Nuts & Bolts: the Sci-Fi Bundle

A well-established genre of fiction, the creative possibilities for science fiction authors are endless; but with so much inspiration to pull from, and so many innovations yet to be made, it can be difficult to sift through ideas and nail down the details into a coherent story. This bundle is focused on the nuts and bolts of science fiction; helping authors write their sci-fi worlds with practical, craft-focused advice. The nine included OnDemand webinars explore topics like creating social factions, incorporating themes of biology, balancing your worldbuilding with pacing, and much more. This bundle also includes the WD Digital Archive collection Science Fiction Legends, a collection of WD's archival issues featuring interviews with legends like H.G. Wells, Octavia E. Butler, Ray Bradbury, and more. At a total value of $739.90, you can save 92% on these resources by purchasing them all together in Nuts & Bolts: The Sci-Fi Bundle.

Products included in the bundle:

Forces to Be Reckoned With: Crafting Factions (OnDemand Webinar): Whether you're writing gritty sci-fi or epic romantasy, pitting factions against each other can yield compelling conflict and intense drama. But how do you come up with believable in-world groups with aligning, competing or mutually exclusive goals? Join Valerie Valdes for a presentation on techniques for creating nuanced alliances and rivalries, including character and worldbuilding strategies to help organically integrate clubs, cliques, and cabals into your narratives. ($79.99 value)

Your World as a Character: How to Develop Lived in, Unique Worlds That Capture the Reader's Imagination (OnDemand Webinar): Building a unique and believable world is one of the most important priorities for any writer, but it's especially relevant when writing fantasy and science fiction. In this session, writers will learn how to define their world ecosystems, make strong and consistent decisions about their world, define the impact their world has on both the characters readers interact with and those they do not, think about why and how events in their world happen, and more. ($79.99 value)

How to Do SFF World-Building Without Destroying Your Novel's Pacing (OnDemand Webinar): Pacing is crucial to any story, and can be a challenge. When you have to explain and flesh out an entire universe at the same time, it’s easy to lose control of your story’s pacing as you find yourself writing lengthy explanatory passages or zooming through details of your universe that deserve more attention. You’ve got to keep the story moving, but you have to find room to flesh out the world that story takes place in. To get that balance right, you just need to keep four things in mind: 1. Make world-building feel natural. Don’t shoehorn world-building in, instead find organic moments to convey it; 2. Make it exciting. Don’t world-build via lecture and a fantasy version of a PowerPoint presentation—find ways to have your characters move through your world; 3. Make it a constant. World-building shouldn’t be a Very Special Scene you throw in every chapter or so. It should be embedded into the hustle and flow of your story; 4. Have a rhythm. World-building can be small or big, quiet or loud—mix it up with purpose and the constant alternation keeps each approach fresh. ($79.99 value)

Worldbuilding for People Who Hate Worldbuilding (OnDemand Webinar): For some people, writing and worldbuilding go hand in hand -- but for many writers, the nitty gritty of worldbuilding is the hardest part of the process. How do you craft lived-in worlds and imaginary societies when you hate thinking up the details? A workshop to help writers learn tricks, techniques, and cheats to fast-track for their manuscript so they can get on to the fun stuff like character and plot! ($79.99 value)

Writing Biology Into SFF: A Double Helix of Fascination and Fact (OnDemand Webinar): This session will explore how all kinds of life sciences—from botany to physiology to ecology to genetics—can enrich your story with the rich, captivating details that make SFF worlds come alive. Whether you're crafting an alien food chain, designing a dragon's metabolism, or explaining those suspiciously familiar eyes on your orphaned protagonist, this session will help you ground your wildest ideas in logic and plausibility. Take-aways include: an understanding of why biology works so well in fiction, a roadmap of where to look for ideas, and at least a few techniques for how to use them (without sacrificing wonder!) ($79.99 value)

Plotting Cinematically Using the Tentpole Method (OnDemand Webinar): Plotting Cinematically Using the Tentpole Method" teaches writers how to turn vivid “movie scenes” in their heads into a complete, writable novel. This session explores the strengths and pitfalls of cinematic-style plotting and how to use it to build a satisfying narrative arc. Writers will learn how to identify and connect key “tentpole” moments, outline effective rising and falling action, and shape their scattered ideas into a compelling plot structure. Whether you're a discovery writer or a planner, this method offers a flexible, story-first approach to outlining. ($79.99 value)

Writing Futuristic Science Fiction for Young Readers (OnDemand Webinar): H.D. Hunter will guide participants through thinking and exercises designed to help them understand teen readers, choose the right sci-fi element for their story, and structure their narratives for maximum engagement. The learnings from this workshop can be applied to projects in-progress, or contribute to a fresh idea. Participants should also bring any specific questions about craft or the industry for the Q&A portion of the presentation. ($79.99 value)

Series Potential: Beyond Book One (OnDemand Webinar): Sometimes a single book just isn't enough. Do you want to write a series, but aren't sure what kind, or how to approach the various craft and logistical challenges? Join Valerie Valdes to explore the scope of series potential, including how to structure multi-book character and plot arcs, playing with changing world states, keeping your notes organized, and more! ($79.99 value)

Mastering the Speculative Short Story (OnDemand Webinar): The great science fiction writers of the 20th century, from Ray Bradbury to Philip K. Dick, were masters of the short story. In this presentation, we'll focus on the central challenge of the speculative short story: building imaginative, epic worlds in just a couple thousand words. Writers will learn strategies for blending macro ambitions (high-concepts, world-building, magic systems) with micro craft skills (characterization, voice, tension). This course is for anyone interested science fiction, fantasy, or genre-bending short stories. ($79.99 value)

Writer's Digest Digital Archive Collection: Science Fiction Legends (OnDemand Webinar): For nearly 100 years, Writer's Digest magazine has been the leading authority for writers of all genres and career levels. And now, for the first time ever, we've digitized decades of issues from our prestigious archives to share with the world. In this archive collection, discover five full issues from our vault, each of which includes exclusive historic interviews and columns from science fiction writing legends including H.G. Wells, Octavia E. Butler, Ray Bradbury, Terry Brooks,and even Stan Lee. Featuring five stunning issues spanning more than 60 years, this collection is perfect for writers, literary enthusiasts, educators and historians.