Story Thinking and the Real-world Applications of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing

Helen Marshall is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at The University of Queensland, Australia. She researches genre fiction, modern and medieval publishing cultures, worldbuilding, franchise writing and the application of creative arts methodologies for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ideation. She has won the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award and the Shirley Jackson Award and her debut novel The Migration was one of The Guardian’s top science fiction books of the year.Kim Wilkins is a Professor of Writing at the University of Queensland, Australia. She is a recognized expert on creative practice, genre fiction and the publishing industry. She is the author of more than thirty full-length works of fiction and her work is translated into more than twenty languages globally. Her scholarly research centres on creative communities, such as writing groups and fan cultures. She is most recently the author of Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and 21st-Century Book Culture (2022, with Beth Driscoll and Lisa Fletcher).Lisa Bennett is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing at Flinders University, Australia, where she researches Viking Age literature, genre fiction and popular culture. Her speculative fiction has won four Aurealis Awards, an Australian National Science Fiction Award and has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award. She facilitates fantasy and horror fiction workshops for Writers SA, regularly reviews for the ABR and is a recurrent guest on ABC Radio’s ‘Book of the Week’ segment. With Kim Wilkins, she is the author of Writing Bestsellers: Love, Money, and Creative Practice (2021).

• Introduction - Thinking in StoriesChapter One - Inhabit: Storyworlds and the Rules of the Game Chapter Two - Envision: Epic Wins and Nasty SurprisesChapter Three - Empathize: Imagining Extraordinary Inner LivesChapter Four - Engage: Magic Words that Build Connection and understanding Chapter Five - Risk, Safety and a Magic Circle of AwesomenessChapter Six - Affinity, Inclusion and Forging Fellowships Chapter Seven - The Dungeon Master’s GuideConclusion - Victory at the Gates Story Thinking’s Non-tangible OutcomesIndex

Fusing accessible scenarios drawn from the canon of fantasy and science fiction with creative writing, tabletop gaming, teambuilding, professional development, and hands-on real-world problem solving, Story Thinking and the Real-world Applications of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing is an essential handbook for the student-focused, active-learning classroom of the 21st century.