World-Building for Fantasy and Science Fiction

Level(s) of Study: Short course
Course Fee:
£470
Start Date(s): 10 August 2026, 11 January 2027
Duration: Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week or Mondays 6 - 8.30 pm, ten weeks
Study Mode(s): Part-time
Campus: City Campus
Entry Requirements: More information

Introduction:

Course dates:

10 - 14 August 2026, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week

11 January - 15 March 2027, Mondays 6 - 8.30 pm, ten weeks

If you want to write fantasy or science fiction, you may need to invent your own world. It could be another Narnia, Wakanda or Dune. One of the fun aspects of storytelling is making up your own imaginary land. But it is not easy. Could you overload readers with too much background information? Is your world engaging? How do you work backstory into narrative without losing the plot? And how do you make up all those worlds to begin with?

This course looks at good world-building and how it enriches your storytelling. You will examine the building blocks, beginning with mythologies, timelines and locations moving onto magic and technology, imaginary creatures or alien races.

At the same time, you’ll observe elements of writing such as narrative structure, character arcs, prose and style, editing and idea development, with a session dedicated to Jung’s fiction archetypes and how that can bring depth to your writing.

There will be time to practice creating your own peoples and landscapes whilst you look at tips and tools for busy writers.

You’ll be part of a creative writing community; one that promotes discussion, collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas.
Benefit from learning with an active, expert writer-tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in a wide range of genres.
Get published with our student anthology; every term we ask for submissions and print a short anthology of your original creative writing, which you can keep after the course.
Study Creative Writing in a UNESCO City of Literature. Nottingham is a place of discovery, exchange, ideas and learning for everyone who loves words and stories. Our vision as a UNESCO City of Literature is for a city where everyone is reading and writing their way to a better life.

What you’ll study

You’ll begin with origins of world-building as a concept, then break it down to study landscapes, legends and lore, cultures and civilisations, magic and technology, monsters and mythical beasts.

Alongside this, you’ll consider narrative structure, character arcs, maps and timelines, info-dumping and ways to avoid it, online and real time resources, peer editing, and elements of style. You will also look at the current creative writing market and routes to publication with practice exercises, leading onto time for guided writing. You can invent new worlds in class or bring in your existing work if you want to develop this.

During this course, you will:

become familiar with world-building concepts
study and practice foundations of world-building, such as timelines, locations, and rules
familiarise yourself with tools and resources for world-building, such as online sites, member organisations, writing groups, literature
increase your awareness of well-known modern speculative fiction authors
share work and practice peer critiquing
improve editing skills
brush up awareness on elements of writing, such as metaphor, sentence construction, prose style, grammar, voice
consider the relationship between modern mythologies and world-building
become more confident in writing fiction.

Introductions:

Meet the tutor and peers.

Familiarise the concept of world-building.

Practice making up your own landscapes, legends, and lore.

Mythological creatures and monsters in speculative fiction.

Magic or technology? How to design either a magic system or a science system that is relevant for your world.

Narrative structure: How to shape a plot.

Character arcs and the 12 Jungian archetypes of fiction.

Idea harvesting.

Methods of organising your ideas into a raw plot.

Self-study time to plan a story in your evolving world.

Using timelines to shape your imaginary history.

World-building fine details. Devising money, transport, religion, families, politics, arts and culture for your world.

Self-study time for you to write a rough draft of your story.

Tips and tools.

Online free resources. Writing organisations: local and national.

Q&A with the tutor about routes to publication.

Writing time: Peer editing session and a writing a second draft.

Tutor profile:

Ian C Douglas is a Nottingham writer known for his science-fiction books, the Zeke Hailey series. He has a MA in Creative Writing (Distinction). As a prolific short story writer, around 50 of his short stories have been published, mostly fantasy or science-fiction.

His graphic story was included in To End All Wars, an anthology nominated for two Eisner Awards. Ian won the Gravity Award in 2021 for The Haunting of the Jabberwocky, and the Eyelands Best Novel Award in 2020 for The Infinity Trap.

In 2019, Ian was guest of honour at Malta’s Festival of Literary Stars. Ian runs creative writing workshops, mentors emerging writers and visits schools. He is a co-editor with Left Lion, Nottingham’s flagship cultural magazine, and co-founder of both the Nottingham Writers Studio and the East Midlands Society of Authors branch. Ian has served as Nottingham’s Literacy Ambassador for charity and was a regular guest on Notts TV.

Prior to becoming a published writer, Ian taught English language at a university level for ten years.

Find out more about Ian at www.iancdouglas.com and sample his novels for free at www.zekehailey.com

Careers and employability

The course is focussed on writing fiction for publication. It will contribute to your toolkit to ensure that you are well-prepared to pursue a successful career in the competitive field of creative writing.

On this course, you will study under a MA-qualified, practicing freelance writer. A Q&A is scheduled to allow you to ask any questions about the creative writing industry and careers. The tutor will give feedback to help improve your writing to a more professional level. You will leave with a greater knowledge of resources within the local and national writing community.

Certificate of attendance and digital badge

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a digital certificate of attendance and a digital badge powered by Accredible.

Your digital credential is more than just a certificate – it’s secure, verifiable, and protected against fraud through encryption and blockchain technology.

They also come with detailed metadata, including an overview of the skills you have achieved on the course, evidence of completion, and assessment criteria if appropriate.

Share your achievements seamlessly with friends, customers, and potential employers online, and proudly add your badge or certificate to social media platforms such as LinkedIn, so all the right people can see it.

Campus and facilities

You will be studying creative writing in a UNESCO City of Literature, and be based in the School of Social Sciences on the City Campus.

You will find modern teaching spaces and quiet study environments to develop your ideas and writing.

You’ll have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

You’ll also be invited to join WRAP, our Writing, Reading and Pleasure programme of book groups, meet ups and talks from readers and authors.

You will receive an email one week before the course starts with joining instructions on where to go for the first day.

Entry requirements

Level: Beginner

Entry requirement: No previous writing experience is required.

You must be over the age of 18 in order to attend this course.

Fees and funding

The fee for this course is £470.

Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.

You will also need to bring with you:

a notebook and pen, or laptop if you prefer writing with one.

You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.

Looking for accommodation for a summer course?

Accommodation on the NTU city campus can be booked separately from your course. Rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms and cost £266 per week.

These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham’s city centre.

Book accommodation at Nottingham Trent University City Campus

You can read about other short-stay options on the Visit Notts website:

Where to Stay - Visit Nottinghamshire