ENG 152 Creative Writing- Writing with Attention, Spring 2004
Instructor- Pauline Escudero Shafer
Office Hours- 10:15-11 am and By arrangement M-F
Phone- 206-587-2036
Email- PEscudero@sccd.ctc.edu

Science Fiction Assignment: Your World

June 3, 2004

In this exercise you will create a world for yourself to occupy or if not you then a pseudo-you... a character that will act for you or be acted by you.

First generate a list of what you do not like about this world that you could change if you could.

Then choose three of these and imagine a world that contains the opposite. So for example, if you do not like the existence of racism in our world, picture a world without racism.

Now for each of the three write about what makes it so in Your World. With the racism example, why is it that there is no racism in Your World? Is it because everyone is the same? The whole world is composed of people or beings with the same colored hair, skin, etc? Or is it due to laws that prevent racial stratification?

You don't have to at this point go into it too heavily, just jot down some initial ideas of why and how it is so.

Next generate a list of what distinguishes your world from earth today. Is Your World actually set on Earth, but an Earth, a Seattle even, that is set 50 years in the future? 100 years? 500? Has there been some sort ecological disaster like we assume happened with the Earth of Blade Runner? Or perhaps Your World is different because it an Earth set 100 years in the future and there are no gas powered energy sources are still available. Consequently, there is less pollution. In the West Coast of Ecotopia they no longer use autos, instead different power means, ones that operate by and within a sustainable world vision, are used, including horse and buggy.

Is Your World distinguished from Earth because it is not Earth? Maybe Your World is a planet 10,000 light years from Earth and 500 years in the future.

Now, select some of the questions from the list created by Sharon Caseburg, and answer them.

• Is the New World predominantly like the one we currently live in? Is it different? How is it different?
• What is the environment like on your New World? Is the air quality good? Is the air polluted? Is there an Ozone layer? Do civilizations live in protected environments? How are these environments constructed? How are these environments controlled?
• Is there water on your world?
• How does the sun rise? How does it set? In fact, is there a sun?
• What are the life-sustaining factors of your world?
• What is the nature of your society? For example, is it predominantly agrarian or is it technological? Is it modeled after a real civilization that once lived on this earth? If it is, research everything you can about that civilization. It will help you decide what is similar and what is different. If the world is technological, to what degree?
• Is your world contemporary, futuristic or alternatively historical? If it is futuristic, is it far-futuristic or near-futuristic.
• What year does your story take place in?
• What calendar does your civilization observe? In fact does it even observe a calendar?
• What seasons exist in the realm?
• What is the plant life like in your realm? In fact is there any plant life?
• What is the style of clothing worn?
• What currencies are used?
• What mode of transportation is used? If you are inventing one, how does it function? Is it petrol powered? Solar powered? Powered by another source? Describe the source in detail.
• Does the military exist in your world? How is the military structured?
• What is the hierarchy in the elected officials of the realm? Are there elected officials in the realm? Is it a monarchy? A democracy? Do elders exist in the community? What role do they play? Is there a hierarchy that is adhered to with these individuals?
• If you are inventing new races of life forms, be prepared to make detailed notes about their societies as well.
• How do people communicate with each other? Is communication verbal?
• Are there computers on the world? Are they the same as here?
• Do people read and write?
• Does telepathy exist?
• What is the same in the New World as in this world?
• What is different?
• How do people celebrate?
• How do people grieve?
• How are the young in society treated?
• How are the elderly in society treated?
• What is the average life span of your characters?
• What is the diet on your New World?

Now, I would like you to imagine what You are doing in Your World. Are you just a visitor to this world? Or have you grown up there? What kind of work do you do? Do you plan to do?

Do a brief write up of 1 to 2 pages of what Your World is like and who you are in it. Then I would like you to choose some social issue that you is currently in operation in our current society, some issue you see as leading to unhappiness. Now, write about that issue occurring on Your World. Is there any conflict that naturally presents itself to you? For example, if Your World is a lush, tropical planet that exists light years away and yet humans have mastered space travel enough to go there.

 

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