Writing Speculative Fiction: Magic Realism, Fantasy & Folklore
Reject the strict limitations of the everyday and learn the tools necessary to craft fantastical tales.
Level
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Location
Length
It's a whole new world...
Have you always wanted to write… the weird? To make bodies do stranger things than usual; create utopias that crash and burn; give creatures a voice; make important points about the real world using magic? From fairy companions to colossal empires, from the scary to the sensual, fantastical, or speculative fiction is the genre of the impossible, the arena of the implausible, the politics of playfulness. In this course, we will learn the requirements, possibilities and limits of four of these forms – folklore, fantasy/romantasy, the supernatural and magic realism.
We will enter the weird and wonderful minds of best exemplars including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, Sarah Hall, Irenosen Okojie, China Mievelle, Saara El Arifi and Julia Armfield. At the end of the course, you will have a clear understanding of each genre and will have written within all of them. You will also have considered the function of the fantastical in your own lives and considered the powerful ways that speculation can – and has always – acted as a mouthpiece for the most important ideas of an age.
Is this the right course for me?
You don’t need to have taken any writing courses before, and you don’t need experience with speculative fiction forms – what we’re looking for here is a commitment of time and a determination to explore, beyond your usual boundaries.
The course is also suitable for writers who are already writing speculative fiction and would like to assess their own approaches, as well as exploring forms they haven’t tried. While the course primarily teaches traditional models of storytelling, it also introduces experimental forms. The course introduces you to the craft principles and contemporary debates around each genre, and encourages lots of writing in situ.
The course will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, hosted via a mixture of Zoom workshops, structured writing time and via participation on Faber Academy's bespoke online classroom.
Course Programme
Session 1
Monday 22 September, 10.00–16.00
Myth & Folklore...
Session 2
23 September, 10.00–16.00
The Supernatural...
Session 3
24 September, 10.00–16.00
Fantasy & Romantasy...
Being tutored by Leone felt like an immense privilege; the way she understood my work has propelled me forward to my next writing project…
Tutor
Leone Ross
Leone Ross’s third novel, This One Sky Day (Faber/FSG) was published to critical acclaim in 2021. Her first novel, All the Blood Is Red...
More About This TutorThe Faber Academy Scholarship Programme
There is a scholarship place available on this course for a writer who otherwise could not afford to attend. We particularly welcome applications from writers of colour, working class writers, disabled writers and LGBTQ+ writers.
To apply, please email a covering letter and a 1000 word prose sample (as Word docs or PDFs) to scholarships@faber.co.uk, with the subject line ‘Scholarship Application: Writing Speculative Fiction’. Your sample script needn’t be audio drama. The deadline to apply is Sunday 8 September 2025. The full terms and conditions and more information about our scholarship programme can be found below.
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