In part 2 of the 2020 R-SPEC Writing Series, we will look at bending (and breaking) the supposedly tried-and-true formulas and tropes found in speculative fiction. Just because “it’s been done before” doesn’t mean you can’t breathe new life into zombies, death rays, enchanted swords, talking dragons, ancient aliens, telepathic dolphins, waking up in a morgue, deflector shields, faeries, artificial gravity, FTL starships, and Babel fishes – just to touch on a dozen tropes at once.
We’ll discuss how to subvert these tropes (and many others) to help you create stories that will be engaging and interesting to your readers.
Writing exercises will be presented, so please bring paper and a stylus or, if you’re being tropey, bring your PADD.
Prework assignment:Bring one or more examples of a speculative fiction formula or trope that has been bent, broken, or subverted in ways that made the story, novel, TV show, movie, or game much more interesting.
Moderator: Alan Vincent Michaels
Location: Barnes & Noble, Pittsford
Meeting Time:March 3, 2020 from 6:45 – 8:45 p.m.
| Attachment | Size |
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| rspec_2020_03_flyer.pdf | 719.75 KB |
| r-spec_2020_03_breaking_formula_subverting_trope.pdf | 815.19 KB |
