Pre-Class Assignment:
By May 26, I need you to send me a story (not your application story) that I can critique before class begins. The story or chapter can be no more than 5000 words. This way, by the time I first see you, I will have already read and critiqued two of your pieces. (If you send a chapter, I strongly suggest you send the first chapter. If you want to send a later chapter, include a brief synopsis of the events up to that point. The total word count of chapter plus synopsis must not exceed 5000 words.) During the first week or so of class, you will turn in a third story to be workshopped by the entire class (this can't be one of the previous two submissions). After we workshop that third submission, you will meet individually with me to review those three pieces and how they reflect where you are as a writer and what you need to focus on during the opening weeks of Odyssey.
Before the workshop begins, you will also receive several essays to read.
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Week 1 (June 12-16, 2006)
Introduction and orientation. What is fantastic fiction and why do we want to write it? How is writing fantastic fiction different from writing other types of fiction? How is it the same? Discussion of critiquing guidelines.
How to approach writing a first draft. How to revise.
Showing versus telling. How to make your fiction vivid and involving. Degrees of showing. Deciding when to show and when to tell.
Originality in genre fiction. Why is so much F/SF/H so familiar? Developing your own ideas, your own sensibility. What is the "truth" at the center of your story? Working within a genre.
Workshop student stories (students cannot turn in for workshopping either their application stories or their pre-class assignment stories during this first week). Readings on setting, and reading of a short story by Melissa Scott. Students have their initial private meeting with me during week 1 or week 2.
June 15, 7-8 pm, reception for Melissa Scott.
June 16, guest lecture by Melissa Scott on worldbuilding. What makes a setting convincing and real? How do you catch inconsistencies in your world? Finding good research sources. Creating an original, vivid world. Afternoon workshopping session with Melissa, and she will have individual conferences afterward with students whose stories were mailed to her ahead of time.
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Week 2 (June 19-23, 2006)
Developing a setting. The novum. Making your setting an integral part of the story. Creating atmosphere. The connection between setting, plot, and theme. Scientific accuracy in setting. The strangeness budget. Common weaknesses in setting.
Showing character through action. The importance of habits, gestures, posture. Revealing character through reactions of other characters. Which characters do we love? Which do we hate? Which don't we care about? Common weaknesses in character.
The advantages and disadvantages of various points of view. The effects point of view can have. The connection between point of view and style. Developing a strong, consistent point of view. Common weaknesses in point of view.
Workshop new or revised student stories. Readings on character, and reading of a story by Jeff VanderMeer.
June 22, 7-8 pm, reception for Jeff VanderMeer.
June 23, guest lecture by Jeff VanderMeer, topic to be announced. Afternoon workshopping session with Jeff, and he will have individual conferences afterward with students whose stories were mailed to him ahead of time.
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Week 3 (June 26-30, 2006)
Building a suspenseful, involving, unpredictable plot. Using the conventions of the genre to lure your readers in and surprise them. Different types of plots. Building suspense, controlling the flow of information. Dealing with exposition. The requirements of story. Making it believable. Beginnings and endings. How can you tell if your climax and denouement are working? Common weaknesses in plot.
Readings on plot, and reading of a short story by Christopher Golden. Students will have private meetings with me during week 3 or 4 assessing their progress and discussing problems and possible ways of solving them.
June 29, 7-8 pm, reception for Christopher Golden.
June 30, guest lecture by Christopher Golden on "setting the scene." How to open a novel, a short story, or a scene. What do you need to put first? How much information do you need to give? Painting the picture to draw the reader more intimately into the moment. How your strategy should change when starting a scene in the middle of the story or near the end of the story. How to create different moods in these critical scene-setting openings. Afternoon workshopping session with Chris, and he will have individual conferences with several students.
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Week 4 (July 3-7, 2006)
Saying what you mean and meaning what you say. The elements of style. Avoiding the phony archaic manner and other common pitfalls in fantastic writing. Writing clear, concise prose and powerful description. Developing a strong style suitable for your story. What makes for a powerful, compelling narrative voice? Finding your own voice. Learning and being inspired by others without copying others. Rhythm, sound, and other stylistic tools. Reading the dictionary. Common weaknesses in style.
Readings on style, and reading of short stories by Laurie J. Marks and Robert J. Sawyer.
July 6, 7-8 pm, reception for Laurie J. Marks.
July 7, guest lecture by Laurie J. Marks on how character is expressed through point of view. What is relationship between a character and the point of view through which we view him? Techniques to make a character's point of view reflect that character. How a characters words reflect that character. Laurie will participate in our afternoon workshopping session, followed by individual conferences with several students.
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Week 5 (July 10-14, 2006)
WEEKEND EVENT: Sunday, July 9, 7-8 pm, reception for Robert J. Sawyer.
Robert J. Sawyer will lecture this week on techniques he feels are critical for strong writing. He will also participate in all our workshopping sessions and have private meetings with all students.
Students will have private meetings with me during week 5 or 6 assessing their progress and planning goals and directions for the future.
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Week 6 (July 17-21, 2006)
Reading your own material with a reader's eye. Spotting your own weak areas and correcting them. Controlling your internal editor. Understanding the publishing industry. Submitting your work and surviving in the publishing world. What editors are looking for. Figuring out what a rejection letter really means (also known as "rejectomancy"). Tips and warnings. Assessing your progress over the six weeks and where you go from here.
Workshop final submissions by students. Readings on publishing, and reading of an article by Shawna McCarthy.
July 18, 7-9 pm, Odyssey Science Fiction/Fantasy Slam, Barnes & Noble, Nashua, NH.
July 19, 7-8 pm, reception for Shawna McCarthy.
July 20, guest lecture by Shawna McCarthy on short fiction publishing. How do you get your short story published? Researching markets, how to present your story, cover letters. Building relationships with magazine editors. What not to do. Shawna will participate in our afternoon workshopping session, followed by individual conferences with several students.
July 21, 7-10 pm, joint event: graduation party/meet-the-Odyssey-alumni party. Each person will stand up, give an assessment of his progress over the previous year, and announce writing plans for the following year. Then we eat and celebrate!
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