32 Best Fantasy Creative Writing Classes in 2024

In this four-part seminar, delve into the genre of fairy tales—reading and dissecting modern retellings before sharing and workshopping a draft of your own.

Have you ever wondered what makes a YA novel…well, YA? How do you write teen characters who just happen to be fighting dystopian regimes or riding dragons? This workshop will answer these questions and provide tips, examples, and writing exercises to help you start your journey to writing speculative YA!

Reedsy's course, led by Tom Bromley, is a 101-day program aimed at helping writers finish their first novel draft. It includes daily video masterclasses, a structured approach for drafting, and access to a forum and live webinars for interaction and feedback. The course covers various aspects of novel writing, including preparation, character development, plot skills, and writing techniques.

This one-week residential workshop, running from October 8th to October 13th, 2023, focuses on writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. It offers intensive interaction with best-selling authors and editors, emphasizing the creation of engaging fiction. The workshop combines manuscript critiques, new writing, lectures, and Q&As in an informal, supportive setting on Martha’s Vineyard, fostering a unique learning environment​​.

The focus of this class on worldbuilding is on core techniques of the milieu that help ground a vibrant setting that feels alive and established, that the characters in the story interact and engage with. The power is in the details, in the fundamentals that help frame and situate the narrative, creating a persuasive secondary reality.

Crafting a believable religion requires more than just a list of gods and their spheres of influence. Come explore the subtler facets that make up a plausible, lived-in faith, and how those can enrich the world of your story.

In this class, I'll explore some iconic monsters of the page and the screen, discuss what real-world fears they connect with, and share tips and tricks for bringing your own gnarly creatures to vivid life for readers, leaving ample time for Q&A and discussion of the scary citizens of your own stories.

Trilogies seem to dominate sci-fi and fantasy series, both on the screen and on the page. However, writing a trilogy isn’t quite as simple as extending the principle of the three act structure. Fonda Lee presents an in-depth examination of how to plan and write trilogies.

Folkloric expression is rich and varied in cultures around the world, both traditional and modern. Authors of fantastic fiction often draw on folkloric traditions to enrich their worldbuilding, but this needs to be approached carefully. In this class, we will explore some concepts from folkloristics, or the study of folklore, to examine the traditional structuring of narratives.

As writers and readers we all bring something different to the page and have our own lens with which we view not only the world, but the media we consume. Learn how to leverage your unique perspective and expertise into a well crafted essay on your favorite media.

Your book cover is a crucial marketing asset, and it can often make or break a sale to a curious reader. In this class, award-winning illustrator Grace P. Fong gives students the tools needed to find and communicate effectively with artists so they can bring your story to life.

Are you interested in writing and submitting fiction to both “literary” and “speculative” markets? This webinar will cover submission practices and expectations for both fields, and will discuss key differences and similarities.