Three P's of Success

People are always making tip lists...well, here is another. The three things that will best help a writer in my opinion.

1) Prioritization -- Decide on your goals. What do you want to accomplish most?

Is your writing goal to write a novel? Okay! That's not hard. (Not promising that it will be a good novel, but you can write one.) Make a daily goal. Put it on the top of your To Do list -- Write 1500 words a day (or 1667, and you can get in shape for next year's NaNoWriMo...or start in late on this one--you can catch up.)

Want to write a poetry collection? Make a daily goal. Put it on the top of your To Do list -- Write a Poem a day. Baby steps.

Whatever you want to do is possible. Prioritize it along with the rest of your must dos for the day. Make it a daily habit, and you will be surprised what you can accomplish.


2) Perseverance -- Stick to the goals. It isn't always easy, but nothing worth doing is.

Do that daily goal first thing in the morning. Or last thing at night, if you work better then. Some days, you won't feel like it. Those are the days it is most important to get it done.

If you do miss a day, don't let it get you down. But don't let it slow you down either. Make up the missed day as soon as you can. The whole is greater than the some of its parts, remember. ;)


3) Persistence -- It's similar to Perseverance, but to me, it's not the same. Remember my personal mantra from Galaxy Quest -- "Never give up. Never surrender." Where perseverance gets the work written, persistence is what gets it out there. Once your work is finished, send it to potential markets, self-publish it, whatever you want to do--but get it in front of people.

Remember that sometimes you don't get a homer on your first at bat. You will get rejected. It's part of the business. Don't let it get you down.

I highly recommend the immersion therapy of sending things out until rejection is just another email. You get to the point where you say, "Oh well." But you send it out again. Sure, there will be some rejections that sting more than others--mourn and go on. Send it out again by the end of the day if you can.


So, there are the Three P's for you. 1) Prioritize; 2) Persevere; 3) Persist.

Go forth and write!

Writing Characters I Don't Like

I don't always like my characters.

Is that weird? I don't know how it is for other authors, but I tend to go where the story is, and sometimes this leads me to share headspace with some people who are just irritating or downright offensive. I'd like to think this helps me cultivate empathy, but it's also really, really annoying. It can also be difficult to try to wrap my mind around a viewpoint that's far, far removed from mine. If that's part of the story, though, that's my job, so I do my best and let the chips fall where they may.

The Other Man is a title near and dear to my heart, though I can't say I'm overly fond of Andrew, the main character. He's blue collar working man and I've grown up in a family of those, so you'd think that'd give him some leeway with me. Nope. His desire to conform, his hunger for the typical, apple-pie American dream, his constant excuses for why he's the victim in his situation, his condescension of others - even his own family, and his paranoid worry about people who aren't like him...it was hard to write, to say the least, especially knowing what was coming with the ending and how it could potentially be viewed.

 The idea of a man unnerved by his wife liking a particular rock star actually came from personal experience - I've known a few people who have actually had to end relationships because their significant others didn't agree with their taste in something or other. One in particular actually broke up with their significant other because of a singer they'd never met, never interacted with, but happened to like a lot. It wasn't to the point of being unhealthy of obsessive, but their partner made a constant deal about feeling like they were living with the singer and didn't measure up. I showed my friend the manuscript before I ever considered publishing it, and thankfully they have a sense of humor and loved it, even if the overall situation was far different than theirs. Still, what the ever-lovin' heck have we come to if we have to bully a person over their musical tastes? It's still a surreal thought to me.

 I've had the experience where I felt like I was being changed or encouraged to change so the other person would be more comfortable, to the point where I just didn't feel like myself anymore. It's a horrible feeling, one I never want to revisit. I really wanted to play with this overall idea, but I also didn't want to make it a gag or a gimmick or some punchline at the end. There is a twist, but hopefully the reveal is  a release of tension and a moment of epiphany and not a gimmick. I'd hate for it to be viewed that way, because at the end of the day, I think we all hide parts of ourselves. Andrew just does it in a very vehement, spiteful way.

Maybe he irritates me because I can understand being disillusioned. You know how it is, we're filled with all these notions as kids to the point we think we can conquer the world as teens, and then we have the rug pulled out from under us. Maybe my discomfort is that I have to acknowledge that I get Andrew's general frustration, even if I don't agree with his motives. I think that helps, though, it keeps him entitled but not a complete monster, or at least hopefully helps the reader look at him with disappointment rather than all-out hatred. He's a good talking point for a character: at what point do we have to get over our life frustrations and try to do the best we can, to what point do we have a right to be disenchanted with how our lives have gone?

His family doesn't make it easy on him, mind you. Granted, they're not terrible, but young kids are weird, and I may have based some of their behavior off mine as a kidlet to make things extra weird. You're welcome. His wife is Ivy League but opted to be a stay-at-home mom, a decision he never quite stopped resenting, because his own background is somewhat less in his eyes. It's an interesting dichotomy, he sees her as above him, worries about what secrets she may harbor, but also knows how to press her buttons, even though everything seems to press his. He's interesting, Andrew. He's irritating and I disagree with his fatalistic attitude, his black-and-white clear cut view of the world, his judgment of people. I disagree with him and he angers me at times....but oddly, I'm glad I wrote him, because he's also, hopefully, a character that will leave people thinking and talking.  If he got me thinking about how I could be a better person and how I can better channel my frustrations, hopefully he can do the same for others. Plus, his kids are hilarious and amazing, so there's got to be some potential in him somewhere.

Amazon         B&N

Being a REAL Writer is Tough Work!

That title might annoy some people...but it says what I want to stress. Being a real writer isn't as easy as writing a book. And I am not saying that it applies to anyone but me. However, since I am the only person I can speak for, it is true for me.

I started calling myself a professional writer in 2000 when my first novel was published. I was quite proud to finally be able to claim that title after all the years I had wanted it.

For the next twelve years I considered myself a professional writer...

But it wasn't until three years ago that I actually started acting like it.

I have talked about this before, but it bears repeating, because it is a lesson that can't be stressed enough. You aren't a real writer unless you write.

And it isn't enough to write. You have to do something with what you write. You can't just pop it in a drawer and expect to be famous someday.

I've told you about my rejection challenge. First year three hundred rejections, last year two hundred.
Trying to meet this challenge gave me incentive to write more than I ever had in my life. It taught me that the more you write, the easier it is to be polished, and the quicker a polished draft appears.

This year, I've upped the game. It didn't start out to be a thing, but after I got started on this year's challenge, it has become a point of honor. This year, I have challenged myself to make a submission a day.

Now, I know what being a writer really is. It's exhausting. It means writing a LOT. It means making connections. It means perseverance. It means not letting a rejection bother you--but looking at it as an opportunity to get another submission out the door.

And, as a side benefit, the piece you get rejected today might be perfect for the next market you send it to. I've almost hit the absolute bottom of my orphan pieces. Stories that had been out four, five, six times finally found the perfect home.

Set what looks/feels like an impossible goal. Work to achieve it. Nothing feels better than making that goal. And even if you don't make it, as long as you are working to achieve it, you are working. And that is what makes a REAL writer. :)

If you want to see how my personal goal is going this year, follow me on Twitter at @RieSheridanRose and #howlongcanitgo

So far, I've made 62 submissions this year.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark #amwriting #DarkFantasy #Writing

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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

by Rie Sheridan Rose

Whether you write fantasy, science fiction, horror, or even romance, you come to a point where you have to decide what type you will explore within your genre. Some people are most comfortable with the comedic slant. Others, write lush, epic work full of emotion and description, but barely touching on the dark side. Don’t be afraid of the dark.

Everyone experiences fear, anger, pain and other darker emotions—why should you suppress them? Having a world with none of the deeper, darker aspects of emotion is flat and one-sided. Everything needs at least a touch of darkness.

And exploring the dark side can be fun. As I said, everyone has those emotions…so, why not put them on paper? After all, that’s a lot more socially acceptable than acting them out in the real world.

Taking “what if?” and applying a coat of darkness to it has the potential to be very liberating. It can allow you to slip into the mind of a serial killer without needing to actually be one. It can give depth to the depiction of a dragon. The denizens of an alien world will be more rounded with psychology that isn’t tempered by human goodness.

I challenge you. Write something dark. It can change your outlook on the craft—and no one says you have to be dark all the time.

Going Collective

I have always been fascinated by the fact that a group of crows is a murder. Who first decided that this was the correct name for a collection of the carrion birds? I don't know, but their imagination was so spot on.

We know--and expect--certain collective nouns. A herd of horses, a school of fish, a pride of lions. But you can really spice up your writing with some of the more unusual ones. It is always easiest to find the animal congregations. A good list can be found here. But animals aren't the only groups of nouns. There are also names for groups of people and things. Some of those more uncommon nouns can be found here.

Let's have some fun. Can you match the group to their collective noun -- without looking?

clowns                                                                    blush                                                                          
bishops                                                                   field
doctors                                                                   bench
zombies                                                                  mutiny                                                                    
boys                                                                       stench

or what about these?

baboons                                                                 romp
cats                                                                        mob
geese                                                                     tribe
otters                                                                     clowder
kangaroos                                                              skein


But not all group nouns have been given names yet, and you can have a lot of fun with those. For example, in one of my short stories, I had a group of cheerleaders, and I wanted to refer to them with a collective noun. They became a "giggle of cheerleaders." I was extremely proud of that one. ;)

Remember, a little goes a long way--especially with some of the more esoteric combinations, such as an "implausibility of gnus." This is a spice to use sparingly, but it can really add something to the mix.

(I will give you the answers next time. ;) )

Lumberjacks, Vampires, and Writing What You Know.

'Write what you know' has to be one of the most-given pieces of writing advice in the entire history of the craft. I remember really hating this as a teenager. I mean, what had I done in life? All I wanted to do was crank out some story so I could pass some class or another, and they wanted me to write what I knew and slant it to some theme or assignment that I couldn't even choose? Bleh. I knew nothing in the scheme of things except living in what I perceived to be a boring town and going to school. As I grew I still remained somewhat ruffled about this piece of advice, even as I wrote for fun, because I liked writing speculative fiction and there's no way you can "know" that sort of thing, right?

Yeah, I can be an elitist idiot that takes things literally at times. 

Now, I realize how lucky I've been to have the experiences I've had - no matter how mundane. Every little interaction, every emotion, every experience is fodder for something and has the potential to be magic. Plus, I consider my insatiable curiosity one of my better traits. Both come in handy when I'm writing fantasy and horror. Don't believe me? Let me explain (Come on, you had to be expecting this, otherwise it would be a very short and pointless blog entry).

As a kid I harbored a deep and burning grudge that my parents got to pick our summer vacation choices. I was convinced I must have been a serial killer in a past life. As we cruised down the American highways I would always collect brochures at rest stops and dream of what it must be like to have parents who loved me. After all, only heartless maniacs would pass up waterparks, amusement parks, giant malls, pointless roadside attractions, and other obvious vacation spots for every historical site that could possibly enrich my mind and raise my history grade (that didn't need raising, thanks). I would sigh and fondle over those brochures and hope against hope that Gettysburg was closed during the week or maybe every worker in every historical site in Philidelphia would go on strike or something. 

To be fair, this resentment usually lasted a couple of days until we were actually well into our vacation. It probably didn't help that we were crammed into a small tent trailer and at least one of my parents has an overpowering sense of humor that does not do well in enclosed spaces, especially when paired with a kid who wants to read or listen to music or sleep and dream about whatever power ranger is dreamiest or something (Who knows. That was ten million years ago). 

Eventually, though, I would lighten up and enjoy myself. Truth be told, we probably shouldn't have done most of the Revolutionary and Civil War battle sites in the same trip; to this day I still tend to get a lot of them mixed up. There is also the story embedded in family folklore about the time when I was like four and we went to Mesa Verde and somehow everyone thought it was a good idea to go on a tour that involved actually climbing ladders and hand and foot holds up the canyon walls and across the pueblos. (Also to be fair, these were fenced in and I was flanked by both parents and the park guide. Still, retelling this story is guaranteed to give my relatives heart palpitations). There were other adventures I was probably guilty of - the same trip out west might have involved a trip to the dinosaur museum in Utah that featured a dig site at the time and because I saw it on Reading Rainbow I may have tried to make a break for it so I could climb up to the fossils and be at one with the dinosaurs (hey, they let Levar Burton do it on TV...). There may have been one museum visit in Peoria where we stayed right up until closing and I may have been almost locked in with an exhibit of an exposed burial mound that revealed hundreds of exposed skeletons. To this day I remember the panic of trying to find the door as the minutes ticked down until five, caught between the vertigo of an outdoor balcony that was fairly high up, and the madness of having to walk right by this gigantic room full of exposed full skeletons. I was eight. When I read the Bradbury story "The Next in Line" I actually broke out in a cold sweat remembering my own experience. 

By the time I was a pre-teen, though, I began to get fascinated with some of the mundane aspects of history. I really liked hearing about what it was like in the everyday life of different Native American tribes or the colonists before the Revolutionary War. I liked learning about miners, and to this day some of my favorite books are by Laura Ingalls Wilder (including her journalism collection and her diaries). Admittedly, though, my mind tended to wander and I was always adding my own flair to things. I remember distinctly during the Philadelphia trip wondering what it would be like if the displaced ghost of Benjamin Franklin was the one giving us the tour, and I probably added my own flair to many other trips that I'm not remembering. There was at least one trip I spent sketching disturbing looking trees that Brian Froud would be proud of. Still, there is something to be said for the hardcore lives these everyday people lived. The adversity they had to put up with is incredible. When I read about pioneers, the Dust Bowl, or any number of hardships that make up American history, I'm humbled. I mean even back as a teen I recognized that I was a huge wuss. It also doesn't help that part of my family history has had books written about it, which just goes to prove that I am a definite wuss and a disgrace to all those that came before me who could survive in the wild in subzero temperatures without even a blanket and walk away like it was nothing.

So it probably isn't a huge surprise that I would still be fascinated with reading about the everymen of American history: the miners, farmers, pioneers, laborers, and lumberjacks. I remember reading the books of Lilian Jackson Braun, who also tends to gravitate to similar topics (though without the ghosts and evil trees), in my adult years and really began to wonder if I could do something with that particular interest of mine in a speculative sense. But what?

There are many elements of speculative fiction I "know," not because I've lived them, but I am a huge geek and darn proud of it. I was perusing different educational sites about lumber camps and came across the entry "mooner." While not really defined, it referred to a supernatural creature that haunted lumber camps.

This fit in nicely with the speculative things that I geek out over...specifically, vampires. I love vampires. I love reading new takes on them, I love the movies, I love the folklore. Not everything vampire is good, and I appreciate when people know the mythos and work with it instead of against it. Barring this, I like when people use vampirism as a metaphor or backdrop for something else. I'm not one of those who outright prefer evil vampires over vampire romance or urban fantasy smooth criminal vamps over mindless feeding corpse-like vamps or old school Dracula/Gothic types. If it's done well, if it works, then I'm willing to give it a chance. Still, I like my vampires to use their teeth, and I think playing the moral grey area is always interesting. I think there can be romance mixed in with bloodshed, there can be mindfulness mixed in with a hunting mindset. It's the contradiction that makes things tense, and it's the knowledge that you're never going to win against something like that that makes the genre so full of possibility.

While maybe not an obvious choice, I like the use of vampires as metaphor, the thought of them being like Nietzsche's superman, but with teeth. I also like thinking about what happens when a normal person is tossed into that type of lifestyle and has to make reason of all the horrible things they're expected to do to survive (or is it any worse than any other pioneer trying to survive in an unsettled country?). 

That time period and life in the lumber camps was hard enough as it was...what if there was something bigger and badder than the strongest lumberjack? What if there was something to balance out all the shenanigans that tended to go on in the saloons during the weekends? What if there were motives bigger than the obvious, a subtle game being played, although it could never be won? It was an intriguing thought, and when put together with the historical aspect, I suddenly had a really interesting concept. Not only that, but the blend of bad boy lumberjack, innocent newcomer, well-meaning townspeople, and this sense of "other"...well that was too good to pass up.

Now I still had to look up things, I still had to do my research. Still, I can't help but think this story would never have come about if I hadn't gravitated to my own love of history and tendency to warp things to my whim (As you can imagine, my parents just love knowing what was in my head during all those family trips). 

Curious to see how all of this could come together? Well you'll just have to read the book to find out!

Kindle    Mocha Memoirs Press

Like many young men at the end of the 1800s, Bill signed on to work in a logging camp. The work is brutal, but it promised a fast paycheck with which he can start his life. Unfortunately, his role model is Big John. Not only is he the camp’s hero, but he’s known for spending his pay as fast as he makes it. On a cold Saturday night they enter Red’s Saloon to forget the work that takes the sweat and lives of so many men their age. Red may have plans for their whiskey money, but something else lurks in the shadows. It watches and badly wants a drink that has nothing to do with alcohol. Can Bill make it back out the shabby door, or does someone else have their own plans for his future?

Hand Beneath the Pump

If you have seen or read "The Miracle Worker," you know that there is a moment when Annie Sullivan is trying to teach Helen Keller that the signs she keeps making in her hands mean something. As they stand beside the pump, and Annie runs water into Helen's hand, wearily signing "water"over and over, suddenly--a lightbulb goes off in Helen's head, and she makes the connection that has been eluding her all along.

Why am I bringing it up? I had one of these "watershed moments" the other day about my writing, and I think it is worth sharing.

My husband refuses to critique anything I write. He says I can't take criticism, and I have spent more than ten years arguing that I can take constructive criticism, that I am getting better at accepting edits all the time...but I have been wrong. If anyone suggests something I don't agree with in their edits, I argue or justify, or ignore it. I can be a terrible editing subject.

As I was in tears over an edit I thought was asking way too much by way of rewrites, my husband said quietly, "You know why the QA department loves me?" (He's a computer programmer.) "Because I know they are trying to make my code the best it can be; that I might have missed something that would make it better; and I listen to what they have to say."

I thought about what he was saying. Really thought about it. And, for the first time, the analogy made sense to me. Editors are a writer's QA department. They see things we might not. They understand things we don't. We need to listen to them. Without whining about it. :) I made the changes they were asking for...and you know what...they were right. It was a stronger story for them.

(Okay, I may be a little self-serving, as I am about to go into editor mode....lol. Don't forget about our new Steampunk anthology, now open for submissions.)

You Gotta Have Goals

So, with the year three-fourths gone, I thought I should update the 300 Rejection Challenge. I have slacked off submitting a bit, so I probably won't make "Achievement Unlocked." On the other hand, I have 107 rejections -- and more importantly, from my perspective, if not my challenger's -- 34 acceptances of various sorts this year. Rejections no longer cause me more than a moment's "Ah, well. What's next?" That was the immersion therapy goal in the first place. So, in that sense, rousing victory. I highly recommend a year with a goal of this sort. If for no other reason than you have a large body of work to submit again if it is rejected.

However, now that I have gotten to the point where rejections no longer phase me, I need a new goal. And, as with all goals, it is good to stretch yourself. I was wondering what that new goal would be, until I attended the Hugos last weekend. The Hugos, for anyone who doesn't know, are the Science Fiction and Fantasy world's version of the Oscars -- as the Stokers are for Horror, or the RITAs or Golden Hearts are for Romance. Seeing the winners take the stage, many of whom I have met at conventions, ignited a fire in my soul to join them. Striving for the pinnacle of your genre is always a good thing. So my goal for next year is to submit to the markets that might get noticed and nominated.

This year, I went for quantity; next year, I aim for quality. :)

What do you want to accomplish as a writer or reader? Write five short stories a month? Finish a novel? Read one hundred books in the year? Anything is possible, but only if you try. Set your sights on that goal and never look back!

How to Write HorrorErotica by Eden Royce

Horrotica is exactly what it sounds like: a genre that is a combination of fear and lust. And it’s gaining popularity with publishers and readers. How do you write a horrotica story? Here are a few things your
story should include:

Sex: Seems obvious, but many publishers lament that they receive great horror stories that are too light on the sexy stuff. Find a way to incorporate sensual description in your story. Have your demon ravish
your heroine after he plunges his sinuous tongue – ahem. Well, you get the idea.

Be scary: Again, seems obvious. However, this is the part where some romance writers struggle. They get the intimacy part down pat, but tend to hold back on creating an atmosphere of fright. Horrotica
readers want to shudder, cringe and squirm a bit. They want to say, “Ew…” before they say, “Ohhhh…”

So let go and raise the stakes. Inspire fear. Your readers will love it.

Make us care: Tell me something about your characters besides their names and that they are about
to get horizontal. Find a way to make your read identify with one or more of your players. Why is
she ready to take the risk of performing that ancient ritual? Why did the sight of your hero draw your
heroine from the underworld to claim him?

Embrace the season: October is the time to be creative, silly, sexy, and terrifying. Simultaneously. Let
the approaching holiday creep in and help you design the perfect mix of horror and erotica. Because
sometimes, there’s a fine line between the two. Cross it.
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Eden Royce is a multi-genre writer. Her latest release from Mocha Memoirs Press, THE SNOW MAIDEN, demonstrates Eden's virtuoso writing skills. Try rher works today.

The World is Full of...What?

Mocha Memoirs Press Author,  Shiree McCarver, is a bestselling author of interracial romance. In this blog post, the successful Shiree, gives advice on well, advice on writing.

You can also read Shiree's Beauty & the Geek: Zola's Magic Touch, and see firsthand how Shiree uses her writer's voice and skills.
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The World is full of it... "Full of what?" You ask...
...FULL OF ADVICE. It's coming out of the “Wa-Hoo” from every direction. Even if you don't want to hear it...boom, there it is. I have found the writing world is full of it; mostly telling you how to be a better writer. I have yet to figure out how anyone can give
you that advice and you still maintain your voice as a writer. In spite of all the hands that can make a book better, only one voice can make it happen at all. It doesn’t matter how stubborn you have to become, hold onto the gift that is yours alone. Your "writer’s voice" is and will be that driving force that keeps the words coming to the page, long
after you think your best works are behind you. It will be the answer you need when you think there are no ways you can top that last piece of work.

I admire the writers that can sit down and can be so constructive in their writing. They know where it's going and how it's going to get there. I'm not one of them. I wish I could be and when I tried, I got writer’s block. I start by writing down the basic research for a character outline so I can keep my people straight and the rest comes as I write. Most of my best received books have been through my Summer Free Reads that are cold
writings from week to week. I know I'm long winded in my writing and my readers know that.

When I tried to be the writer that all the advice columns and books advised I needed to do to be successful, I found that I had to choose my own path that makes me a good writer. The first thing I did was make peace with myself over those who wanted to dump my novels from their list of books to read and leave me by the wayside. I stopped taking those comments personally and focused my energy on reaching only those who are
interested in my style and my long winded purple prose.

This is what I've learned:
--Be true to yourself and your vision.
--If you write the way you love, it won't feel like work.
--Don't do it to get rich; do it because you love what you do and the money will come.
--An opinion is one thing. Turning your voice into theirs is another. It's not others’ careers in jeopardy, it's yours. If you must fail, let it be on your own terms. If you’ve tried and failed, you will still feel as if you succeeded because you tried your best with what you had to bring to the table.
--Failure is not an option. Dust yourself off and try again, this time being true to your own gifted voice even if you have to publish it yourself.

Remember, just like I have just done, I’ve only given you my opinion based on MY LIFE experiences which have nothing to do with you or YOUR LIFE experiences. Those you have to bring to your style of writing. Advice is all it is. It doesn't need to be your mantra or your bible unless it helps you to achieve YOUR dreams of which type of writer you want to be and what you want to be known for.

Don't follow a niche. Build your own and allow others to use you as an example instead of becoming part of what is already out there. No one becomes memorable by working “inside the box” all the time. Remember you can say "fuck you" with only a nod and a smile and none shall be the wiser as you continue to not compromise.

Happy creativity, regardless of what it may be!
Ree
www.shireemccarver.com

What is Steampunk?

Valjeanne Jeffers is an editor and author. Below she discusses the definition of steampunk and why you should be reading it. If you want to try a steampunk title, Mocha Memoirs Press recommends, MOSES: THE CHRONICLES OF HARRIET TUBMAN by Balogun.
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What is Steampunk?

This is the definition of Steampunk, as defined by wikipedia: “Steampunk is a genre which came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s and incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror, and speculative fiction. It involves a setting where steam power is widely used—whether in an alternate history such as Victorian era Britain or “Wild West”-era United States, or in a post-apocalyptic time —that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology, or futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned them, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art…”
So that’s the textbook definition of steampunk; sort of. It didn’t just come into being—it’s been around for a while. Think Adam Ant. Sherlock Holmes. And the movie Time After Time (based on H.G. Well’s The Time Machine).

But for some reason it’s wildly popular today, in fiction and in film. Why? I have my theories. One of which is that when something’s hot, opportunists tend to jump on board and squeeze that something like a lemon. But a less cynical reason (after all that’s not why I love the genre, or my fellow BSFS writers) is that steampunk is an island of fantasy— of escape— within our technological, very stressful 21th century. Just like every other type of speculative fiction. And a way of making one’s own personal statement.

Someone on a steampunk blog, described it as “poorly defined.” Really? Seriously? How about open to experimentation and imagination. Just like every other SF sub-genre. None of them is rigid. None are set in stone.

When it comes to steampunk, just like horror, SF, fantasy… there’s no wrong way to do it. The writer just needs to make sure he or she includes steampunk elements, make your rules, and write a story that will knock the reader out of their socks. I’d also humbly suggest asking yourself what does steampunk mean to you?
For me it symbolizes freedom. Groovy, funky freedom. Freedom from repression and/or an attempt to free oneself.

I’ll post a couple of excerpts and I’ll invite everyone to do the same. Along with a simple answer to this question: what does steampunk mean to you?

Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds“You called me ‘Karla.’ Why? That’s not my name. I’m Sonya. Where did you come from?”
His eyes searched her face. “I don’t know.”

Karla… The name was like a caress. It reminded him of a song—the words forgotten, but the melody etched upon his heart.

Joseph tore his eyes away from her and scanned the bedroom. To his right was a high bed with a canopy. A wardrobe sat beside it. Across from him, stood a vanity table and mirror. Filigreed lamps were arranged here and there about the room.

The furniture spoke to him of antiquity—of an older, bygone age. Yet above the vanity hung a triangular clock, full of visible cogs and dials and encased in metal. It was ticking loudly.

The Copper man looked behind him, at the tall mirror encased in a delicately carved frame.
“I think…I think I came from inside your mirror.”

Her eyes shot to the glass, and a curious mixture of fear and longing played over her face.

“From my mirror?” He nodded. “Ho-how did you do that?”

How indeed? “I’m not sure.”

The Switch II: ClockworkGoing below ground was more than leaving the upper city. It was like entering another world. Skylights were carved into the metal, for natural light, to keep under city dwellers from going blind.

Yet it was always gloomy, and the steam used to power their machinery created a perpetual fog. All refuse was recycled through pipes attached to brick walls along the alleyways that carried the waste farther below. The smell clung to the under dwellers skin and clothing.

Yet for all this, the underground had it charms. Cobblestone lanes adorned by streetlights ran the length of the under city. Wooden shops and flats overlaid with brass lined the avenues. In the distance, a clock tower chimed.
The people were known for their outrageous gear. As part of their rebellion, they refused to dress like those who oppressed them.

As the fugitives reached the street, a steam-powered auto puttered along the stones, its motor clearly visible in front. On the left a couple strolled past, the man dressed in knickers and stockings; the woman in a form-fitting dress with a bustle and pill box hat.

To their right, an old man carrying a walking stick stood before a haberdashery. He had a salt-and-pepper, handlebar mustache; and wore a red jacket with tails, and pants with suspenders.

Behind them came the running steps of the constables.

The old man stepped in front of the fugitives, as if to block their path, and tapped the stones with his stick.
The stones slid back, revealing a steam-powered elevator; it rose to the street…

Copyright Valjeanne Jeffers 2012 all rights reserved.

The Story vs. The Writer

Mocha Memoirs Press's thriller writer, Jessica Housand-Weaver, knows a thing or two about story. Her tale, THE SCREAM OF THE SIREN, sent shrivers and frightened readers and critics alike. In her blog post below, she discusses the orgins of her stories and characters.
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The Story vs. The Writer
by Jessica Housand-Weaver

After reading a great story, we are left with a sense of anticlimax and disappointment that it has ended. No matter how awesome the ending, we hunger to be immersed further in the storyworld. This leads to a certain fascination with the writer. We feel close to them because we have been privy to what exists in their mind. We empathize with the writer and desire to continue the dialogue.

We want to ask: how did you create such an absorbing story? Or in the case of some horror writers, who, as creators of such terrible worlds, seem even creepier than their stories—what is wrong with you?

How much of writing is fact and fiction has been the speculation of readers for centuries. This speculation, which helps bring readers, writers, and characters together, is almost as enjoyable as the story itself. Like the ‘mad scientist’ stereotype, or the ‘unstable artist’ (think Van Gogh), writers truly are a basket case class of their own. Surely, a ‘normal’ person, or one with ‘normal’ experiences, could not concoct the sheer complexity and twists involved in storywriting.

I concur, with just a slight modification—a ‘normal’ person would not want to.

We writers are not ‘right; in the head. By this, I mean, we are swamped left and right in our
minds with ideas, experiences, and possibilities that we just have to tell you. We have a communication
disorder of a sort, a kind of communomania. We are strangers who share intimate secrets with our
readers without ever speaking or touching. We enjoy the solitude of our communication artform but
need to connect with you; in fact, we can’t stop.

Our characters are complex conglomerations of fact and exaggerative fiction. They are all of you, all the people we have ever loved or despised in the upgraded 2.0 story version. We build off of the emotions, personalities, and experiences we have had in our lives and decorate them a little bit to make them more palatable, especially for readers longing for something a little different and less mundane than their everyday life experiences. In essence, we are escape artists… and we are taking you with us.

As a writer, it can be a little amusing (even awkward) when family members, friends, or readers ask questions about my personal life after reading a piece like my thriller, The Scream of the Siren, published last year by Mocha Memiors Press. Readers want to know, who the characters are really. They find certain physical or name traits of individuals that appear to match up with the characters in the story. A favorite character to do this with has proven to be the love-maddened antagonist in The Scream of the Siren, Alejandro. Readers wonder if he is based off of a real person; my husband sometimes gets funny looks.

Again, I like to think of my characters as pieces, little pieces of anyone who has ever made an impression in my life, taken completely out of context, and mashed up into one juxtaposed mess that I then interject with all the things I have to tell you (remember, I suffer from communomania). While some aspects of the story, the main character, and even Alejandro do have very strong parallels in my real life experiences, writing is, in the end, what I like to refer to as quantum communication—sharing with you pieces of possibilities out of what already exists.

Ten Lessons That Star Trek Can Teach You About Writing

Michael LaRocca is not only an extremely talented editor at Mocha Memoirs Press. He's also an extremely talented author. Check out his latest release, Lazarus: A Gary Drake Mystery. It's availabe in print and e-book formats. Get a copy today and see how Michael uses these 10 lessons himself.

Michael describes below how Star Trek can teach you a lot about writing.


1) Readers Matter
In the first STAR TREK film, Gene Roddenberry finally had the budget to create all the footage he wanted of ENTERPRISE just sitting there, looking real purty, and by gum he was gonna use it all. I personally don’t mind watching all those minutes, 22 or 187 or whatever it was, but most folks think that’s too much. If most of your readers say something needs to be changed or added or deleted, listen to them.

2) Characters Matter
 When the second pilot was filmed, it was already pre-ordained that William Shatner was the star. Since Spock was the only character from the first pilot to also appear in the second pilot, it was safe to assume Leonard Nimoy was a costar. Who else? Well, McCoy and the chemistry just kinda happened.

When I write, character comes first, and plot etc. unfold from there. Even if you start from some other place, character always matters. In the end, nothing happens unless it happens to somebody, and that somebody is who your reader cares about regardless of species.

When you write, have some sort of plan, and have some control, but be flexible. If your story’s telling you to go in a certain direction, listen to it. That might be your characters talking to you. (And yes, I know you made them all up. Don’t bother me with details.)

3) Turn Weaknesses into Strengths
 I can’t remember if I wrote about this in CONUNDRUM or ENIGMA, so be safe and read both. Why did ENTERPRISE have a transporter? Because it wasn’t in the TV show’s budget to film launch and landing sequences for shuttlecraft on various and sundry new planets every week. This forced the writers to invent the transporter, and that’s some seriously cool shit. STAR TREK wouldn’t be STAR TREK without it.

4) Fuck Grammar
Okay, not really. Speaking as your editor, please don’t fuck grammar. But you can break any rule you want if you have a good reason. Try to never break a rule from ignorance. But if you’ve got a reason, go for it. That’s how we as authors change the language.

Why did Shakespeare invent 10% of the words he used? Because if he’d invented 20% or 50% he’d have confused too many of his viewers.

Meanwhile, the “rule” about splitting infinitives is totally bogus. “To boldly go” is a perfectly good English phrase. In Latin, it isn’t possible to split an infinitive because “to go” (for example) is one word. You can’t write “to boldly go” in Latin because “to go” is only one word. Someone decided English grammar should follow Latin grammar — that sounds like some of Noah Webster’s shit — and was soundly shouted down for being too stupid to live. Feel free to boldly split infinitives like James Brown split tight pants. Then jump back and kiss yourself.

5) Wishful Thinking Is Allowed
In the STAR TREK future, everybody quotes long passages of Shakespeare from memory. If I say it like that, it might sound hard to believe, but in the context of the STAR TREK world, it fits. It’s allowed. Dammit, people should quote Shakespeare from memory, just like that cockatiel I taught when his humans were away. I never could teach him context, though.

6) It’s Not About The Money
Okay, sometimes it was about the money. But in roughly two years of the original show and roughly ten years of Next Generation, it wasn’t about the money. In some of the films, including some of the stinkers, it wasn’t about the money.

I’ve always said that you should write what you’d like to read, then find readers who share your interests. Yep, that’s what Gene Roddenberry did. He believed in world peace, racial and gender integration, trying to shake off old prejudices to the best of our limited abilities, freedom of religion and non-religion, gay rights, cooperation rather than killing, the Prime Directive of non-interference in viable developing cultures, war as a last and not a first resort, and seeing just how much political and religious commentary he could slip past the censors, who weren’t as bright as the average STAR TREK viewer.

Did he really believe in the cashless society? If a “credit” or a “quatloo” walks like a dollar bill and quacks like a dollar bill… oh, wait, that’s not Roddenberry, that’s Terrell Owens. Never mind.

7) YOU Are The WriterRemember when I said to listen to your readers? That doesn’t mean you have to always agree with them. When Gene Roddenberry’s vision put him at odds with the majority, he went with his vision. We should all do that. Such judgment calls are what separate the great writers from the merely ordinary. And to pull all that off within the confines of a 1960s TV show is nothing short of extraordinary. You could do far worse than to follow his example.

8 ) Choose Your Battles
That’s what Roddenberry had to do every time he butted heads with TV executives. It’s what I do as an author when I disagree with my editor, and what I expect an author to do when I’m his or her editor. “I’ll say Starfleet pays its officers in credits if you let the white guy kiss the black girl.” Or whatever.

9) Too Many Sequels Can Sour Anything
I shouldn’t end on such a downer, should I? Too bad. But at least Paramount waited for Roddenberry to die before they destroyed what he created.

10) Posterity Matters
How long has it been since Captain Kirk first flexed those biceps and paused in funny places during his speechifying? It’s been over 40 or 45 years since Roddenberry started writing STAR TREK, and we’re still talking about it. That’s what we write for. I don’t want you to love my shit now and forget it tomorrow. A novel is not a damn blog or a tweet. Write something timeless. Something to piss off future generations the way it does your immediately family, something teachers can torture students with, something that just will not fucking die.