Children's Storybook Project: Day 3

Please work on your children's book project. Take your ideas, learn a few tips from the videos and advice below, then use the programs to create & design your story.

• Writing for children: 5 Tips to Writing a Book Kids Will Love
• How to Write a Children's Story: Outline Ideas (short video)
• How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books (short video)

Use the storyboard templates given to you to help design and prepare your story, or use your journal to sketch & plan out your plot. Use the advice from the videos, the picture books you read, and articles above to assist you.

Once you have a text, decide how your illustration might further the story. What image or visual extends the imagination of a child reader? What colors or graphic styles might you use to catch a child's attention? Remember that illustrations are meant to further the story--not just show a depiction of the text.

Be creative with your design. Decide how many words should go on a page. Where should the text appear? What images appear with the text? Plan and design.

If you are drawing your own pictures, you will need to make JPGs of your drawings and upload them into your computer or google docs/slides. You may also use one of the following programs to help design and illustrate your text:

Children's story programs:

• My Story Book
• Storybird
• Storyjumper
• My Story: Storybook Maker for Apple (iPhone app)
• Erintigration
• Inklewriter

HOMEWORK: None. 

Children's Literature & Story Project

Brainstorm:

• What are some qualities/tropes that entertained you as a child (films/books, etc.)?
• What sort of characters/settings/events occur in a children's story?

Let's see an example film of a children's story. As you watch, see if you can identify some tropes of a good children's story...

Dr. Seuss: Putting Rhymes to Good Use
Horton Hears a Who (1970)

Please take a few minutes this morning to read/view the following:

• Writing for children: 5 Tips to Writing a Book Kids Will Love
• Neil Gaiman: Is Writing for Children More Difficult than Writing for Adults? (short video)
• How to Write a Children's Story: Outline Ideas (short video)
• How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books (short video)

In the lab, please begin brainstorming an idea for your own children's story. Use the storyboard templates to help design and prepare your story, or use your journal to plan out your plot. Use the advice from the videos, the picture books you read, and articles above to assist you.

Once you have a text, decide how your illustration might further the story. What image or visual extends the imagination of a child reader? What colors or graphic styles might you use to catch a child's attention? Remember that illustrations are meant to further the story--not just show a depiction of the text.

Be creative with your design. Decide how many words should go on a page. Where should the text appear? What images appear with the text? Plan and design.

If you are drawing your own pictures, you will need to make JPGs of your drawings and upload them into your computer or google docs/slides. You may also use one of the following programs to help design and illustrate your text:

Children's story programs:

• My Story Book
• Storybird
• Storyjumper
• My Story: Storybook Maker for Apple (iPhone app)
• Erintigration
• Inklewriter

HOMEWORK: None. Complete drafts of your science fiction and fantasy stories if you have not yet completed these assignments. Brainstorm and prepare to create your children's story with illustrations if you did not get an idea in the lab today. Next class we will design and work on this project. Please bring any necessary materials with you to class!

For fun: Futurama: The Science of Comedy

Children's Lit

Blog: Take 5 minutes today and write a response to one of the following on your blog:

• How did my writing go for the fantasy story assignment? Talk about what worked/didn't work or what you liked/didn't like about the project.
• Write about the film Legend (1985), directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, The Martian, etc.); what did you like, dislike, think about, etc.?
• What's the point of reading a fantasy novel/story? Or writing one? Why might we do it?
• What was one of your favorite children's picture books when you were young? What was the title or the story? Why did you like it?

Children's Literature Project

Much of children's literature is designed to teach children: 1. The alphabet 2. New words or concepts 3. Social mores or traditions and 4. of course to teach them or "edumacate" them about the world we live in (or wish we lived in), and what it means to be human.

Children's books are often written for elementary readers. That means that smart and talented authors target children (and their parents) as their potential audience. Techniques of elementary reading (since the focus is on new words, letters, and concepts) include several of the following tropes (or patterns):

1. Young protagonists
2. Colorful pictures that help match vocabulary to image
3. A lesson or moral
4. Short paragraphs (sometimes a picture book has only pictures) Sentence construction and syntax is simple or paired down. Noun + verb + direct object, etc. See Spot. See Jane. Spot bit Jane.

"Children's" literature, therefore, is NOT meant to be read by adolescents, since adolescents often find it difficult to appreciate simplicity or wild imagination, searching primarily to fit into a common crowd and usually resent being treated like young "children."

As you go about completing the library research project on Children's Literature, consider HOW you approach a children's book. If you are open, this can be a lot of fun. If you are close-minded (this often happens in a group setting since you don't want your peers to know you actually enjoy kids stuff) you may find yourself overly critical.

TASK: Go to the library. Select a children's picture book. Read it. Analyze it (what colors, pictures, style is the book using? How is this designed to catch the attention of a child? What is the story? What fantasy elements and tropes or archetypes are used? Examine the language and how it is paired down or more simplistic than novels we read in school. Think about the lesson/moral about life the book examines, etc.

During period 3, stay in the library and read in a corner. Then check out the book by end of period 3. Bring the book to the lab. Prepare a reading of the book to our peers during 4th period. Practice reading your book to a partner or two.

At the end of class, please respond to this entry about the books you read and your experience reading in the COMMENT section of this blog. Particularly answer: As a writer, what have you learned about children's books?

PLEASE POST A COMMENT BELOW - Please include your real NAME to get full credit!

HOMEWORK: None. Gather ideas for a children's story.

Fantasy Project Draft

I am proctoring an AP exam. Please read this post and follow the links to complete your work today!

Lab: Please continue to write your fantasy story drafts today. You should complete your draft by the end of class today and turn in your draft to the substitute. Remember to proofread and include a title.

Use the archetypes, prompts, and tropes from the past few posts to help you if you get stuck with your story draft. Avoid bothering other students when you are stuck. Instead, unstick. Stuck about unsticking? Read: 25 Ways to Unstick a Stuck Story.

Remember that you can skip the boring stuff in a draft. If you don't know what the next scene will be, skip a line (use white space) and move ahead to the next scene you DO know must happen in your story. Use the archetype plots and hero's journey to guide you. You can always come back to connect the dots if you get too far disconnected.

Use the hero's journey we learned (see the previous post) if you can, and consult the advice from the science fiction unit about working through the middle toward the end of a story. Since fantasy stories rely on the setting make sure you use your poetic skills (metaphor, simile, alliteration, symbol, imagery, personification, etc.) to describe your setting. I should read several paragraphs in your draft where you focus on setting.

A climactic action sequence is also often standard in a fantasy story. To do this, slow down your description of an action. One mistake young writers make is to skip the action by speeding up and being vague. To make action work in fiction, you need to separate all the single moments of an action (or series of actions) and write then one at a time using active verbs. Imagery will be key in writing effective action sequences. Appeal to all of our senses, not just visual, but taste, temperature, movement, sound, smell, etc. Using metaphors/similes can also enhance your writing. See the following examples as to how to do this.

An example of hand-to-hand fighting (action verbs are in red for your convenience...):

• "...And charged. He threw up his forearms like an offensive lineman blocking a defensive back, but Pike slipped to the side, pushed the man’s elbow down and away, caught his head, and rolled him into the floor. Third of a second once contact was made, and Pike was on his feet, watching the muscular man rush toward him in slow motion as the three other men, even more slowly, jumped to their feet. The muscular man reached under his shirt even as he pushed past the tables. Pike did not try to stop the gun; he rolled his hand under the man’s wrist, drove the man’s arm over and back, and pulled him backward and down. Pike had the gun before the man slammed into the floor, and hit him on the forehead with it two hard times."
• "I slipped to the left, which threw him off enough so that I could step inside the right cross and get a handful of his hair. I pulled his head forward and broke his nose with my head. Still holding his hair in one hand, I got my other hand into his crotch and put my shoulder into him and lifted him off the ground and slammed him down on the hood of the truck. He grunted and went limp. When I stood back, he slowly slid off the hood and lay in the street with his mouth open."
• "Sweat stung the eyes like tiny vipers, dripping down from a gore sprayed face. All around was nothing but a whirlwind of disorder and violence, a blur of color and vicious motion. The parched, panting tongue collected the dust-choked air which intermixed with the bitterness of iron. Deafening, blood pounded in the ears, drumming to a ferocious beat inside the helmet. 

Read the short article about writing warfare in fantasy at the link.

Your fantasy story should include at least 1 action sequence (probably as part of your crisis or climax but can also be placed during your hero's trials.)

HOMEWORK: If you did not complete your draft in the lab today, please complete it on your own time and turn it in late next class.

Fantasy Story Project & Some Common Archetypes

During period 3, please continue to write your fantasy story drafts.

If you need a plot, try an archetype:

An archetype--meaning arche (original) and type (form) is a pattern that many writers use to pattern their plots. It's helpful for a writer to be familiar with some of the basic plot and character archetypes so that you know what a reader expects in a story.

Archetype, or "original pattern", is a model from which other characters or stories are based. Archetype is as old as human storytelling and continues throughout contemporary literature (just that you don't always notice it as archetype).

When an author uses an archetype, he is patterning his character(s) or plot after other types of that kind. For example: character archetypes might include: 1. The hero 2. the protective mother 3. the prostitute with a heart of gold 4. the trickster or 5. the evil or cruel master.

Plot archetype might include: 1. the Rags to Riches plot 2. the Quest 3. Transformation or 4. traditional love story: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.

There are many, many more. And yes, archetype used too often, can create stereotypes.
The ones that we will focus on can be used with the Action or Adventure genre. Let's take a look. For each type, jot down some films, books, or stories you have read or watched that fit the archetype.

The Quest
The quest is traditionally a journey about the self.
1. The story starts at Protagonist’s home
2. Protagonist is pushed or spurred into action
3. The decision to ACT leads to the first major event
This first event is called a Motivating Incident
The main character has both:
Intent= to find the goal
motivation=reason for wanting to achieve it
4. The protagonist rarely travels alone; helpful characters aid the protagonist
5. Usually, the quest includes a series of incidents (actions) that help to develop the protagonist
The author must ask: what difficulties would make the most interesting and challenging obstacles for the protagonist.
6 The final act of the story includes a revelation, epiphany, discovery or realization about the main character’s life or personal situation.
7. Often, additional complications arise as a result of the protagonist obtaining his goal.
8. The protagonist usually returns home, making a complete circle. He returns changed, developed.

The Adventure
1. The focus of this plot is on the action (journey), not the person making the journey.
2. Story concerns traveling into an unknown or new place.
3. The hero's goal is never found in the self or at home, but in the new places visited.
4. The Hero must be motivated by someone or something; the intent is not as important as motivation.
5. The Hero doesn't necessarily need to change in any meaningful way by the end of the story.
6. Adventures often include romance (see the Romance plot below).

Romance
• The protagonist falls in love with another character (the object of affection)
• There should always be an obstacle that prevents the object of affection from getting together romantically with the beloved
• The first attempt at romance is always thwarted or delayed and put off
• Characters are often caught up in their personal emotions and problems
• Lovers are tested by a series of problems or conflicts (often from the outside)
• If the love is "forbidden", then the characters also have to come to terms with the society or culture that is preventing them from being together
• Lovers will usually get together at the end of the plot (in forbidden love plots, however, usually they don't)

The Chase

• A protagonist either is chased by some sort of antagonist, or a protagonist is chasing an antagonist--often those accused or suspected of a crime.
• The story involves several near "catches" but eventually ends with the protagonist winning.

The Rescue

• Someone captured might be released by the hero (or the hero escapes). A triangle often forms between the protagonist, the antagonist, and the captured victim. There is usually a big fight at the climax of the story between hero and villain resulting in the freedom of the victim. Slave narratives and the archetype of the princess in the castle fall into this category as well. 

Transformation/Coming of Age:

• The protagonist changes internally more than externally
• The focus of the plot is on the change itself; how it happens and how the protagonist reacts to it
• The protagonist moves from one period of their life to another. Example: Adolescence to Adulthood
• The protagonist must learn to understand and cope with this change; conflict arises when the protagonist cannot cope or fails to understand what is happening
• The change or transformation is often gradual
• As a result of the change, usually the protagonist learns something valuable about himself; there is a gain of wisdom but usually at the price of a certain sadness. 

One major subtype of the archetypical plot of transformation is the young adult novel/story, also called: The Bildungsroman.

The Bildungsroman is a type of story that focuses on the psychological, moral, and social formation of the protagonist (usually a young person) as he or she grows to adulthood.

This type of story was made popular during the period of the German Enlightenment, or during the seventeenth century through the eighteenth (usually ending at the Napoleonic Wars or early nineteenth century). It is still with us today, as most children's literature writers use the pattern somewhere within their stories.

The pattern is as follows:
1. The protagonist grows from child to adult.

Note: this does not always mean growing to legal or mature age--it refers mostly to the psychological state of the child (whose world centers around him/herself) to that of the mature adult (whose world centers around others). Of course, not everyone reaches this state of being just by growing older.

2. The protagonist must have a reason to embark upon his or her "journey of self-discovery." A loss or discontent must, at an early stage, jar him or her away from their home or family setting. In literature, we usually call this the INCITING INCIDENT. It is the event that gets the plot moving along.

3. The process of maturation is long, arduous and usually gradual, involving repeated clashes between the hero's needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social order. Note: this is similar to Sigmund Freud's concept of the pleasure principle versus the reality principle- meaning that a character wants what is desired immediately or will give the greatest satisfaction, but must deal with the concept that "you don't always get what you want." Wise words for any growing or maturing person today.

4. Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist, who is ultimately accommodated into the society. In other words, the character grows up to become a model character -- one accepted into a specific culture or society.

5. The novel or story ends with the protagonist's self-discovery or awareness of his/her growth and understanding his/her new place or role in society. In other words, there is a realization by the character that he/she has grown up.

An example of the bildungsroman archetype would be:

• Harry Potter in the Harry Potter and the ... series
• David in Montana 1948
• Turtle in The Bean Trees
• Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

There are, of course, thousands of other characters you may be familiar with in books and movies you have read or seen. In your journal make a list of other books you have read that may have been bildungsroman novels.

Metamorphosis: This archetype is similar to transformation archetypes, but differs slightly...)

• The protagonist changes physically (usually as a result of a curse or the character’s hamartia
• Much of the plot deals with the protagonist adjusting to the change
• The point of the plot is to show the process of transformation back to humanity
• The antagonist is the catalyst that propels the protagonist toward release
• The protagonist is usually released at the end of the plot
• The reader learns the reasons for the curse and its root causes

So, if you're scratching around for an idea to move your story along, try picking and choosing one of these typical archetype plots and follow the standard storyline. Feel free to experiment by mixing some of these elements together in a unique magical brew of your own creativity. 

Period 4: Legend (film) 

Let's view a few short instructional videos regarding your fantasy story projects...

• A Host of Heroes
• What Makes a Hero?

We will be examining the use of archetypes in the film Legend (1985) by director Ridley Scott.

To recap, the heroes journey looks like this:
1. Status quo/call to adventure: a hero is introduced to a problem that needs to be solved.

2. Assistance: a hero gets help from someone wiser or stronger or better than the hero is.

3. Departure: the hero begins his/her quest.

4. Trials: The hero proves his/her mettle by facing and often overcoming a series of increasingly difficult problems. 

5. Approach: the hero attempts to thwart or stop the villain. Usually this involves finding the problem and attempting to solve it.

6. Crisis: A turning point for the hero, where the hero faces his/her lowest end--all seems to be lost. 

7. Treasure: by surviving the crisis, the hero usually wins some sort of "treasure"--something that makes him/her a better hero.

8. Result: After fighting for his/her life, the hero usually overcomes the antagonist, often using something the villain or antagonist lacks.

9. Return: the hero returns from whence he/she came--this time a better, stronger, wiser person.

10. New Life: the hero takes on the new identity as a hero. Hero may also come 'back to life' after facing his/her biggest challenge.

11. Resolution: the story resolves. The hero is celebrated or acknowledged or fulfilled.

12. Status quo: Back to square one.

All heroes journeys start off in the "normal" world and move through a "special" world. While not all authors will use the heroes journey in the same way, usually, it can be argued, that most stories follow some of the major plot points pretty closely.

Legend (1985) directed by Ridley Scott. Here is some information about the film:

Writer: William Hjorstberg
Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Sound/Music: Jerry Goldsmith (director's cut) or Tangerine Dream (theatrical release)
Special Effects Supervisor: Nick Allder & crew

Characters:
Jack (Tom Cruise)
Lili (Mia Sara)
Darkness (Tim Curry)
Honeythorn Gump (David Bennent)
Screwball (Billy Barty)
Brown Tom (Cork Hubbert)
Oona (Annabelle Lanyon)
Blix (Alice Playten)
Pox (Peter O'Farrell)
Blunder (Kiran Shaw)
Meg Mucklebones (Robert Picardo)
Nell (Tina Martin)

As we watch, examine the film's Heroic journey. Identify the moments for Jack & Lili's heroic journeys and fantasy archetypes (such as the quest, adventure, romance, transformation, or metamorphosis)

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not make much progress on your fantasy story, please continue to write on your own. It will be due the beginning of next week.

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.