Our First Day is focused on introductions, distributing the syllabus, a general course overview, and writing exercises to put us in the right frame of mind for Writing The Human. I cannot, however, promise the absence of bloodthirsty velociraptors from the classroom setting.
Showing posts with label Day 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day 1. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Telling the Story: Point of View
In fiction, we have several choices of narrator, and you should decide which narrative voice to use based on the needs of your story.
Solving the Plot versus Exploring the Soul
Fiction is a delicate art. "Pure" fiction - the kind of literary works that focus entirely on the exploration of human nature - is by nature unpredictable. Genre fiction, in contrast, is sometimes seen as a kind of mechanical stepchild. This perception is due to the somewhat artificial rules of the genre writing - just as mysteries require criminals and romance novels demand lovers, science fiction lives on robots and aliens while fantasy is carried on the backs of dragons.
When writing stories set in the alternative realities of speculative fiction, we must be careful that the so-called "rules of engagement" genre don't blind us to the primary goal of quality fiction: revealing a deeper understanding of the human experience.
When writing stories set in the alternative realities of speculative fiction, we must be careful that the so-called "rules of engagement" genre don't blind us to the primary goal of quality fiction: revealing a deeper understanding of the human experience.
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