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Ok, people – I have an idea. Now, don’t get all nervous or flee screaming from this thread just yet. Bear with me, now..
I was thinking that every one here is a SFF reader and someone who is seeking to create a work in that genre (which includes all speculative fiction.)
I’m proposing we start a Book Club devoted to SFF. Now, of course, I’m open to suggestions but this is how I’d see it working:
The main gist of it is that we’d choose a Book of the Month (or Week or whatever if we see ourselves burning through discussions quickly.) Then we discuss it – as readers and lovers of the genre, but even more importantly – as writers.
We (or a mod) would start a recommendation thread two months before the target month, where everybody who’s interested in participating and improving their writing would post their choice for the coming month’s book selection. We would let people post their choices, second others or give any input they like, for three weeks.
Then the final week we post a poll and everybody votes on the target month’s book selection. If someone’s book isn’t chosen, there are always other months. Plus, each person can and most likely will posit their views on why such a book would be a good book to select and study etc.
Then we have a month before the target month to get the book - either from a store, online, a library, you can borrow it or steal it or even just pluck it down from your bookshelf, whatever – and read it.
Then when the target month arrives, we begin discussing it.
We can discuss it as readers and describe why we liked it/disliked it, sped through it/couldn’t finish it etc.
But even more importantly, I feel, we can dissect it as writers.
Discuss the opening and why and how it worked/or didn’t:
What was the hook and where was it inserted?
How far in did you get before you said, “Ooooo!”
Was there a lot of description? Backstory?
Was there a prologue?
Did the author start in media res?
How many pages until the story really got rolling?
Discuss the characters and why they were compelling/or not:
How did the author get us to like them, care about the, follow them. Why were they so enjoyable and believable? What did we like about them?
Who were your favorite ones and why?
How did the author screw it up? Why were they one-dimensional or clichéd? Why were they annoying?
Discuss the style:
How did the authors writing affect you – did you like it or not? How important was style in your enjoyment of the book?
Was it a flowery style? Descriptive? Unique? Invisible? Did it suit the story? Enhance or detract from it?
Discuss the premise/story/plot itself:
What did you like about it?
Was it new and innovative?
Clichéd and derivative?
A fresh perspective on a tried and true trope?
Or a tired rehashing of the same old, same old?
Was it a quest or some other standard plotline? And if so, how was it made enjoyable? How did it defy the stereotypes and clichés? Or how did it perpetuate them?
Discuss the setting/worldbuilding:
Was the world a part of the allure?
Was it original?
Was there a lot of worldbuilding? Was there enough or too much for your tastes?
How important was it to the story?
And so we would go. The possibilities are endless. I think by discussing and dissecting an actual book (and I’d like to see classics as well as some of the newly published and very popular series going around right now) we could take away a lot of practical lessons that can be used in our own writing.
I was thinking that every one here is a SFF reader and someone who is seeking to create a work in that genre (which includes all speculative fiction.)
I’m proposing we start a Book Club devoted to SFF. Now, of course, I’m open to suggestions but this is how I’d see it working:
The main gist of it is that we’d choose a Book of the Month (or Week or whatever if we see ourselves burning through discussions quickly.) Then we discuss it – as readers and lovers of the genre, but even more importantly – as writers.
We (or a mod) would start a recommendation thread two months before the target month, where everybody who’s interested in participating and improving their writing would post their choice for the coming month’s book selection. We would let people post their choices, second others or give any input they like, for three weeks.
Then the final week we post a poll and everybody votes on the target month’s book selection. If someone’s book isn’t chosen, there are always other months. Plus, each person can and most likely will posit their views on why such a book would be a good book to select and study etc.
Then we have a month before the target month to get the book - either from a store, online, a library, you can borrow it or steal it or even just pluck it down from your bookshelf, whatever – and read it.
Then when the target month arrives, we begin discussing it.
We can discuss it as readers and describe why we liked it/disliked it, sped through it/couldn’t finish it etc.
But even more importantly, I feel, we can dissect it as writers.
Discuss the opening and why and how it worked/or didn’t:
What was the hook and where was it inserted?
How far in did you get before you said, “Ooooo!”
Was there a lot of description? Backstory?
Was there a prologue?
Did the author start in media res?
How many pages until the story really got rolling?
Discuss the characters and why they were compelling/or not:
How did the author get us to like them, care about the, follow them. Why were they so enjoyable and believable? What did we like about them?
Who were your favorite ones and why?
How did the author screw it up? Why were they one-dimensional or clichéd? Why were they annoying?
Discuss the style:
How did the authors writing affect you – did you like it or not? How important was style in your enjoyment of the book?
Was it a flowery style? Descriptive? Unique? Invisible? Did it suit the story? Enhance or detract from it?
Discuss the premise/story/plot itself:
What did you like about it?
Was it new and innovative?
Clichéd and derivative?
A fresh perspective on a tried and true trope?
Or a tired rehashing of the same old, same old?
Was it a quest or some other standard plotline? And if so, how was it made enjoyable? How did it defy the stereotypes and clichés? Or how did it perpetuate them?
Discuss the setting/worldbuilding:
Was the world a part of the allure?
Was it original?
Was there a lot of worldbuilding? Was there enough or too much for your tastes?
How important was it to the story?
And so we would go. The possibilities are endless. I think by discussing and dissecting an actual book (and I’d like to see classics as well as some of the newly published and very popular series going around right now) we could take away a lot of practical lessons that can be used in our own writing.
