SQ Mag came to me for a steampunk piece, as their cover had a steampunk theme, but there were no acceptable submitted steampunk stories. I was pleased to find that they accepted the story nine days later, and now I'm being published in the ezine.
The story is inspired from looking at Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry-Night', which also inspired Don McLean's famous song (but in an entirely different way).
Happy to see the steampunk anthology, Penny Dread Tales: Volume Two: A Phantasmagorical Calliope of Clockwork and Steam, out, which contains my story, 'Creation's Flaw'. It is available at Amazon and other online distributors.
Just got word today that my steampunk tale (with a difference), Creation's Flaw, has been accepted by Penny Dread Tales II (Runewright Publishing). I am pleased to have this piece that I put a great deal of work into published, and also to have the honour of publishing a story in both Penny Dread Tales anthologies.
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Happy to say that my Steampunk short story, The Bond, has been published in Runewright’s new anthology, Penny Dread Tales: Gears, Coils, Aether & Steam (Volume 1), edited by Christopher Ficco, and excellent cover by Laura Givens.
This was a most satisfying short to write, and also was picked up blindingly fast, which is much appreciated. Buy it! Enjoy it!
Nice turnover.
My steampunk short story, The Bond, has been accepted by Rune Wright, in their Penny Dread Tales Vol 1: Gears, Coils, Aether & Steam anthology. Their cover is pretty amazing – you can catch a glimpse in the submissions page (they are still asking for submissions) – http://www.runewright.com/submissions.html
I wrote the short on 8 March.
Next 😉
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Wrote a 3000 word steampunk short today. Conceived it in about an hour of thinking last night, and today it just spun out, and very well to boot. A little different than my others, where I enjoyed the alternate universe thing, but in this one, steampunk is with us, but it is largely hidden.
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I have been noticing interesting discussions in various blog sites and forums, regarding, in particular, the definition, or purpose (for want of a better word) of steampunk, and satellite discussions of a similar nature on fantasy and science fiction (perennial, those last two). Being in the IT industry, a maxim that I follow is to simplify, not over-complicate or over-analyze, and I humbly suggest that this is where we go with these topics.
I will not go to dictionary or wikipedia definitions of the terms in question, and I will wing this without research, other than what’s in my head. At the least, you will get an insight into how my head works. I should add that my comments are in terms of literature, not lifestyles, subcultures, etc.
With regard to steampunk, I have read much on concepts, like it being inherently utopian, optimistic, etc. While I have read a lot that are, I fail to see this core definition as working, and I think it deviates from what it intrinsically is. Some of the best steampunk stories that I have read are in fact dystopian in nature and provide a deep insight into the darker side of society, and like all good science fiction and fantasy stories, say something about us (Excellent Service by Tonia Brown, is an very good example – Steampunk Anthology – Sonar4, 2010). I have written 3 steampunk short stories (1 published, 1 to be published this year) and I admit to preferring to exploit the dark side of the subgenre.
I recently joined a steampunk group on Facebook that has a HUGE membership, and absolutely love its definition: ‘steampunk is Victorian science fiction’. That’s it. And in my mind it materially works. While stories do not have to take place in Great Britain or one of her Empirical settings per se, nor for that matter strictly while Queen Victoria was alive (hey, nothing wrong with a 1910 setting, right?), it couldn’t be steampunk without the Victorian flavor. What I like about the setting element of the definition is that it still has huge potential for variety – US Western setting, or in the case of one of my stories, on a planet in a far off stellar system. Steampunk is about a society that is still largely technologically oriented toward steam mechanisms and its derivatives, and this originated largely during the Victorian era. Steam technology is critical to the definition and atmosphere of the subgenre – I contend that little else matters.
Now to the second part of the "steampunk is Victorian science fiction" definition – yes, it is science fiction. It is the science fiction of the Victorian era, such as Jules Verne and H G Wells (at least part of his career). It is, as I recall Jay Lake referencing recently, the science fiction extrapolations that emanate from the Victorian era. It becomes, in essence, an alternate reality set in the Victorian era.
I really like this definition as it is simple, despite my long explanation. It begs, of course, for a definition of science fiction, and also asks the question, why isn’t steampunk fantasy?
Firstly, steampunk in some references, is defined as a subgenre of fantasy, and in other sources, co-subgenred with scifi and fantasy.
Again, trying to simplify, and accepting criticism from hard-core speculative fiction commentators, I believe science fiction is about ‘what if’, but consistent with the understanding of known science and human behavior/history. It can be set in any timeframe, and it doesn’t need to have high science content, but it has to speculate scenarios with consistency to science (it can in fact achieve this by avoiding science, up to a certain extent). This is why ‘science’ is in the category name. I should add, however, that some elements of extrapolated science can be untested, and in my mind still falls within science fiction.
Fantasy, on the other hand, expects the suspension of disbelief to work harder, and poses ‘what if’ scenarios in contradiction to current science and current knowledge.
Yes, one could argue there is a gray area between the two genres, but I think it is a moot point. If in doubt, categorize as fantasy and be done with it.
Science Fantasy is a funny category. I see it, at a high level, as contradictory (particularly against my simplified definitions), but I see it as a handy subgenre of fantasy, where ‘harder’ science is interspersed with fantasy.
So, returning to steampunk, it could be expanded (for definitional purposes) to mean "Victorian ‘what if’ stories, set within consistent science as understood in that era". It is important to point out the importance of ‘understood in that era’ – as the writer of a steampunk story will assert that reality (truth, science) is relative to Victorian society’s understanding. If it doesn’t it becomes a quaint and interesting fantasy sub-subgenre of steampunk.
Hmm, a lot of writing to assert something simply, but hey, my definition contains 13 words.
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I entered the field of the Steampunk Universe in an odd way. It came via two threads of activity in my life, and not the usual way.
The first thread goes back a few decades. When I was young (up to my twenties) I was a massive Moorcock fan and read all of his works, and also, I enjoyed reading (and viewing, in terms of movies etc) Wells and Verne stories. In other words, I was immersed in the stuff that pre-dated Steampunk, and which were some of the critical sources of the subgenre. To add to that, in my middling roleplaying days, I was introduced to an absolutely fantastic roleplaying game called Space: 1899. If anything was pure Steampunk, but predating the subgenre, this would have been it (I am guessing there are no small number of Steampunkers who actually play it to this day).
The second thread is my current writing effort, reflecting my early influences (thread 1), and actually writing the stuff. I have written 3 steampunk stories (as I define them), and two have been accepted to date.
The reason why I am writing this journal piece is because I am reading Anthology of Steampunk (Sonar4 Publications), which is, obviously, a rich collection of steampunk stories. This is the first time I am actually reading ‘mainstream’ steampunk stories (one of which is mine), and assessing what I may have missed in my journey in the subgenre. In other words, what was thread 3 like, since until now, I missed it?
I have two, almost conflicting opinions. Firstly, I believe my stories are consistent with the representation of the subgenre, and for that, I am happy. In a way, by not being heavily read in the current literature, I was able to find my own voice, and for that I am eternally grateful. However, I can also kick myself for not reading more. There’s a lot of good stuff out there, including in this anthology. I have read about a third of the stories, and the standout for me, is Tonia Brown’s short, Excellent Service, which isn’t just awash in Victoriana and steampunkery, but it also was strong in social commentary and the plot was, quite simply, highly original. Well done, Tonia (I don’t want to give away the story – heck, buy it!)
I have grown as a writer, and particularly in the short story craft, and I don’t normally write pure plot-driven stories anymore. I want to grab the reader by the testicles (or equivalent) and make them think. I want them to feel delighted (in a dark, light, or whatever way) when reading my stories through to the last word. The beauty of steampunk is that it, among many other subgenres, can, and will be, a rich medium for excellent writing.
These are some of my observations, today.
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I have just been advised that my short story, My Best Friend Julian (my second effort at steampunk), has now been published in Sonar4 Publication’s Anthology of Steampunk.
This comes hot off the news that my first effort, Halo in the Sky, was taken up by Hydra Publications, for their sci fi anthology (to be named).
So… I suppose that makes me, among other things, a steampunk writer.
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The Chronicles of Evyntyde 