34 Best Fantasy Writing Classes in 2026

Four-week in-person evening workshop at The Porch House in Nashville with Cara Lynn Albert, whose debut book Worshipping the Sun is due in 2027, $255 ($217 for members). The class reads widely in monster literature, then has you build an original monster-centred piece - story, poem or essay, your choice of form - which is workshopped in the final session. Homework is required and the workshopping is intensive.

Free two-hour in-person workshop at the Centennial Hills Library, taught by award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist Maxwell Alexander Drake. It runs as an ongoing series on the craft of writing a novel readers finish, and Drake teaches the same session twice each month - Sunday afternoon and Monday evening - so you can take whichever slot fits. There is no registration and no waiting list: seating is limited and first come, first served, so arrive early.

In-person course in Manchester, £180 with bursary places for low-income and underrepresented writers, taught by author David Hartley. Six Friday evenings, 6:00-8:00pm, from 28 August 2026 to 15 January 2027 at Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, M19 3QE. Builds one invented world from blank page to fully realised island realm - drawing and map-making as well as prose, then creation myths, ballads and legends set inside it. Reads Tolkien and Le Guin against contemporary worldbuilders. The course ends with a story developed for possible publication in a Comma Press eBook, which is a concrete outcome most short courses do not offer.

In-person conference in Atlanta, 6-7 November 2026, at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel. The Atlanta Writers Club’s twice-yearly conference: manuscript and query critiques with literary agents and editors, pitch sessions, and craft workshops across two days. Run by a club founded in 1914 with around 1,600 members, so the agent roster is a genuine draw rather than a token panel. Booking is per-activity, so cost depends on how many critiques and pitches you add.

Free in-person workshop in Cincinnati, led by Intisar Khanani. Saturday 19 September 2026, 1:00-2:30pm at the Cheviot Branch Library. Despite the title this is adult craft instruction on character construction: first the forms strength takes beyond the obvious - compassion, mercy, persistence - then Gail Carriger’s heroine’s journey, a plot shape built on community and networks of allies rather than the lone hero of the traditional monomyth. Khanani is a fantasy novelist (Thorn, The Sunbolt Chronicles) and the library’s writer-in-residence. Genuinely free: no ticket, no card.

In-person single-session generative workshop in Seattle, sliding-scale pricing, taught by Tara Campbell. Saturday 26 September 2026, 10:00am-1:00pm at Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave. Three hours of prompt-driven drafting in the speculative register - aimed at intermediate and advanced writers who want new material rather than an introduction to the genre. Sliding scale, not free: payment is required at a self-selected tier.

In-person single-session workshop in Portland, $85, taught by Eli Kramer. Sunday 27 September 2026, 10:00am-1:00pm at Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave. Speculative craft built from the outsized moment - a night sky, a death, a first encounter with art - and how a scene carries weight larger than its own events. The cheapest way into this provider, and a three-hour commitment rather than a term.

One-on-one online mentoring, advanced lectures, personalized feedback, and modules tailored to individual needs. Includes in-depth critiques and extensive guest lectures from renowned authors.

This 10-week online workshop includes lectures, writing exercises, and critiques of student projects, focusing on the special requirements of science fiction and fantasy genres.

The course teaches plotting and executing branching narratives for video games, writing in different interactive genres, and building a portfolio. It focuses on understanding non-linear storytelling and developing a vocabulary for interactive fiction.

The course offers 80 hours of online learning divided into 13 modules, designed for flexible study at any time. It includes full tutor support and access to resources 24/7 for 12 months.

Interested in learning all there is to know about speculative fiction? This introductory instructional course offers everything you need to get started!