Sunday, March 15, 2015

Reading Groups; Fiction Advice

The Clues to a Great Story: Ted Talk with Andrew Stanton (author of John Carter of Mars, Wall-E & Toy Story)

Please get together in your reading groups and spend our next 20 minutes doing the following tasks:

1. Discuss the stories you were to have read for homework. Which stories in the collection did you rate high? Discuss the craft of these stories. What in your opinion helped make the story successful in your opinion? Does your opinion reflect the opinion of the other writers in your group? Are you being biased based on your reading interest or style (consider the genre of the stories you read, etc.) How do these stories fulfill the advice you learned from Andrew Stanton?

2. After discussing, please read the handout chapter together in your groups.

During the second half of class, please read one of the stories from the collection based on your genre.

For the remaining time...

Please brainstorm plots, premises, and characters that would likely fall into your genre or style.
A. Characters: make a list of characters in your journal
B. Create premises for short story ideas. A premise is a 1-sentence description of the basic idea of your story.
C. Plot: create plot events for your story ideas. Include lists of plot events appropriate to your chosen genre.
If you complete the assignments before the end of today's class, please use the lab to write on your blog.

Fiction Videos for Groups: (please watch and learn!--feel free to take notes in your journal and/or write what you think/learn on your blog!)
A. Fantasy/Sci-fi: Creating Worlds & Tips for Writing Fantasy 
B. Writing Detective Fiction & How to Write a Mystery 
C. Tips for Writing Romance & Writing Lovable Romance Heroes 
D. Literary fiction versus commercial fiction & How to Write Fiction Stories 
E. Writing Historical Fiction tips & Memoir Writing
F. Don't Mistake Words for WritingBad Writers Have Nothing to Say (Tips for Screenwriters)
HOMEWORK: None. If you did not finish reading the handouts, completing the journal exercises, or watching the videos, please complete for homework. Learn. 

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