%title Friday — Critical Reading

* Intro
    * Intro self (incl "this is for MFA" spiel)
    * Allow others to intro
* Ice breaker: What is your least favorite part of your favorite movie?
* Lead into what is a text:
    * Books/writing, yes, but also anything that tells a story --- film, games, etc
    * Thus, what is critical reading?
* Intentional engagement with a text, especially WRT the self:
    * Back to ice breaker: how do you intentionally engage with your favorite film?
    * How do we intentionally engage with a text in furry?
        * What do we like in a furry text?
        * What *don't* we like?
        * Notably, not asking what makes a text furry --- that we are furries is what enables us to read in that context
        * Thus, how do we engage with a text that *we* feel is furry *as* furries?
* What goes into critical reading?
    * Layers:
        * Mechanical: presentation, word choice, language usage, writing style, etc
        * Subjective: emotional impact, plot effectiveness, description, evocativeness
    * "7 Trips Through the Score" --- may n ot need that many, but multiple (or at least slow) reading can let us focus on one layer at a time
* Reading exercise:
    * Pick 1 of these 2 categories to pay attention to first and read, then read for the second
    * Critique tomorrow, but preview: we're not tearing a text apart, we're asking it questions:
        * How did we feel the plot worked? Was there a structure? Could we follow it?
        * What was told? What was left out? How did (not) knowing make us feel?
        * What type of language usage was there? Word choice? Style usage?
        * How about emotional impact? Was the story impactful? Did the mechanics help or hiinder?
        * Was it evocative? How did the furry elements play into it? Did you want to learn more? Was it engaging?
    * Be ready to summarize
    * (~10 minutes to read)
    * Someone summarize
    * Talk through each
    * Talk through how the exercise felt:
        * Was it useful? Tiring? Enjoyable?
* Tomorrow, we'll go through critiquing writing and actually workshop a piece --- one of mine that has already been workshopped and published, so it's just an example of critiquing for a present author without putting anyone on the spot
* Do you want optional homework for Sunday?
    * Write a short ~500 word snippet (or offer one already written) to go through a gentle workshopping
    * While writing, think about what we talked through today
    * Email to me, I'll put it online for all to read in the workshop
    * Will be asking how it felt/etc