Writing Science Fiction

Calendar

SES #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
What is and is not Science Fiction?
1	Introduction: What is speculative fiction? Various forms and subgenres.
2	Discussion of speculative fiction: What is its function? Why is it popular?
Destroying (Building) the World
3	Build the World to Destroy the World
4	World Building 101
Building the World
5	World Building Exercises
The Protagonist Destroys the World
6	Creating Characters Within the World
7	Exercise: Creating Characters Within the World (Scenario Work)
The Science in Science Fiction
8	How the Science (or Magic) is Central, but the Story is Not Always About the Science (or Magic)
9	Exercise: Locating the Science / Magic / Speculation (Scenarios)
Economics
10	Where worldbuilding can go wrong. Examining the economics of how worlds and societies function—and don’t.	Story One due
11	Troubleshooting Societies
The Future is Now, Theme and Extrapolation
12	Does science fiction try to predict the future, or address questions of the current day? The answer, of course, is yes.
13	Long Form Structure
Workshops
14–23	Workshop	Ses 18: Story Two due Ses 21: Rewrite of Story One due
24	Contracts	Rewrite of Story Two due
Publishing
25	The way a professional writer works in the world The business of publishing: Conglomerates, agents, distributors, etc.
26	Course evaluations, stories about publishing life in the real world, The Scotch Lecture, and cupcakes!