FAQ ◊ Syllabus ◊ Advanced Writer’s Workshop

Dragon*Con 2008 Writer’s Workshop Info

This course, taught by best selling SF writer A.C. Crispin, will provide a full overview of the science fiction and fantasy genre. At completion, students will understand the importance of background genre reading, scientific or other appropriate research, developing fleshed-out characters, original or “twist” plotlines, setting, and descriptions in their science fiction or fantasy short stories or novels. Students will learn sources they can consult to find legitimate, suitable markets for short story or novel submissions. They’ll be able to produce a correctly formatted and printed manuscript, and a workable query or cover letter. They’ll be able to identify and avoid the writing scams that are proliferating in today’s highly competitive markets.

This course will run for two full days at Dragon*Con, on Thursday (one day before the con “officially” begins) and Friday, August 28-29, 2008. Submission of a manuscript for review by Ms. Crispin is desirable, but not required.

Also, check out the A.C. Crispin website.

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A.C. Crispin’s Writer’s Workshop: Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How much does it cost to attend the Beginner’s workshop?
A. Cost for the two-day workshop is $155.00 per person. This cost includes all handouts (and they are extensive). Send your check, payable to Dragon*Con Writers Workshop, to our office at:

Dragon*Con
Attn: 2008 Writers’ Workshop
PO Box 16459
Atlanta, GA 30321-0459

Q. How much does it cost to attend the Advance workshop?
A. Cost for the two-day workshop is $95.00 per person. This cost includes all handouts (and they are extensive). Send your check, payable to Dragon*Con Writers Workshop, to our office at:

Dragon*Con
Attn: 2008 Advanced Writers’ Workshop
PO Box 16459
Atlanta, GA 30321-0459

Q. When will the Beginner’s workshop be held?
A. The A.C. Crispin Writer’s Beginner’s Workshop will be held August 28-29, 2008. The workshop will begin on the Thursday before Dragon*Con officially starts, and run through Friday afternoon of the first day. The workshop will begin at 9:00 A.M. and last until 5:00 P.M. both days, with a lunch break.

Q. When will the Advance workshop be held?
A. The A.C. Crispin Writers Advance Workshop will be held August 30-31, 2008. The workshop will begin on Saturday and run through Sunday. The workshop will begin at 9:00 A.M. and last until 12:00 P.M. both days.

Q. Why is the workshop starting a day before the convention officially starts?
A. We are starting the workshop early so that those attending the A.C. Crispin Writer’s Workshop may also attend the regular Dragon*Con Writers Track programming on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Q. Where will the workshop be held?
A. The A.C. Crispin Writers Workshop is currently scheduled to be held in the Marietta room at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Q. I don’t have a manuscript to submit yet; I’ve just started writing. Can I attend anyway?
A. Certainly. Manuscript submission is desirable, but not required.

Q. I have a manuscript to submit. What are the submission guidelines?
A. All manuscripts to be read by Ms. Crispin must be submitted to the following address by August 1st, 2008:

Dragon*Con
Attn: 2008 Writers’ Workshop
PO Box 16459
Atlanta, GA 30321-0459

Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, in approved manuscript format. (See the manuscript guidelines on the SFWA website: www.sfwa.org) Handwritten or single spaced manuscripts are not acceptable. Ms. Crispin will read manuscripts up to 5000 words, or about 20 double spaced pages. Attendees may submit short stories, or the first chapter and synopsis of a novel for critique. No electronic submissions will be accepted. No poetry, please.

Q. What does the Beginner’s workshop cover?
A. A syllabus of the workshop is available toward the end of this Q&A, and gives all the topics covered. Day One of the workshop will cover writing subjects such as characterization, plot, setting, description, POV, creating the illusion of reality, research, theme and style. Day Two will be devoted to marketing your work to professional markets, and critiques of manuscripts that have been submitted.

Q. What level writer do I have to be?
A. Ms. Crispin’s workshop allows plenty of time for class discussions and Q&A, and is designed to help writers from the complete beginner stage to those who are beginning to submit their work for possible publication.

Q. If I attend Dragon*Con and sign up for the Writers Track, does that entitle me to attend Ms. Crispin’s workshop?
A. No. Ms. Crispin’s Writer’s Workshop is separate from the regular Dragon*Con Writers Track. You must register for it separately, and there is a charge to attend.

Q. What materials should I bring to the workshop?
A. If you have submitted a manuscript for critique, and would like to share copies of your submission with the other class members, you may bring copies to the workshop for this purpose. Ms. Crispin will be in touch with her students prior to the workshop to let them know how many will be attending, etc. Please bring notebook and pen for taking notes. A tape recorder is fine, too. No video cameras, please.

Q. I still have a question about whether I should attend. Who can I ask about the workshop?
A. You may email Ms. Crispin at Anncrispin@aol.com.

Handwritten or unprofessional appearing manuscripts cannot be read. Please follow the word-count and manuscript guidelines for your submission.

In the cover letter accompanying your manuscript for review, please give the following information:

1. Name, age, and, if published, please list your professional sales.
2. Contact information: address, telephone number, and email address.

Of course, participants must also have an attending Dragon*Con 2008 membership, only a limited number of students can be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Workshop Syllabus

I. Introduction to Genre Fiction

A. Why It’s Easier to Sell

B. The Ancient and Proud Tradition of Storytelling

II. Introduction to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Genre:

A. What is Science Fiction?

B. What is Fantasy?

C. What are “Subgenres”?

1. Cyberpunk

2. Media Tie-ins

3. Hard S.F.

4. Fantasy Subgenres

5. Mercs in Space

6. S.F. and Fantasy Crossovers

a. Mystery

b. Romance

III. The Elements of Fiction: What They Are and How They Work Together in S.F. and Fantasy Writing

A. Characterization

1. Creating Believable Characters

2. Your Protagonist

3. Your Antagonist

4. Secondary Characters

5. Creating Believable Aliens and Non-humans

B. Plot

1. Is There Such a Thing as an Original Plot?

2. If You Can’t Be Totally Original, How Can You Still Be Intriguing and Saleable?

3. Robert A. Heinlein’s 3 Plotlines

4. Primary Plot

5. Subplots - Do You Need Them? When? How Many?

a. How to Make Subplots Tie into Primary Plots Seamlessly

b. Subplots as Crossovers - Romance, Mystery, etc.

C. Setting - What World is This Anyway? What Time?

1. Why Settings are Crucial to S.F. and Fantasy Fiction

a. We’re Not in Kansas, Toto

2. Creating S.F. and Fantasy Worlds

a. Background Data: How Much is Too Much?

b. Avoiding Expository Lumps

3. How to Write Effective Settings When You Can’t Go There in Person

4. Setting in Time Travel Stories

D. Description: Characters, Worlds, Aliens

1. Writing Effective Character Description

2. Writing Dynamic Narrative

3. Writing Action Scenes

IV. Rivets and Trees, Nuts and Bolts: Constructing a S.F. or Fantasy Story/Novel

A. Breakdown into Scenes

1. How Long Should a Scene Be?

2. What Should a Scene Cover?

3. Transitions: How to Get from One Place and Ttime to Another without Jarring the Reader

B. Point-of-View

1. Determining Whose POV is Best for a Given Scene

2. Why one POV per Scene is Usually Best for Today’s Genre Fiction

3. Handling Difficult POV’s

a. Can You Create Alien Aliens and Still Have Them be POV Characters?

b. How Do Aliens Differ from Non-Human Fantasy Characters?

C. Pacing

1. Be Careful of Flashbacks Slowing Down the Pacing

2. Make each Acene do Double Duty - Advancing Both Characterization and Plot

3. Pacing in Short Stories

4. Pacing in Novels

D. Creating the Illusion of Reality for Alien, Time-Travel or Fantasy Worlds

1. Verisimilitude - How to Make it “Ring True”

2. Research - How Much is Too Much?

a. S.F. Research - Science is All

1. Planetology, Physics, Biology, etc.

2. History for Time Travel and Alternate History

b. Fantasy Research - Folklore, Magic, and What’s Been Overdone

3. How to Avoid Getting in Over Your Head

a. Who Should Write Hard S.F.?

b. Fantasy’s Easy by Comparison...Right?

E. Dialogue

1. Developing Your “Ear”

2. Writing Dialogue That is Easy to Read, but Rings True

a. Creating the Impression of Alien Speech Patterns

b. What’s Been Overdone in Fantasy Dialogue

3. Suiting Speech Patterns to Characters

4. How to Write Dialect and Still be P.C.

F. Style

1. What Styles Work Best for S.F.? Fantasy?

2. How to Develop Your Own Unique Style

3. Improving Your Style

4. Writing Smoothly

5. Avoid Letting “Style” Get in the Way of Telling the Story

G. Atmosphere

1. What is It?

2. When it’s Crucial, When It’s Not

H. Theme

1. Stating It in a Sentence or Two

2. Most Important During Revision Phase

3. Don’t Let the Message Get in the Way of the Story

I. Advanced Storytelling Techniques

1. Present vs. Past Tense - When is It Justified?

2. Flashbacks - Why Editors Usually Detest Them

3. Stream-of-Consciousness

4. First Person Narrative? Third?

a. Pros and Cons of Each

5. Polishing Manuscripts

V. Techniques Writers Use

A. Developing Discipline

B. Revision: How Do You Know When Enough is Enough?

C. Using Your Own Emotions and Experiences to Make Readers Care

1. If you Don’t/Can’t Care, They Won’t Either

D. What is the Reader Thinking/Feeling?

1. Why You Need to Know

2. How to Gauge a Reader’s Reactions

E. Writing Groups

1. Pros and Cons

2. Organizing Your Own - Rules are Essential

F. Writer’s Block - Techniques for Jump - Starting

G. How to Be Creative When Words Won’t Come

VI. Marketing Your Work - Okay, You’ve Finished. Now What?

A. Studying S.F. and Fantasy Markets

1. Why You MUST Be a Reader if You Want to Be a Writer

a. Spending Time at the Bookstore

b. Genre Publications

2. Should You Tailor Your Fiction to a Particular Market/Sub-Genre? If So, How?

3. Non-Category S.F. or Fantasy - Can You Sell It?

B. Marketing Short S.F. and Fantasy

C. Marketing S.F. and Fantasy Novels

D. When Do You Need an Agent? How Do You Get One?

E. Dealing with Rejection

VII. It’s a Jungle Out There - Avoiding Writing Scams

A. How to Spot Them

B. How to Network with Other Writers

1. Useful Websites and Groups

2. Professional Writers Organizations

C. Hurry Up and Wait - How to Stay Creative While Going Crazy Waiting for Editorial Responses

VIII. The Emotional Toll of Writing - Is it Worth It?

A. How to Stay Positive

B. When (if Ever) to Quit

IX. The Writing Life

A. Finances

B. Professional Etiquette/Dealing with Editors, etc.

C. When to Quit Your Day Job

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A. C. Crispin’s Advanced Workshop

Any writer who has already taken Ms. Crispin’s Beginner’s Workshop or equivalent workshop is eligible for this course. (Check the list below for subjects covered.)

Please be aware that the Advanced Workshop will NOT include a manuscript critique this year. If you want to have your story critiqued, please sign up for the Beginner’s Course.

Subjects covered in Advanced Writing Course:

• Structuring your story or novel; writing the working synopsis or outline
• Style, including how to improve an awkward style
• Flashbacks, and how incorporate them into a story smoothly
• Achieving smooth narrative flow
• Character “tags” and how to use them
• Subplots in the novel
• Revising effectively
• How to get past the “no unsolicited manuscripts” policy at publishing houses
• Working with an editor and publishing etiquette
• Promoting your work after publication

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