FICT 110 W — The Art of Speculative Storytelling: Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Jarrod Shusterman, Sofia Lapuente
Date(s): Jun 23—Aug 25
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 25
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Summer
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jun 23—Aug 25
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 25
Instructor(s): Jarrod Shusterman, Sofia Lapuente
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Science fiction and fantasy provide escape through expansive world-building. They also transform the fantastic into a metaphor for the pressures of contemporary life. This course demystifies the process of writing in these popular genres. Students will analyze Neal Shusterman’s Scythe and V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, studying how each author handles plot, character, language, setting, and voice. Discussion will dovetail with creative writing exercises and lessons drawn from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat. Each student will workshop a story or chapter of up to 5,000 words, receiving written feedback from two instructors who publish annually in these genres. The instructors will also share insights from editors and agents and invite guest authors to visit. Students will leave with a wealth of practical knowledge about the field, along with a completed chapter and a working outline, ready to query agents.
Since most of the learning in this course takes place asynchronously in threaded discussions on the Canvas classroom site, the live Zoom sessions are limited to 60 minutes per week.
JARROD SHUSTERMAN
Author
Jarrod Shusterman is the New York Times best-selling co-author of Roxy and Dry, which he is adapting for the screen with co-author Neal Shusterman. He also writes with Sofía Lapuente, and they co-authored the thriller novel Retro and collaborated on Gleanings, the fourth installment of the Arc of a Scythe series. His work has received many accolades, including starred reviews in Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, as well as a Green Earth Book Award and two German National Book Award nominations. SOFIA LAPUENTE
Author
Sofía Lapuente is the co-author of the novel Retro with Jarrod Shusterman. She also collaborated on Gleanings, the fourth installment of the Arc of a Scythe series, which is being adapted for the screen by Universal. Lapuente immigrated to the United States with a dream of storytelling and since then has been published in over a dozen languages worldwide. She is a writer, creative writing instructor, screenwriter, and former producer and casting director on an Emmy-nominated show.Textbooks for this course:
(Required) V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (ISBN 978-0765387578)
(Required) Neal Shusterman, Scythe (ISBN 978-1442472433)
(Optional) Jessica Brody, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (ISBN 978-0399579745)
(Required) Neal Shusterman, Scythe (ISBN 978-1442472433)
(Optional) Jessica Brody, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (ISBN 978-0399579745)