Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

N. K. Jemisin

N. K. Jemisin—Nora Keita Jemisin—is the three-time Hugo Award–winning author of The Broken Earth Trilogy. She opens by talking about genres of science fiction and fantasy, her personal journey, and what you’ll learn in her class.

Meet Your Instructor: N. K. Jemisin

Nora shares her methodology and framework for building a rich and believable world.

Elements of Worldbuilding

To build your world, start by creating the physical environment where your culture and story will take place, from the planetary level to a specific location. Then add the “Element X” that will affect everything.

Macro-worldbuilding Exercise: Build Your World

Nora continues to break down worldbuilding by discussing how to create a new, believable, and engrossing structure of humanity.

Micro-worldbuilding: Conceiving the Culture and People

Learn how to create a believable structure by thinking about who has the power in your society, how different people adopt specific roles, and how to avoid inappropriate cultural appropriation.

Micro-worldbuilding: Power Dynamics and Cultural Appropriation

Nora challenges the definitions of science fiction and fantasy and gives you the tools to create plausible, otherworldly science and magic.

Worldbuilding: Inventing Science and Magic

Learn how to live life as a writer, absorbing and interpreting the world for your audience. Nora also shares how to incorporate research.

Worldbuilding: Research

Nora teaches you about her immersion pyramid and how to choose a point of view to allow your reader to learn your world.

Immersing Your Reader: Choosing a POV

Nora draws on her education in psychology to help you rethink your ideas about people and human behavior.

The Psychology of Characters

Find out how to give yourself freedom in the kind of stories you tell and create characters that reflect the world you live in.

Forget the Rugged Individual Archetype

Adapting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Nora teaches you how to create a believable character.

The Hierarchy of Characterization: Demographics, Outer Life, and Inner Life

Nora continues the discussion of character development by adapting the classic story arc structure to create externally driven and internally driven character arcs.

The Hierarchy of Characterization: The Character Arc

Nora gives you an overview of the publishing process, dispels common myths, and gives you best practices for finding an agent and a publisher.

How to Publish Your Book: Seeking Publication

Get a deep dive into the agent-author relationship, how to find and pitch to the right agent, and how they will help you find a publisher.

How to Find a Literary Agent

Nora reveals why you should continue to write after getting published and shares some of her best tips for handling rejection.

Surviving the Literary Marketplace

Nora opens up about the difficulties she encounters—and overcomes—as a Black woman who writes science fiction and fantasy.

Writing While Marginalized

N. K. Jemisin Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

Blend Science With Fiction Creatively

Navigate Social Dynamics in Stories

Thrive in Self-Publishing

Create Relatable Characters

Forge Deep Character Traits

Convey Emotions Visually

Writing

Learn Worldbuilding & Genre Writing

Michael Lewis

Tell a Great Story

Teaches Fiction and Storytelling

Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley Teaches Fiction and Storytelling

Teaches Writing for Television

Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television

Teaches Creative Writing

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing

Teaches Writing

James Patterson

James Patterson Teaches Writing

Lessons from Influential Black Voices

Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love

Teach Developing an Original TV Series

The Duffer Brothers

The Duffer Brothers Teach Developing an Original TV Series

Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing

David Baldacci

David Baldacci Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing

Teaches Dramatic Writing

David Mamet

David Mamet Teaches Dramatic Writing

Teaches the Power of Storytelling

LeVar Burton

Teaches the Power of Storytelling 

LeVar Burton Teaches the Power of Storytelling

Teaches Purposeful Communication

George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos Teaches Purposeful Communication

Guided by Leading Experts

Achieve More With GenAI

Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Ken Burns

Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Teaches Storytelling and Humor

David Sedaris

David Sedaris Teaches Storytelling and Humor

Teaches Investigative Journalism

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward Teaches Investigative Journalism

Teaches Poetic Thinking

Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo Teaches Poetic Thinking

Teaches Screenwriting

Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting

Teaches Reading and Writing Poetry

Billy Collins

Billy Collins Teaches Reading and Writing Poetry

Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry

Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing

Teaches the Art of the Short Story

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates Teaches the Art of the Short Story

Teaches Game Design and Theory

Will Wright

Will Wright Teaches Game Design and Theory

Teaches Storytelling and Writing

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie Teaches Storytelling and Writing

Judy Blume

Judy Blume Teaches Writing

Teaches Fiction, Memory, and Imagination

Amy Tan

Amy Tan Teaches Fiction, Memory, and Imagination

Teaches the Art of Storytelling

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling

Teaches Writing Thrillers

Dan Brown

Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers

Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Issa Rae

Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Teaches Writing for Young Audiences

R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine Teaches Writing for Young Audiences

Teaches Writing for Social Change

Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay Teaches Writing for Social Change

Teaches Creativity and Film

David Lynch

David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film

Reframe Your Thinking

Ava DuVernay

Teaches Effective and Authentic Communication

Robin Roberts

Robin Roberts Teaches Effective and Authentic Communication

Icons and Their Influences

Talking Shop