Advanced Scifi & Fantasy

Writing the 21st century myth

Advanced techniques for writers of Science Fiction & Fantasy, used by today’s most successful storytellers and myth makers
Damien Walter writes on technology, culture and science fiction for The Guardian, BBC, Independent, Wired, Buzzfeed, SFX and Aeon. He teaches The Rhetoric of Story & Writing the 21st Century Myth to over 35,000 students worldwide.
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Learn the techniques of today’s top scifi & fantasy storytellers

  • Eternal Questions – tell stories that ask – and answer – the deep questions of human life and experience.
  • The Novum – the secret storytelling tool of Stanley Kubrick and other great scifi myth makers.
  • Cognitive Science – dig into the cogsci of scifi, how our brain and psychology are shaped by mythic stories.
  • Beyond The Hero’s Journey – Joseph Campbell’s essential guide to mythic storytelling…and how to go beyond it.
  • Archetypes – work with the archetypal human personality types – shadow, anima, trickster – discovered by Carl Jung.
  • Metanarratives – how to tell stories that cross between multiple movies, books, games and comics, and form the multi-billion dollar MARVEL franchise.
  • Ergodic Storytelling – use fascinating and cryptic secondary material – maps, invented texts and illustrations – to help immerse the audience in your world.

Watch the course trailer and begin your journey into Scifi & Fantasy storytelling.

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Part I

Part II

Star Wars : beyond the hero’s journey

Part Three of Advanced Science Fiction & Fantasy: writing the 21st century myth Star Wars changed cinema forever, introducing the would to the “scifi blockbuster” that has dominated…

Part III

Part IV

Blade Runner : what is human?

Part Four of Advanced Science Fiction & Fantasy: writing the 21st century myth Blade Runner challenges us to ask – what is human? The science fiction author…

When Damien Walter asked his twitter followers to name the greatest 21st century myth he got an unexpected answer – from Neil Gaiman himself

What makes a great scifi / fantasy story? As a writer I’ve spent a LOT of time looking for the answer. Then I learned it from Neil Gaiman.

As my instructor at the Clarion writer’s workshop I’ve learned a lot from Neil. But I was still surprised when he answered my question about the greatest 20th century myth.

“When the 21st century myth comes along, we will know.”

Neil Gaiman

The best sci-fi & fantasy stories, the ones we love and remember for generations, are powerful myths for our age.

Parts V & VI

Brave New World vs 1984

Part Six of Advanced Science Fiction & Fantasy: writing the 21st century myth The twentieth century produced two great visions of dystopia. George Orwell’s 1984 is still the most terrifying depiction of totalitarian control…

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Part IV

Dune : the 7 levels of meaning

Part Seven of Advanced Science Fiction & Fantasy: writing the 21st century myth Dune is a phenomenon, a novel written in the 1960s that seems to become more popular with every decade. The…

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