Bad Romance: A Crash Course in Horror Romance
with Jasmine Griffin
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction
Online
Open to all levels
6 Sessions
"I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe." —Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Love and horror have always shared a heartbeat. Both ask us to confront longing, obsession, intimacy, and transformation. Desire calls us to surrender and risk being consumed. Horror simply asks: by what?
This course is designed for writers wanting to explore love on the edge. You may be interested in deepening emotional and romantic stakes, writing into darker themes, or simply finding yourself drawn to monsters, gothic fiction, obsession narratives, and unconventional relationships. How do stories convince us to fall in love with the things that frighten us?
Over six weeks, we’ll descend into this seductive and unsettling territory, exploring the craft techniques that allow horror and romance to blur together so compellingly. We’ll read and write alongside stories featuring haunted lovers, paranormal attraction, psychological unraveling, and supernatural desire. Along the way, we’ll examine the art of:
- Creating emotional tension through setting and atmosphere.
- Writing obsession, intimacy, longing, and vulnerability
- Balancing attraction and fear within relationships
- Developing compelling romantic and interpersonal dynamics
- Building psychologically rich, emotionally messy conflicts around attraction
- Blending genre conventions in emotionally grounded ways
- Using horror and romance as emotional and thematic metaphors
You’ll leave with fresh writing, a stronger toolkit for building emotionally rich, tension-filled narratives, and a greater sense of the possibilities genre blending offers. Most importantly, you’ll have practiced giving yourself permission to explore the strange, uncomfortable, and emotionally-charged spaces that often create our most memorable stories.
No prior experience with horror or romance is required. Just bring your curiosity, your favorite fictional red flags, and your emotional support monster. Vampire enthusiasts, lovers of haunted mansions and morally questionable fictional crushes, and anyone who has ever watched a horror movie and thought, "…okay, but hear me out," are especially welcome.
Recommended Watches:
- Film: The Shape of Water (2017), Beast (2017), Crimson Peak (2015), Strange Darling (2023), Thirst (Korea 2009), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
- TV : True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Penny Dreadful, Killing Eve, First Kill, and Interview With the Vampire
This class focuses on:
- Generative Writing: Producing new writing through prompts and exercises.
- Creative Play & Exploration: Playful, experimental writing activities designed to break creative blocks and spark ideas.
- Close Reading & Analysis: Engaging deeply with published texts to examine craft, language, and style.
What to expect:
- Reading & Analysis: Published works will be closely read as part of the learning process.
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Writing Time: Class will include dedicated time to write.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- 1-2 hours of reading and/or writing outside of class per week.
Students say…
“The instructor was friendly, knowledgeable about the intended subject, and easygoing. I want to take more classes with her in the future.”
“Jasmine's powerpoint slides were extremely clear, informative, and great jumping off points to explore the horror genre as a whole and the assigned reading pieces weren't ones I would have found otherwise. I loved the engagement of discussing assigned readings…and especially appreciated the in-class writing prompts.”
“I'd recommend Jasmine at the drop of a bat.”
Registration Dates:
- August 11: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 18: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 25: Scholarships open
- August 30: Last day of Early Bird discount
Jasmine Griffin
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
Zoom information for both classes and events are now available in your account.
- Login to your account.
- Go to “My Account.”
- Select either the “Classes” or “Events” tab.
- Click on your upcoming class or event to view the Zoom details.
You’ll also receive an email including Zoom information three days before the first day of class.
If you have any questions please contact us at welcome@hugohouse.org
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program that takes place online via Zoom.
We also have payment plans available for most of our classes. These payment plans are available to all students. Additionally, we offer partial scholarships (covering up to 40% of class tuition) for students who meet our income guidelines.
Lastly, we announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
Payment plans are available for all classes and can be purchased through our website. To register for a payment plan, select “Pay in installments” on the class details page, select your preferred option, and proceed to add to cart usual. The following policy applies to all payment plans:
- We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
- The administrative fee is calculated based on the general class price. Discounts through memberships, coupons, scholarships, gift cards, or other promotions do not affect the administrative fee.
- Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
- We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
- If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
- If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
To request a refund for class credit, please note such in the message section of your refund request.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception can be made with instructor approval if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
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If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Scholarship application dates can be found in our Academic Calendar.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
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