If you’re looking to strengthen your understanding of creating fantasy worlds, then you may be interested in taking some world building classes.
This form of education can be one of the most effective for writers. In a short space of time, you can gain a deep understanding of the worldbuilding process and the steps you need to follow to create an immersive secondary world.
World building classes can also provide answers to questions or uncertainties you may have about building worlds. In addition, you can gain access to resources that can help you save time and provide greater structure to what can be a chaotic process.
In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best masterclass workshops on building fantasy worlds that are currently available. We’ll go over how much they cost and the reviews of past participants. We’ll also look at ways you can find more world building classes. But first, we’ll begin with a definition of worldbuilding.
You can jump to the chapter that interests you most below:
Choose A Chapter
- What Is Worldbuilding?
- What Are World Building Classes?
- A List Of World Building Classes
- How To Find More World Building Classes
- Learn More About Worldbuilding
What Is Worldbuilding?
Worldbuilding is the process of creating a secondary world, a place distinct and unique from the real world.
This world may be entirely fictitious, such as Middle Earth, or it could exist within our own, like the wizard’s world of Harry Potter.
Worldbuilding is arguably the distinguishing feature of the science fiction and fantasy genres. No other genre requires you to create the setting to such a detailed extent.
It’s because of this that many fantasy writers struggle. With such a vast challenge at our feet and with no clear structure on what to focus on or build first, headaches can arise and challenges can multiply like rabbits.
That’s where world building classes come in.
Click Here To Download A Free World Building Template
What Are World Building Classes?
World building classes are a form of learning that focuses on the creation of worlds. Just like school classes or workshops, they cover the topic in detail, or perhaps just parts of it, showing you different tools and techniques as well as providing clear explanations.
Attending classes on worldbuilding can be one of the most effective ways to learn new skills. Usually the tutor will have experience in building worlds with a good track record or revealing that world through a story.
As mentioned above, some classes may focus on the entire subject of worldbuilding. Others may cover specific aspects of it, such as building cultures or how to reveal a world in compelling ways.
Below, we’ll take a look at different types of world building classes that are currently available to take.
A List Of World Building Classes
Here you can find a list of some of the best world building classes currently available.
How To Build A Fantasy World
Price: £9.99 (50% off)
Duration: 90 mins
Extras: A worldbuilding template, a free creative writing handbook, and an invite to an online writing group with 300+ members
In this class, I cover every aspect of worldbuilding. First I show you the simplest and most straightforward way to build a world from scratch.
I share insights that can help save you time and creative effort in creating things you’ll never use. I also show you how to find originality in your fantasy worlds before moving on to discuss the best ways to reveal the details you’ve created in truly immersive ways, such that your readers will never want to leave.
Overall, it covers every aspect in detail and gives you the tools you need to create your own worlds in the form of a free wordbuilding template and checklist.
Reviews
“Down to earth style yet with lots of referenced material. Easy to listen to and practical as well as theoretical.” Tim Pointon, Trustpilot
“Richie Billing provided practical, helpful information on how to make my novel better! I am grateful. Thank you.” Byerly B, Author (review via Trustpilot)
“Really helpful, funny, down-to-earth guy with a ton of excellent creative experience and a logical brain. That’s a winning combo for a Manchester woman.” Linzi Day, Trustpilot
Writing Great Fantasy: World Building Workshop
Price: £59.99
Duration: 4 hours
Extras: 11 extra articles, 2 downloadable resources
“The step-by-step method to writing a believable and compelling world that will enchant your readers”.
This world building workshop is a popular one over on the online education site Udemy. It teaches you how to build a compelling world and interesting creatures to inhabit it.
It also goes over how to plot a timeline and how to add depth to your world with tips and advice on how to develop distinct people and races.
Reviews
“Clear and interesting.” Angela D, Udemy
“Considering I have a lot of work already done on the world building, this has already given me food for thought on some things I have probably done back to front.” Jaisen M, Udemy
Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling
Price: $15 a month or $180 a year
Duration: 4 hours 49 minutes
In this Masterclass workshop taught by legendary fantasy author Neil Gaiman, you’ll learn how to play god effectively and how to have fun with it.
Gaiman shows you the art of finding that unique and interesting angle, asking “what if” and see where it takes you.
Also covered in this world building class are the inclusion of moments of reality that help to create credibility, the importance of doing research, and how to reveal your world by letting your characters discover them.
How To Find More World Building Classes
There are lots of places where you can find more world building classes beyond what you can see on this page.
A good place to start is educational and online learning websites. You can try the likes of Udemy and Coursera which have a multitude of writing courses and classes available.
The prices on these sites can vary depending on how in-depth the course or class is.
Beyond educational sites, you could also check out the websites of some of your favorite authors. Some writers offer their own classes which you can sign up for. Again prices may vary.
You can’t go wrong with a simple Google search either, searching for keywords like “world building classes for beginners”. That will bring up a bunch of results that should hopefully be relevant.
How To Know Which World Building Classes Are Best
There are a few checks you can make to see if a world building class is the best one for you.
One of those checks is to look at reviews from past participants. This will give you an insight as to how other people found the class and what they learned. It’ll also tell you about the teaching style and the type of resources you may receive.
It’s always best to look for impartial reviews or ones that are found on independent websites like Trustpilot. Reviews posted on the tutor’s own website can be amended or even added by themselves so always be mindful.
Something else you can look for to ensure that you’re getting what you pay for is a sample video. This can tell you whether it’s a class based around PowerPoint slides or if it’s just the tutor talking and instructing you.
Another thing to look out for is money-back guarantees. The best creative writing tutors offer you the chance to get a refund within so many days of purchase if you don’t like the product. That’s not to say that you watch the class and then claim your refund. If you have valid complaints, then a refund can likely be recovered.
Learn More About Worldbuilding
If you’d like to continue learning about worldbuilding, you’ll be pleased to discover that this guide is just the first of many on this site.
Click the links below to find more:
- Worldbuilding and religion
- How to start building a world
- A guide to the Reddit worldbuilding community
- Discover the best books on worldbuilding
- Download a worldbuilding checklist
- Head here to learn about worldbuilding culture
- Learn more about worldbuilding in writing here
- What is a creative writing class? – Learn more here
You can also check out these other resources on creating worlds which you may find useful:
And if you know of any other world building classes that you think others will appreciate, please share the details in the comments below.
Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
- Mastering Dialogue: The Very Best Tips - January 12, 2024
- The Proven Method Of Writing Short Story Cover Letters - November 10, 2023
- Tips, Advice And Guidance On Writing Villains And Antagonists - November 7, 2023
