Class

Building Fictional Worlds

We will study the art and techniques of creating fictional worlds with the goal of inviting readers to follow the narrative wherever it takes them: into invented worlds that feel as close as our own skin, or into realist settings that feel newly strange. By rigorously surveying both critical and creative work by a fun and diverse list of contemporary literary speculative fiction writers, we will make strides toward our mastery of the broad skill of “world-building,” which harnesses other elements of craft like setting, choice of narrator, diction, scene setup, and point of view. Texts may include Mohsin Hamid's "Exit West" and short fiction by Kelly Link, Kim Fu, Lesley Nneka Arima, Ted Chiang, George Saunders, and others. We will split the two-hour sessions between student-led text discussions, completing small in-class writing exercises, and workshopping. Writers may bring one short story or novel chapter or generate new work up to 20 pages, and if time allows, one revision. Our workshop model will be the Critical Response Process, offering verbal feedback to the writer's needs and questions.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Time.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.