The Mechanics of World Building

Whether your narrative is a work of historical fiction, fantasy or contemporary life, world building is essential to the growth and development of the fictional narrative or creative work-in-progress. In this course, we will learn the essentials of world building, how to create an immersive reader experience and use and mine research for your creative work. Students will deepen their understanding of the various elements of world building and build foundational research skills. We will also learn to integrate research seamlessly into the narrative by working through a series of short prompt-based exercises. Each of the above exercises will illuminate the first 30-40 pages of the fictional world and offer several ideas towards strengthening the fictional creative work-in-progress.