Taylor-4

Lesson Plan for Quick-Crit Seminar

Lesson Objective:

Learn more effective ways to identify issues, strengths, and major flaws in drafts in a timely and efficient manner.

Introduction

  • Welcome to the workshop
  • Explain the focus of the workshop

Part 1 - Identifying Quick-Crit Drafts

  • Quick-crit is most often going to be concept-crit
  • Not every draft can be given a quick-crit
  • New authors are more likely to be eligible for quick-crit but this is not a given.
  • Identifying key things that make a draft eligible for quick-crit (must be heavily prominent in the draft
    • For SCPs:
      • major anomaly clichés
      • incorrect formatting (if not meant to be a format screw)
      • mass SPaG errors
      • very short draft
      • no narrative
      • etc
    • For tales:
      • mass SPaG errors
      • bad dialogue
      • very short draft
      • heavy with plotholes
      • boring
      • two-dimensional characters

Part 2 - Giving Critique

  • Always show the author you read the draft
    • Pull 3-5 specific examples of glaring flaws in the draft and explain
      • Pull examples of different problems
  • Go over main problem
    • Usually going to be the concept when doing quick-crit for SCPs
    • Usually going to be the story/characters
  • Explain why the problem brings the draft down
  • Link to resources such as guides and essays
  • Link to recent site articles that the draft reminds you of (if applicable)
  • Wish the author luck - makes them feel good

Part 3 - Examples

  • Bring examples of drafts recently critted by me that fit the criteria
    • Bring 2 or 3 drafts, more likely 2
    • Copy the drafts to pastebin or another sandbox page to keep the author's identity anonymous
  • Have attendees pull examples of what they would list as major flaws
  • Go over conceptual flaws together
  • Ask attendees how they would word the critique
  • Offer tips and help throughout

Conclusion

  • Reiterate discussed topics
  • Take questions
  • Assure attendees they can come to you for help and questions after seminar and in future
  • Wish luck

Lesson Plan for Nitpick/Line-by-line Critique Seminar

Lesson Objective:

Learn how to more effectively identify and point out smaller issues and suggesting revisions that will benefit the direction and overall quality of a draft in grammatical, spelling, story elements.

Introduction

  • Welcome to the workshop
  • Explain how the last workshop went and its purpose
  • Explain purpose of current worksop

Part 1 - Identifying drafts eligible for nitpick and line-by-line critique

  • Veteran authors are more likely to be eligible for nitpick/line-by-line critique but this is not a given.
  • Drafts/threads with multiple revisions based on critique given are much more likely to be eligible.
  • Key features of drafts ready for this level of crit (not all will apply to every draft eligible)
    • Solid formatting structure
    • Engaging story
    • Interesting/unique anomaly
    • Tight story structure
    • Article is evidently well thought out
  • What kinds of drafts are not eligible?

Part 2 - Giving Critique

  • Bring 1 or 2 (probably 2) nitpick-worthy drafts to use as examples throughout lesson
  • Containment Procedures
    • Is everything 100% necessary?
      • Unnecessary things may include specific measurements, general 'givens' (things will be fed, given water, etc)
    • Don't need to spell out every little detail - just unique and interesting things
    • Recurring errors do not need to be mentioned every time, but tell the author they are recurring
    • Fluff text
      • 'To ensure safety', 'as per standard protocol', 'for extra measure', etc
    • Redacted or blacked-out information
  • Description
    • Say exactly what it is
      • no need to say 'appears to be' or similar if it is that
    • clinical tone
    • descriptive enough? not enough?
    • humanoids - ability or anomaly?
  • Addenda
    • Interviews
      • Dialogue realistic? Sound natural?
    • Do they serve a purpose?
      • Fluff information is unneeded
      • Drive the story?

Conclusion

  • Reiterate discussed topics
  • Take questions
  • Assure attendees they can come to you for help and questions after seminar and in future
  • Wish luck

Lesson Plan for Concept-Crit/Brainstorming Seminar

Lesson Objective:

Learn how to identify workable and non-workable ideas in an effective manner as well as learn how to brainstorm/critique ideas in a civil and helpful way

Part 1 - What makes an idea vs a concept?

  • Not a solid definition
    • Ideas are short and less fleshed out
      • Shorter, lots of holes, needs tons of work in order to be original
    • Concepts are usually thought out and ready for critique
      • might be more original, might not be - usually has a story involved, is well fleshed out or needs minor adjustments

Part 2 - Fleshing Out

  • Identify issues
    • No story?
    • Anomaly is weak?
    • What could be added? (Story, characters, what might be a good thing to focus on)
    • How to make things more interesting
    • Realizing what is unique and what is not
    • DON'T HIJACK THE IDEA
      • Try to ADD to the idea, not change it. If you're changing it, change minutely.

Part 3 - Common Problem Ideas

  • Essentially just cliche ideas

Lesson Plan for Tales/GoI Critique Seminar

Part 1 - Identifying Tale and GoI drafts and their traits

  • Tales can come in various formats
    • short story, poem, prose, script, etc
  • GoI formats are usually able to be identified easily
    • Should you critique a GoI formatted article if you do not know much about that GoI?
        • No if it is reasonably well written in terms of basic things such as grammar and spelling and concept
        • Yes if it is lacking in basic things such as SPaG and concept

Part 2 - Tales

  • Bring 1 or 2 (probably 2, one longish and one short) drafts for examples
  • Determine the amount of effort needed to crit
  • Overall: do you understand the format?
    • Deciding on quick-crit:
      • does it flow well?
      • is the story clear?
      • SPaG errors constant/consistent?
  • Deciding on in-depth:
    • Characters
      • story/narrative usually takes place around the characters
      • important to the overall piece
      • believable? feel real?

Tales: Based off of this essay.

  • Determining the amount of effort
    • Similar to SCPs
    • Additionally read one section out loud to check for the flow of the prose
  • In Depth Critique Questions
    • Are the characters well developed?
    • Is the plot structured in such a way as to aid the development of the characters while properly building to the climax?
    • Are the character arcs meaningfully conveyed?

Part 3 -

  • Bring in Nico's GoI Formats
  • WWS, AWCY?, Serpent's Hand, MC&D
  • Discuss themes for GoIs

Lesson Plan for Review Workshop