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Science, Magic, and the Mundane: Speculative Worlds and How to Write Them

Students will develop alternate ways of viewing reality, learn how to analyze these newly realized aspects from an author’s point of view, and then build upon that knowledge in order to create new worlds of science and/or fantasy.
Val Gryphin
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(43)
Class

What's included

4 live meetings
3 hrs 40 mins in-class hours
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will create lists outside of class of scientific, magical, and mundane everyday objects and experiences to be used in class, as well as short writing assignments to create a fully-fleshed out story.

Class Experience

US Grade 6 - 9
When we think of speculative worlds, such as those found in science fiction, high fantasy, and urban fantasy, we often wonder how the author managed to come up with fantastical ideas that are both believable and logical. At the same time, normally, we don’t stop to think about how much of the scientific in our world could easily be considered magical, or how our mundane life could also be seen as extraordinary. It’s easy enough to say that our technology would be fantastical to someone from a hundred years ago, but what separates the current mundane from the current fantastical in our writing? In this class we will first examine modern technology, current trends, the natural world, and popular beliefs, before then converting the same items to the magical. We will then create our own fantastical settings, building on our newly discovered points of view, to see how building a speculative world really is about using the mundane as a base. 

Weekly Lessons:
Week One:
This week students will talk about what makes science fiction and fantasy so interesting and amazing. Why do those sorts of stories capture our imagination? What is it about these universes that seem so different from their own?

Week Two:
While using their lists detailing what makes up speculative worlds, students will analyze details in the modern world, and see how it can be turned into a fantastical environment.

Week Three:
Now that students know what makes up the speculative, they will describe their world in a way that employs all of their observations and start transforming it.

Week Four:
Students will talk about each of their magical, mundane worlds, share what they have created, and work on ways to continue to employ this tactic in their future writing. 

**Notes:
- All students will be given one opportunity to change their Zoom name to their preferred name and pronouns at the beginning of class. 
- While I am aware that there are reasons that a learner would prefer to keep their camera off, I do encourage them to be left on, and I require one visual check in at the beginning of each class. 
- If your learner is interested in a class, but the rate is not within your budget, please contact me to find out about limited discounts and scholarships I offer for families that need them.
Learning Goals
By the end of this class students will have developed alternate ways of viewing what reality is, how to analyze these newly realized aspects from an author’s point of view, and how to build upon that knowledge in order to create new worlds of science and/or fantasy.
learning goal

Other Details

Supply List
Notebook/paper and pencil/pen. A handout will be given each class for reference, but printing it is optional.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
4.9
43reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Greetings! My name is Val. I’m an editor, publisher, educator, and, of course, a voracious writer and reader, particularly in the scifi, fantasy, and mainstream genres. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Johnson State, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Spalding University. I have worked in the literary and publishing world for over twenty years in different capacities.
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I have been writing for many years and submitting and publishing for almost as many. My fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in a wide variety of markets, encompassing everything from a long critical essay to a twenty-five-word story. I am a literary editor, specializing in developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and graphic novel editing, with a focus on speculative fiction. I’ve worked with a wide variety of submission managers and contacts, and I also coach authors on how to prepare their work for publication, research appropriate markets, and handle submissions.

My interest in publishing has existed almost as long as I have been writing. While the ‘zine I published and sold as a teen isn’t necessarily the best indicator of my publishing ability, it did spark my love of publishing and provided a foundational base for my current publishing work. I am one of the founding editors, and current seven-year editor in chief, of a thrice-yearly literary magazine. I supervise a staff of over a dozen editors, handle all accounting and design responsibilities, and work with my team to produce a print and PDF issue every January, May, and September. We focus on intersectionality and underrepresented voices in our outreach, and currently pay all contributors. 

My primary nonfiction research and publishing focus has centered around queer fiction, encompassing the history from 1900 to current times, with a focus on how queer literature intersects with queer history and its intersection with other marginalized voices, particularly racial and neurodivergency. My research in this field is ongoing, and I am continually adding to my knowledge base. 

I have taught many forms of creative writing and literature classes over the last fifteen years, with subjects ranging from fiction writing to poetry forms to literature classes, to a wide variety of ages including adult learners and homeschooled teenagers. I have always designed my curriculum, and because of this have extensive experience in being able to modify it to match a learner’s skillset without sacrificing either the quality or quantity of learning. 

All of these experiences have equipped me with the foundation for my classes. In my creative writing series, ranging from one-time to semester length courses, I cover topics including discovering the parts of fiction writing, creating speculative fiction, and learning to write even when a learner feels they do not have the skills. In my poetry classes we study everything from poetic forms to slam poetry, as well as silly forms like the Clerihew. In my queer literature series, we study queer literature and how it intersects with history and other marginalized voices, equipping the learners with not only the literary history, but knowledge of the contemporary history that surrounds it. 

One of my favorite things about teaching is the ah-ha moment when a learner not only comes to an understanding of what we are doing, but also the why. While each class has a set of skills and knowledge for each student to gain, I am keenly aware that all students gain mastery of their skills at different rates, and that there are many different styles of learning. For this reason, I design my classes in a flexible format so that even in sessions where there are a variety of learning styles I can ensure that my learners do not get frustrated, and are able to comprehend and retain the information I am teaching. I offer a variety of courses, including a variety of classes in writing basics, speculative fiction, literary analysis, queer literature, graphic novels, slam poetry, editing, and publishing, as well as the occasional related class. 

I live and breathe the literary world, and I look forward to teaching your learner! 

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$55

for 4 classes
1x per week, 4 weeks
55 min

Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
2-12 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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