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Paranormal Romance * Romantic Suspense * SF Romance *SF Adventure Home * About Marilynn * Books * Articles * Short Stories *Workshops |
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Magic, Monsters and Amour:
Creating a Believable Paranormal World
Are vampires, fairies, and space aliens real? If you create the right background for your novel, they will be to your reader. Marilyn Byerly, lauded by reviewers for "building a world that combines both integrity and depth in an entertaining way," shows you how to develop a fantasy, science fiction, or paranormal world from scratch...how to invent creatures to populate it...and how to make your novel utterly believable. She'll teach you the ins and outs of research, fresh ways to use creatures like vampires, and the means to avoid various traps many authors have fallen into.
Topics include:
* The three methods of world-building--their advantages and disadvantages * World-building questions and resources * What not to do in building your world * How to create the perfect alien or magical character * Putting your world-building on the page * Avoiding SF hazards, magic messes, and info dumping
COURSE SYLLABUS
WEEK ONE
What goes into creating magical worlds, future planets, monsters and aliens.
The three methods of worldbuilding--their advantages and disadvantages.
Questions: Ask Marilynn questions on the group listserv or privately.
WEEK TWO
Worldbuilding questions and resources to build the perfect science fiction or fantasy world.
Questions: Ask Marilynn questions on the group listserv or privately.
WEEK THREE How to organize your worldbuilding information.
What not to do in building your world-- kitchen sink worldbuilding, world borrowing, and genre mixing.
How to work around these problems.
Questions: Ask Marilynn questions on the group listserv or privately.
WEEK FOUR
Building the perfect alien or magical character. A detailed discussion of ghosts, aliens, psychics, witches, vampires, etc.
Putting your worldbuilding on the page: A detailed discussion of the amount of detail needed in various types of novels, flaws in scene logic, and the creation of a fresh version of a vampire and other overused monsters.
How to avoid science fiction hazards, magic messes, and info dumping.
A detailed examination of how Marilynn created a complete fantasy world.
Questions: Ask Marilynn questions on the group listserv or privately. Marilynn's Teaching Biography: Marilynn Byerly's two passions are writing and teaching. With a BA and MA in English with an emphasis on fictional structure and literary analysis, she has taught writing, judged numerous national and regional writing contests, reviewed books, and written articles on writing which have appeared in trade publications, national magazines, and writing websites. Her articles have also been used as part of the course work for writing and publishing programs at major universities. Her romance, fantasy, and suspense novels have won major awards including the National Readers Choice Award, the Sapphire, and the Write Touch.
What qualifies Marilynn to teach this course? Romance Reviews Today has said of her, "Building a world that combines both integrity and depth in a believable and entertaining way is a trademark of Ms. Byerly."
Marilynn's Online Writing Workshops
Writing the First Chapter: How to pull the reader into your novel in the first chapter and keep her wanting to read more.
The Big Question: How to Create a Powerful Novel from a Few Ideas and One Big Question
Writing in the Moment: How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.
The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions How to write a blurb -- that pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel. |
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