam fist and then wang us a line on help@writershq.co.uk and we’ll leap into action with keenness and speed. 

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