Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel II

WRITING X 416.2E

Continue your sci fi or fantasy novel in progress in this workshop focusing on plot structure and scenecraft.

What you can learn.

Make progress on your manuscript by focusing on aspects of plot and scene critical to good storytelling
Explore non-Western modes of storytelling that can enrich your work and innovate your structure
Engage in workshopping of your work in progress to give and receive comments with other writers
Create a plot grid that will allow you to map out your story and facilitate ongoing writing

About this course:

The second of a three-course sequence, this workshop expands on the development of story concept, worldbuilding, character, and plot explored in the first course. This second workshop focuses on critical but underemphasized aspects of compelling science fiction and fantasy novels, including plot structure and scenecraft. The workshop also interrogates accepted tropes and structures of science fiction and fantasy novels by exploring non-Western storytelling structures, including the East Asian four-act structure and nested or circular story structures from East Asia, South Asia and the Muslim world. The workshop also includes a rigorous workshop within a workshop that teaches students how to create a plot grid that will map out their novel from the beat level all the way up to the act level, while tracking all plot threads for rhythm and pacing. Students will learn how to shape and manipulate that plot grid into a satisfying and deliberate act structure. The goal is to complete fifty polished pages of a novel and a work in progress version of the plot grid by the end of this three-course sequence.

Prerequisites

WRITING X 416.1E Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel I. No exceptions.