Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns throughout the course.

Transcription

1 UCLA Extension - Writers' Program Creating Universes, Building Worlds: the Short Story in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Online) Instructor: Alyx Dellamonica Note: The version of this syllabus that you may have seen in the UCLA course catalog is posted to give you an overview of the course, but it is subject to change. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Writers' Program at (310) or via at writers@uclaextension.edu. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns throughout the course. Course Description This course is an active-participation writing workshop exploring the speculative fiction (referred to as SF in this syllabus) subgenres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and alternate history. While expanding your knowledge of these genres through readings, exercises, and discussion, you will also draft a completed story, workshop it in class, and prepare a marketing plan for the piece. My Philosophy Writing can be a quest for balance. Our unfettered imaginations clash with the discipline of craft. The joy of playing with language butts up against our need to communicate ideas to readers with absolute clarity. We take our wildest, most intimate dreams and sculpt them into prose, all so we can share the ore of our inner selves with readers we will never meet. A key element in balancing these contradictions lies in developing your critical sense of narrative, learning to examine stories with fierce but honest passion, identifying their strengths and flaws and seeking ways to polish simply competent manuscripts into brilliant works of fiction. I will help you unleash your imagination, carving unique tales out of raw ideas, then refining them into finished works that speak eloquently for themselves. Class Overview The class is divided into two major segments. First, in the technical section, you'll examine how SF writers put stories together even as you work on a story of your own. Later, in the workshop segment, you will submit that story for critique by your classmates before developing a plan to revise and market the piece. During the technical segment, we will read a number of stories from various SF genres and discuss the unique characteristics of speculative writing. In addition to examining stories by established authors, you will try out a number of writing exercises to hone your skills. During weeks seven through nine, you will workshop (critique) your classmates' short stories, and receive feedback from your peers in return. Everyone is expected to read all stories posted and provide constructive feedback (we'll talk about how to do this before the workshop portion of the course begins).

2 You will also collect material for a Writer's Roadmap. The Roadmap is a compilation of thoughts, exercises, text samples, story ideas and research notes that you can turn to in the future as an aid to continued artistic development. In the final week of class, we will discuss the marketing of short SF, and you will devise a sales plan for your now-workshopped story. Grading Participation in Blackboard discussions and Writer's workshop 40% Weekly Writing Exercises 25% Final short story 30% Marketing plan 5% Letter Grades A % B % C % D % F - 39% or less A word about online participation For ten weeks, we will join together as a community and take a creative writing journey. In order for our community to flourish and for everyone to fully benefit from this course, as individuals and as a group, everyone must agree to conduct themselves in a manner that fosters a supportive and respectful environment. This brings us to the issue of online courtesy. Ever misunderstood the tone of an ? Responding to one another's work without the context provided by facial expressions, vocal intonation, gestures, etc. can pose something of a challenge. We will, as with any good discussion, find ourselves disagreeing about the published reading assignments or certain elements of craft in one another's work. Therefore we must make a concerted effort in our postings to be polite and respectful. Please read the lecture on workshop etiquette carefully so that you understand my expectations. It is important to remember that posts by your fellow students will almost always be wellintended: if something strikes you as off or even offensive, please do consider writing to me to discuss it (alyx.dellamonica@gmail.com) before firing off a scorching reply. (For those newer to the dynamics of online discussion, some guidelines to getting along on the Internet, known as "netiquette", can be found here.) How do I grade participation? To get full credit for participation, you must complete all assignments and post at least four other messages, responding to the comments or work of others each week. Comments can be kept short, but I do look for more than simple answers like "I agree" or "Good point!" when responding to others. Additionally, students

3 who only post comments in threads relating to their own stories and exercises will not receive full points. Guest Lectures The writing community on the Internet is vibrant and active, and throughout the course I will post links to articles about writing and publishing written by people around the world. These may be viewed as optional guest lectures, to be read in the moment or saved for a less busy time. They are not meant to add to your workload, but to offer you an opportunity to deepen our discussions of writing, to expose you to points of view beyond my own, and to provide a glimpse into the dynamic world of fiction-writing and its current practitioners. There are also some extra lectures in your Course Documents area. Weekly Schedule Note: each course week runs from Monday to the following Sunday night. Assignments can be posted anytime during the course week, with 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday being the final due date for that week's assignments. Late assignments will not be awarded grades. Week One: The Science-Magic Continuum--subgenres of "SF" Readings: Joan Slonczewski, "Tuberculosis Bacteria Join UN" (hard SF); Nancy Kress, "To Cuddle Amy," (sociological SF); Nalo Hopkinson "Whose Upward Flight I Love" (modern fantasy) Note: Don't worry, all three stories are very short! Assignments: 1) First and foremost, tell us about yourself--write a short biography and post it in the appropriate discussion area. 2) Read the assigned stories and answer questions (check the Dissection Laboratory discussion room for story questions) by posting your responses in the Week One Readings discussion thread. 3) Writer's Roadmap: Begin assembling your Roadmap by identifying five short passages--two to three paragraphs--of SF writing you admire. Make some notes on each piece: why are these particular fragments effective or compelling? Is it the beauty of the prose, an emotionally moving moment, a piercing character insight, a burst of humor? How is the effect achieved? To what extent do you have the skills represented by this fragment under your belt? Once you've assembled these fragments, post one that you particularly like, along with your notes.

4 It is an excellent practice for writers to "collect" one fragment for their Roadmap every time they read a short story, a novel, or any nicely-written non-fiction. You can find many of my fragments online here: Week Two: Setting the Stage Reading: Harry Turtledove, "The Last Article" (alternate history). Assignments 1) Read the assigned story and answer all questions. 2) Writer's Roadmap: Add a page to your Roadmap by listing at least five books you love and one you hate passionately. What common features do these books have? What story elements do you, as a reader and a writer, find least appealing? Post your list of reading preferences and dislikes. 3) Writing Exercise: Read through the list of Ordinary and Extraordinary Life events posted in the Resources folder of the Course Documents area and select one. Most of these events suggest a natural setting of their own: a graduation ceremony, for example, might take place in a high school gymnasium or rented hall. Imagine this event taking place in a non-realistic setting--another planet, a magical realm, an alternate timeline. Establish the SF setting for this event in five or fewer paragraphs. The aim is to sketch in vivid details quickly. Now, revise the same passage but change the genre you are writing in: (if you began in SF, for example) switch to fantasy or horror. Post both fragments. Week Three: A Question of Character Readings: Pat Cadigan, "Pretty Boy Crossover" (cyberpunk), Kij Johnson, Ponies ( (fantasy), Tanith Lee, "Snow Drop" (optional) Assignments: 1) Read the assigned stories and answer all questions. 2) Writer's Roadmap: Begin a list of interesting characteristics of people you know and note whether you consider them physical, temperamental, or situational. Then post one characteristic of each type to the Week Three Roadmap discussion thread. 3) Writing Exercise: Watch one of your favorite big-budget movies and, when the credits are rolling, look at the variety of names found within the list of people who worked on the film. Browse, taking notes on all the cool names, and hitting Pause as needed until you have found three names--first, middle surname--that fit together well. Imagine a person with this name: their job, physical appearance, and most of all their temperament. Is it a larger than life name or the moniker of a very ordinary person, a Joe or Jane Average? Select an action from the following list: shaving, waiting in line, filling out paperwork, eating, watching a movie, feeding a baby, driving, riding public transit, doing housework, weeding a garden. Imagine your newly named character

5 doing this on a normal day, in their customary state of mind. Are they usually angry? Happy? Calm? Focused? Careless? Quickly show your character engaged in the chosen task on an ordinary day. Show what is unique or SFnal about the character--does she have horns? Is he a robot? as well as revealing a key facet of their personality. Now, skip ahead to a later point in this character's imagined narrative. Some crisis has interrupted their task, and they have taken it up again in a state of extreme emotion: terror, fury, grief, ecstasy. Briefly write about how their altered approach to the work. (Note: you do not have to write the crisis portion, or even specify what's happened. Just show us your character approaching the same task while in emotional distress.) Post both fragments to the Exercises discussion thread. **A copy of the complete syllabus will be available to enrolled students when the course begins.**

6 As UCLA's principal provider of continuing education, the majority of UCLA Extension courses are designed for the post-baccalaureate professional-level student. Enrollment is therefore normally reserved for adult students 18 years of age and older. The Writers Program may consent to enroll younger students based on special academic competence and approval of the instructor. Minors who enroll in a Writers Program course without first receiving permission from both the department and the instructor are subject to withdrawal. To request approval, please contact the Writers Program at 310/ Academic dishonesty covers behavior in cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information. These behaviors are not tolerated. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the UCLA Extension Student Conduct Code and the official statements regarding cheating and plagiarism at: Also in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UCLA Extension provides appropriate accommodations and support services to qualified applicants and students with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to, auxiliary aids/services, such as note takers, audiotaping of courses, sign language interpreters, and assistive-listening devices for hearing-impaired individuals, extended time for and proctoring of exams, and registration assistance. Accommodations and types of support services vary and are specifically designed to meet the disability-related needs of each stude3nt based on current, verifiable medical documentation. Arrangements for auxiliary aids/services are available only through UCLA Extension Disabled Student Services at (310) (voice/tty) or by at access@uclaextension.edu. Please request such arrangements with at least five working days advance notice. All assistance is handled in confidence. Accommodations must be pre-approved. Requests for retroactive accommodation will not be accepted. Note to students: While this syllabus is posted to give you an overview of the course, it is subject to change. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Writers Program at (310) or via at writers@uclaextension.edu. We are happy to answer any questions and to help you find the best class to achieve your writing goals.