Heroic Inspiration

And, in a time when we sorely need heroes, our nation mourns the passing of one of our most famous:  Mohammad Ali.

His story was an inspirational one.  His rise from humble beginnings, the skill and courage of a warrior forming in the soul of an angry young man growing up in angry times when the struggle against injustice demanded courage and willingness to sacrifice.  And, he displayed both.  When he threw his gold medal into the river rather than accept an award from a nation that denied equality to his people.  When he discarded an athletic career rather than submit to conscription into a war he did not believe in.  When he fought to get that career back, and won.  Truly an inspirational figure to all Americans.  To the world, perhaps.

And, of course, to writers.  Especially writers of dramatic fiction who wish we could create characters formed from the stuff of reality, characters who touch the hearts of our readers and inspire them half as much as the real-life heroes of the real world.  It's the real-world heroes who seem larger than life who seem to inspire us the most.

Perhaps even more remarkable is what those heroes reveal of the soul of the nation that embraces them. Mohammad Ali perhaps most of all.  Admired for his courage, his spirit and his showmanship (the three things Americans value above all else) he represented the American soul in many ways.  The irony...and, the wonder of his rise to iconic fame...was that he embodied many things that Americans have trained themselves to loathe and revile.  He defied his government in time of war.  "The true enemy of my people is here, not in Vietnam," he dared to say.  He embraced Islam and called his Christian name a "slave name."  He seemed to brazenly spit in the face of American chauvinism and blind, jingoistic nationalism.  In short, he forced Americans to question and analyze the short-comings of our society, of our failure to live up to our national creed of justice.  We are not a nation that readily accepts criticism, least of all from our own citizens.  We consider ourselves too great, too wonderful for such rebuke.  Yet, we embraced a man like Mohammad Ali as a true American icon.  He changed our collective way of thinking, shattered our national complacency.  At least, he embodied a wave of history that did that.  And, that's what a truly inspirational figure does.

As writers, we try to create such larger-than-life characters.  Characters our target audience can not only care about, but draw inspiration from.  Hopefully in a way that challenges their presumptions instead of reinforcing them.  Not easy, but we go on trying.  And, we remember those who inspired us along the way.

Steaming Along....

Well, I got so busy I totally forgot to write a May post until far too late to matter. I apologize for that. Especially since I promised the Table of Contents for Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires. You may recognize many of the pirates from Avast Ye, Airships on the list, but we have some new writers to welcome to MMP as well.

The stories are set in several continents, and various time periods, but they all have elements of Steampunk horror that resonated with me. :)

The order hasn't been finalized, but, in alphabetical order, the stories are as follows:


A Few Days in Kansas 1881 -- Jim Reader
Better Left Dead -- TC Phillips
Death in the Witch House -- John Lance
Engineered Deceit -- Amy Braun
Footloose -- Ross Baxter (Title may change)
Honeymoon in a Jar -- Robert Perret
Here, Where Our Blood Spilt -- Eric Del Carlo*
Last Dance with Mary Jane -- Wynelda Deaver (Title may change)
Light Over Birmingham -- Mattia Ravasi
Muzzle the Monster -- Leigh Ward-Smith
Purchase & Possess -- Steven Blake
Restless Spirit -- Rie Sheridan Rose
Steel and Steam -- Andrew Knighton
The Express -- Jason Gilbert
The Horrors of War -- Stephen Sanders*
Through the Darkness of the Opera House -- DJ Tyrer

*will update with links when I find them. :)

I am very proud of the lineup, and I think that the resulting anthology is going to be awesome.

Too Many Voices?

 

Fiction writing, like anything else, has its basics.  Define your characters.  Show, don’t tell.  Make the reader not just know, but see, feel and smell.

But, knowing the basics isn’t enough.  One of the first things every writer is advised to do is seek the critiques of other writers or editors.  I’ve benefitted, as I’m sure all writers have, from the feedback of editors.  A clear editorial voice can help develop a writer's sense of focus and clarity, and an internal protocol for refining one’s own work.

But, what is of dubious value is when a whole team of editors are all working on the same submitted story at the same time.  They’re all doing their best, but it does go to prove just how subjective the process really is.  This may be especially true if you’re a science fiction writer like me, creating a new world that the audience has never seen.  I had one editor on a team who told me to take a breather in the middle of an action scene (and, the POV character is being chased and fighting for his life here, you understand) and slip in some expository on certain gadgets and futuristic references.  I’m like: “I don’t think so.”  Then, three paragraphs later, the chase scene is over and I do take a breather to drop in some narrative explanation about how this world is put together, and another editor on the team makes the opposite complaint, telling me to scrap the expository “author dump” and break the information down and spread it through the story.

Every critical observation does have value; it trains you to be on the lookout for weaknesses and avoid repeating past mistakes.  But, the conflicting viewpoints and priorities of different editors proves another basic truth of writing:  Every writer has to find his or her own individual voice.  Just make sure the reader can hear it.

One strong solitary editorial voice, I think, is the best way to put a themed anthology together in such a way that effectively combines the individual vision of the author with the editor’s vision of what the anthology is supposed to be about.  That’s especially true when the star of the themed anthology is an established, popular character.  In assembling the anthology “An Improbable Truth:  The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” we contributing authors had the benefit of a strong and consistent editorial voice in refining our individual stories.  That was beneficial not only to the anthology but to sharpening my own skill as a writer.  I’m sure we all benefited from the experience and hope for more such projects, even as we work on our own individual projects.

Last Chance!

This is it. The deadline was extended a week, but this is your final opportunity to be part of the Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires Steampunk horror anthology. We have some really great reads for you, but there is still room for a few more. If you've been hesitating or procrastinating, this is the time to put pen to paper! (And I am in the same boat...)

So far, I am really pleased with the Table of Contents. I'll be revealing it soon. ;)

Mocha Memoirs is beginning to have quite a nice collection of Steampunk:

Heliodor by Shannon Wendtland

Avast Ye, Airships edited by Rie Sheridan Rose

"The Head Above the Gate" in RieTales...



But we can always use more, and that is where you come in. Get me a story by Friday! I want to see what YOU have to add to the genre. :)

NEW RELEASE: Heliodor by Shannon Wendtland

Happy springtime! We have a brand new steampunk adventure coming on March 22nd from Shannon Wendtland. So to celebrate, we thought we'd give you a little taste with an excerpt! 



AVAILABLE 3/22/16!!



The captain placed a kid-gloved hand over Malfric’s.  “Walk a bit with me while I fill you in.”

          Malfric got to his feet, leaving the barrel-stool behind and looped his left hand through the crook of the captain’s arm. As the captain led him towards the bow of the ship, Malfric tasted currant jam and warm biscuits on the salty sea air.  His favorite.  

          He stopped the captain before he could take another step.  “There’s no point in buttering me up, Finch.  Just give me the details.  If I agree, we can proceed straight to the repast you have set up in your quarters.  Otherwise, just hand me your purse and we’ll call it even.”

          Finch muttered beneath his breath.  “Your infernal nose ruins everything.  Fine then, have it your way.  A job has come up ― not our usual fare, but the bounty was too good to resist.  So I booked it.  But I need a voyeur to get it done.  Naturally, I thought of you.”

          Naturally.  “What’s the catch?”

          “No catch.”  Shifting floorboards belied the captain’s response.

          Malfric frowned.  “You wouldn’t have laid out my favorite tea if it were an easy job with no strings.  In fact, you wouldn’t have sent for me at all...any novice voyeur would have done.” 

          A snicker came from his right.  Ah, Quantex had followed them.

          The captain’s arm tensed beneath Malfric’s hand.  Though he said nothing, Malfric detected the shift and rustle of his silk coat as he turned to glare at his first mate.

          “There’s an artifact.  We were not the only ones hired to find it,” Finch said with a disgruntled sigh.  “The other crew has a day’s head start.” His voice softened to a conspiratorial whisper, “but we have an advantage they do not.”

          Oh?  “And what, pray tell, is that?”

          A sharp intake of breath, a faint whistle through his nose, and the captain answered.  “A body.”

 

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I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to curl up in the garden with this action-packed novella!