Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course

Price: NZ$ 845 / £ 445 / R 7995

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course

Gain the skills required to write any form of speculative fiction – from novels and short stories, to scripts and video games

Fast-track your progress on this specialised writing programme

Do you have an amazing idea for a fantasy, science fiction or paranormal story? This course for beginners and seasoned writers alike takes you step-by-step through the processes that successful speculative fiction writers use to develop screenplays, novels, graphic novels, comics and games.

The Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course Gives You...

No Automated Marking

We use traditional methods of assessing work, as editors at publishing houses would. No generic feedback!

A Flexible Schedule

Work wherever and whenever you want. You can easily fit our courses around work and other commitments.

Relevant, Usable Content

Easy-to-digest course notes that capture a lifetime of writing experience, ready for you to apply to your own writing.

Ongoing Assessment

Your writing is assessed continuously as your course progresses.

Expert, Individual Feedback

Get prompt, honest, detailed feedback on every assignment from an award-winning writer. We focus on your unique writing strengths.

No Peer Reviews!

You will only be assessed by your tutor, a leader in their field. No more guessing and wondering how to write; you'll be guided line by line.

Explore how to write science fiction and fantasy stories

With the help of an experienced tutor, turn your unique, creative ideas into a manuscript.

The Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course gives you all the writing techniques required to write credible, compelling speculative fiction. Practise your skills in 12 writing assignments, with feedback on each from award-winning author, Sonny Whitelaw.

Whether you want to sell the short story that you produce, enter it into a writing competition, or use it as the basis for a novel, this course can fast-track your writing goals.

As you work through each module, you will learn why the many genres of speculative fiction are so successful, where to find countless ideas for your stories, and how to create realistic characters and the worlds they inhabit.

By the end of the course, you will have written a 1500-word short story that you can confidently submit to a publisher or use as the foundation for your much larger alternate universe series.

Learn to write science fiction and fantasy stories. Start writing today

With the help of an experienced tutor, turn your unique, creative ideas into a manuscript

Whether you want to sell the short story that you produce, enter it into a writing competition, or use it as the basis for a novel, this course can fast-track your writing goals.

By the end of the course, you will have written a 1500-word short story that you can confidently submit to a publisher or use as the foundation for your much larger alternate universe series.

‘I learned an incredible amount from this course, but the best was how to make wild ideas credible. I have no doubt I'll be re-using the course material for every future spec draft. Sonny is an incredible tutor. She believes in your story and does her best to help you bring it to life. I'm always amazed at how the story progresses between drafts with her guidance.’

Danielle Ramaekers, Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course

Course Overview

COURSE FEE

NZ$ 845

£ 445

ZAR 7995

Price includes VAT/GST

NUMBER OF ASSIGNMENTS

12 The assignments vary in length.

NUMBER OF MODULES

5 These modules include around 120 pages of course notes.

COURSE DURATION

6 Work at your own pace – up to a maximum of 6 months.

START DATE: ANYTIME

Working with an individual tutor means you can start the course at any time.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Basic writing skills are essential.
Computer skills, e-mail and Internet access required.
No previous tertiary qualification required.

Our Graduate Students' Successes

We are proud of our graduates who have achieved success. Here are a few among dozens of our creative writing success stories.

Martin Steyn

Martin Steyn completed the Write a Novel Course. He had his first novel, 'Donkerspoor' ('Dark Traces'), published by Lapa in 2014. The book was an instant success and bestseller, and had to be re-printed. His second book, 'Skuldig' ('Guilty'), received even greater acclaim. Since then, he has written two more novels.

Gareth Ward

Gareth Ward's novel that he worked on during the course went on to win multiple awards. 'The Traitor and the Thief', a rip-roaring young adult steampunk adventure, won the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel, a 2018 Storylines Notable Book Award, and was a finalist in two categories at The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Gareth has this to say about studying with The Writers College: 'Hand on heart, there is no way I would have been published without Alex’s guidance.'

Trish Nicholson

Trish Nicholson, a former Short Story Course graduate, keeps notching up successes on the writing front. Trish won first prize in the Flash500 competition, with four stories shortlisted during that year. She won first prize in the 'shorter story' at the Winchester Writers' Conference in the UK, as well as runner-up in the ‘short story’ category. Two of her stories were commended in the South Island Writers' Association competition. A finalist in both the H.E. Bates Short Story Competition and the Neil Gunn Writing Competition, Trish is one of our most successful creative writing graduates yet.

Suzanne Maine

Suzanne Main completed the Basics of Creative Writing Course. Her children's novel, 'How I Alienated my Grandma', won the 2014 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award.

Andy Evans

Andy Evans completed the Basics of Creative Writing Course and the Literary Short and Flash Fiction Course. He had his first short story, 'The Wooden Hills', published in 'Takahē' magazine. He placed third in the NZ Writers College Short Story Competition with his story 'Gravity'.

Taemumu Richardson

Taemumu Richardson was shortlisted in the Writers' Forum Short Story Competition. This is a big achievement as this competition draws a huge number of entries globally. She was also shortlisted for the Flash500 flash fiction competition, longlisted in the NZ Writers College Short Story Competition and received an honourable mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. Tae had a story published in the literary magazine 'Takahē'.

Megan Frith

Megan Frith completed our Short Story Course and our Novel Writing Course. Her short story ‘Scars‘ came first in the 2014 Page & Blackmore Short Story Competition. She went on to place third in the 2015 Page & Blackmore Short Story Competition for her short story titled ‘Till Death‘. Recently, two of her stories were published in 'Horizons 2', an anthology compiled by the Top of the South branch of the NZ Society of Authors.

Sonny Whitelaw

Sonny Whitelaw has enjoyed a successful career as a writer for over 30 years. Her work as a photojournalist has appeared in dozens of international magazines, including National Geographic.

She won a Draco Award for her first novel, The Rhesus Factor, and all eight of her novels, including five based on the television series Stargate, have been international bestsellers.

A qualified adult educator with an MA in Creative Writing, Sonny taught creative writing in Australia for several years before moving to a small property in rural New Zealand. She now splits her time between teaching creative writing, editing fiction and non-fiction, and returning to her roots as a climate scientist, working as a science writer.

Sonny tutors the Write a Novel Course, the Literary Short and Flash Fiction Course, the Advanced Novel Writing Course, and the Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course.

Course Curriculum

Module 1

The basics of creating speculative fiction stories

What exactly is ‘fiction’?
The many genres of speculative fiction
Setting the scene in four parts
The six elements needed in every story
Making your implausible story, plausible
Task: Complete and submit four short exercises, one of which includes the opening lines of your short story using the prompts in the exercises.

Module 2

Winning over your audience in three easy steps

Where to get your ideas
Ingredients I: ancient origins and modern interpretations
Ingredients II: the premise
The three-step process: building your bridge between the known and the unknown
Making the rules and then breaking them
Task: Complete and submit one exercise and submit the first draft of your short story

Module 3

Worldbuilding I: Creating credible characters no matter how weird

Anthropomorphising your characters
Perception: how your characters sense their world
Point of view: whose story is it?
Cosmology and mythology
The hero’s quest
Rules for your characters
Building your own mythopoeia
Task: Complete and submit three exercise and submit the second draft of your short story

Module 4

Worldbuilding II: Crafting realistic settings

The three different approaches to creating ‘places’
How to reveal ‘places’ while avoiding the dreaded info dump
Mapping out your settings
Submit two short exercises, one optional exercise, and the third draft of your short story

Module 5

Worldbuilding III: Building civilizations and destroying them

The key features of civilizations and how these influence characters
How civilizations evolved so that you can build your own, and then break them
Using technology consistent with your level of civilization
Understand and use different speculative fiction themes
Case study: fortified medieval city and battle plan in the novel Stargate Atlantis: The Chosen
Submit two short exercises and the final polished draft of your short story

What Our Students Say

Helen is a magnificent tutor who masterfully responds with the right critique that automatically inspires you to improve, despite any shortcomings you might have. It is a well-rounded course that touches on all the necessary aspects of writing for beginners, without being too overwhelming. It was a wonderful journey of discovery that changed me. I can’t go back to who I was before – the writing world beckons. Thanks to The Writers College I can now move forward with certainty to achieve my goals with practice, sound knowledge and the right guidance from the courses provided here.

My tutor was wonderful and I learnt a great deal from the feedback she gave me. In my opinion, this was the true value of the course because the feedback I received was insightful and I was able to apply it to successive stages of the course. My experience was wonderful, thanks to my tutor, and well worth the cost of the course.

Overall, the course more than met my expectations. It offered a great overview of creative writing, with a diverse range of challenging exercises and good exposure to different writers. This combination was both engaging and fun. Working on the final scene was particularly rewarding in terms of receiving good developmental input to ensure that the final draft was of good quality. Working with Helen was brilliant. She is great at giving encouragement and a good critique so that good opportunity is provided for development. It was a fun, rewarding and challenging experience.

The Basics of Creative Writing Course offers everything. It’s been an incredible journey for me. I love writing, and learning to understand specific skills has been truly wonderful. Helen is exceptional. She answered my questions when I struggled with certain areas of the course and gave me confidence and the will to keep writing. She is a very motivational tutor. My experience at The Writers’ College has taught me a side of writing to remember for the future. Thank you for everything.

The course was wonderful. I feel my core creative writing skills have been properly reinforced and my confidence in my writing is better than ever. Working under Helen’s tutelage was excellent. Without her help, I feel my writing would not have been as fine-tuned as it is now. Highly recommend the course to anyone looking to improve their writing skills.

Sarah Bailey, Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course

Get These Additional Benefits

Lifetime Course Access

Benefit from free lifetime access to future course updates and access to our writing resources.

Work at Your Own Pace

Our courses work around you. You can pace your course around your busy life.

500+ Bonus Articles on Our Blog

A superb, constantly updated resource with articles on writing and interviews with writers.

Work Opportunities

Top students are invited to join our writers and editors for hire service.

Be the First to Know About Writing Competitions

We'll help you keep up to date with the latest competition announcements

Join a Community of Writers

You will have access to our friendly Facebook community, daily writing tips and writing inspiration.

Risk-Free 100% Money-Back Guarantee

We are so confident that you will love your course that if you’re not 100% satisfied with the quality of our training, simply ask for a refund within 30 days.

Complete the Application Form to Enrol on the Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy Course

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Questions?
We've Got Answers

How does the course work?

The course consists of five modules. Detailed course notes covering the content of each module are emailed to you. At the end of each module, you will be required to complete writing exercises. In total, the course includes 12 writing assignments, all of which count towards your final result. Once the writing assignment has been completed and emailed to your tutor, an assessment and feedback will be sent to you and the module will be considered complete. You will then download the next module from the Student Centre.

Is it interactive? Can I ask my tutor questions?

Absolutely. You have direct communication with your tutor for the duration of the course. The more questions you ask, the more you will get out of the course.

For how long will I get access to the course?

You will get lifetime access to the course. You will also benefit from future updates and improvements to the course.

Will anyone else see my work?

For the majority of our courses, only your tutor will see your work. It will remain completely private unless you get it published. The journalism courses might see your work published in the public domain, but you do have the final say as to whether or not this happens.

What are the conditions of certification?

Students will receive a Writers College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided they meet the following conditions:

Students must complete all 12 writing assignments
The course must be completed within six months of registration
Students are expected to attain a minimum average of 50% for the course

What are the admission requirements?

Basic writing skills are essential.
Basic computer skills, as well as email and Internet access are required.
No previous tertiary qualification is required.

When can I start a course?

Because you will work with an individual tutor, you can start your course as soon as your application has been approved. There are no specific start dates as would be the case with a traditional college.

An application is usually approved within one working day. Once we receive proof of payment, your can start your course.

You could be starting your course today!

What is the minimum estimated time commitment?

There is no research required for this course, just planning and writing. The speed at which you work is entirely up to you. You have six months to complete the course (and an extra 21 days if your course runs over the Christmas and New Year break).

You are welcome to finish the course sooner if you want to, but we wouldn’t want you to rush the process too much!

When will I get access to the course?

Once your application has been approved, you will receive notification of approval and an invoice via email. As soon as we receive proof of payment, the first module as well as your tutor’s email address and your login details will be sent to you. Your tutor will also be in touch to welcome you.

Who owns the rights to the work I produce?

Any work created on our courses is owned by you. We will never make a claim to anything you produce. We follow the rule that copyright subsists with the creator (you).