Machine Project

his FAQ refers to this class.

=General Questions=

Online creative writing classes! How do they work?

A lot like a regular class, except entirely disembodied. Students will participate online through threaded discussions and blog posts, and get to share ideas, discuss readings, and provide and receive feedback on original soon-to-be-masterworks.

What are the dates of the class? How long does it run?

The class runs from February 7th to April 17th, 2011, a total of 10 weeks in total.

What can you tell me about the instructor?

Mark von Schlegell is a science fiction novelist, theorist and critic. His first novel Venusia was honor’s listed for the James Tiptree, Jr. prize in science fiction. He holds a ph. D. in English and American Literature from NYU. Mark is a freelance writer specializing in experimental science fiction; he regularly publishes sci fi, essays and odd combinations of the two, in Europe and Germany, in particular.

How much does it cost?

The class is $160 for non-members, $140 for members.

=Format Questions=

What will the format of the class look like?

The first half of the class will be an open-ended discussion, where students will have an assigned and recommended reading and discuss that reading in an online forum. Additionally, there will be “lectures” in the form of blog posts to help guide the discussion and stimulate practical ideas for the writer. The second half of the class will take the form of a more traditional creative writing workshop; students will submit a short story, novel excerpt, or other creative piece to the rest of the class according to a pre-established schedule, and the entire class will respond to each student’s piece, offering feedback and responses and recommending related reading.

How many students will be in the class?

There will be a maximum of twelve students.

How much feedback will I receive?

Lots. In the first half of the class, you’ll be part of an ongoing discussion on topics related to the class and will be able to throw out your ideas as part of that discussion. In the second half of class, you’ll have an opportunity to workshop one creative piece, (and post more). You can expect to receive detailed, thoughtful feedback on that piece from your instructor as well as the other students in the class.

Do I need to be online at a specific time & day?

Not at all! The class will be asynchronous, which means that no one will be required to be online at any specific time throughout the class. Responses and assignments will be due at a set time (e.g., “Saturday by midnight”), but it’ll be up to you when you want to post those responses, so long as they’re up by the deadline. We expect threads of conversation will be maintained throughout the semester.

What if I’m in a totally different time zone and/or country?

It’s totally cool—as long as you have internet, you can be online whenever it’s easy/convenient for you. Since the class is asynchronous, your location and time zone doesn’t matter.

How much work should I plan on doing each week?

In the first half of the class novella-length texts will be required reading most weeks and it’s up to you how much you expand beyond that. The class will work best if everyone has read most, if not all, of the assigned reading, and has enough time to formulate thoughts and ideas about them in general, so that they can contribute to the group project as a whole.

In the second half of the class, reading will continue according to individual needs. 2-4 Participants’ manuscripts will be presented weekly and these will be required reading.

Throughout all of this you will be expected to contribute comments, ideas and questions to the instructor and one another.

Will I get a grade?

Do you want one?

=Tech Questions=

How will I get access to the class?

After you enroll in the class, you’ll be given the super-secret address to the webpage, along with a super secret login and password.

What kind of technical requirements do I need?

All you need is a relatively stable web connection; even dial-up will work. But seriously, who has dial-up anymore?

=Other Questions=

I love this idea, but I hate science fiction. Will you be doing other classes in the future?

Fool! Yes! If this goes well, we’re planning on offering other creative writing classes on other topics in the future. Like poetry! If you’re interested in these, let us know!

I love science fiction, but I’ll be in Antartica in January. Will you ever do this again?

Yes! If this goes well, we’ll likely offer it again. If you’re interested in taking the science fiction class but can’t do it this time around, let us know! (We should add that the Antarctic will be a major locus of attention in this class…)