Steampunk in the Boston Phoenix

Couldn’t help but cross post this from BoingBoing (again). Looks like Mr. Von Slatt is featured, yet again, in an article about steampunk.

Steam Dream

Steampunk Fashion at the New York Times

There’s an awesome writeup about steampunk fashion and culture at the Times! They even interview Jake von Slatt!

I think there’s some really good quotes in here, as well as some delightful interview material. I have yet to really get into steampunk music but, I’ve decided, right now I’m going to go to iTunes and fetch me some for my upcoming trip up to the Great White North.

My favorite part is a quote from Abney Park’s Robert Brown: If steampunk has a mission, it is, in part, to restore a sense of wonder to a technology-jaded world. “Today satellite photos make the planet seem so small,” Mr. Brown lamented. “Where is the adventure it that?” In contrast, steampunk, with its airships, test tubes and time machines, is, he said, “sort of a dream , the way we used to daydream. It’s like part of your childhood’s just bursting forward again.”

You can find the rest of the article here.

I’ll be a little on the quiet side during my trip up North, but hopefully will get some writing time in. I’m hoping to have a short story up and edited by the end of the vacation, but finding a wireless connection may prove sticky. We shall see!

Steam on, folks.

Doctorow Does Dandelions

I’m always excited to see what Cory Doctorow is up to. Admittedly, he’s a bit of a hero of mine, as far as writing, publishing, and general Internet cool is concerned. You’ve probably seen the gazillion times I’ve mentioned BoingBoing in these here parts, so you have a pretty good idea of my level of appreciation.

If you look over —> there you’ll see that I’ve got a Creative Commons thingie going, too. That’s because I’m happy to share my work. That’s courtesy of Cory’s suggestion, too.

Now, today Cory posted about Dandelions. It’s from a feature he wrote for Locus magazine, and it’s good advice. I think I’m going to revisit my approach slightly, as a non-published author with an almost finished novel. I have been working hard to drum up interest via the Web, lots of seeds, as it were.

How is it different? Well, I’m thinking of changing my approach and offer some finished works in my “work” page and wait until I’m through the edit. I’m going to keep podcasting, but I think these podcasts will be a little more broad, and not just “me reading my book.” I’d like to develop a steampunk podcast that talks about fun weekly podcasting things in the steampunk world, but also the freedom to talk about fantasy and sci-fi, and all that good stuff.

At any rate, I recommend reading Cory’s feature, as well as his others. It’s exciting being involved in a new era of writing, where publishers and paper media aren’t the deciding factor when it comes to success.

Busks, Bustles, and Busts - Steampunk Ladies’ Fashion

One of the things I frequently encounter in the Aldersgate is the garments my ladies must wear beneath their dresses. A quick Google search will bring you to gateways of information about corsets, and perusing a few pages you can see a veritable history of the female form. But with this beauty comes great pain!

You’ll see the Victorians had a particular flare for corset, propelling the wasp-waist to a new era. Forty years later, in the 20s, this would be all but vanished in favor of a much more boyish form which, for the most part, still pervades the fashion of today.

So, Cora and her sister Denna, as well as the rest of the gals in my book must suffer the fate of corset wearers. Though this does not take place in THE 1880s, it’s 1880s-like. So I’m pulling the fashion from that period to flavor the story better. Although I can’t help but feel a little sorry for them, having to go off on adventures in such garb!

I absolutely adore clothing, especially from the Victorian era. The materials, embroidery, design… it’s astonishing to see these garments up close and certainly makes me wish we took as much pride today in our craftsmanship.

At any rate, if you’re particularly interested in Victorian corsets–whether you’re a steampunk fashion hound or just curious–you can check out a few of the links below. Lots of fun stuff to look at! Now, if I could just find one with gears on it… hrm…

Antique Corset Gallery - Late Victorian Corsets

A History of Corsets at Wikipedia

Victoriana’s Corset Hub

Alderpod #3 - Chapter Two: Brick Smithson

In which we meet our other hero… of a sort. Brick is the son of the local town smith, Jeck–and as we’ve learned in the first chapter, his relationship with his best friend Cora has, well, changed some.

This is also our first foray into Professor’s workshop, and the introduction of some of the more steampunk elements in this novel. I don’t purport to be a genius when it comes to describing the actual technical aspects, but this is a novel “in progress” after all.

So take a moment, sit back and listen.

Alderpod #3 - Chapter Two: Brick Smithson

Alder Trees and Silly Me

I love trees. I really mean that. Trees simply… well, they do something to my brain.

I’ve been trying to learn the local flora here in North Carolina; having grown up in Western Mass, there are quite a few differences (much less maples, many more pines!).

So you can imagine my glee when I discovered yesterday that there’s a whole row (dare I say a GATE?) of Smooth Alders just around the corner from my house by the park. Whee!

I should clarify that these trees really are the small version of what’s pictured over here. I don’t live nearby to such gargantuan beauties; but their little cousins are still dear!

Venting steamily.

Yesterday was not a prolific day. As I was free of the wee one, I had planned to spend the evening writing, plotting, scheming, and steaming. But this was not to be. Somewhere between work and when I left work (i.e. stood up from my desk in the home office and declared “IT IS DONE!”) something simply snapped, and all creativity went away as quickly as water down an in-flight toilet.

So, I decided to wrangle myself and read Chapter Two into the microphone. However, GarageBand decided to have a complete and utter meltdown, and I was left with two hours of work down the same proverbial airline toilet.

Still, I couldn’t just let it go. I couldn’t say to myself: “Natania, today is not a writing day, no matter how much you want it to be.” No, I am painfully stubborn. So after dinner I went upstairs, after taking a lovely walk through town with my husband, and tried my hand at the next chapter.

Alas, this was a bad idea. I wrote, I deleted. I wrote… yes, I deleted some more. Finally, I went downstairs and subjected myself to the worst of the worst: reality TV.

This is not characteristic of my process. My close friends will tell you I’m typically a very optimistic person. Usually, when the creativity runs dry (or Aelfric, my muse, is out somewhere on a mead binge) I simply let it be. I do something else: write a song, play guitar, paint a picture, do some knitting.

I guess yesterday the weight of novel writing just got to me. I stared at the binder in Scrivener, and felt the immense pressure of the 15 chapters I’ve (mostly) edited, and the 15-20 to come looming over me. I felt like Damocles, sword hovering inches from the top of my head, swinging ever so slightly on the taut hair holding it there. And for that moment, that scary moment, it was too much.

I realize this all sounds very wussy. And that’s fine, maybe I am a wuss. I can own up to it. I suppose it’s like cold feet before getting married; I’m trying to commit myself to this (case in point, the words you a reading upon this page in particular). But I also want to be honest with myself.

Eventually, I just went to bed. And really, that’s it. I woke up this morning, refreshed. Sometime around midday I came up with a plan. I rented three movies (Unforgiven, the Golden Compass, and Steamboy) for dinner, and cooked a “cowboy” dinner–ribs, beans, and corn. I must say the ribs were fantastic. I haven’t seen the movies yet, but I’m hoping they do the trick.

But, today, I won’t try and write. Because, sometimes, I think it’s okay just to wait for it. Whatever “it” is–I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted.

Natania’s (Hopefully) Inspiring Cowboy Pork Ribs

Prepare ribs with a rub consisting of:

1 tsp paprika

4 tbsp brown sugar or sugar in the raw

1 tsp smoked salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat your grill to its highest setting, and once it’s warm, put the ribs on. Then, turn the temperature all the way down. Cook until the meat is tender, and you can separate the ribs from the bone easily.

Meanwhile prepare BBQ sauce: 1/4 cup ketchup, 3-4 tbsp smoked chipotle Tabasco sauce, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp maple syrup.

When the ribs are ready, dip in the sauce or toss in the sauce (depending on how saucy you are!)

Steampunk: the Anthology

I couldn’t help posting this. Though, certainly, anyone who follows BoingBoing at all will already have read this. Still–I ordered a copy on Amazon. Squee! Looks so good.

From BoingBoing and Cory Doctorow:

Last month, I mentioned Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s Steampunk anthology in passing, but the book deserves better than that. I’ve just spent several highly entertaining hours with my advance review copy and I’m knocked out. What a great piece of work this is, from the fascinating triumvirate of essays that recount the history of steampunk in literature and describe its contemporary appeal to the top-notch works of fiction inside, from forgotten proto-steampunk gems by Michael Moorcock and James Blaylock to contemporary pieces from Neal Stephenson, Jay Lake, Ted Chiang and Paul Di Filippo (among many others). Summer’s almost here — time to do some leisure reading, and what better place to start than here? Link

Edit: Although, I’ve got to say–where are the ladies on this list? No steamy ladies. Alas.

Edit #2: I have my book in hand and it differs from this cover; it does in fact feature Mary Gentle.

Telepathy, Psychosis, or Neurosis? The Art and Madness of Writing

Stephen King calls it telepathy, this ability to conjure unseen worlds into words, and by extension, pictures. It certainly is an odd vocation, to be a writer, and all of us who write by compulsion have our own approaches. Some are regimented, they can sit down and say “I’m going to write 3,000 words” and they do. Others plan every step up to the writing, taking copious notes and making outlines, and then sit down to do the work. Still others just wait, listening in the dark corners, for fancy to strike.

My process is odd, I admit. I’m highly undisciplined, and–though this time ’round I’ve broken a little with tradition–I typically don’t organize, and often have no idea where in the Universe the story is going in a given chapter, until I’m there. Most of my ideas appear to me as I’m falling asleep, a combination of events that’s meant I often have a difficult time getting to sleep. I write “in the dark” I suppose, waiting for glimpses of light in between cracks, and then excavating what I see.

The Aldersgate started when my friend Karen said to me, “I’m surprised you’ve never written a Western.” In the space of about three minutes, half of the characters in the novel appeared to me with astonishing clarity. I scribbled down some of the first chapter (which is now completely rewritten) and set the scene, then let it be for quite some time. You see, I was editing Another Book which, at this point, is sitting in cold storage for a while. Then it became apparent to me that it was time to work more on The Aldersgate, and in the space of about half a year, I wrote the entire first draft.

And by draft, really I mean outline. I just can’t plan ahead. It’s not in my nature. And I’m crud at actually editing my own work. I’m such a fast typer that I usually find it much better to simply rewrite the chapters as opposed to editing the bits and pieces. Whether or not this saves time, I don’t know. I just know that the second draft (the one I’m reading from which as also been edited by my brilliant godfather) is much, much stronger than the first.

But there are times where telling the story becomes such a Huge Thing that I get rather tongue-tied. Or, I suppose, finger-tied. I’m tossed into brain numbness. It’s not writer’s block, because I know where the story is going (at least now I do). I even outlined all my chapters to the end (yes, I’m proud of myself). It’s just at times it feels like there’s so much to say and so much to do and so many words to write–and write well–that I just can’t get it right. The last month or so has been replete with hurdles, writing huge sections and deleting them, restructuring, moving around, petitioning the Muse (Aelfric has one heck of a sense of humor, I tell you).

I just finished a chapter that was, I noticed, at the exact center of the novel. I didn’t realize this until I finished it, and it was hideously long. But it had to be long. It establishes one of the most important themes of the whole books, and one of the most important locations of the entire series. I couldn’t very well leave it to a few thousand words. Writing felt tedious though, and when I finally came up for air and looked at my word count it was shockingly high–in fact, the longest chapter I’ve written to date.

When it comes down to it I don’t know if I can suggest writing a multi point-of-view novel to anyone. Sure, they’re entertaining to read, and often a ton of fun to write. If you love getting inside of multiple characters, it’s truly thrilling. However, I get stuck. What if I don’t feel like Emry today, but I’ve got to finish this Emry chapter? How about what happens when Cora and Emry cross paths? Whose narrative do I go with? Whose do I drop? Where is everyone else? Where is my MAP?

My map is in my brain and it’s a perilous place in there. I lament the fact that my poor characters have to rattle around up there, in between the junk that I store, waiting to be put down in ink.

Process. We all do it differently. I suppose, when all is said and done, so long as it works for you, then it is successful. Very few writers approach their work the same way, and why should they? We don’t all want to write the same book (though some critics I read in grad school would argue that yes, we’re all writing the same book).

I think it’s a little late in the evening to be blogging, but I’ve been a bit too quiet. I’m working on putting together a .pdf version of Chapters One and Two and should be posting Chapter Two this weekend.

Well, I’m off to dream the next chapter. Cheers.

The Gear at the End of the World

Fiction is curious. In the last century or so, it’s seen more movement and change than ever before, morphing and shifting as culture, philosophy, religion, and expression continue to influence writing.

I mean, fiction wasn’t even a viable means of writing at all for many centuries. Sure, there’s allegory and myth, legend and religious writing–but the concept of alternate worlds, horror writing, romance novels, these are all concepts we’ve accepted now as fairly standard.

So, I’ve been wondering about steampunk writing. In fact, I posted about it to the Brass Goggles forum last week, wondering what people thought: is steampunk writing an offshoot, or its own genre? I tend to think it’s growing into its own genre, even as a subsidiary of its cousin cyberpunk. It either will represent a new genre, or it will prove that, perhaps, genre writing is dying itself.

Why do I say this? Well, I think that, more and more, books are failing to adhere to the expected. Horror blends with fantasy blends with mystery blends with science fiction. Take something as mundane as Harry Potter–it’s part mystery/part fantasy/part bildungsroman. Take away any of those elements, and you make for a boring, unmarketable piece of writing that surely wouldn’t have spawned a multi-billion pound empire. Even big “fantasy” writers like George R.R. Martin adapt history, intrigue, mystery, to come up with something else entirely.

No, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a glossy “Steampunk” section pop up at Barnes and Noble any time soon. But I don’t think compartmentalization is the right way to approach any emerging writing. When Tolkien published his Rings books, many people simply didn’t know what to do with them. But he wasn’t the first! In fact, William Morris was at it half a century before (if you’re really intrigued, you can read the whole text of The Well at the End of the World online), writing “fantasy” worlds. It just didn’t catch on in his time.

I guess I’m just cautiously optimistic about where steampunk is going to go in the next few years. Will it go the way of Tolkien? Or a less-traveled? As an internet phenomenon, and already at the brink of the digital text age, it’s an intriguing question. Already, magazines like Steampunk Magazine are available completely in digital format.

So, I wonder: what do you think?