Magic on the Page! Fantasy Short Stories (ages 13-18)

Whether it’s the classic, epic fantasy of Tolkien or the modern, rough and tumble fantasy of Leigh Bardugo, most fantasy has one thing in common: magic! But how do we write convincing magic? Should it have rules and systems? Should it be dripping mystery, never explained on the page? Does it even matter, or is it more about spectacle, dazzling our readers with the bizarre sensory experience of magic?

This workshop will discuss all these approaches and more! There is a lot of writing advice regarding magic, and this workshop will help you choose the style that works for the story you are trying to tell. We’ll discuss magic in Leigh Bardugo, Ursula Le Guin, Max Gladstone, N.K. Jemisin, and more.

By the end of the class, students should have different approaches to writing magic into our fantasy and science fiction stories, ideas about how characters interact with magic—and the beginning to one such story of their own. For writers age 13 – 18 ONLY.