Writing Science Fiction: From Speculation to Finished Story

Course summary: Learn to build compelling science fiction through grounded premises, consistent future worlds, vivid characters, causal plots, ethical themes, scientific research, revision, and publishing preparation. Complete forty guided lessons and a polished original science fiction story.

Course overview: This independent, self-paced course serves new and returning fiction writers. No science degree is required. Plan 2–4 hours per lesson plus capstone drafting time. Work toward a complete 2,500–3,500-word speculative short story, supported by a synopsis, evidence note, reflection, and revision log. Lessons build a portfolio, but any single lesson can be taken on its own.

Outcomes: Identify reader expectations across science-fiction forms; frame a consequential speculative premise; design coherent worlds; plan character changes and causal conflicts; distinguish supported science from invention; draft and revise scenes; prepare basic submission and readership materials.

AI collaboration policy: The writer invents the story and decides what enters the manuscript. If you choose AI support, share only material you are comfortable sending for external processing; request questions, comparisons, or clarity checks, then inspect every suggestion. The non-AI alternative is always to perform the same comparison or checklist yourself. Never represent AI-generated citations or invented science as verified research.

Completion and assessment: Complete each lesson’s Writing lab and Self-check, retain a versioned portfolio, and revise work that does not meet the listed criteria. The final lesson uses a 100-point capstone rubric. Feedback may come from peer readers, self-review, or optional AI coaching; authors make final creative decisions. This course does not imply a formal faculty grade or degree.