Writing Across Cultures

Please check out Mr. Bodensteiner's blog for the agenda and specific details. HOMEWORK: Check out the Gabriel Garcia Marquez link and learn at least 3 things about this guy that you find interesting or important. Hand in your 3 items next class.

Please refer to Mr. Bodensteiner's blog for today's agenda. In any case, good luck with Senior Exit Interviews and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Your portfolios are due Nov. 28. Please prepare them. HOMEWORK: Portfolio (and anything else Mr. Bodensteiner wishes you to complete)

Magical Realism qualities/features: Fantastic elements juxtaposed with reality or ordinary life Dream-like events/sequences A sense of infinity. Stories play with cause and effect (plot), or time. Often there is a chronological disruption reflecting infinity. Stories and/characters have a quality of the carnival-esque Characters often don't react or notice supernatural events (they often don't question why something happens, but dwell on minute details). This lack of shock therefore transfers to the reader Stories often have the quality of metafiction (rules of fiction are broken or self referenced) Stories often include irony and symbolism Metaphor is often made literal Stories often have complex, labyrinthine plots Ordinary life becomes "special" or "extraordinary" by defamiliarizing reality Themes include: solitude, borders, change/transformation and are a mix of reality and fantasy

Please refer to Mr. Bodensteiner's blog for agenda items. HOMEWORK: Continue to work on your portfolios.

Please check Mr. Bodensteiner's blog at writingacrossculturessota.blogspot.com . While he is teaching the class, please refer to this website for our class notes and agenda. REMINDER: Your portfolio (with your television script and horror/mystery/suspense story) is due Nov. 28. Information about Jorges Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar can be found here. Borges interview video (subtitled). HOMEWORK: Please read Cortazar's Continuity of Parks .

Reminder:  keep writing your tv script (due with portfolio on Nov. 28) After today's class, you are free to write a mystery/suspense or horror story. You may have already done this. Today, Mr. Bodensteiner will take over the class. We are beginning our foray into World Literature, starting with South America and Magical Realism. HOMEWORK: Work on portfolio, Read: A Yellow Flower by Julio Cortazar.

Horror Writing Tips Horror used to be a big market in publishing. It's died off in the past few years (pun intended), but still has a loyal readership. The Vampire novel, for example, still rises again and again to the best seller list. Most horror readers are guys and/or adolescents. Girls tend to like paranormal, which is an off-shoot of the genre (often involving sparkling vampires and soft-core sex scenes or romance). Horror readers want to experience the fast-pulsed fear and adrenaline that goes with a good scare. If you fail to provide this, you might as well have written a cook-book.  1. Setting and strong characters are essential. Much of a horror story is atmosphere created by careful diction (word choice) and texture (details). Imagery plays a strong role here, although the writing shouldn't be too literary. 2. Your protagonist should be facing an appropriate and equally strong, if not stronger, antagonist. If the monster or threat does not overpower your p...

Our first coffeehouse presentation is tonight at 7:00. All are welcome to come and read. Refreshments and coffee, of course, will be served. Bring your friends and family. Use the lab today to work on your tv scripts. Focus and write. Don't waste time. HOMEWORK/PORTFOLIO: Read the articles "No Bones About It: How to Write Horror" and "Creating a Character for Horror" as handouts. Use this excellent writing advice to create a horror/suspense story for your portfolio. Portfolios are due Nov. 28.