Online Pen to Print: Writing Ghost Stories with Alex Davis

21 September 2026

Explore the ghost story tradition, characterisation, pacing, atmosphere and the art of crafting supernatural tales.

With a long history of acclaimed authors including Charles Dickens, MR James, Shirley Jackson and more, the ghost story is one of our most popular literary traditions.

In this one-off session, you’ll be learning about the art of the supernatural tale, taking in characterisation, pacing, atmosphere and more!

We’ll be exploring:

· How to define the ghost story, and its key facets

· How to develop strong atmosphere for your supernatural fiction

· How to approach pacing your ghost story

· Ideas of character in supernatural tales – be they ghostly or human!

If you are no longer able to attend a Pen to Print online event or have found yourself booking more than once for the same event – please use the ‘cancel my ticket’ option instead of ‘request a refund’ before the event is due. By doing so, an automatic refund will apply.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please directly get in touch with us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk

Booking is essential. Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are found not to have booked a place for a session

We encourage all participants to keep their cameras on during the session

Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are disruptive to a session

NB: May feature content that some people may find upsetting, uses language or depicts scenes reflecting attitudes that are no longer seen as acceptable

Pen to Print reserves the right to cancel, delay or postpone the event for any reason, including adverse weather conditions, an emergency situation or unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances out of its reasonable control. In such cases, the event organiser will endeavour to inform participants as quickly as is possible

The National Year of Reading 2026 is a UK-wide campaign designed to inspire people to make reading a regular part of their lives.

We all understand the benefits of reading and how it expands our minds, builds confidence and fuels creativity, yet fewer people are doing it. With growing distractions and limited time, reading for pleasure is declining across many groups.

This national campaign aims to change this by reconnecting reading with everyday culture. It is not about guilt or obligation, it is about showing that stories, ideas and imagination have a place in everyone’s daily life. Click here to find out more!