Start Date
7 May, 2025
There will be 6 weekly meetings on Wednesday 7 - 9pm, starting from 7 May.
Overview
Calling all writers of the speculative and fantastic! Whether you're drawn to magical realism or space opera, high fantasy or hard SF, this short course will cover the fundamental skills you need to bring your worlds to life on the page. Immerse yourself in the craft of storytelling and delve into the techniques employed by top SF&F writers. Through engaging discussions and hands-on writing workshops, you'll discover the essential world-building skills that are foundational to exploring the big themes and ideas at the heart of speculative fiction. This course includes an introduction to the University of Liverpool's Special Collections and Archives, housing the Science Fiction Foundation's collection of over 35,000 books, periodicals and writer's archives: an incredible resource of information and inspiration for all writers and fans!
Syllabus
- What’s the Big Idea? The big themes and questions at the heart of the SF&F genres.
- Plotting a Course: Plotting and story structure.
- Oh Brave New World… Building your world from the ground up.
- …That Has Such People In’t: The alien and the human
- From Quenya to Lang Belta: The language of SF&F
- Stirring out the lumps: Editing and the art of exposition.
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: Dr Em Segar
Em Segar has been teaching continuing education classes in creative writing for 15 years, and lectures in genre and digital fiction at Edge Hill University. Their PhD is in interactive fiction, and their own practice is primarily speculative fiction. They are currently writing an interactive YA utopia.
Courses fees: Full fee £95/Concession £50.
Back to: Continuing Education