Writing Science Fiction
Taught by Robin White
Robin White is a writer and teacher of short fiction from the UK, now living in New York City. His short creative work has appeared in over two dozen publications, most recently including the likes of the venerable old Saturday Evening Post, Strangelet, and Bartleby Snopes, where his piece was one of 12 ‘Stories of the Month’ collected into their yearly print anthology. As a teacher, he has almost a decade’s worth of experience in explaining the craft, and technical fundamentals, of writing and submitting short fiction. He is immensely proud that the majority of his students have gone on to see their work professionally published.
Most recently he could be found as a slush reader on the staff of Syntax and Salt, a new magazine of Magical Realism based out of Lansing, Michigan.
“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself. ...Science fiction is central to everything we've ever done, and people who make fun of science fiction writers don't know what they're talking about.” -- Ray Bradbury.
The greatest works of Science Fiction are among some of the greatest, most widely read fictions of the last century and a half. So why do people treat Sci-Fi like it’s an endless stream of Wookies and warp drives? Writing Science Fiction means writing about society, about culture, about love, failure, heartbreak, and joy. It means world creation, time dilation, and generational adventures. It’s story construction, thoughtful plotting, and creating the rules that define your universe. It’s no less worthy than Literary Fiction, and just as exciting as any thriller.
This class touches on not only all of the above, but also offers concrete advice on finding markets for your speculative fiction, submitting queries, and having your sci-fi published. Remember: Good writing is good writing, no matter the genre.
