Adventure Fiction Project

First things first. Please sign up for a chapter to summarize and examine/present to the class from The Epic of Gilgamesh. Next class, be prepared to summarize the plot of that chapter (you can use a graphic organizer, if you'd like to create a mind-map), analyze the adventure genre aspects/tropes you recognize, and suggest a story premise based on or alluding to a key event. We will share our findings with the rest of the class.

Genre writing can be a lot of fun (or cause those of you who are realists a lot of stress). Consider what you like to write and try to incorporate the adventure genre into that, since adventure and suspense can utilize any other genre: science fiction, romance, horror, mystery, western, war, urban, historical fiction, chick lit, children's lit, gothic, or travel memoir, etc.

But if you need an extra push, here are a few sub genres of the style:

• Robinsonades: from Daniel Defoe's famous novel Robinson Crusoe, this is a type of adventure story that deals with the survival of its protagonist. Good contemporary examples are Into the Wild, Kon Tiki, and even The Glass Castle.
• Picaresque: Having its origins in Medieval Spanish lit, the picaresque is all about the journey. A protagonist has "life adventures" and meets interesting people along the way, without the overt danger or life versus death trope found in many action stories. Often the protagonist is an anti-hero (a common person just like you and me: people who have no heroic qualities to recommend them) who mingles with a variety of other people (usually, at least in the traditional sense, people from a lower social caste or people from a different culture). The tone of the picaresque is light and sometimes humorous. Jerome K. Jerome's comic novel Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) and The Good Companions by J.B. Priestly are good examples. So is Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster series or the Rumpole books by John Mortimer.
• War and Combat: Just like Sunrise Over Fallujah, any story that involves the conflict of war and its effects can be an adventure story. Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, All Quiet on the Western Front, even Ender's Game. This one lends itself nicely to mixing with other genres: even zombie fiction!
• Character based Action: From James Bond to Doc Savage, many of the pulp writers (and those that were influenced by them) continue to write adventure series for a specific character. From Conan the Barbarian to Robert Ludlam's Bourne character, from Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter, these are usually a recurrent character or protagonist and his/her adventures.

Where to start:

1. Pick a Genre: what genre(s) will your story borrow its tropes and archetypes from? 

2. Pick and Design Settings: What time period or location will your story be set in? (The Arabian desert, the Bermuda Triangle, Deepest Darkest Africa, in the Alaskan wilderness, etc.) The important thing is to pick places that can cause problems or trouble for your protagonist (weather related, politics, environment, etc.) 

3. Create characters: introduce a protagonist that is likeable. No one cares if someone we hate is in danger. We like The Hobbit, for example, because Bilbo's a nice guy--er--hobbit. Protagonists are usually tough, resilient, or clever, but remember that realistic characters (i.e., compelling characters) have weaknesses or flaws. Girl character's rock now-a-days and can be just as sure-of-themselves and tough as the cliched guy from the 1930's to the 1950's. 

4. While you're creating a protagonist, go ahead and think about an antagonist. Design him or her or it too. Remember a suitable antagonist is just as clever, strong, and resilient as the hero. Antagonists don't have to be human. 

5. Other character types can be thought of at this stage too, although you can always throw one or two in later. Common adventure types are: the companion, the wise teacher/guru/advisor, etc., the cocky shadow character of your protagonist, the innocent or hapless victim, etc. Brainstorm a cast of characters before you begin writing.

Working alone or in collaborative pairs, create and design an adventure story. Yes, you can choose a film script, if you'd like. Those of you with the know-how and interest might choose Interactive Fiction programs and write an adventure text-based online game. Consider programs like: INFORM or VERSU. If anyone knows of a better system, please let me know.

Start your plot with a bang. Give us an introduction that takes the reader straight into the action--something that starts the clock ticking, like in the TV series 24. Remember to use the time-lock from your playwriting days. Good stuff.

At some point, throw in a subplot. This is helpful to use as a foil to the main plot, and to provide the opportunity for suspense. When things look dark for our hero, cut to a different scene without resolving the problem. Writing gold!

You can find some advice and additional help here at this website. Or here.

HOMEWORK: Complete Gilgamesh. Analyze and prepare summary and analysis for sharing next class (Feb. 4).