The Odyssey Writing Workshop is offering three online writing classes this winter. Each class is focused on a particular element of fiction writing and is designed for writers at a particular skill level, from beginners to professional writers.
For sixteen years, Odyssey has pursued its mission to help developing writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror improve their work by holding its annual six-week, in-person workshop in Manchester, New Hampshire. Last year Odyssey expanded its mission, taking the teaching techniques from the workshop and adapting them to create online classes. Odyssey Director Jeanne Cavelos says “We have worked very hard to ensure that our online classes are of the same quality and caliber as our in-person workshop and that they deserve to carry the name of Odyssey.” Courses provide a supportive yet challenging, energizing atmosphere, with a class size limited to fourteen students. Courses are designed for adult writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, but interested writers of other genres are also invited to apply.
Last winter, Odyssey offered its first online course, “Showing versus Telling in Fantastic Fiction”. Cavelos says “The class was a huge success. Using Web conferencing software, we held live class sessions with fourteen students from the US, Japan, and Australia. We had some great discussions, and the students proved that they could commit significant amounts of time and energy to a rigorous, demanding course despite the long distances. They worked intensely on recognizing and manipulating showing and telling in their fiction and made exciting improvements.”
This year, Odyssey is offering three different online courses covering some of the most critical issues for developing writers:
Three-Act Structure in Fantastic Fiction (5 January – 2 February 2011), taught by Jeanne Cavelos (level: Intermediate/Advanced). Application deadline is 9 December 2010. “One of the greatest weaknesses of developing writers is plot. One of the best tools for strengthening plot is the act. Plotting in acts creates a more suspenseful, unpredictable, and emotionally satisfying experience for the reader. The strongest plots often have three acts. In this course, students will study plots of a variety of works, and they’ll learn how to create their own strong three-act plots.”
Worldbuilding in Fantastic Fiction (12 January – 26 January 2011), taught by Melissa Scott (level: Beginner/Intermediate). Application deadline is 16 December 2010. “The most prominent element that separates science fiction, fantasy, and much horror from other genres is the setting. A unique, fully realized, believable world provides much of the appeal of fantastic fiction. Creating a vivid, consistent world is not a simple task. Incorporating that world gracefully into a story is another challenge. Award-winning author Melissa Scott is the absolute expert on the subject, and in this mini-course, she will guide students through the process step by step.”
Writing in Scenes (9 – 23 February 2011), taught by Nancy Kress (level: Beginner/Intermediate). Application deadline is 10 January 2011. “For award-winning author Nancy Kress, one principle made all the difference in her writing, transforming it from promising but unsalable to compelling and published. That one principle was writing in scenes. In this unique mini-course, Nancy will explain how to determine the purpose and shape of a scene. She’ll discuss the five modes of expression used in a scene, how to find the optimal balance between these five modes for a particular scene, and the importance of dialogue as the heart of almost all scenes. Kress, an acclaimed writing teacher, provides great insights into the process of creating a scene.”
More information about the classes is available at sff.net/odyssey/online.html, or by emailing jcavelos [at] sff [dot] net.
The Odyssey Web site also offers many resources for writers, including free podcasts, writing and publishing tips, a weekly writing blog, and a critique service.
Related articles previously published on SFScope:
Odyssey Writing Workshop to offer online classes (14 October 2009)