Description
Unlock the secrets of thriller writing with ITW’s Online Thriller School. Learn from the masters – 16 sessions, every Tuesday and Thursday, taught by bestselling authors and industry professionals who keep readers on the edge of their seats. Starts September 22nd! Schedule below:
2026 Schedule:
WEEK ONE
TUESDAY, SEPT 22
What Makes a Good Thriller
What You Need / Genre Conventions
Rachel Howzell Hall, Joe Finder, Adele Parks, LJ Ross and Abby Dunn (mod)
__
THURSDAY, SEPT 24
Secrets of Suspense
With Robert Dugoni
________
WEEK TWO
TUESDAY, SEPT 29
Organizational Storytelling — Logline, Outline, Synopsis
With Mark Sullivan, Kate White, Jeffery Deaver, Isabella Maldonado and Sam Octavius (mod)
__
THURSDAY, OCT 1
Voice and Point of View
With Steven James
________
WEEK THREE
TUESDAY, OCT 6
Creating Compelling Characters
With Rob Hart with Oyinkan Braithwaite
__
THURSDAY, OCT 8
How to Wow Them With Structure
With Hank Phillippi Ryan
________
WEEK FOUR
TUESDAY, OCT 13
Make Setting Work for You
Eli Cranor and Stacy Willingham
__
THURSDAY, OCT 15
Creating Your World: Research Realities
Don Bentley, David Ellis, Alma Katsu, and Jerri Williams (mod)
________
WEEK FIVE
TUESDAY, OCT 20
Editing: Choosing the Right Words
With Gregg Hurwitz and Benjamin Dreyer
__
THURSDAY, OCT 22
Title / Topic TBD
With Donald Maass
________
WEEK SIX
TUESDAY, OCT 27
The Hollywood Insiders: Book to Screen
With Angela Cheng Caplan, Marshall Herskovitz, Weston Middleton, Billy Ray, Shawn Ryan and Gregg Hurwitz (mod)
__
THURSDAY, OCT 29
Getting the Word Out
Conquering Social Media
With John Marrs and John Russell
________
WEEK SEVEN
WEDNESDAY, NOV 4 ***
Agent Panel: How to Land an Agent
Agents TBD
With Susan Lee (mod)
__
THURSDAY, NOV 5
The Path to Blockbuster Indie Publishing
With Orna Ross
________
WEEK EIGHT
TUESDAY, NOV 10
Your Debut Year and After
With Kristen L. Berry, Yosha Gunasekera, Ande Pliego, Élan les Vies and Tessa Wegert (mod)
__
THURSDAY, NOV 12
Finale — Secrets of Success
With Chris Bohjalian, C.J. Box, Rachel Hawkins, Jenny Hillier and Caroline Kepnes.
*** We will be observing election day on Tuesday, November 3rd, so the agent panel will be held on Wednesday, November 4th.