Visit Teenfinity, Fruita Monument High School's e-zine of science fiction stories produced from this assignment!

To demonstrate your knowledge of what constitutes a science fiction (a story based on a fundamental change in our world, or in a world other than our own), you will write a short story of 1,000 to 2,000 words in length. The stories can be co-written (two or three writers working together.)

The story must be based on the problems or challenges caused by a change in technology. A love story on a space ship that has nothing to do with the space ship would not fit the assignment. The science fictional idea must be crucial to the conflict. You could write an alternate history story. There are multiple sources on the Internet. A good place to start is with Ask Jeeves at http://www.askjeeves.com. There are Internet sites on most technological questions, particularly for any space or space technology related question.

Your story should contain the elements of the short stories we have been reading:

- Characters who are individual and have definite goals they are trying to achieve.
- A plot that involves your characters struggling against some force to achieve their goal.
- A clear conflict.
- A setting that is fully described and impacts the story in some way.
- A theme. Your story should be able to be read as a commentary on trends, human nature, society or life. It could be a cautionary tale (if this goes on).

Hints:

- Limit your story to one to three key incidents that the story dramatizes fully.

- Show emotions, characterizations and action. Don't tell them. Make the reader feel like they are in the world of your imagining.
- Use action verbs, not linking or helping verbs.
- Tell the story in past tense.
- Use dialogue where appropriate.
- Read stories you like with the idea of observing their techniques to use in your own story.

Deadlines:

- Brainstorm idea with your partner
- Research the story's historic, sociological, psychological, medical, cultural or scientific basis. Report on what research you did. Research could be notes from books, magazines, internet sites, and/or interviews with experts. The report of the research should be one page, typed, double spaced.
- Rough draft
- Peer editing
- Final draft

Ideas for Stories | A Peer Editing Sheet | A Grading Rubric

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