Speculative Fiction Workshop

Class Description

Are you a fan of speculative fiction who is ready to build your own world, but feeling overwhelmed? You’ve come to the right place! In this class, we’ll bring a focus on craft, language, character, and plot to the specific considerations of speculative fiction writing. We’ll concentrate on story elements that are unique to these genres, such as believability and consistency in world-building, the "hero" arc of the protagonist, genre tropes, and invented languages and magic systems. Each week, we will go over a specific aspect of speculative fiction, read examples of published work that illustrate the tools of craft that we learn (including work from such authors as N.K. Jemisin, Becky Chambers, Charlie Jane Anders, Valerie Valdes, Nino Cipri, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and others) and then try them out in our own writing. Several times throughout the course, you’ll also have the opportunity to share your work and get feedback from your fellow classmates. You’ll leave class with a fleshed-out idea for your own speculative fiction project, lots of new writing, and the tools for how to develop it.

Short story writers and novelists alike are welcome, as are students new to the genre; however, writers should come to class either with an existing project or a general idea they want to develop.

Class Format

This is an Online: On-Demand class that will take place on our asynchronous online learning platform, Wet.Ink. Weekly lessons and assignments open each Wednesday. Students will receive an invitation to Wet Ink before 5pm on the first day of class!

*NOTE that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Weekly lessons and assignments open each Wednesday. Students will receive an invitation to Wet Ink, our online class platform, before 5pm on the first day of class.

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.