Fantasy Fiction Draft Project: Brainstorming/Preparation/Drafting

Please turn in your science fiction story drafts and your homework from last class (see the previous post for details...)

TASK #1: On your blog this morning, please write about some of the fantasy films or television programs you have seen and what you thought of them. You can include anything from television cartoon shows to epic blockbuster films. The idea is to pick some of your favorite fantasy films, tv shows, (or other novels you have read and enjoyed). Take only 10 minutes to write your post today. You have other things to do in class!

TASK #2: Then: this morning, please join a partner or two and make a list together (in your journal) of the tropes and common events, characters, items, and settings likely to be found in a fantasy film, story, or novel. You may find this list useful in creating ideas for your own fantasy story.

TASK #3: After discussing and listing some common fantasy tropes you are used to, please read the following information on Fantasy Fiction:

There are quite a few speculative and fantasy genres that writers tend to write in. Each has its own "feel" or "tone" and there are a few rules writers in these genres follow.

It can be helpful to note which genres are which so that you can select reading material more accurately or when you are writing, you can SEND the right message to the right AUDIENCE or receiver.

Fantasy fiction is a wide genre suited to the fantasist reader. A fantasist is someone who enjoys escaping into another world when reading a book. They often prefer fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, horror, and action/adventure genres when reading--anything to get them out of their own world and skin. They often feel displaced in the wrong body or time period and enjoy the imagination of a made-up, fictional world. A fantasist is the opposite, usually, of a REALIST, who prefers realistic settings and characters when reading.

Fantasy as a genre has what fantasists like best: a strange or exciting world in which to lose themselves in, often an epic story with a lot of action, weird occurrences, strange characters, and the best part: it's not OUR reality. Laws and physics do not work the same as in realist fiction.

Fantasy can be described as fiction with elements of magic, unknown monsters, creatures, strange beings, and make-believe worlds. While many consider knights in armor, mystical elves, and burly dwarves swinging axes (thanks to the role-playing industry) to be the staples of fantasy, there are other aspects to it as well. Here's an overview of the fantasy genres in fiction:

High or Epic Fantasy GenreThe high or epic fantasy genre is probably the most recognized by the general public. In high or epic fantasy, knights go on quests, fair maidens need rescuing, and the general theme is usually Good vs. Evil. This fantasy genre is set in a pseudo-medieval world of kings and queens. It often has powerful wizards, bands of adventurers, and multiple quests to undertake. The narrative scope is large and vast, and often spread out over several books in a series. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece The Lord of the Rings are just two examples.

Sword and Sorcery Fantasy GenreThe sword and sorcery fantasy genre is akin to Dungeons & Dragons games put in type. With similar characteristics of high or epic fantasy, sword and sorcery has a much smaller scope. One band of adventurers is going on one quest. There is often a lot of action involved.

Alternate History Fantasy GenreThis fantasy genre takes a snippet of real-life history and warps it to include fantasy elements. For example, an alternate history fantasy novel may be about WWII and how the goblins played a hand in defeating the Nazis.

One popular sub-genre of alternate history is steampunk. Set in Victorian or Edwardian era, steampunk fantasy incorporates steam-powered technology in often suprising or fantasic ways.

Urban or Contemporary Fantasy GenreUrban or contemporary fantasy differ only in that urban fantasy is set in a city and is sometimes darker in nature than contemporary. Harry Potter is an example of contemporary fantasy (although taken together it is also Epic). These fantasy genres combine magical beings or spells with modern socity.

Dark FantasyThe dark fantasy genre is, by definition, dark. It often overlaps both the urban fantasy genre and horror. Vampires, demons rising from the underworld, and Lovecraftian stories are dark fantasy. What makes a story dark fantasy rather than straight horror is often the medieval type setting, or more emphasis on paranormal themes over simply scaring the pants off the reader.

Other Fantasy GenresThere are other fantasy genres besides the ones listed above. Elfpunk is a sub-genre in which fantasy creatures such as elves, dwarves, and fairies enter into, or are a part of, ultra-modern 'punk' society. Erotic fantasy has a strong overshadow of sex, while romantic fantasy is more subtle in the love plots. Mythic fantasy uses classic myths or legends to introduce the fantasy elements. There are science fantasy crossovers from classic science fiction, and even comic fantasy. Fairy tales and myths are also a type of fantasy genre.

TASK #4: Take a gander at the following links/sites to help you get some nifty ideas about fantasy:

• Examples of fantasy maps
• 5 Fantasy Character Types
• Creating Fantasy Characters - Questionnaires (you don't have to answer every question, but use the questions to flesh out major character traits for ideas in your story draft...)
• Fantasy name generator & Fantasy plot generator

TASK #5: By the end of class today, please complete the following:

1. Decide on a fantasy genre you would like to use (see categories above...)

2. Take a moment to list some common tropes that might be useful in this kind of setting/genre.

3. Create a fictional fantasy world by drawing a map of your "realm".  Use those links to help give you some advice...

4. Once you have completed steps 1-3, make a list of typical fantasy names you might use for characters. Create and flesh out a few characters that might be your protagonist and antagonist. See links above for models/help on this. 

5. Start your fantasy story with an unusual or life-changing event that happens to your protagonist. Be prepared to send your main character(s) on a quest: steal the dragon's treasure, destroy a magical ring in a volcano, gain a long-lost object that could save the world, find out how to survive your freshman year in a school of magic, save your protagonist's child from a sickness, enter a world ravished by an evil force and find a way to stop evil from taking over, or gain a magic item to save the princess/prince or some beloved relative, etc.

6. Once you have a few ideas and have fleshed out your setting a bit, chosen your protagonist and given him/her/it a quest, begin to write that story. 

HOMEWORK: Complete your reading of your chosen book. Continue writing your fantasy draft. If you have not yet completed your science fiction story, please complete that draft this weekend and turn in late. Don't fall behind...

Fantasy Genre Discussion & Lab

Please turn in your reading BINGO score cards.

Together in your groups, discuss your books. Primarily, use the prompt questions to facilitate your discussion on the fantasy book you were to have read over break.

Prompt Questions:

• Discuss your reading experience with your group members. What made the reading process difficult, easy, or troublesome? 
• Discuss what you learned about the fantasy or young adult novel from reading this book. 
• Discuss what you would have changed had you been the author of this book.
• Discuss how the author used the setting of his fantasy novel. Did the author use the setting to create/contrast characters, develop a plot, create a conflict, develop a theme, etc. for the book?
• Find a particularly well-written description or passage from the book and share it with the other members of your group. What might we learn about writing from reading this selection/passage?
• Find a moment of action in the novel. Share this passage with the other members of your group. What did you learn about writing an action sequence from reading this one? Discuss what you might be able to do differently in your own writing of action sequences.
• Fantasy includes a variety of tropes, just like science fiction. What were some of these tropes in the book you read? How skillfully did the author handle these fantasy cliches in your opinion? If you are critical, what would you have done differently to make the novel better?
• Other. Discuss the book with your peers. If you have other questions/observations about the book, talk about those with your group members. Write your additional questions on the discussion handout given to you in class. 
• Turn in your group member ratings before you move next door to use the lab. 

After your discussion, please return to the lab to do the following:

1. Post a reaction/review of the book you read on your blog. What did you like and/or learn about the fantasy genre by reading this book? Discuss anything relevant from your discussion with your group members.

2. Complete your science fiction story draft(s). Turn your draft in when you finish it so I can read and respond to you (and give you a grade...!) Make sure you proofread your draft before turning it in!

3. If you have completed both tasks 1 & 2, begin mining ideas for your own fantasy story draft. Take a look at the following to prepare your ideas before you begin writing:

• How to write a credible fantasy story
• Daniel Arneson (fantasy author's advice) (click on the links to activate the knowledge!)
• Ben Galley's advice about writing fantasy
• What publishers want in a fantasy story (video)
• NOTE: a query is a letter sent to a publisher asking if the publisher, editor, or agent would like to read the full manuscript of your story or novel. 
• Professional writers (not for contests per se) must write query letters to potential publishers to ask if that publisher would like to read his/her manuscript. Otherwise, your story will be deleted or tossed in the garbage. No kidding!
• We will work on a sample query letter as an exercise in our upcoming assignment.

For each source, please identify at least 3 things each article discusses that would be a good idea or helpful to you as you begin to write/plan your fantasy story. Turn in your answers by next class (see homework). Or, if you finish before the end of class, turn in your homework assignment early!

HOMEWORK: Complete reading your fantasy novel/selection if you did not already complete it. Read the two articles linked above about tips writing in the fantasy genre. Write the 3 things each article discusses that would be a good idea or helpful to you as you begin to write/plan your fantasy story. This assignment is worth participation credit.

Sci-Fi Draft; Writing Middles & Endings; Young Adult Fantasy Epics

Period 3:

Please take the first 5-10 minutes this morning to write a review of The Martian Chronicles on your blog. Consider writing about the various tropes you found in the book. Feel free to compare it to your reading of Dandelion Wine. Which stories did you like, what did you learn about science fiction or writing from reading the book?

After your review, please work on writing your science fiction draft.

FROM LAST CLASS: Writing the middle of your story can be difficult. This is the best time to use your backstory and flesh out your characters (try not to bog down your opening of the story by putting it in the first couple of paragraphs!) Backstory is only necessary to establish a character's choices. Some authors don't go in for all that psychological development. The choice is yours. Delaying gratification is a tricky double-edged katana. Backstory can provide your story with suspense, but it can also bore your reader. Best to use it with a light touch.

Here's more advice about writing the middle of your story draft:

After the Beginning: now what? Working through the middle

You began typing the moment you had an idea. You started off strong. Now three sentences in, or three paragraphs, or even three pages, you've reached your first stumbling block: what happens next?

With prompts and experience, most writers can get started. What's difficult is continuing through a murky middle. Here are some tips to slog through the worst part of your writing experience:

1. Most of the time we get stuck when we don't know what our characters want. Give your character a motive (a desire, or goal, etc.) to keep him/her moving forward.

2. Forward march: Move the plot forward by adding conflict and action. Involve your characters in a specific action or direct conflict with another character. This is particularly helpful if you are bored.

3. Put yourself in your protagonist's shoes: go inside a character's head. This is a common error that young writers constantly forget to do. Get your character's perspective. What would you think in a similar situation? What would you see if you were in this scene? What would you notice? What would you say? What would you do?

4. Skip forward in time. No one said this story has to be chronological. Advance the time period and move forward with the plot. Skip a line to indicate you've changed time (either forward or backward).

5. Skip to another setting/location. Move your character to a new setting. What happens there? Describe the setting/location, and the actions of minor characters. Skip a line to indicate change of setting.

6. Skip to a scene happening at the same time, but in a different location. Skip a line to indicate a change of setting.

7. Skip to a different protagonist or the perspective of a new character. Skip a line to indicate a change of POV.

8. Press forward: If you need more time to research details and don't want to stop to look up a fact or information, indicate what you need to look up by BOLDING or CAPITALIZING a note to yourself. You can also insert NOTES using your word processor feature under the insert menu.

9. Skip to the next major plot point. If you know where the story is going, but don't know yet how to get there, skip a line and write the next scene.

10. Go back to brainstorming. Use your journal to try out some new things. If you don't know (or are stuck on):

• Your characters: write a character sketch, draw a picture of your character, or develop your character's background history
• Your setting: draw your setting, find a picture of an appropriate setting on the internet, describe your setting using imagery--what sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and sights would one experience in the setting
• Your plot: list possible challenges or problems that a character might face in a similar situation or setting. Decisions characters make (or don't make) often create conflict. Create a mind map or use a graphic organizer to focus on plot elements.
• Your theme: create a premise for your story. What do you want to communicate about the human condition? What lesson or experience are you trying to relate?

Use these tactics to improve your story draft. I should see some progress in the middle of your story.

Please complete your drafts in class (or if you do not, please complete them over the break.)

Endings of stories can be:

• Suggestive/Open ending: the writer leaves the story hinting at the outcome, but does not write the outcome. This allows the reader to decide if the characters win or lose.
• Circular: the writer ends the story in a similar way in which the story opened. Sometimes the same actions are taken by the same or different characters to suggest a "circle"--back to the drawing board, as they say...
• Surprise: the writer surprises the reader with an unexpected twist.
• Summary: the writer wraps up the story in a neat, little package, leaving nothing unanswered or plots unraveled. 

Try an ending that is NOT summary. See what happens.

Period 4: (Around 10:00)

Our next unit will revolve around children's literature and fantasy writing. To begin our exploration of this popular genre, please choose one of the following reading groups (each group must have 5 members...if you don't get your first choice, hopefully you will get your second...)

The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Fantasy tropes in this selection include: mythological monsters (Greek & Norse mainly), talking animals, wizards/witches, magic spells, high adventure, travel between worlds, battles, swords and armor, medieval landscapes, castles, old houses/mansions, curses, prophecy, good versus evil, innocents, etc.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fantasy tropes in this selection include: mythological monsters (Norse mainly), wizards, magic spells, high adventure, travel, battles, swords and armor, medieval landscapes, castles, curses, dragons, prophecy, good versus evil, innocence, quests, etc.

Mrs. Frisby & The Rats of Nimh by Robert O'Brien
Fantasy tropes in this selection include: talking animals, potions, weird science, battles, realistic landscapes, prophecy, secrets, good versus evil, innocence, quests, etc.

When we return from picking up these books, please retire to room 238 and use the handout to begin informing your group's reading. You will be meeting with your group when we return from break as well. There will be a test on this book, so please read it.

HOMEWORK: Complete your chosen young adult fantasy book. Have a nice spring break.

Martian Chronicles Test; Sci-Fi Draft: Day 3; Writing the Middle

Please complete both parts of The Martain Chronicles Test today in the lab.

When you complete your essay portion of the test, please print out your work (or email me if the printer is not working: bradley. craddock@rcsdk12.org)

Once you complete your test, please continue writing your science fiction draft. 

Writing the middle of your story can be difficult. This is the best time to use your backstory and flesh out your characters (try not to bog down your opening of the story by putting it in the first couple of paragraphs!) Backstory is only necessary to establish a character's choices. Some authors don't go in for all that psychological development. The choice is yours. Delaying gratification is a tricky double-edged katana. Backstory can provide your story with suspense, but it can also bore your reader. Best to use it with a light touch.

Here's more advice about writing the middle of your story draft:

After the Beginning: now what? Working through the middle

You began typing the moment you had an idea. You started off strong. Now three sentences in, or three paragraphs, or even three pages, you've reached your first stumbling block: what happens next?

With prompts and experience, most writers can get started. What's difficult is continuing through a murky middle. Here are some tips to slog through the worst part of your writing experience:

1. Most of the time we get stuck when we don't know what our characters want. Give your character a motive (a desire, or goal, etc.) to keep him/her moving forward.

2. Forward march: Move the plot forward by adding conflict and action. Involve your characters in a specific action or direct conflict with another character. This is particularly helpful if you are bored.

3. Put yourself in your protagonist's shoes: go inside a character's head. This is a common error that young writers constantly forget to do. Get your character's perspective. What would you think in a similar situation? What would you see if you were in this scene? What would you notice? What would you say? What would you do?

4. Skip forward in time. No one said this story has to be chronological. Advance the time period and move forward with the plot. Skip a line to indicate you've changed time (either forward or backward).

5. Skip to another setting/location. Move your character to a new setting. What happens there? Describe the setting/location, and the actions of minor characters. Skip a line to indicate change of setting.

6. Skip to a scene happening at the same time, but in a different location. Skip a line to indicate a change of setting.

7. Skip to a different protagonist or the perspective of a new character. Skip a line to indicate a change of POV.

8. Press forward: If you need more time to research details and don't want to stop to look up a fact or information, indicate what you need to look up by BOLDING or CAPITALIZING a note to yourself. You can also insert NOTES using your word processor feature under the insert menu.

9. Skip to the next major plot point. If you know where the story is going, but don't know yet how to get there, skip a line and write the next scene.

10. Go back to brainstorming. Use your journal to try out some new things. If you don't know (or are stuck on):

• Your characters: write a character sketch, draw a picture of your character, or develop your character's background history
• Your setting: draw your setting, find a picture of an appropriate setting on the internet, describe your setting using imagery--what sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and sights would one experience in the setting
• Your plot: list possible challenges or problems that a character might face in a similar situation or setting. Decisions characters make (or don't make) often create conflict. Create a mind map or use a graphic organizer to focus on plot elements.
• Your theme: create a premise for your story. What do you want to communicate about the human condition? What lesson or experience are you trying to relate?

Use these tactics to improve your story draft. I should see some progress in the middle of your story.

HOMEWORK: None. Please bring your Martian Chronicles books to class. You will be reviewing this book on your blog.  Also, our Sci-Fi story drafts will be due next class. Make sure you have written your beginning and middle, so you can move to your ending and conclude your draft by the end of next class. You should have used your time in the lab today (after the test) to further your progress on your draft. If you didn't get much written in class, please catch up at home.

Science Fiction Draft Writing; Beginnings, Settings, Writer's Block

Science Fiction Draft Project:

Science fiction is any story that takes place in a setting contrary to known reality. It usually works with a speculative idea: What if...

• What if space travel were like airplane travel?
• What if aliens (not just illegal ones) invaded our country or world?
• What if we could travel back in time (not just think about our past, but visit it!)?
• What if...

Getting started on a story idea can be difficult. The first thing you want to do is play around with a speculative idea. Ask yourself "what if" questions. 

Once you have a bit of direction (or if you need more direction) choose a few tropes from science fiction and use these items to think up a story idea. This is your PREMISE. All stories (films, short stories, plays, etc.) have a premise.

1. Craft your premise. Your premise is the basic idea for your story. At the core of all drafts is the answer to this question: What is my story about?
2. Roughly sketch scene ideas. Armed with a solid premise, you can now begin sketching your ideas for this story. HOW TO DO IT: Use index cards or divide up a page in your journal into 4 parts. The point is use the space to consider what scene to include that is necessary to tell your story. We want the good stuff for scenes--not all the boring minutia or details about what a character's left eyebrow looks like or the time he took his pet malamute for a walk. If the scene does not advance the complication or solve the conflict (or attempt to solve the conflict), skip it.You can find a copy of a storyboard at this link. Print it out and use it if you'd like. Use it to help organize and plan scenes for your story. Just like we do in film writing!
3. Interview your characters. Know who your protagonist is, possibly your antagonist, and probably a few minor or other characters, like a mentor or love interest. Flesh these important characters out too. Who are they? What do they do for a living? What are their hopes and ambitions? What is their personality like? How do they handle stress and conflict? What do they want to accomplish? Have some answers to these questions. Generally, we don't care what they look like. A reader wants to know what a character wants and what a character does. Save your backstory for the middle of the story. 
4. Explore your settings. See previous post. Setting is absolutely essential in fantasy and science fiction writing. The setting must be familiar enough, but also defined enough to be different from our own time, place, and culture. The cool thing about fantasy and science fiction is that stories take place in odd, weird, or different places from our known reality. As a writer, you need to know the details! Setting can also help create theme, conflict, and develop character. Use it. Describe it. Repeat.
5. Write your complete outline. Sketch an outline so that you have an idea what your beginning, middle, and end are likely to be. Outlines can also be what are called treatments. A treatment is a short summary of your story idea. [This is generally what your first draft tends to be when you turn in a "short story" project for creative writing. But we want to be more detailed and flesh out our story!]
6. Condense your outline; put it in action. Remove the boring parts of your treatment/outline. General rule: if a scene in your story does not advance the plot, develop or introduce a conflict or complication, or develop character, cut it. Keep your outline near you when you write. Consult it, but don't feel like you need to stay true to your original treatment/outline ideas. As you write, if inspiration strikes you, let it. Go off topic when you need to. 

Science Fiction Tropes for Space Travel:

• Hyperspace/Warpspeed & Wormholes
• Generation ships
• Cryo-travel
• Stardrive/Ramdrive
• Time dilation or Time Dilation
• The ansible

Antagonists/Aliens:

• Bounty hunters: bad cops
• Warlike aliens: violent aliens
• God-like or cosmic aliens: aliens whose motives are beyong human comprehension
• Parasitic aliens: aliens that take over your body or mind
• Evil organizations or evil galactic empires: bad governments and the people who love them
• Evil galactic terrorists: bad rebels fighting against an empire or society
• Evil artificial intelligence (androids, robots, computers, etc.): beings that lack human compassion and love...
• Cyborgs (the best of both worlds): both artificial intelligence and bad human traits
• Space madness: go crazy!
• Power hungry villains: power corrupts absolutely!
• Corrupted villain: see above, but without all that power...
• Vengeful villain: revenge is a dish best served in space...

Write your science fiction draft. 

If you get stuck, look through this material (or the material on science fiction in the last few posts!) Take a quick break, but try to work through your impulse to NOT write. Instead, skip ahead or go back to the drawing board or introduce some action into your story. 

If you still need help or need a break, please check out these video clips:

Sci-fi Films

Sci-fi films #2

Sci-fi films #3

If you need a model or a break, read Martian Chronicles. There will be a test on this book next class (Tuesday). Please prepare by knowing recurring characters, basic plots, structure of the book, the use of setting and consider the themes of the book. 

HOMEWORK: Complete The Martian Chronicles. Keep writing your science fiction draft.

The Fifth Element (conclusion); Designing Your Setting; Science Fiction Draft: Day 1

After viewing The Fifth Element, please turn in your graphic organizer notes, and return to the lab to begin designing your sci-fi world.

Using your notes from your journal, begin to create your science fiction world. You will need to have a pretty good idea where you are setting your story. Is this earth? Is this another planet? Is this our solar system, or somewhere far, far away in a galaxy beyond our knowledge?

Set up rules for your setting. What resources and people and events and technology have helped shape this world or setting? What are some environmental risks likely to occur on this world? What tropes are you going to use in your story? Draw a mind map or make a list or outline your ideas.

For inspiration take a look at this link.

Once you have a defined setting (what does the place look like, smell like, what sounds do we hear? What's the season or the weather like? etc.) create a character and start your story with this character attempting to do something (give the character a goal) in this setting but include a conflict: person versus nature (setting). Let that be the first kind of conflict your character has to deal with. This helps introduce your strange, fictional setting more organically. As your character has to deal with the environmental conflict, we learn about the science fiction environment you are creating.

For example: Perhaps the character is an ex-space marine trying to forget the recent war when he/she finds him/herself caught up in a rebel coup. He/she is taken captive. How will the character escape the situation--perhaps complicated by recurring flashbacks of an alien attack.

Or

Perhaps the character is a soy-farmer on an asteroid settlement deep in space, but finds evidence that something alien is eating his/her crop. Without food, the settlement is likely to fail. What will this character do to solve the problem?

Plan your story. Do not begin without thinking about what story you are going to tell first and where the story takes place! You may also find it helpful to use The Martian Chronicles as a model for your story in some way if you are stuck.

When you are ready, write. Aim to finish planning by the end of class. If you are ready, write the first scene of your story.

HOMEWORK: Complete The Martian Chronicles. There will be a test on this book next week. Keep writing your science fiction story. Try to complete the first scene of your story if you did not do so during class.