Aims of the course:
- To introduce students to a range of fantasy writing
- To help students experiment with different styles and techniques in their own work
- To encourage students to begin writing a fantasy story or novel
Learning outcomes:
As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to:
- Develop an understanding of the ways in which a fantasy story or novel can be approached
- Show knowledge of the genre
- Assess the merits of fantasy pieces and begin to incorporate new qualities learned from other writers into their own work
Course content overview:
This course will begin with an introduction to fantasy writing: what it is, its conventions, and the recent rise in popularity in the publishing.
Each week will focus on a different aspect of fantasy writing: the history of the genre, character and voice, stylistic options, and world-building.
Students will learn how real-world research can enhance fantasy writing and influence the way in which a story is told.
The course will encourage students to establish a writing regime.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):
Orientation Week: 19-25 May 2025
Teaching Weeks: 26 May-29 June 2025
Feedback Week: 30 June-6 July 2025
Teaching Week 1 - The history of fantasy
This unit will open a discussion about what fantasy is and where it comes from, and raise questions about what counts as fantasy, what doesn't, and how far back in the history of writing it's possible to find it.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of the background of the genre
- To experiment with writing short-form fantasy
Teaching Week 2 - Fantastical characters
This unit will investigate how fantasy characters can differ from those in other genres, and explore what makes a good character.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of how to embed fantastical elements in character
- To experiment with the creation of a new character
- A look at the tools needed to create a character-based fantasy plot
Teaching Week 3 - Language and voice
This unit will explore how language can be used to reflect voice and character, and to reinforce setting.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of different writing styles and the influence those styles have on the narrative and characters
- To experiment with at least two contrasting styles
Teaching Week 4 - World-building
This unit will examine how sense of place, world-building, and landscape affect character and plot in fantasy pieces.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of the interlocking nature of world-building, character, and plot
- To experiment with creating a new feature of an imaginary world
- To engage in discussion with your fellow students' work
Teaching Week 5 - Editing
This week will explore how to refine a first draft. It will discuss the role of research in fantasy writing, whole-story editing techniques, and sentence-by-sentence editing techniques.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an awareness of good writing
- To provide an understanding of how to improve your own work, both in large, whole-plot strokes, and on a sentence level
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).
Certificate of Participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say
"Natasha shared very valuable knowledge not only about Fantasy, but also about her experiences as professional author. I appreciated her podcasts, the chosen material and especially her feedback to my personal writings. She did a perfect job!"
“The content far exceeded my expectations, in particular the feedback provided by Natasha. I was wary coming onto the course, and worried it would be a few quick videos and no meaningful insight, but I am pleased to say this was absolutely not the case. The course structure was perfect for me. I really liked the topics, the degree of reading/writing and the insight provided in the lectures. By far the most valuable aspect was Natasha's feedback. I was astounded after the first week the level of input she gave and how meaningful her insights were."
“Natasha was very clear in her explanations and also very lovely in her comments! She made the atmosphere feel both relaxed and welcoming but also opened up ideas for further thinking/discussion, which was a great balance."
