Creative Writing

Science Fiction was the title of a workshop at the Carl-Schurz-Haus. Although Red Baron is not an aficionado of science fiction, he nevertheless takes any opportunity to improve his writing skills and registered for the event.

The workshop was hosted by charming Holly-Jane Rahlens, a born New Yorker now living in Berlin. She has been working in radio, television, and film and is also writing fiction for readers of all ages. She is the author of several books.

Holly-Jane Rahlens lecturing at the Carl-Schurz-Haus

In fact, the Creative Writing Workshop was intended for teachers. The host told her audience that science fiction is a perfect medium for developing your students' writing potential: World-building, critical to the effectiveness of stories about imagined tomorrows, is essential in mastering creative writing as a practical art form.

Well roar'd Lioness, although I would regard word-building as tricky for writers whose mother tongue is not English.

My first question was whether the movie's script, "The Day After Tomorrow," could be real or whether it was pure science fiction. Holly-Janes's reply was that a good story must come from the heart and entertain. That is the most important.

I insisted on asking, "Is science knowledge necessary or detrimental when writing science fiction?" Although supported by a lady, a biochemist in the audience, the question remained unanswered. I understood that in fiction, a different physics is possible ... on another planet.

Holly-Janes spoke about her new book "Infinitissimo - The Man Who Fell Through Time," playing in the alternative world of a GGG (General Global Government) in 2264. "While writing, she intuitively builds her new world just following a road map but stopping at various landmarks," she said.

Time was too short to challenge the workshop participants with a lengthy exercise, so in the end, we were invited to write a Haiku about some fictitious future. Here comes my imperfect contribution:

All CO₂ is in the air,
A cheese cover on Mother Earth.
Mother, help your children!

Instead of the required 5, 7, and 5 syllable sequences, I verbosely used 6, 8, and 6. Not too bad for my first Haiku.

Thank you, Holly-Jane, for a pleasant afternoon with so many valuable stimuli.

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