Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
Whether you’re writing a philosophical space opera or a dystopian epic, this course will help you get to grips with the tools and techniques great science fiction writers use to craft intelligent, compelling stories.
What will we cover?
- Worldbuilding in science fiction
- Science fiction sub-genres
- Concept and thought experiments
- Characterisation.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Understand techniques used by science fiction writers
- Build your own science fiction world
- Structure your own stories.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an introductory course and suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced creative writers.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
A mix of group work, writing exercises, excerpt analysis and formal instruction from the tutor.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You may want to consider 'Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction' or 'Writing Horror'.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
KR Moorhead is a trans non-binary, neurodivergent writer and educator. Their novel, The First Law of Motion, was published by St Martin's Press in 2009. They lectured in Creative Writing for 14 years at the University of East Anglia, where they earned an MA in Creative Writing: Prose Fiction in 2007. KR also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education Practice and Research, with a focus in feminist and other critical pedagogies. As a freelance creative writing mentor and facilitator, KR has launched FLUX: Trans* Writers Circle, a series of successful 'Crash Courses' in elements of writing and writing practice, and a programme of author and publishing industry professional events called An Audience With. They have facilitated sessions for Writers in Bloom, Beyond Form Creative Writing, Devotion Workshop, Norwich School of Creative Writing, and Oxbridge Academic Courses, and currently teach on Writing the Novel and the Writer's Portfolio for The University of Hull's online, part-time MA in Creative Writing.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/writing-science-fiction140303Writing science fictionhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/w/r/writing_science_fiction-square.jpg159159GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories/Novels and short stories/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Writing/Genre writing courses/Courses/Writing/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories/Courses/vm/Halloween Courses2285158813517135811359913482122851358113599117712051653Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction. <div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main">The discipline, techniques, and commitment required by authors to complete stories and/or the opening chapters of a novel in the science fiction genre.</div>001188325Writing science fiction159159https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/w/r/writing_science_fiction-square_1.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-02-03T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allFeb 2026WritingHW666159159Writing science fiction15980159KR Moorheadwriting-science-fiction/hw666-2526Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.0000-Available|2026-02-03 00:00:00Whether you’re writing a philosophical space opera or a dystopian epic, this course will help you get to grips with the tools and techniques great science fiction writers use to craft intelligent, compelling stories.Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.- Worldbuilding in science fiction<br />
- Science fiction sub-genres<br />
- Concept and thought experiments<br />
- Characterisation.- Understand techniques used by science fiction writers <br />
- Build your own science fiction world<br />
- Structure your own stories.This is an introductory course and suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced creative writers.A mix of group work, writing exercises, excerpt analysis and formal instruction from the tutor. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.You may want to consider 'Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction' or 'Writing Horror'.<br />
<br />
All students are invited to join us at <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines" target="_blank">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href=" https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.Novels and short storiesNovels and short storiesvirtual2694036Writing science fiction159159https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/w/r/writing_science_fiction-square_9.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-06-09T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJun 2026WritingHW672159159Writing science fiction15980159KR Moorheadwriting-science-fiction/hw672-2526Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.0000-Available|2026-06-09 00:00:00Whether you’re writing a philosophical space opera or a dystopian epic, this course will help you get to grips with the tools and techniques great science fiction writers use to craft intelligent, compelling stories.Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.- Worldbuilding in science fiction<br/>- Science fiction sub-genres<br/>- Concept and thought experiments<br/>- Characterisation.- Understand techniques used by science fiction writers <br/>- Build your own science fiction world<br/>- Structure your own stories.This is an introductory course and suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced creative writers.A mix of group work, writing exercises, excerpt analysis and formal instruction from the tutor. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.You may want to consider 'Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction' or 'Writing Horror'.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Novels and short storiesNovels and short storiesvirtual15915980HW666,HW672NONETue03/02/26 - 10/03/2618:00 - 20:0018:0020:006 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksWeekdayOnlineOnlineKR MoorheadBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-02-03T00:00:00+00:00,2026-06-09T00:00:00+00:00EveningFeb 2026,Jun 2026Writing159159Writing science fictionwriting-science-fiction/hw666-2526,writing-science-fiction/hw672-2526Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.0000-Available|2026-02-03 00:00:00Whether you’re writing a philosophical space opera or a dystopian epic, this course will help you get to grips with the tools and techniques great science fiction writers use to craft intelligent, compelling stories.Learn how to build futuristic worlds and set them to explore thought-provoking concepts in this course on writing science fiction.- Worldbuilding in science fiction<br />
- Science fiction sub-genres<br />
- Concept and thought experiments<br />
- Characterisation.,- Worldbuilding in science fiction<br/>- Science fiction sub-genres<br/>- Concept and thought experiments<br/>- Characterisation.- Understand techniques used by science fiction writers <br />
- Build your own science fiction world<br />
- Structure your own stories.,- Understand techniques used by science fiction writers <br/>- Build your own science fiction world<br/>- Structure your own stories.This is an introductory course and suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced creative writers.A mix of group work, writing exercises, excerpt analysis and formal instruction from the tutor. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.You may want to consider 'Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction' or 'Writing Horror'.<br />
<br />
All students are invited to join us at <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines" target="_blank">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href=" https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.,You may want to consider 'Getting away with murder: how to write crime fiction' or 'Writing Horror'.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Novels and short storiesNovels and short storiesconfigurable
158813599Novels and short storieshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing/novels-and-short-stories/novels-and-short-stories-11/2/285/13581/13599/1588/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories/Novels and short stories
