Writing Speculative Fiction
JS Breukelaar
Saturday 12 September 2026, 10am-4pm
Full Price: $225
Member: $170
Conc Member: $145
This writing course, Writing Speculative Fiction with JS Breukelaar, takes place at Writing NSW in Sydney.
Is your science fiction/fantasy/ghost story just begging to be written—or finished—if only you knew how? Do you have amazing ideas but are not quite sure how to get them onto the page? Join author JS Breukelaar for a workshop that will leave you with the skills and confidence to make your speculative fiction work stand out.
In this course you will use exercises designed specifically for writing speculative fiction, e.g. how to extrapolate science into futuristic technology, conjure new forms of magic, imagine beauty amid the ruins of fantastic urban terrains, and bring nightmares to life. You will look at techniques focusing on world-building, character creation, plotting, dialogue, viewpoints, and avoiding cliché. There will be discussion around genre conventions, current publishing trends, podcasts, comic books, trilogies and more.
Expected learning outcomes
In this workshop, participants will:
- Learn skills and literary techniques to improve your own speculative fiction project
- Define your manuscript more productively in terms of genre, audience, and influence
- Identify market opportunities most receptive to your work and discuss submission processes
This workshop takes place at Writing NSW in Sydney.
Participant requirements
Pen and paper, and/or a fully charged device. Writing samples for discussion are welcome.
Is this workshop right for you? Please read our FAQ> for important information before enrolling.
If you have questions about this course, please contact us.
Reviews
“The learning design was excellent. Using the short story as the spine to consider the narrative phases and their unique features in the SF genre was highly engaging. Jenny kept the workshop moving at the right pace allowing us to play with and apply the concepts being taught, but also take away enough to build practice in our own time.” ~ Gilbert, 2025
“This was a fantastic course. JS Breukelaar is so knowledgeable and I got so much out of this workshop. I loved how we worked through a short story, analysing it and then trying to replicate the techniques in our own writing. I’d love to attend another speculative fiction workshop.” ~ Kathleen, 2024
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