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Jason Link

As a fantasy writer, you want to build a fascinating world for your story, create unforgettable characters, and weave together a captivating plot.

Overall you want to tell a story that enchants your readers, a story your readers will want to come back to again and again.

My aim is to help you create that story. By the end of this course, you will have done all the foundational work you need for writing and finishing your fantasy novel.

I’m Jason Link, the author of the Legender series, an epic adventure that Publishers Weekly calls a grand fairytale.

Read more

As a fantasy writer, you want to build a fascinating world for your story, create unforgettable characters, and weave together a captivating plot.

Overall you want to tell a story that enchants your readers, a story your readers will want to come back to again and again.

My aim is to help you create that story. By the end of this course, you will have done all the foundational work you need for writing and finishing your fantasy novel.

I’m Jason Link, the author of the Legender series, an epic adventure that Publishers Weekly calls a grand fairytale.

For the last 20 years I’ve been practicing the art of storytelling and fantasy writing, and in this course, I share with you the insights I’ve gained on that journey.

I’ve designed this course to follow a logical flow. We will cover:

  • Situating you into the writer's life so you can get your writing done

  • Building a world for your story

  • Developing memorable characters

  • Structuring your story and writing your story's outline

  • Forming a healthy relationship between your storytelling and world building

By the end of this course, you will have done all the foundational work you need for writing and finishing your fantasy novel.

Praise for Jason's course "Writing Great Fantasy: World Building Workshop":

  • "I really enjoy the course. I order many story writing courses and this is the best. Really comprehensive. "

  • "I highly recommend the course to all those who wish to learn the craft of world building for writing great fantasy....The course helped me immensely to achieve that in addition to benefiting me as a learner. The course offers amazing content and is structured excellently."

  • "Even early on in the course, it's clear that my expectations will be met and then surpassed. Extremely helpful and engaging. "

  • "Love it. This course is helping me test the levels of my creativity, challenging me to try new things and to really think about my world's lore and history."

  • "The way Jason guides you to build your world makes it seem so simple as the entire process is broken down into small and manageable tasks. I have taken a lot of notes and will keep re-visiting this course, again and again, to ensure I am not missing out on any point. Thanks a lot Jason for a wonderfully well-crafted course."

Praise for Jason Link's work:

  • "This book is an incredible epic fantasy. Well written, interesting, and with believable characters, it sucks you in from the first page."

  • "Fantasy as its best."

  • "Perhaps the best part of reading was that feeling you get when you are immersed into a different world, which is exactly what Link has built. There are cultures, geographies, languages, and creatures that come together to make a fun yet deeply sophisticated world. In this way, The Legender reminded me of the greats like Tolkien."

  • "A new world on par with Tolkien."

  • "Jason Link has a gift for not only creating a captivating new world, filled with creatures and cultural practices a reader has never thought of, but also maintaining a consistent and believable voice throughout the twists and turns of the story."

Do you wish readers to have a similar reaction to your story?

If so, join me in this course so I can show you how to write a novel that will enchant your readersa story your readers will want to get lost in again and again.

Check out the free previews to get a sample of what you'll learn and then enroll to get started on your fantasy novel today.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Form habits to get your writing done
  • Structure a novel-length fantasy story
  • Develop compelling characters with depth
  • Build a world for your fantasy novel

Syllabus

Introduction
Welcome!
Why I created this course
Assignment: What's your starting point?
Read more
Why We Write Fantasy
Building a Writer's Life
Section Intro
Creating Your Writer's Sanctum
Finding the Time to Write
Confronting Writer's Block
Getting a Writer's Group
Receiving Critique
Assignment: Build your writing life
World Building
Mapping - General Shape
Mapping - Mountains
Mapping - Rivers and Lakes
Mapping - Forests
Creating Creatures
People and Races
Assignment: Begin to build a world for your fantasy story
Classic Fantasy Character Archetypes
The Young Hero and the Wise Mentor
The Villain
The Damsel in Distress and the Amazon
Assignment: Archetype characters
Building Your Character
Getting to Know Your Character
Personality and Ethics
What Your Character Wants
Revealing Character
Assignment: Fill out character bio
Structuring Your Story
Story Structure
Inciting Incident
Rising Action
Creating Conflict
The Climax
The Resolution
5 steps to outlining your plot
Assignment: Outline your story
World Building in Action
Keeping Your Story First
What Your Readers Never See
The Art of the Reveal
World Revelation Methods
Assignment: Examine a fantasy world by an author
Conclusion
Congratulations!
Bonus - Exclusive discounts on my other courses

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Writing Your Fantasy Novel with these activities:
Review 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces'
Understand the archetypal hero's journey to improve plot and character development.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on the hero's journey stages.
  • Identify examples of these stages in existing fantasy novels.
  • Consider how you can apply these stages to your own story.
Review Classic Fantasy Tropes
Familiarize yourself with common fantasy tropes to either embrace or subvert them effectively in your writing.
Browse courses on Literature
Show steps
  • Research common fantasy tropes (e.g., chosen one, dark lord).
  • Analyze how these tropes are used in popular fantasy novels.
  • Decide which tropes to use, subvert, or avoid in your story.
Develop a Detailed Character Bio
Create a comprehensive character biography to deepen your understanding of your characters and their motivations.
Show steps
  • Choose a main character from your story.
  • Answer detailed questions about their background, personality, and motivations.
  • Write a multi-page biography based on your answers.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Write a Scene Exploring a Character's Flaw
Practice writing scenes that reveal character flaws to add depth and realism to your characters.
Show steps
  • Identify a significant flaw in one of your characters.
  • Brainstorm situations where this flaw would be challenged.
  • Write a scene showcasing the character struggling with their flaw.
Review 'Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction'
Gain insights into imaginative fiction writing techniques to enhance your fantasy novel.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on sections relevant to your current writing challenges.
  • Complete some of the exercises and prompts provided in the book.
  • Apply the techniques you learn to your own writing.
Create a Map of Your Fantasy World
Visualize your world by creating a detailed map, solidifying its geography and history.
Show steps
  • Sketch a rough outline of your world's continents and major landforms.
  • Add details such as mountains, rivers, forests, and cities.
  • Label important locations and create a key for your map.
  • Refine your map until it accurately reflects your world's geography.
Critique Partner Exchange
Exchange chapters with a peer and provide constructive feedback to improve your writing.
Show steps
  • Find a critique partner who is also writing fantasy.
  • Exchange chapters of your novels with your partner.
  • Provide detailed and constructive feedback on each other's work.

Career center

Learners who complete Writing Your Fantasy Novel will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
World Builder
A world builder designs and develops fictional worlds for various creative projects, including novels, games, and films. This course helps you hone your world-building skills. The course specifically addresses mapping, creature creation, and cultural development. A world builder may find the detailed guidance on shaping landscapes, designing creatures, populating your world with races, and constructing believable societies particularly useful. Therefore, this course is very applicable to you.
Fantasy Novelist
A fantasy novelist crafts immersive worlds filled with magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests. This course helps you build a foundation for writing a fantasy novel. The course covers world-building, developing memorable characters, and structuring your story. These are all essential skills for a fantasy novelist. You'll learn how to map out your world, create compelling characters with depth, and structure a novel-length fantasy story. If you want to enchant your readers by developing these skills, then this course is for you.
Character Designer
A character designer conceptualizes and creates detailed characters for visual media, such as animation, video games, and comic books. This course helps you understand the intricacies of character development. It covers classic archetypes, personality traits, ethics, and motivations. A character designer may benefit from the course's emphasis on creating characters with depth and revealing their personalities through action and dialogue. Therefore, this course is highly relevant to you.
Game Writer
A game writer creates compelling narratives, characters, and dialogue for video games, often in the fantasy genre. This course helps you lay the groundwork for writing compelling fantasy narratives. You'll learn how to build worlds, develop characters, and structure stories. These are critical skills for a game writer working on a fantasy project. The section on building a world for your fantasy story may be useful to you. Since games have a fantasy setting, this course will help you.
Story Consultant
A story consultant advises writers and filmmakers on narrative structure, character development, and plot coherence. This course helps solidify your understanding of storytelling principles. It covers story structure, inciting incidents, rising action, conflict, climax, and resolution. A story consultant may find the course's detailed breakdown of plot elements and the five-step outlining process beneficial for guiding clients. Those that wish to consult on fantasy plots should find this helpful.
Creative Writing Professor
A creative writing professor teaches students the art of writing, often specializing in genres like fantasy. You may wish to pass on your knowledge to others. This course provides you with a structured approach to fantasy writing. It covers elements such as world-building, character development, and plot structuring. You will also learn about creating a healthy writing life and habits. Teaching students to build complex fantasy worlds is challenging and the building techniques in this course may prove useful.
Narrative Designer
A narrative designer plans and implements the story, characters, and dialogue in interactive experiences, such as video games and simulations. This course may be useful for developing strong narrative foundations. You'll learn how to build worlds, develop characters, and structure stories, which are critical elements for narrative design. The sections on character development and story structure is particularly relevant to you.
Screenwriter
A screenwriter crafts scripts for films and television shows, potentially within the fantasy genre. This course may be useful for developing the foundational elements of a compelling fantasy story. You will learn how to build immersive worlds, develop memorable characters, and structure a captivating plot. Given that the course explores story structure, character development and inciting incidents, a screenwriter may find applicable lessons.
Book Reviewer
A book reviewer writes critical assessments of published works. Understanding the elements that make a compelling fantasy novel is especially crucial. This course helps you to understand the ingredients that make a fantasy story engaging. You'll learn about world-building, character development, and plot structure. This course may equip you with a framework for analyzing and evaluating fantasy literature. For instance, you will be able to explain why fantasy stories work.
Content Writer
A content writer produces engaging written material for websites, blogs, and marketing campaigns, sometimes with a fantasy angle. This course may help improve storytelling abilities. You may learn how to build fascinating worlds, create unforgettable characters, and weave together a captivating plot. You will explore story structure and world revelation techniques. If you have a need for greater creativity, this course may be for you.
Fantasy Artist
A fantasy artist creates visual representations of characters, creatures, and environments from the fantasy genre. This course may provide a more detailed depiction of your subjects. The course helps you build fascinating worlds and develop memorable characters. These are essential elements for inspiring and informing your artistic creations. With greater character depth, you may make better art.
Copywriter
A copywriter crafts persuasive and attention-grabbing marketing materials. While not directly fantasy-related, the principles of storytelling and character development taught in this course may enhance your copywriting skills. A copywriter may discover the importance of building compelling narratives and understanding audience psychology. The course's emphasis on creating memorable characters might translate into crafting relatable customer personas. Therefore, this course may be useful to you.
Game Master
A game master facilitates role-playing games, guiding players through a story and managing the game's world and characters. While not a profession, it may be a fulfilling and relevant role to you. This course may improve your storytelling abilities, worldbuilding skills, and character development knowledge. The course's emphasis on creating immersive worlds and compelling characters may enhance your ability to craft engaging gaming experiences for players.
Editor
An editor reviews and refines written content, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and style. This course may help you understand the craft of fantasy writing. You may gain insight into the elements that make a fantasy novel engaging. This may improve your ability to assess and improve fantasy manuscripts. An editor may find that this course's focus on world-building and character development helps them identify areas for improvement in a writer's work. Thus, this course may be useful to you.
Literary Agent
A literary agent represents authors and sells their work to publishers. You may benefit from understanding what makes a marketable fantasy novel. This course may provide insights into the elements that resonate with readers. You may become better equipped to identify promising fantasy manuscripts and guide authors in their craft. With the knowledge of world-building, this course may be useful to you.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Writing Your Fantasy Novel.
Explores the archetypal hero's journey, a foundational concept in fantasy literature. Understanding this structure can significantly improve your ability to craft compelling plots and characters. It provides a framework for understanding narrative patterns and character development, enriching your storytelling capabilities. While not directly about fantasy writing, it provides a deep understanding of storytelling that is commonly used by fantasy writers.
Provides a comprehensive guide to writing imaginative fiction, including fantasy. It covers world-building, character development, plot structure, and style. It valuable resource for both beginners and experienced writers. The book is filled with exercises and prompts to help you develop your skills and is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference.

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