World-Building workshop with Elizabeth Knox
The internationally acclaimed author will convene an advanced creative writing workshop at the IIML in 2017.
The IIML is delighted to offer a new undergraduate workshop in 2017, convened by the internationally acclaimed author Elizabeth Knox.
CREW 350 Special Topic: World-Building Workshop is an advanced creative writing workshop for writers interested in long-form narrative (especially speculative fiction and fantasy). Students will collaborate to develop a single story while working individually on the different components of successful world-building, including characterisation, structure, point-of-view, dialogue and pace. This collaborative classroom work will result in each student producing an individual folio to be assessed.
The course is aimed at aspiring novelists, as well as writers for film and television. The workshop will encourage students to become skilled readers of classic world-building texts as well as becoming knowing, confident and daring storytellers. Weekly workshops will be held for the discussion of readings, set exercises, and students' work in progress.
Convenor Elizabeth Knox is the internationally acclaimed author of many novels, including The Vintner's Luck, Wake, Mortal Fire and The Dreamhunter Duet. Her essays on writing are collected in The Love School. She blogs at www.elizabethknox.com.
Elizabeth writes: 'A common difficulty people have with world building is the problem of too many decisions, so many that it's hard to see where one decision should guide another; it is all meat, and there's nothing pushing back, nothing bony and necessary. A way around this is to have your inventions gain form and solidity by pushing up against the inventions of others. This world-building course provides an opportunity to do that, to make a collaborative story, exploring your own fictional provocations, and developing your voice (without getting the helmet of your character stuck on your storyteller's head).'
You do not need to have published fiction to apply. However, as with all our undergraduate courses, the workshop will be limited to 12 students and the quality of the writing sample which accompanies applications will be critical in deciding admissions. .
CREW 350 will run in Trimester 1 (March-July) 2017 on Fridays from 2-5pm at the IIML: Bill Manhire House, 16 Waiteata Rd on Victoria's Kelburn campus.
Read more about the workshop or download the course flier pdf194KB
Applications can be made via Victoria's online enrolment system from 1 October. Meanwhile, you can register your interest by emailing us with 'CREW 350 enquiry' in the Subject line.You can also read about how to apply for our undergraduate CREW courses.