Workshop
The World in Your Hands: Fantasy and Sci-fi Worldbuilding
with Eli Sutherland
Friday 17 April, 09:30 - 11:30
Art Room, Studio Take Care
TGD community exclusive
Worldbuilding in fantasy and science fiction can create a living, breathing environment that a story lives within, so compelling that readers can sink into it as if it were the real world. When not done well it can feel boring or implausible. The World in Your Hands connects writers with other writers, provides a space to learn from each other, and a safe container to explore and play in crafting a new fantastical world with others.
In this workshop led by fantasy writer and Trans Book Festival Director Eli Sutherland, we cover concepts of fantasy and science fiction worldbuilding, such as: the physical and non-physical elements of the world our characters live in; the inhabitants of the world, including human, non-human animals, and other magical beings, including a discussion around internal biases and discriminatory tropes; and developing a magic system with limitations, rules, and lores that create boundaries and tension. In small groups, we imagine a new world together through a creative exercise that can be used effectively in our own writing craft.
Featuring:
Eli Sutherland (they/them) is an award-winning poet, writer, and creative consultant living on Wurundjeri Country. They are a non-binary, queer, disabled creative…