Announcing the 2011 cover of Dread Machine: Tales from the Void

Sci Fi Students-
Your classmate Safa (Serena) Gobah has done an awesome job creating the cover that will adorn our upcoming magazine. Now all we have to do is fill it up with great stories and interior artwork.

Safa explained how she devised her art:
"I tried to include all the topics we went thru in sci fi...Time (the big orange clock in the back), aliens (the elite halo guy on the bottom left...with energy sword :P), utopia (the magical tree on the right) space (the fake planet on the top right), and apocolypse (everything together i guess)."
For her contribution, Safa has earned some well-deserved extra credit. If any other student is interested in contributing art for the magazine, I would be willing to offer 20 points for Class Participation or turn your lowest Guided Practice grade into 100%. However, this offer expires on May 31.

Short Story Peer Editing

Short stories are coming in! It’s that time of the semester. Your classmates are getting their creative juices flow, but they need your help… and I’m willing to give you extra credit for your assistance. I will grant the following, if and only if, you follow the instructions below:
Extra Credit
You may earn 20 points for Class Participation OR One zero in the Novel Questions category forgiven (changed to 100%)
Here’s what to do:
1. Read one of the posted short stories. Keep in mind that these are rough drafts, not the finished product.
2. Click on the comments section below this post to leave your feedback. Be sure to save a copy of your feedback in a Word document, just in case something happens while you're typing. You should select the Anonymous posting option, but please put your name at the top of the comment box and the title of the story and name of the author you are addressing. Comments with no names will not get the extra credit.
3. Answer the following questions. Be as specific as possible so that your classmate can get the best advantage from your advice. Be constructive. If you don’t like something in a story, explain how you might have handled it or offer suggestions to correct.

a. What aspect of the story did you enjoy most? Explain why.
b. Were the characters well-developed and/or likable? Why or why not?
c. Is the premise of the story plausible? In other words, is the story believable and does it work within the rules the writer has set?
d. What aspect of the story do you think could be improved? Why?

Designing an Alien