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Pam Swanborough - World Building

Writers Workshop

A practical and exploratory workshop on the building blocks of all forms of fantasy, science fiction, alt-history and dystopian fiction.

A well-built world is a wonderful thing. It envelops the reader; draws them into an immersive experience that stays with them long after the final sentence. And a well-built world will provide the load-bearing support to bring your story into full three-dimensional life.

So what makes a well-built world?

Designed to give you the basic skills and—importantly—the confidence to start, refresh or resume your writing journey, this World Building workshop will include a blend of theory and examples, workshopping and practice, and discussion. We will be looking at examples and concepts from a range of sources and genres, and there will be guided writing prompts to explore your own ideas.

• Faith, food and firepower: technology and other firm matters of a fantasy world
• Setting the big picture: language, geography and society in your story
• Setting the micro-picture: the personal and the problematic
• How much canon is too much canon…?
• Plus resource lists for further study

About the presenter:

Pam delivered practical workshops at UK universities for two decades. Returning home, in 2021 she completed an Associate Degree in Professional Editing and Writing from RMIT University.

She was awarded Best Regional Writer and runner-up Best Fiction through the Writers Victoria Emerging Writers Competition 2019 and published her debut speculative fiction novel Red Gifts in the Garden of Stones in 2024; the novel made the Kirkus Review ‘Top 5 Indie Fiction’ list in January 2025. Her collection of micro-fiction Things with Teeth By Moonlight is scheduled for release later this year. She has short stories published in Australia and the USA.

Skill Level

Suitable for beginning and emerging writers in any fiction genre, and narrative non-fiction. It is not essential to have a current work in progress.

Tickets

Tickets $40 or $20 for concession card holders

If you need any assistance in order to participate in this event, please contact events@grlc.vic.gov.au at least two weeks prior to the event date.

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