This Session of the Workshop is Full

Join the waiting list:

The workshop has been filled. If you would like to enroll in future sessions of this workshop, join our waiting list by filling out the form below.








   

A Four Week Workshop on the Art & Craft of Writing Speculative Fiction

Daisuke Shen is leading a four week workshop on the art and craft of speculative fiction. Study innovative writers, hone your craft, and get extensive feedback on your writing.

  • Four weeks of in-depth lessons on the art and craft of innovative fiction.

  • Four weeks of feedback on your writing from Daisuke Shen.

  • Personal guidance on the process of finding publication.

  • Access to live office hours with all of our instructors, even after the course has finished.

  • Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students.

Explore Innovative Fiction, Hone Your Craft, and Get Personal Feedback on Your Writing

Join writer and instructor Daisuke Shen for a month long workshop on the art and craft of writing speculative fiction, with a focus on weird fiction, innovative science fiction, and magical realism.

Each week during this course, you’ll learn about a sub-genre of fiction, read boundary pushing examples from the genre, and get detailed feedback on a piece of your writing.

You’ll study innovative writers such as Kelly Link, China Miéville, Charles Yu, and more — including examples from these authors that illuminate valuable craft lessons applicable to any style of writing. (Allowing you to expand the boundaries of what is possible with your own writing.)

This course is perfect for anyone looking to hone their fiction writing in general, but will be especially useful to those who want to learn more about the modern literary landscape and how to get their work noticed by publishers looking for innovative, daring fiction.

Daisuke Shen – who is represented by Inkwell Management – has been published in a wide variety of literary journals and online publications. They are a passionate instructor, who cares deeply for their students.

This course comes out of Daisuke’s deep interest in exploring complex truths, bending genres, and building worlds – all of which is of interest to many publishers, literary journals, and readers.

During this course you will:

  • Get personal feedback on your writing every week, directly from the instructor
  • Study contemporary authors successfully publishing innovative fiction
  • Hone your craft through specific examples and thoughtful lessons
  • Get guidance on the publication process, including recommended literary journals that publish writing in each of the sub-genres presented in the course

 

The course starts on Monday, May 23rd and goes until Friday, June 17th. Even after the course has finished, you will be welcome to attend office hours with all of our instructors.

You will also have a full six months to submit your work for feedback from the instructor.

Because of the intense level of personal feedback on your writing, this course is strictly limited to just 16 students.

If you are interested in joining this course, you are encouraged to sign up right away.

Enroll Now for $575 $497 (Early Bird Tuition)

For BIPOC authors: We are offering one fully funded scholarship. We are also offering a modest $25 discount to all BIPOC authors. To inquire, please email [email protected]. If applying for the scholarship, please write a one paragraph description of your goals with this course.

About Daisuke Shen

Daisuke Shen is a writer, editor, and instructor at Authors Publish. His novella FUNERAL, co-authored with Vi Khi Nao, is forthcoming January 2023 from KERNPUNKT Press. His work has been published in numerous journals, including Autostraddle, Southwest Review, The Asian American Literary Review, Joyland Magazine, Maudlin House, Hobart After Dark, and more. He received his MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2019, where he taught undergraduate creative writing courses for three years.

As a teacher, Daisuke is passionate about supporting his student’s visions for their writing and discusses the craft of fiction using different narrative traditions throughout the world. He is enthusiastic about providing them with resources, thoughtful feedback, and encouragement as they continue building their careers. You can read more of his work at www.daisukeshen.com.

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, May 23rd and ends on Friday, June 17th. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and interaction with Daisuke Shen. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have up to six months after the course finishes to submit your writing for feedback. Also note that you will have access to office hours even after the course is complete.

  • Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform, hosted by Thinkific.

  • Personal feedback and discussion via email, our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.

  • Weekly opportunities to submit your work for detailed feedback from the instructor.

Enroll Now

Enrollment is strictly limited to 16 students.

For BIPOC authors: We are offering one fully funded scholarship. We are also offering a modest $25 discount to all BIPOC authors. To inquire, please email [email protected]. If applying for the scholarship, please write a one paragraph description of your goals with this course.

What Daisuke Shen's Students Have to Say

“Daisuke is a wonderful caring teacher, full of love and encouragement… The edits on my work were absolutely wonderful and to the point. I loved the edits, and the direction they gave me to expand the piece. ”

Radhika Iyer

“As for Daisuke, I can't sing their praises loud enough! The amount of editing they did to my work showed that they wanted to provide feedback, would not be content with a brief and cursory glance, and truly wanted to make me feel as if they had fully read and thought about what I wrote. Definitely what I hoped to see in an editor and I was not disappointed.”

Andrew Long

“Thank you Daisuke for your patient and encouraging way of teaching. I can tell you really care about your students' progress and I loved reading all of your thoughtful comments in the discussion. ”

Kate Grono

“Daisuke’s lecture and discussion materials presented a wonderfully nuanced vision of what a story can be. I truly appreciated this divergence from conventional—often cookie-cutter—approaches to teaching the story. Highly recommended.”

Greg Miller

“”

“I like Daisuke's teaching style. So very down to earth and real ... Daisuke had such great feedback to all the students' submissions. Praise was heart felt and suggestions and critiques were honest while being supportive. It was a privilege being part of this class. ”

Sandra Sullivan

FAQ

  • What is the course schedule?

    The course starts on Monday, May 23rd and ends on Friday, June 17th. Each week, we will release five lessons that you can study on your own time. These will be a mix of text-based lessons, recommended essays, and pre-recorded lectures. Each lesson comes with text-based discussion with the instructor and the class.

    At the end of each week, you will have the opportunity to submit an assignment to the instructor for in-depth feedback.

    There will also be two office hour sessions held via Zoom, which will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. They have not yet been scheduled.

    Note, that if you fall behind on the course, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback from the instructor.

  • How much time will the course require?

    Overall, expect to spend around 30 minutes a day on the course. Some days will require less work, some days will require more.

    Lessons are released weekly, which gives you flexibility. Based on our experience with other courses, some students do the bulk of their work in one or two days each week, while others spend a little bit of time each day on our courses.

    Note, that if you fall behind, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback from the instructor. You will also be welcome to attend live Zoom office hours after the course is officially over.

  • How many students will be allowed to enroll?

    Because of the personal feedback Daisuke is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 16 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.