• Learning your craft.person writing image by Tammy Mobley from Fotolia.com
  
  Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, "Easy reading is damn hard writing." Do you want to write fantasy like Charles de Lint, Orson Scott Card, J. R. R. Tolkien or Stephen King? Their writing is diverse and includes urban, historical, sword and sorcery or horror. But they have one thing in common: They worked hard to learn their craft. Numerous writing programs can help an aspiring fantasy writer learn their craft. Many are expensive, but many offer scholarships to help defer the costs.
  
  

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers

• Writing Fantasydragons in shanghai image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
  
  The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers works in partnership with the Scholastic Writing Awards to bestow scholarships to students in grades 7--11. They have nine categories of writing, including science fiction/fantasy. According to the Alliance's website, recipients receive "up to $2,500 to attend summer art and writing camps and precolleges through the Young Artists Awards scholarship program." These scholarships are based on financial need and merit.
  
  The Alliance also awards five $10,000 scholarships to students graduating from high school. Applicants must submit three to eight works of writing. Requirements, such as deadlines and entry forms, vary region to region. Deadlines, guidelines and hints on what the judges are looking for can be found at the Alliance's website.
  
  

Undergraduate Scholarships

• Scholarship in Science Fiction Studiesz2 image by Dave from Fotolia.com
  
  Scholarships in this area used to be few and far between. Now, however, more colleges are recognizing the value of speculative fiction writing classes. One such college is the University of Kansas.
  
  In 2009, the University of Kansas began offering a scholarship in its Scholarship in Science Fiction Studies. This program includes the writing of all kinds of speculative fiction, including fantasy. One or two scholarships will be awarded each year to deserving students. The university website states that the award is "a substantial monetary award that could cover most educational expenses."
  
  

Graduate School Scholarships

• Get an MFA in popular fiction.graduation graffiti image by michele goglio from Fotolia.com
  
  The University of Southern Maine offers the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing. Stonecoast was the first low residency MFA program to offer a concentration in Popular Fiction. The faculty includes award-winning writers Kelly Link, James Patrick Kelly, David Anthony Durham, Nancy Holder and Elizabeth Hand.
  
  "Low Residency" means that students attend a 10-day residency at the university twice a year where they attend workshops, seminars and readings. For the remainder of the semester, students work at home under the mentorship of a faculty member. Stonecoast also offers several partial scholarships.
  
  

Speculative Fiction Writing Workshops

• Six weeks of intensive writing instruction.old type writer image by Jeffrey Sinnock from Fotolia.com
  
  Several well-respected workshops specialize in teaching speculative fiction writing. The three Clarion Workshops are among the most popular: Clarion in San Diego, Clarion West in Seattle and Clarion South in Australia. Each site offers a six-week intensive workshop once a year. The workshops are taught by different award-winning speculative fiction writers or editors each week. The number of students is limited so that each student receives one-on-one time with each instructor.
  
  Both Clarion and Clarion West offer scholarships.