Diverse Narrative Structures 2.0
Discussions in the West around diversity in the arts often focus more on identity than on other key aspects of narrative. Beyond those important elements, Western hegemony pushes the idea that storytelling staples such as the three-act structure or themes of empowerment and change are universal and necessary to good narratives. They are not.
In the expanded Diverse Narrative Structures 2.0, writers get an introduction to and in-depth analysis of Eastern structures and storytelling that offers a path to radically different ways of telling a satisfying story.
This asynchronous class includes:
- Weekly lectures and discussions
- Writing exercises that utilize students’ own works
- Case studies of narratives in film, fiction, folklore, and video games
Built around instructor Henry Lien’s writing craft book Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling, this class will explore expressions of diversity that go beyond just plopping different faces into stories that are 100% Western in spirit.
Students will learn about narrative forms from the East Asian four-act structure to circular and nested structures and beyond. You’ll come away with an understanding of how value systems (such as Eastern collectivism) can dictate form and how that applies to your own writerly path going forward.
Taken This Class Before?
This expanded 2.0 version of Diverse Narrative Structures offers a wealth of new material for returning students:
- New sections exploring cultural values and how they dictate story structures
- More writing exercises to help avoid common pitfalls of non-Western storytelling structures
- More lecture material highlighting real-life, non-fiction applications of these structures
- Double the case studies, now including video games
…and a theme song!
Event Details
Date: August 1 – 31, 2025
Attending Worldcon? See this scheduling note
Where: Online — Available everywhere and at your own pace
Price: $350 Scholarships are available for attendees who need financial assistance.
Registration Deadline: Sunday, July 27th, 2025
Who Should Take This Class?
This class is open to all writers, regardless of whether or not they took the previous version of Diverse Narrative Structures. This 2.0 version encompasses and supersedes the prior class and contains twice as much material!
It’s for writers of all genres — Literary, YA, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Children’s Books, Romance — and all mediums — Prose, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Comics/Graphic Novels, Games — at any point in their career from newbie to professional.
Our classes are not only for white people or cis men or other authors who hew closer to the dominant paradigm. They’re for all writers who want to decolonize their writing and be more inclusive and representative.
Course Format, Schedule, and Time Commitment
Asynchronous classes do not have set meeting times. The classroom is a private online forum where all lectures, other class materials, and group discussions are posted. Though content will go up on a set schedule, students may log on any time during the class period to access them. Students may join the class from anywhere in the world.
The time commitment each week will depend on your level of participation. The class consists of video lectures, writing exercises based on students’ own works, and wide-ranging discussion threads. There are no grades and no assignments that must be turned in. Our asynchronous classes are designed so that you can manage your time as needed based on your own schedule.
The class will have a break from August 13 – 18 for WorldCon. Students in the Seattle area and those attending the con will be invited to an in-person meetup with Henry Lien and other WtO instructors. We’ll also livestream a Q&A from WorldCon where all students can ask questions (we’ll record for anyone who can’t attend).
Required Texts
Please buy the following texts before class begins.
- Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling by Henry Lien (Bookshop.org | Amazon.com)
Accessibility and Technical Requirements
The class takes place in a private WordPress forum with a theme designed for accessibility. We’ll utilize Google Drive and a mailing list. All of these services are accessible to students using screen readers. Most lectures are in video form and include both closed captions and transcripts.
If you have questions about potential needs, or if there are any other ways we can make a class accessible for you, please contact us before registering and we’ll answer as soon as we can.
You do not need a Google account to participate in class, though we do find that it’s easier to share files on Google Drive if you do.
Full and Partial Scholarship Opportunities
We have full and partial Vonda N. McIntyre Sentient Squid Scholarships available for this class. If you do not have the financial means to pay for all or part of the registration cost for this class, we encourage you to apply. We have a broad definition of financial need that ranges from writers who do not have the money at all to writers who have the funds but can’t afford to use them for a writing class.
We especially encourage writers who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to apply. Wherever you exist on the financial needs spectrum, don’t self reject! (Still not sure whether you should apply? Read this post.)
Our scholarships are available to any writer regardless of background or identity. We set aside a portion of scholarships specifically for students who identify under the POC, BIPOC, or BAME umbrellas as well as for Palestinian writers/writers of Palestinian heritage.
If you can afford to pay for part but not all of the registration fee, please apply for a partial scholarship. Under this financial aid plan you can let us know the amount you can afford. If you cannot afford to pay at all, please apply for a full scholarship.
To apply, please fill out this form by 11:59PM Pacific July 13 (NEW DATE!). You’ll be asked to provide:
- A brief (300 or fewer words) statement of financial need
- A brief (500 or fewer words) description of a work or works in progress that you hope the class will help you write.
- If you identify as POC, BIPOC, BAME, or Palestinian, you may indicate that if you wish.
Deadline: 11:59PM Pacific July 13. We will notify all applicants of their standing two weeks before class begins. If you have any questions, please use our contact form to ask!
Refund Policy
If you find that you need to drop the class, you may do so via Humanitix.
If you send a refund request up to 14 days before the class start date, you will receive a full refund minus a service fee.
Beyond that time you will not have your registration fee refunded. However, you will be able to use your payment as credit toward enrollment in a future class.
Register Below
If you have a promo or discount code, please choose your registration option first, click Enter Details, then add it to the Discount Code field on the next screen. If the whole box below gives you trouble, click here to register on our Humanitix page.