geb sff workshop
Post on 07-Apr-2018
242 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
1/34
Science Fiction & FantasyWriting Workshop
GEB Literature Seminar
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
2/34
Contents
Tropes and ThemesWorldbuilding
Grounding in Reality
Synthesis of PremiseStory Opening
Turkey City Lexicon
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
3/34
Who Am I?
WriterRed Dot IrrealThe Time Travelers SonFour Seasons in One Day
(with Janet Chui)
Editor & PublisherScattered, Covered, SmotheredA Field Guide to Surreal Botany
Teacher
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
4/34
From n00b topublished author
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
5/34
Red Dot Irreal(Oct 2011)
"Stories exotic, spicy, and redolent as a four-star curry. A fine meal for the mind awaits in Lundberg's collection."
Jonathan Carroll, author ofOutside the Dog M
"Lundberg's writing is that of an Old Soul who views the world through Young Eyes; hiswork isjamais vu of the highest order: these stories are memories encountered for the
time, but never to be forgotten once they've been experienced."James A. Owen, author and illustrator ofHere, There Be D
"Red Dot Irrealis a box made of the finest equatorial wood, containing a collection ofgenuine gems of the early 21st century noble art of fantastika."
Zoran ivkovi, author ofThe Las
"Red Dot Irrealteems with imagination, location, originality, and fine writing."Jeffrey Ford, author ofThe Empire of Ice
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
6/34
Tropes
def.: Common pattern, theme, or motif in literature.
The furniture that defines a science fiction or fantasy storye.g.: Spaceships, robots; goblins, dragons; etc.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
7/34
Themes
def.: A broad idea, message, or lesson that is conveyed by awork. The message may be about life, society, or humannature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideasand may be implied rather than stated explicitly.
e.g.: Humanitys compassionate/barbaric nature, profoundimpacts of technology, triumph of the human spirit, etc.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
8/34
Writing Exercise
Brainstorm for 5 min.
Make one column of tropes & one column of themesCircle the 1 or 2 most compelling tropes AND themes toyou as a writer
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
9/34
Worldbuilding
def.: Process of constructing an imaginary world, usuallyassociated with a fictional universe. It describes a key role inthe task of a SFF writer: that of developing an imaginary
setting that is coherent and possesses a history, geography,ecology, and so forth.
e.g.: Middle-earth, Lord of the Rings; Ankh-Morpork, Discworld;Coruscant, Star Wars; Bellerophon, Firefly; Bas-Lag, Perdido
Street Station
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
10/34
Worldbuilding
Setting does not have to be realistic, but must be believableClimate, physics, geology must be consistent with what we
know of the universe
Easiest type: The Real World (mimetic)Next-easiest type: The Real World But Slightly Different
(magical realism, near-future SF)
Harder type: Invented World (secondary)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
11/34
Spectrum of the Real
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
12/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
13/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
Reali
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
14/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiScience
Fiction
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
15/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiMyth/Legend Science
Fiction
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
16/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiMyth/Legend Science
FictionSlipstream
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
17/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiMyth/Legend Science
FictionSlipstream
ScienceFantasy
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
18/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiMyth/Legend
Slice ofLife
Science
FictionSlipstream
ScienceFantasy
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
19/34
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
20/34
Spectrum of the Real
Fantasy
RealiMyth/Legend
Slice ofLife
Science
FictionSlipstream
ScienceFantasy
NearFuture SF
Steampunk
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
21/34
Writing Exercise
Brainstorm for 5 min.
Based on the trope & theme you circled earlier, decide onthe setting for your story: near-future, far future, secondaryworld, our-world-but-different, etc.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
22/34
Grounding in Reality
No matter the setting or premise, the reader must havesomethingor someone to identify with.
Too much weirdness yanks the reader out of the story;disbelief is no longer suspended.
Can have a strange/alien setting or strange/alien characters,but not both.
Why? Gives the reader context to enter the world of yourstory.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
23/34
Grounding in Reality
Grounding Characters: should have recognizable qualities,some essential humanity for the reader to empathize with
Grounding Setting: should be analogous to the real world; ifurban, should emulate big cities; if rural, should resemble realfarmland, fields, etc.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
24/34
Writing Exercise
Brainstorm for 5 min.
Write down qualities that your characters will have, and/orWrite down real-world analogies to your setting
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
25/34
Synthesis of Premise
def.: The fundamental underlying concept that drives the plot.e.g. Joss Whedons series Firefly:
"Five hundred years in the future, there is a whole new frontier, and thecrew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenityis eager to stake a claim on the
action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and foodon the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on apassenger wanted by the totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they findthemselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and theflesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space."
Background for understanding the story, but is not yet thestory itselfWednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
26/34
Writing Exercise
Write for 10 min.Look at your chosen tropes, themes, setting, character traits,
and real-world groundings.
Combine all these ideas into the premise for your story.Does not have to be elaborate or even fully thought out yet.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
27/34
Story Opening
Start your story with a strong, interesting hook thatintroduces the protagonist.
Should include hints of scenery, conflict, genre, tension.Does NOT necessarily mean explosions or high drama/
action.
Does NOT give away everything right at the start.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
28/34
Story Opening
Your opening hook is a promise to the reader of whats tocome; if you cant fulfill that promise, you lose the reader.
The rest of your story must be the payoff that the openingsets up.
Set up questions in the readers mind that will be answeredlater in the text.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
29/34
Great Opening Lines
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were strikingthirteen. George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
An hour before he shot himself, my best friend PhilipStrayhorn called to talk about thumbs. Jonathan Carroll,AChild Across the Sky
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned toa dead channel." William Gibson, Neuromancer
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
30/34
Writing Exercise
Write for 15 min.Look at your premise and all the previous exercises
Create a solid opening to your short story that introducesyour main character, the setting, potential conflict, mood,tone, etc.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
31/34
Turkey City Lexicon
Mistakes to avoid, and techniques definedBased on workshop terms, with more added on later
(attribution in parentheses)
Helpful shorthand for story critiquee.g.: Call a Rabbit a Smeerp, Hand Waving, Dennis Hopper
Syndrome, The Jar of Tang, The Slipstream Story, Idiot Plot,Used Furniture
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
-
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
32/34
Final Thoughts
Finish your story; with a solid beginning, flesh out your ideasinto a complete narrative.
Keep writing; its easy to get discouraged, but if its somethingyou love, you must persevere.
Read widely, both in and out of the SFF genres;Recommended Reading.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
http://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/p/live-wires-recommended-reads.htmlhttp://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/p/live-wires-recommended-reads.htmlhttp://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/p/live-wires-recommended-reads.htmlhttp://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/p/live-wires-recommended-reads.html -
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
33/34
Final Thoughts
Website: http://www.jasonlundberg.netAlso on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, GoodReads, Flickr, etc.
Copies ofSurreal Botanyare $10 today only for attendees ofthis workshop.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
http://www.jasonlundberg.net/http://www.jasonlundberg.net/ -
8/6/2019 GEB SFF Workshop
34/34
Best of Luck to You All
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
top related