Class Date:
Online: Wednesdays, March 18th, 25th, April 1st, 8th
Class Time:
5:30-7:00 P.M. ET
Class Size:
6-12 students
Age Group:
7th-12th Graders
Location:
Online via Zoom; link to be provided the week before the class.
Looking for ways to enrich the world your characters live in?
From the spellbooks and bestiaries of Harry Potter and Dungeons & Dragons, to the lore books and journals found in games like Witcher and Elder Scrolls, some of the most memorable aspects of fantasy books and gameplay are snippets of in-world writing discovered by your characters.
In this NWS course, students will explore worldbuilding through the writing of supplemental materials, like easter eggs and footnotes, that immerse their readers and/or game players in their stories.
Each student will create a map, a spell, and their own monster as part of a larger worldbuilding toolkit. Time will also be devoted to writing a journal entry for a lost adventurer and crafting additional elements for stories students are already working on.
All enrolled students will have the opportunity to publish work in the 2026 issue of the National Writers Series’ literary journal.
(Ni)Cole Bernadette Birkett (she/her) graduated with a BA in English from Michigan State University. She works supporting organizing and membership efforts for public school unions, raises sheep and goats with her husband, leads the Ludington Writers, and is editor in chief of Making Waves: A West Michigan Review. Her work has appeared in publications such as Transformational: Stories of NoMI Arts & Culture, Peninsula Poets, Variety Pack, and MSU’s Offbeat and OATS. Learn more at LudingtonWriters.org or @nbbirkett.
