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.