Our ‘upper division’ courses ‘pop open the hood’ on your Speculative Fiction story and tune it up through a deeper examination of plot structure, character relationships and world setting. Emphasis at this level is toward practical application of techniques to directly improve your manuscript and the story it tells.

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201: The Imagination Forge

A practical online advanced workshop on the craft of Speculative Fiction with an emphasis on Fantasy and Science-Fiction. This is a nine-week online course created by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Subscription to this course includes online coursework presentation by the instructors, peer-review workshop of your manuscript during each week, secure online forum for review dialogue, downloaded course workbook and drop-shipping of course texts.

Course Tuition: $169.00 US
Prerequisite: None
Availability: Fall 2010

Curriculum:

Week 1: The ‘Uniquiness’ of your Concept

• Finding the ‘heart’ of your story begins our journey. We will explore the ‘uniquiness’ of your central concept and ways in which to focus our approach to your text so that it remains fixed on the story theme. We will also examine the issues of ethics, morality and responsibility as it applies to theme and structure.
• Participants are invited to bring their concepts into the workshop for peer discussion.

Week 2: The Four Through-lines of Compelling Story

• This week delves deeply into the foundations that give strength and meaning to your story. We examine closely the four through-lines (thematic plots) that are needed to support your story, their infinite variety and how they better shape and define your story.
• Each participant’s stories are examined from the perspective of the four through-lines with emphasis on underlying structure in story.

Week 3: Clay Feet and Compelling Heroes

• This is the first week of a two-week exploration of your characters. This week focuses on transforming simple archetype players into complex, compelling characters who are defined as much by their faults as by their virtues.
• Characters are discussed in depth with emphasis on a complete compliment of characters in support of the story structure.

Week 4: Becoming the Vice President of Evil

• Every great hero is defined by the villain they oppose: no hero can be truly great without a truly great nemesis. The creation of intriguing villains – living, dead, undead, elemental or situational – is essential to to the success of your story and will be examined in depth this week.

Week 5: Learning the Craft

• Every writer has a voice and this week is about both finding and training yours. Talent alone is not enough: there is a craft to writing which needs to be mastered if you are going to effectively communicate your speculative vision.
• Participant’s works are reviewed from a position of craft with specific suggestions regarding areas of improvement.
• A cyclical process of writing review begins with this week.

Week 6: Remodeling Reality

• Speculative fiction is about answering the question ‘what if?’ … but it is also about taking identifiable characters and situations into the unknown. As imaginative writers we love to invent things but how do we go about inventing technologies, magics and worlds that actually WORK? This is the first week of two examining in depth the creation of believable and functioning background for your story … beginning with techniques of converting existing reality into functioning science-fiction and fantasy in your world.
• Each participant demonstrates their world backgrounds and discusses their setting.
• Revisions of writing samples continues.

Week 7: Truest Magic Ever! — Internal Consistency, World Rules and Truth

• The second week on ‘world building’ examining how to structure and maintain internal consistency of the universe in which your story takes place. We also address the great question regarding how the future isn’t what it used to be.
• The extended implications of basic decisions in each participant’s internal world are explored.
• Revisions and critiques continue through this week.

Week 8: Speculative Realities — The business of publishing

• An exploration of the realities of professional publishing today: how the business works and how it doesn’t. Emphasis on proper submission formats and marketplace expectations designed to make you look like a professional are given.
• Submission materials, letters and writing samples are reviewed this week.Final revision submissions are this week.

Week 9: The Future of Science-Fiction and Fantasy — new publishing

• New directions and opportunities in publishing your story in the world of New Media are explored.
• Final revisions and graduation from the course.

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210: Hickman’s Forge

This coursework is identical to Course 201 offered above in terms of its curriculum but is conducted personally online by Tracy and Laura Hickman with their critiques and advice on submitted writing samples and revisions posted each week as well as direct access to them to answer questions during the course. Tracy and Laura will personally review your writing samples at the end of the course and provide you with their own private critique.

Course Tuition: $469.00 US
Prerequisite: Limited to 25 participants each semester
Availability: Fall 2010

Additional 200 Level Courses to be posted as they become available.