Underhill Academy
Online Learning
for Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers
"Geeks Teaching Geeks"
Courses
Learn online at your own pace with our pre-recorded courses on a variety of subjects with more being added all the time!
3-Month Novel Writing Blitz!
This masterclass will support and help you with planning, writing, and editing your novel to coincide with NaNoWriMo.
Extras:
Coming Soon!
Soon we'll offer charts, lists, & other materials you can download to help with your writing and editing.
Consultations
Schedule one-to-one consultations, support/coaching, or developmental-editing sessions.
Who is Underhill Academy?
What do Bruce Banner, Indiana Jones, and Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann have in common? They've all got PhDs, they're all from beloved geeky franchises, and they're all fictional!
Underhill Academy's co-directors Tiffani and Trip aren't fictional ...
But we are geeky and we do have PhD's (in creative writing to be precise)!
We both have experience teaching creative writing at universities with a special focus on SFF writing
We both have experience working with writers as editors and coaches
We are both published SFF authors
We're very active in the SFF fan community, too!
Read more about us on the dedicated About Us page!
FAQ's
what is the best way to become a better writer?
At Underhill Academy we know from years of experience--not just as educators but as writers--that the best way to improve is to practice (yeah, we wish there was a magic spell, too!).
This means not just writing often but also being open to trying new genres or subgenres, new techniques, etc. It's also important for you to read a lot, not just in the genre you want to write but across other genres as well, because the more you read, the more you "absorb" ideas, techniques, and ways to write certain elements (kinda like becoming a reading blob that absorbs all the books!).
why take online courses instead of in-person courses?
In the pandemic times, everyone's schooling went online, which lots of people found difficult. But everyone discovered that online learning does have its benefits!
Underhill Academy provides you with instruction at your own pace, with pre-recorded videos you can pause and rewind!
Underhill Academy's course list allows you to pick and choose what you want to learn when you want to learn it!
Underhill Academy's courses are affordable and short courses are FREE!
Underhill Academy offers a variety of courses on general writing-related topics with a SFF angle along with SFF-specific courses!
Underhill Academy offers instruction on publishing and the publishing industry, which many traditional courses don't!
No mile-long, expensive reading list!
No applying for a spot on a traditional programme!
No more sitting through class meetings about topics you're either uninterested in or have already done!
how do i use underhill academy's videos?
Don't worry, technophobes: our pre-recorded videos are easy to access, mostly at the click of a button!
They're short, so you can learn quickly about a writing element, technique, or skill, at your own pace. Instead of having to take notes while someone lectures (on and on and on!), you can pause and rewind the videos. Most videos are also paired with a worksheet or other text-based material to help you start to put into practice what you're learning.
if i take these courses will i become a published author?
Nobody can promise publication, not even in a classroom (and anybody who does promise that is definitely pulling your leg!). But the more you learn and the more you practice these techniques and skills, the better your writing will become.
There is no quick & easy path to publication (or absolutely everyone would be a published author!), but Underhill Academy's courses provide not just writing instruction but information to help you better understand the publishing industry, which can give you an advantage over other new writers looking for their first sales.
Indiana Jones never goes into the wild without his whip, and we won't let you go into the publishing wilds without good, up-to-date advice!
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