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Xereva

Xereva

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History and Purpose

At one point in this forum's distant past, there was a thread called The Academy of Literature. It was badly managed by its many headmasters, fundamentally flawed, and gathered together only a small core group of writers who were willing to put in the time and effort to teach and to learn. But it survived. Raggedly, haltingly, it survived. Through several thread re-makes and five headmasters, it lasted through three years of the Stories forum's worst strife and upheaval, times when guilds were banned and flame wars ran rampant, when the Golden Age, so was it called, was a recent, tangible memory.

The goal of the Academy was a noble one: to provide lessons from the best authors of the forums to all who asked it; to provide honest, complete reviews; and to set a new standard of professionalism and quality for the forum at large. There were sections dedicated to different genres and techniques, classes taught monthly, weekly, daily. It was a tribute to the ability of the will of a community to produce something truly useful and beneficial, and while support lasted, it stood, and produced graduates, and was a beacon of hope in a difficult time.

But with each new headmaster, more and more of the founder's intents were let to fade, and management skills left teachers disorganized and confused. Assignments dwindled, as did students. Though there were revivals aplenty, students taking their chances at positions of power, the Academy had faded to a shadow of its former self, and was lost.

It has been years since there was a true revival. The forums are quieter than they have ever been, though there are still those who write with some consistency, and some of the older members have returned. But it is time. There is interest, there is maturity, and more than that it has been too long since there was something like this.

For now, there is me. In time, there will be others.

17-Jan-2013 02:34:27 - Last edited on 23-Jun-2013 05:12:08 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Table of Contents

1: History and Purpose

2: TOC & Guidelines

3: Personal Introduction

4: Current Assignment

5: Current Assignment (Overflow Reserve)

6: Reserve

7: Student List

8: Student List (Overflow Reserve)

9: Assignment Archive

10: Assignment Archive (Overflow Reserve

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Guidelines

This incarnation of the Academy is different than others at present in that it only has one teacher: me. I hope eventually to be able to bring in more teachers, but it will take at least a couple more weeks before I can determine who's both available and qualified, not that I'm some arbiter of skill myself.

Until such time as other teachers are brought in, assignments will be posted by me on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM EST, to be completed by the following Wednesday at the same time. These will consist of a single instructional post and a single assignment post, the the former with some basic advice and references, the latter with details of the assignment to be completed for that week. Unless otherwise specified, a 'post' means a /full/ post, 1800 characters or more.

Critique will be provided as promptly as I can manage, generally within a day or two of assignment submission. Critiques will be approximately two posts in length, and will touch on both major themes within the assignment and specifics. However, I do have a full-time job, and as such critique may sometimes be delayed by necessity. I will do my best to keep in contact regarding absences.

In the scheme of things, I am barely qualified to teach. Though I have a degree in creative writing, that does not necessarily mean that I am any better than any of the writers on this forum. As such, my critique should always be taken with an equally critical eye. Though I like to think of myself as observant and experienced, I have many shortcomings, and I can be very opinionated. Take care in taking critique.

17-Jan-2013 02:34:40 - Last edited on 23-Jun-2013 05:12:19 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Personal Introduction

I joined the forum in 2006. The stories I wrote were my first writing of any length, though quality was to come later. I learned very quickly that I needed to improve, courtesy of a young British grammarian whose scathing review left me unable to write for a month. But write I did, and often, throughout the many ensuing years—both on the forum and off. I built a world of my own beyond RuneScape, took classes with a New York Times Bestselling author, and learned the depth and complexity of writing as a discipline, where before I had only ever known it as a hobby.

And then I went to college. There, I found some of the most insightful teachers I've ever met, men and women who shaped not only my understanding of my craft but also my views of the world. Anthropology, a means for exploring the world that is around us every day, became my minor—a complement to creative writing, which was my major. I was forced to investigate style and rhythm and the tiniest, most insignificant elements of short stories and novels. Poems, too, which contributed more to my understanding of voice and flow than any novel I've ever read.

The last work of my undergraduate career was my Senior Thesis: Anthropology in an Imagined World | Life in the City of Valari . It was a five-article, 147-page exploration of the capitol city of one empire in the world I'd created, and it touched on everything from markets, to literature, to an annual New Year's Day festival. It took me the whole year, cost me much of my sanity, and took all my strength from me. But it got High Honors, and I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts, Magna C(u)m Laude.

But this history does no justice to who I am. I am a writer, an aspiring author, and despite my occasional laziness I am in love with words. How they fit together, how they sounds. The feelings they evoke. And I want to help others understand that joy, and master it. That is my work, and that is my pride.

17-Jan-2013 02:34:53 - Last edited on 23-Jun-2013 05:11:50 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Lesson for 6.26.13 & 7.3.13 — Magic

If you've read fantasy, or know anything about the genre, you know that there are practically infinite varieties of magic. Sometimes there is no explanation given at all, only strange happenings linked by whispers of mysticism and untold power. Sometimes words are the key to those powers, an ancient language, or a new one only recently uncovered. Sometimes magic is in the earth, in plants and herbs, or strange animals not found in our world.

Regardless, some ways of doing magic work better than others. There are books where the explanations are so convoluted and specific that all of the awe and power is gone, replaced by books full of facts and methods. And there are others where magic is almost a character in its own right, free and almost joyful in its ability to wreak havoc or do good.

The Lord of the Rings is of course a good example, since magic is almost never discussed outright, remaining in the background as a force that guides the world, and only rarely manifests in visible acts as directed by wizards such as Gandalf and Saruman. The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix is another favorite example of mine, where enough detail is given on how magic works to make it an interesting process ('Charter marks' sketched in the air or engraved onto objects, journeying into Death, etc.) but not so much that it removes a sense of wonder at such things being possible.

My personal favorite brand of magic, however, is present in the book A Madness of Angels , by Kate Griffin. To be a sorcerer, one of the more powerful users of magic, one must experience awe: connect with the world, experience it, feel the life present even in the smallest and most insignificant areas, and then use that energy to achieve effects. Despite being described in detail, one has the sense that there is an infinite variety of such effects achievable, and that no book could ever put them all down. I recommend this book very highly.

17-Jan-2013 02:34:57 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2013 22:20:22 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Assignment for 6.26.13 & 7.3.13 — Magic

Put simply, your assignment for this week is to write three full (1800+ characters) posts about a magic that you have not heard or seen described before. It can be a mashup of different takes on it, or something entirely new, something that has not yet been written about. You can go at it from whatever angle you like. Textbook style (though I'd advise against it), a view on someone using it, a teacher talking to his student, it's all fair game.

But the aim of the piece should not be to build up a comprehensive system. I want you to attempt to create a distinct emotion within the reader, whether awe, fear, disgust, or any other. Magic in fantasy writing is too often used for its own sake, as something that is expected of the genre. Thus, many often overlook its potential as a tool for storytelling, and spend countless hours defining meaningless particulars while any connection with the rest of the created world is lost. The disconnect is what frustrates me about so many otherwise decent pieces of fantasy literature: it draws attention to the fact that the world is created.

So what I want you to do is try to blend world and magic so seamlessly that the two seem an integral part of one another, even if the magic is horrifying and jarring. Make it significant, even if it is subtle; just because magic exists in a variety of plant doesn't mean it can't generate powerful emotions within the reader.

Good luck. I'm particularly looking forward to this week's crop of assignments.

17-Jan-2013 02:35:30 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2013 22:14:02 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Student List

1.16.13

1. | Azigarath

2. | Yam42

3. | Zmaster07

4. | Blueflamey

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1.23.13

1. | Zmaster07

2. | iChuk

3. | Azigarath

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6.17.13

1. | DontDespair

2. | iChuk

3. | Arkkataka

4. | Poller5

5. |

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6.26.13 & 7.3.13

1. | Azigarath

2. |

3. |

4. |

5. |

17-Jan-2013 02:35:54 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2013 22:20:42 by Xereva

Xereva

Xereva

Posts: 7,589 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Assignment Archive

1.16.13 - People, Not Characters

- Brief lecture on the nature of characters / people in literature. Learners assigned to fill out a standard Bio Template with the details of a Varrock guard.

1.23.13 - The Thick of Battle

- Brief lecture on the nature of action scenes and how to pay attention to flow, pacing, and internal character details. Learners assigned to write a four-post-minimum action scene featuring a fight between a man and a woman, with at least one blow landed in either direction.

1.30.13 - Speak!

- Brief lecture on dialogue and its purpose in fiction, as well as a few pointers on how to avoid common pitfalls like over-emphasizing realism, copying exactly from life, etc. Learners assigned to write a two-post, dialogue-only scene in which the dynamic between the two speakers passes through the following points, in order: forced friendliness, discomfort, hostility, surprise, shock, relief, and genuine friendliness.

2.6.13 - Sweet Emotion

- Brief lecture on emotions and their history in fiction, followed by some descriptions of common mistakes for new writers and some suggestions regarding the usage of visual language, rather than emotional language, to accurately portray the feelings of characters. Learners assigned to write a three-post scene in which two characters are talking en route to a destination, and both feel very differently about their impending arrival.

6.17.13 - Location, Location, Location

- Brief discussion of evoking feeling and emotion through description of locations, with reference to the works of J. K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, and China Miéville. Emphasis on re-reading favored works for better understanding of technique. Learners assigned to write a three-post scene in which a single location within the city of Varrock is brought to life, whether the entire city or a room.

17-Jan-2013 02:37:39 - Last edited on 23-Jun-2013 05:08:01 by Xereva

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