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Steampunk

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An off-hand comment from a friend triggered an idea for a new novel.  I wrote the first chapter and realized, upon its completion, that this novel needed to be steampunk.  The only problem was that I’d never read any steampunk and had no idea exactly what it was.  I asked for recommendations, then read the first three books I could find at the local library.

  • Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters.  I read this one first, and it was not a good one to start with.  The author just threw us into the world (Whitechapel district of London) without any explanation as to setting or reasoning behind it.  I felt like I was reading a sequel.  And I completely didn’t understand the whole Grandfather Clock/Mama Engine/John Scared final battle.  Actually, I didn’t understand most of the book.
  • Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.  Attempt two was slightly better.  The novel took place in zombie-filled Seattle around 1870.  The character development was lower than I like, but at least I understood it.
  • The Affinity Bridge by George Mann.  This was the best of the three.  It combined Victorian London and lots of gears (Whitechapel Gods) with airships and zombies (Boneshaker).  The writing quality was not the best, but it was a quick, fun read.  And I hear people like that sort of thing.  :)

So between those three and classic steampunk written by HG Wells and Jules Verne, I think I have a basic understanding of the genre.  It’s technology envisioned by the Victorian era:

  • Lots of gears, airships, automatons, and stuff made out of brass.
  • Everything is powered by steam (hence the name, steampunk).  Electricity seems to be okay as long as it just powers lights. No gas engines allowed.
  • Dress and mannerisms are firmly in the Victorian era.  My new novel is set in New York City, but I’ve read Age of Innocence, so I should be okay.

It’s going to be awhile before I get to this novel (need to finish editing The Lone Wolf by Halloween, just in time to finish A Handful of Wishes for NaNoWriMo and enter it in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel contest), so if you have any recommendations for steampunk stories I should read, or thoughts on the genre, please share them!

Lament of a non-administrator

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I’m very fortunate with my new teaching position that I only teach half the day and spend the rest of my time lesson planning, grading, finding out students’ problems and working on solutions, and setting up class activities.  I also have a lot of downtime to write, if I manage my time well.

However, my free time activities are limited by the fact that I don’t have administrative rights to my computer, and I’m stuck using IE 8 (which I had to beg to get; when I started last month it was IE 7).

Here are some of the messages that often flash across websites:

Your browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems.  If you are having problems, try Google Chrome.  [my browser crashed just trying to copy and paste that error message.]

Oh no! You’re using a very old web browser that Scribophile no longer supports.
Some parts of this site, as well as other sites on the internet, may not display or function correctly.
Please try Google Chrome, an advanced alternative, for free.

You are using an old version of Internet Explorer which Gmail no longer supports. Some features may not work correctly.  Upgrade to new version.

Your browser does not support all features of Google Docs. If you are having problems, try Google Chrome.

But despite all overwhelming evidence to the contrary, our head IT guy insists there’s nothing wrong with IE (“everyone says there are security issues but they’re all wrong”).  He also insists there’s no reason to use Google Docs or Dropbox (which I can’t access from my school computer) or any cloud services instead of flash drives because “What would you do if the internet went down?”

So between the hours of 7 am and 3 pm, I’m out of touch.  But don’t worry, 21st century; I’ll see you when I get home.

Six Sentence Sunday – 9/11/11

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I’d gotten a letter shortly after we got over here.  I didn’t save it; no need because it always read the same.  Always the same thing with my girls, every deployment.  I’d get back to civilian life, find a good one that maybe someday I could settle down with, raise a family with, and then I’d find myself shipping out.  I’d get over here and shortly after get a letter saying she “has needs” and I’m not meeting them, it’s been nice but fuck you she’s gonna find someone else.  It was enough to make anyone swear off relationships altogether.

Andrew age 34, from The Lone Wolf.

I finally remembered to sign up on the official Six Sentence Sunday website this week!

Zodiac signs as character building

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Awhile back, I mentioned that figuring out a zodiac sign for your character is a great way to help with character building.

In my current WIP, The Lone Wolf, the female MC, Kasey, is definitely a Cancer.  Home matters to her.  She’s nice and squishy and lovable under her protective shell.  And if you mess with her family, she’ll kill you (well, maybe not that last part).

Andrew was a bit tougher to crack, but I’ve determined that he’s a Sagittarius.  Adventurous, caring, blunt – that’s him.

On Twitter I follow XStrology, who posts zodiac tidbits for all the signs.  I read through them and it’s like daily character insights (for me too; I’m the epitome of a Pisces).

This just popped up today: “#Sagittarius men wish they could stay and love you forever but know that they are incapable. He’d rather not break your heart. He’d leave.”  That pretty much sums up Andrew’s role in the novel.

So if you’re struggling with your characters, or just want more insight, I suggest you follow this guy.  It’s a great resource if you’re lazy.  :)

Today’s follow-up question:  What sign are you?  Do you find its traits fit you or not?

Six Sentence Sunday – 9-4-2011

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Although it had been years since they’d talked, decades, that didn’t mean that Corinne didn’t hover in the back of Will’s consciousness every day. Especially since his wife’s death three years ago. He’d meant to call her, had heard she was widowed. But he was busy with life, with moving on. So was she, he’d assumed. And now she was sick.

From “Carpe Diem,” which was published in The Journal of Microliterature not too long ago.

And of course, play along at Six Sentence Sunday website. Maybe next week I’ll remember to sign up early enough to get on their official list.  Maybe.

It’s good enough, it’s smart enough…

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And doggone it, people like it!

We all know the words of Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live.  But sometimes it’s hard to believe them, no matter how often we tell them to ourselves, especially when it comes to our writing.

Take the month of August, for example.  I sent out 11 submissions.  I had 8 rejections and 1 acceptance for the month.  That’s about 11%. Ouch. But if I think of it on the positive side, I sent stories off to some publications with a 5% acceptance rate.  I figured I probably wouldn’t get in, but it didn’t hurt to try, right?  And beta readers like my stuff (or so they say).  So that means it’s just a matter of finding the right market, right?

And now I’m having those same doubts about my novel.  A beta reader this week hated the chapter she read so much, she actually started cursing in her review.  But then someone else read that same chapter and said I did a great job with it.  Myself, I’m not sure what to think about it.  I like it but I think it needs revising.  Maybe.

Since this is a long weekend for us Americans, I printed out my revised novel (17 chapters=221 pages in double-spaced 11pt Times New Roman) and have been reading through it, looking for inconsistencies I might miss if I revise a chapter at a time.  Half the time, I think what I’ve written is crap.  With the rest, I’m impressed by how not bad it is.  But mostly, I have no idea.  I want to think it’s of publishable quality, but I’m too close to judge objectively.

What’s your overall view of your writing?  What do you do when waffling between good and not-so-good?  Which side wins?

Six Sentence Sunday – 8-28-2011

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Small town Mississippi life wasn’t the best in the world. I was stuck in a little shit hole town with jack nothing to do. Ain’t no jobs here but people stayed because their family was here, and family was everything when you ain’t got nothing, even when you hated them. All us kids growing up here knew life wasn’t gonna be that great. Sure you could try to get that American dream of a nice car, a girl you loved who loved you back and kids and a dog, a decent house and a job that paid the bills. But it was hard to come by.

Andrew age 17, from The Lone Wolf.

Hop on the bandwagon.  Post a link to your six sentences blog entry, or play along at the Six Sentence Sunday website.

Six Sentence Sunday

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Sorry this is a day late; I was out of town this past weekend.

“What are you?” he asked, ignoring Paribanu’s question.

“I’m different things to different people. To Ali Baba I was a djinn. To Cinderella I was a fairy godmother. To the devout I am a guardian angel. I’m whatever you need me to be, Zeke.”

This is from A Handful of Wishes, my novel-in-progress.

Have your own favorite six sentences, from stuff I’ve written or someone of your own?  Share them below, or play along at the Six Sentence Sunday website.

"I bring a pen to class," or, the importance of clarity

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Twice a week my students have to write a journal response to a prompt.  Today’s was about them – what makes them tick, what makes them unique, what they bring to the class.  Some bring a sense of humor or a strong work ethic, while others bring paper and their backpack.

I learned an important lesson today:  Just because I understand something doesn’t mean everyone understands.  And the same can be applied to your writing.  That’s why you need beta readers.  Many beta readers.  Chances are if several people point out the same thing, you’re doing it wrong.

Another point to emphasize is to know your audience.  Will they understand you?  I have students who are on a third-grade reading level, and others who describe themselves as “wanting to be able to express myself coherently.”  I need to tailor my class to somewhere in the middle where most of my students are, and then work individually with the outlying students.  With writing, however, you don’t have to worry about that.  Think of what your readers want and which readers you want, and then make sure they know what you’re talking about.  This includes vocabulary as well as references and writing style.

Have you had any problems with your readers misunderstanding what you’ve written?  How do you deal with it?

Six Sentence Sunday

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I’m stealing this idea from JA Belfield.

Laura found herself pouring out the story: her devotion to Sam, their unexpected break-up, her attempts to get back together, his refusal to have anything to do with her, her anger at seeing him with other girls. “He’s doing it on purpose, in front of me, just to rub my nose in the fact that I can’t have him,” she concluded.

“And that makes you angry, right? Because you deserve him and no one else does?” Alec’s eyes gleamed.

Laura nodded, unable to look away.

Today’s six sentences are from “The Kindness of Strangers,” out this week in the Indiana Horror Anthology 2011.  You can play along at the Six Sentence Sunday website.

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