Eng 520 Final Project Milestone Four: Guidelines And Rubric
Eng 520 Final Project Milestone Four Guidelines And Rubricoverview In
In Module Six, you will submit a draft of your story’s world-building/setting details. These pieces will help to complete the bigger picture as you keep working toward the completion of all story elements in the final project that will come together in a full story plan.
Your world-building/setting details for your story should begin by explaining the place and time in which your story takes place. Why have you chosen this particular place and time for the setting of your story? Also, explain details you have included in your story with regard to the place and time that keeps the setting consistent throughout, including how readers can acknowledge the passage of time as they read toward the resolution.
Furthermore, you should describe how the setting impacts the actual story that you are telling. Why is the setting important to the development of your story and what pieces of your story are dependent upon your choice of setting? Finally, describe the setting archetypes you have chosen to use within your story. Why did you choose these particular archetypes? Review this article on Archetypes for more information about specific archetypes.
Critical Elements to Address
- Place and Time: Describe where and when your story takes place. Why did you choose this particular place and time for the setting of your story?
- Time and Profluence: Explain how readers know the place and time they are reading about at any given point within your story. What narrative profluence techniques will you employ to ensure that your scenes flow together in a forward motion toward the denouement?
- Story Development: Explain how the setting impacts the actual story that you are telling. Why is the setting important to the development of your story? What pieces of your story are dependent upon your choice of setting?
- Archetypes: Describe the setting archetypes you have chosen to use within your story. Why did you choose these particular archetypes?
Guidelines for Submission
Your submission should be approximately 2–4 pages in length with double spacing. Your submission should be divided into four subheadings: Place and Time, Time and Profluence, Story Development, and Archetypes.
Paper For Above instruction
The setting of a story—comprising its geographical place and historical period—serves as the foundational backdrop that shapes the narrative in profound ways. For my story, I have chosen a post-apocalyptic urban setting in the year 2145. This era is characterized by advanced technology intertwined with societal collapse, reflecting themes of resilience and rebirth. I selected this place and time to explore the impact of technological downfall on human relationships and societal structures, aiming to evoke a sense of urgency and hope in the reader.
To ensure readers comprehend the place and time at each stage, I will employ narrative profluence techniques such as recurring references to key environmental features—ruined skyscrapers, overgrown parks—and technological remnants like holographic interfaces. These elements will serve as markers, guiding the reader through the timeline and geography. For instance, the deterioration of city infrastructure over chapters will visually and contextually signal passage of time, while characters’ clothing and speech will reflect evolving societal norms, reinforcing the setting’s stability and changes.
The setting profoundly influences the story’s development. The ruined cityscape creates scenarios of survival and conflict, which would not exist in a rural or modern urban context. The geographic devastation is central to the plot as it limits resources, forcing characters into alliances and conflicts over scarce supplies. The societal collapse shapes character motivations, fears, and hopes. If the setting were different—say, a utopian society—my story’s themes and conflicts would shift dramatically, emphasizing harmony rather than struggle.
Regarding archetypes, I have chosen the "Hero," the "Shunned Old-timer," and the "Innovative Engineer." The Hero embodies resilience and the quest for rebuilding society; the Shunned Old-timer represents wisdom from past eras, often ignored but crucial; and the Innovative Engineer symbolizes technological hope. These archetypes align with my setting’s themes—survival, wisdom, and hope—anchoring character roles in universal patterns that readers recognize and relate to, thereby enhancing engagement and understanding.
In conclusion, the setting is integral not merely as a background but as a dynamic element that influences plot, characters, and themes. Thoughtful portrayal of place and time, supported by clear narrative techniques and archetypal roles, ensures the story’s coherence and emotional impact, making the reader fully immersed in this envisioned world.
References
- Carl Jung, “Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious,” in Collected Works of CG Jung, Princeton University Press, 1981.
- McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. HarperPerennial, 1994.
- Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press, 2008.
- Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. Doubleday, 1951.
- Le Guin, Ursula K. The Dispossessed. Harper & Row, 1974.
- Haraway, Donna. “Speculative Fabulations,” in When Species Meet, University of Minnesota Press, 2008.
- Dyson, Freeman. “Imagining the Future: Science and Science Fiction,” in Science, vol. 221, no. 4613, 1983, pp. 1347–1354.
- Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, 1996.
- Barthes, Roland. Image, Music, Text. Hill and Wang, 1977.
- Nash, Anne E. “Constructing Scapes,” in The Routledge Companion to Literature and Ecology, Routledge, 2017.