Best Workshops for Speculative Writing

ESFoster

11 months ago

Writing workshops are amazing opportunities for writers to improve their craft, learn from professionals, or amass a huge word count. If you’re a speculative writer, then there are also plenty of workshops for you to check out. Doing your research to find the best one for you is vital. I’ve created a list of the most well-known workshops below!

Odyssey Writing Workshop

This workshop is for fantasy, science fiction, and horror writers, and has been open since 1996. They have workshop dates throughout the year, with dates ranging from six to eighteen weeks. They also have online classes through Odyssey Online, which “combine deep focus, directed study, intensive practice, and detailed feedback to help students learn how to best use the concepts, tools, and techniques covered to make major improvements in their work.” Past guest lecturers include authors R. F. Kuang and Brandon Sanderson.

To apply, send in 4,000 words, then fill out the application form (there is a $50 processing fee). The next workshop available will be listed on their How To Apply section, which you can find here.

Viable Paradise

This workshop is a one-week science fiction and fantasy writing workshop in October. It takes place in Martha’s Vineyard, New England. To apply, you’ll need a cover letter, a manuscript of about 8,000 words, a synopsis, and pay a small application fee. There are different applications throughout the year, but for tuition, $2450 needs to be paid by August 1st. They also offer scholarships, which you can apply for along with your application.

Find the full information on how to apply and what to submit here.

Also, check out some sci-fi and fantasy writing contests here.

Clarion Writer’s Workshop

One of the best-known speculative fiction writing workshops, Clarion offers online classes throughout the year, one-day and weekend workshops, and their six-week workshop. The six-week workshop used to take place at UC San Diego, but they have held workshops virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To apply, send a writing sample up to 10,000 words and answer some questions about your career and your writing. Clarion also offers partial and full tuition scholarships. Find all the information on how to submit here.

Milford Writer’s Retreat

This one-week workshop takes place two weeks out of the year: one writing week in May and a critique week in September. It takes place in Gladstone Library in Wales, where you can spend an entire week just writing. To apply, you’ll need to fill out a booking form and pay a deposit. Alumni from this workshop include Anne McCaffrey and George R. R. Martin.

Find all the information on the retreat through their website here.

Gotham Writers Workshop

This workshop has online classes throughout the year, some in New York on their campus and some online. Some of them are one-on-one, while others are intensives. While these workshops can be for speculative writing, there are also classes for scriptwriting, poetry, nonfiction, comedy writing, and more.

Find their full catalog here.

Grubstreet Speculative Fiction Workshop

Lastly, this workshop takes place online during the summer through Grubstreet. According to their website, “This course will offer writers the chance to develop one to two speculative short stories and to participate in a critique workshop with peers.”

To apply (there are limited seats), check out their website here.

Have fun checking out these speculative writing workshops, and happy submitting!

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