Launch your writing into new worlds with speculative stories, prompts, and feedback

This four-week generative course features readings and prompts to help you create four new speculative stories. In the first part of each session, we’ll discuss published work you’ll have read ahead of time, which we’ll then use as inspiration to explore new ways of unlocking narrative: what-ifs, rituals and traditions, discovering story in setting, and hermit crab speculative fiction (meaning stories in an unusual format, such as a scientific study). In the second part of each session, participants will have an opportunity to receive verbal feedback from classmates and the instructor on their works in progress.

Readings will include work by N.K. Jemisin, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Amber Sparks, Rion Amilcar Scott, and Silvia Park. The class is suitable for a wide audience, from those who are new to speculative fiction, to experienced authors looking for a little burst of inspiration (or a break from that stalled WIP).

Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).

In this workshop you’ll learn:

• Reading as writers to analyze published stories
• Creating narrative from rituals and traditions
• Discovering story in setting
• Hermit crab speculative fiction
• Practice in offering productive and supportive feedback to classmates

Time requirements

• 1-2 hours/week

Materials

• All reading materials will be provided.

Who should take this workshop?

• The class is suitable for a wide audience, from those who are new to speculative fiction, to experienced authors looking for a little burst of inspiration (or a break from that stalled WIP).

If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.