Worldbuilding Class — Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a worldbuilding class?
A worldbuilding class teaches students to design fictional worlds — including maps, cultures, histories, and stories. Along the way, they learn to research real-world topics (history, geography, belief systems, politics) and turn them into creative writing and thoughtful analysis.
Is this just for students who love fantasy books like Tolkien?
Not necessarily. Any student who likes writing, storytelling, exploring why things work, or imagining “what if?” will enjoy this class. While Tolkien inspires the idea that we are “subcreators,” students use their own interests — sci-fi, dystopian, historical fiction, etc. — to build worlds that reflect their ideas.
Is this a serious English class or just an elective?
It’s both. Students practice critical skills every week through the projects they work on while crafting their worlds:
-
Narrative & descriptive writing
-
Research and source evaluation
-
Organizing big ideas clearly
-
Presenting and explaining their work
-
Giving and receiving constructive feedback
Students earn a full high school English credit because they produce writing, analysis, and projects that match or exceed what they’d do in a standard class — they just do it through a lens that keeps them engaged.
What do students actually create in the class?
By the end, each student has a portfolio of maps, setting descriptions, cultures, histories, and even languages set in their world. The final project is a trailer that pulls these concepts together to introduce their world to the world. It’s flexible, but every student leaves with polished work that demonstrates real learning.
Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien
$679.00
Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkein
Craft a World as Big as Your Imagination
Explore Tolkien’s techniques and build your own richly layered world—from maps to mythologies—in this interactive creative writing adventure.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”I just wanted to thank you for teaching this wonderful world building class! It has been one of my favorites I have taken. I love Tolkien and am a writer so it was perfect! I look forward to using these skills to deepen my writing! I plan on joining a writing mentorship program instead of college and i will take these skills with me! Thank you for an amazing year! ” MS, TNA Student
Wednesday, 2PM CST
Teacher: Dana Hanley
In this project based writing course, students will explore the elements of worldbuilding in fantasy and science fiction. We will explore JRR Tolkien’s idea of the author as a sub-creator, diving deep into Middle Earth to uncover the layers of storytelling, culture, geography and linguistics that have captivated audiences for generations.
Out of stock
Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien
Wednesday, 2 PM CST
Teacher: Dana Hanley
Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien | Teen Fantasy Writing Course | True North Academy
Ever dreamed of building your own Middle Earth? In this immersive creative writing course, students will step into the role of sub-creator and learn to build fictional worlds as rich and layered as Tolkien’s.
Guided by Dana Hanley, students will explore geography, language, history, and culture through the lens of The Hobbit and other favorite fantasy/sci-fi stories. This project-based course is perfect for aspiring writers and storytellers who love working creatively and thinking deeply.
📘 In This Course, Students Will:
-
Analyze The Hobbit to discover worldbuilding strategies used by J.R.R. Tolkien
-
Create maps and climate models for their own fictional worlds
-
Invent cultures, histories, and belief systems
-
Explore how geography and climate influence story conflict
-
Learn the basics of conlanging (inventing a language)
-
Build believable, compelling worlds to set their own original stories in
🖊️ Class Format:
-
Weekly live sessions (Wednesdays, 2 PM CST)
-
Weekly worldbuilding exercises with feedback
-
Peer sharing, discussion, and inspiration from favorite books
-
Culminates in a fully-developed fictional world ready for storytelling!
🎯 Ideal for students who love Tolkien, fantasy, sci-fi, and creative writing!
In this project based writing course, students will explore the elements of worldbuilding in fantasy and science fiction. We will explore JRR Tolkien’s idea of the author as a sub-creator, diving deep into Middle Earth to uncover the layers of storytelling, culture, geography and linguistics that have captivated audiences for generations.
We will peek in on parts of Bilbo Baggins’ adventure to see how Tolkien meticulously crafted the world of Middle Earth. Students will also share their favorite fantasy or sci-fi books and analyze what makes these worlds so compelling. We will then use what we learn to craft our own worlds, rich with culture, geography, history and language.
Each week, students will look at one aspect of worldbuilding through examples in The Hobbit. We will then discuss these principles and see how they come to life in other works the students have read. Students will discuss how to apply this to their own worldbuilding and begin exercises that will lead them toward developing a fictional world to set their story in. There will also be time set aside for students to share their progress and get feedback both from the teacher and their peers as they become sub-creators of their own fictional world.
Through these exercises, students will:
- Make maps of their fictional world.
- Understand basic geographic principles to make their worlds more believable.
- Recognize common symbols tied to geography and their meanings (mountains, rivers, etc.) to add depth to their stories.
- Develop climate maps and tie them to geographic features in believable ways, while discussing how weather events can drive the story or symbolize the conflicts.
- Create histories for fictional people and ways to work it into a story without saying everything
- Learn the basics of inventing a language (conlanging).
- Discuss ways different languages can be expressed in a story, regardless of how complete the invented language is.
- Explore the relationship between geography, history and culture as different peoples interact within the fictional world.
- Build a world where their stories can take place!
Required Reading:
The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien (Examples for class will be drawn from this text.)
Two self-selected fantasy or sci-fi books (One for each semester. Students will look for examples of what we are discussing in these books. Books they know and love are the best choices for these!)
12 reviews for Creative Writing: Worldbuilding with Tolkien
You may also like…
Gina Noble –
I really appreciated the creativity encouraged in this class. It was a great experience overall, and I don’t have any suggestions for improvement. I wouldn’t say anything was missing—it was just a solid, enjoyable class. – Noah, TNA Student
Gina Noble –
My favorite part of the class was making maps and inventing a language. It was a great experience from start to finish, and I honestly wouldn’t change anything about it. – Alana Bone
Gina Noble –
Mason Cantwell
I especially enjoyed learning about Tolkien’s history in this class. I really liked the way the course was structured and wouldn’t change a thing. Everything worked well for me.
Gina Noble –
Luca Mussari
The best part of this class was definitely the freedom to be creative. I think everything about it is pretty good, and I wouldn’t suggest any changes.
Gina Noble –
Liam Dalton
I liked the pacing of the class—a manageable workload with plenty of notice for big projects. I’m surprised to say this, because I don’t usually enjoy reading, but I actually liked it so much that I would have loved to study The Hobbit in the first semester and The Lord of the Rings in the second. I can’t think of anything that was missing, though—it was a well-rounded class.
Gina Noble –
Grayson Long
I really enjoyed the variety of projects and how everything we did connected back together. It was very satisfying. I don’t have any specific suggestions, but something musical might be a fun addition. Overall, the class felt very complete to me.
Gina Noble –
Asher Sizemore
This class was super helpful in tackling the intimidating task of worldbuilding by breaking it down into manageable parts. I can’t think of any major improvements, though it might be fun to do more with mapmaking.
Gina Noble –
Molly
I really liked focusing on the different kingdoms—their governments, holidays, and so on. It helped me bring more realism to my worldbuilding. Honestly, I loved every part of the class. The only thing I wish is that I had gotten to finish my map.
Gina Noble –
Juliet Gomes
I loved getting to build and expand our worlds, whether they were sci-fi or fantasy. Mrs. Hanley is super nice and made the class lots of fun. I especially liked creating languages and diving into all the details of our worlds. I wouldn’t change a thing—just having a kind and supportive teacher made all the difference.
Gina Noble –
Natalie Harbrecht
I really enjoyed the writing prompts and found every part of the class enjoyable. One suggestion might be clearer instructions for some of the assignments. I would have liked to learn more about character development—especially villains—and how to incorporate that into my stories.
Gina Noble –
Geoffrey Bauer
This class was a lot of fun! The assignments were creative and helped break the overwhelming process of worldbuilding into manageable pieces. I loved the creative freedom, but I think having more rubrics would help me know if I’m doing enough. I also enjoyed the writing prompts, but the short time limits were tough. I’d like to explore more about a nation’s history or military—it would’ve added another layer to my worldbuilding.
Sabrina Anderson –
The writing prompts in class were my favorite part. I’d really love a deeper dive into character building, especially exploring specific character types and how to develop them more fully.