Post by waldenwriter on Apr 1, 2010 16:40:19 GMT -5
We are doing a fiction unit in my Creative Writing class right now, and I am doing my stories on a character from a YA time-travel series I've been planning, which I mentioned in this post.
However I have a problem. On the most recent story I got back, the teacher wrote this:
"Reneé -- This is rich with elements of backstory, which makes it welcoming. I'm curious, however, as to the disparity between the concept of Timestream/Future Bending and the somewhat archaic nature of the period we see here. How do you plan to reconcile the future with it?
James"
The thing is, I don't know how to answer his question, and I feel like I have to in order to write a story he'll like. Our next assignment is a 5-7 page story that expands the narrative we've been doing so far, and as a result of being unable to answer my teacher's question, I am blocked.
Basically the character about who I am writing is the Tempea, or Guardian of the Stream of Time. She belongs to a people who live in a world built around the 4th Dimension and are responsible for making sure time stays the way it is and isn't disturbed unless it is necessary. However, in the part of her story that would be the plot of the aforesaid YA series, she is in danger because an evil being named Kharthanos has been sending minions to steal her time stones, which are part of what maintains her power, in hopes of weakening her to the point that she will give him her biggest weapon, the Tempus Sol, with which he could control time itself and wreak great havoc. While trying to fight such a minion, she is seen by a group of kids and their pastor mentor, who save her thanks to the quick thinking of one of the kids, who uses a magnifying glass and sunlight to burn the minion, distracting him long enough for her to be saved. As a reward, and after some consultation, she makes them the TimeSavers, in which role they chase down the minions to try to get her time stones back so she can defeat Kharthanos, which they eventually succeed in doing by traveling back in time to certain points where Kharthanos is trying to change history and stopping him from doing so.
The FutureBending thing the teacher mentions refers to a practice done by this character's people where someone is sent to the future to change the consequences of decisions to prevent people from diverging from their destined path. The character about who I am writing disapproves of this practice, as does her father. But she is persuaded to take on an apprentice in this art, since he has defied all his other teachers, and he dies as a result of taking his final test too early and majorly messing up, which she feels responsible for.
Here are the things I've written so far for this unit, so you can see how the story's been going. Assignment 1 was a timeline for the character, Assignment 2 was a short story introducing the character, and Assignment 3 was a flash fiction piece (which I haven't gotten back from my teacher yet). I've also included my attempt to write the outline out as a narrative (called "Solania's Story"). I have to turn in the next assignment right after spring break, so I need feedback quickly.
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%201.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%202.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%203.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/Solania's%20Story%20(flesh%20out%20of%20Fiction%20Assignment%201%20timeline).docx
However I have a problem. On the most recent story I got back, the teacher wrote this:
"Reneé -- This is rich with elements of backstory, which makes it welcoming. I'm curious, however, as to the disparity between the concept of Timestream/Future Bending and the somewhat archaic nature of the period we see here. How do you plan to reconcile the future with it?
James"
The thing is, I don't know how to answer his question, and I feel like I have to in order to write a story he'll like. Our next assignment is a 5-7 page story that expands the narrative we've been doing so far, and as a result of being unable to answer my teacher's question, I am blocked.
Basically the character about who I am writing is the Tempea, or Guardian of the Stream of Time. She belongs to a people who live in a world built around the 4th Dimension and are responsible for making sure time stays the way it is and isn't disturbed unless it is necessary. However, in the part of her story that would be the plot of the aforesaid YA series, she is in danger because an evil being named Kharthanos has been sending minions to steal her time stones, which are part of what maintains her power, in hopes of weakening her to the point that she will give him her biggest weapon, the Tempus Sol, with which he could control time itself and wreak great havoc. While trying to fight such a minion, she is seen by a group of kids and their pastor mentor, who save her thanks to the quick thinking of one of the kids, who uses a magnifying glass and sunlight to burn the minion, distracting him long enough for her to be saved. As a reward, and after some consultation, she makes them the TimeSavers, in which role they chase down the minions to try to get her time stones back so she can defeat Kharthanos, which they eventually succeed in doing by traveling back in time to certain points where Kharthanos is trying to change history and stopping him from doing so.
The FutureBending thing the teacher mentions refers to a practice done by this character's people where someone is sent to the future to change the consequences of decisions to prevent people from diverging from their destined path. The character about who I am writing disapproves of this practice, as does her father. But she is persuaded to take on an apprentice in this art, since he has defied all his other teachers, and he dies as a result of taking his final test too early and majorly messing up, which she feels responsible for.
Here are the things I've written so far for this unit, so you can see how the story's been going. Assignment 1 was a timeline for the character, Assignment 2 was a short story introducing the character, and Assignment 3 was a flash fiction piece (which I haven't gotten back from my teacher yet). I've also included my attempt to write the outline out as a narrative (called "Solania's Story"). I have to turn in the next assignment right after spring break, so I need feedback quickly.
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%201.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%202.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/LTWR%20325%20Fiction%20Assignment%203.docx
www.reneedlevine.com/docs/Solania's%20Story%20(flesh%20out%20of%20Fiction%20Assignment%201%20timeline).docx
