Short and Sweet

I'm keeping my post short this weekend. I've had a heck of a week, and have another one looming ahead of me. It's not all bad! Just busy, busy, busy. My energy is unable to match my fervour, and my enthusiasm depletes accordingly.

There's certainly been some productivity this week on the writing front. I do hope next week will be just as productive, if not more so. I have an  important meeting tomorrow evening which will no doubt set the tone for the writing week.

I've become so precious about my time over the last few years, probably since becoming a mother. There's so little of it that's just for me. And even less of that is for writing. I'm looking forward to the Easter holidays as I've got a writing holiday booked. Okay, so it's not a lake/loch side log cabin (the ultimate dream: my writing holiday home) but it's space, peace and quiet to crack on with The Heart Thief.

One thing that has struck me about writing the second book in Devils Light is how much more comfortable I am with the plot and with my character portrayals. Beforehand, when writing a chapter a week for this blog, I was never sure if my characters were convincing, or if the plot was intriguing. Those fears have been put to rest. This time around there's a lot more emotional content, which I perceive to be my next challenge in becoming a successful YA fiction author. Of course, you'll have to let me know on that score. 

Rising Steampunk (ROYA #7)

 

The popularity of Steampunk has mushroomed over the last few years. Some call it a movement, others argue it's a genre. Either way, steampunk has certainly struck a chord with a whole swathe of people. If you aren't familiar with this genre, it's essentially fantasy involving chimerical machinery inspired by the technology of the Industrial Revolution. Often it is set in a romanticised Victorian age or Wild West, or similarly harsh yesteryear where certain ideals are held about the almost magical possibilities of technology. Ideals that are best represented by H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, and Fritz Lang's Metropolis [pictured right].


I first became aware of steampunk through Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices.  Those of you familiar with this series will be aware this means I only clicked to it about two years ago. That's not to say that I hadn't encountered it before, more that I hadn't realised what it was called. In my ignorance I'd never thought to question what type of fantasy it was, assuming it was simply historical fantasy, or something equally as dry sounding. The very word steampunk conjures up sizzling images of rebellion and excitement in my mind's eye. In fact, it's even given me the idea for another YA series I'd like to write. But I'm keeping the details of that to myself,  for now at least. What I will say though is that I'm going to be reading plenty more steampunk novels.



Turns out, practically everyone has been having a go of late.  I'm not saying I like everything that is produced. I wasn't particularly impressed with Hugo, Martin Scorsese's effort, finding it awfully cliched and lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. More recent, popular creations have been Hellboy and The City of Lost Children [pictured left], both coincidentally starring fire-hunting caveman Ron Pearlman.*  Steampunk litters book stores and cinema screens, spawning legions of fan groups and full-time dresser-uppers. What is it about it that appeals to so many, making it positively en vogue?

I was asked to review a steampunk anthology recently, and what struck me was how versatile a genre it really is. Much like Young Adult, although not quite so all-encompassing, it can be accessed through various fantasy levels. Sure, there are those who wish to define the genre, but why limit it? Why over-regulate something that has such broad appeal and accessibility? It seems akin to a child issuing the rules to their own little game, then throwing a huff when everyone else refuses to step in line. The way I see it, steampunk opens its arms to all who wish to tinker with its creative possibilities.  I've read criticisms that it whitewashes stories, and ignores some of history's harsher realities like racism and slavery.  The counter-argument is that it is fantasy, and not meant to be realistic. However, my belief is that keeping the genre open to adaptability is what is key in sustaining its success, as well as keeping both of these camps happy.




But why now? What is it about steampunk that gets us all ticking? In an age of ever advancing technology, with the world at our fingertips, it can't be the case that we all wish to regress, can it?  As employment and food prices continue to rise into the unattainable for all but the wealthy, I wonder if it is the idea of a time of hope and possibility that we all yearn for; The notion that the fruits of our manual labour can make our wildest dreams spring to mechanical life.  It appears that the ideals of an age past, where technology represented a bright and promising future, is more preferable to the reality of our technological age.

 

 

 

 

 

Above: Steampunk Heart by WilliemXSM
sourced from Deviantart 

*Okay, not in real life, but he was one in Quest for Fire.

Remember, if you have something that you think would be of interest to ROYA, email me at merrybawz@hotmail.com with ROYA and your name as the subject.

For the Love of Art!

One thing I've noticed since I made a promise to myself to write more: I don't leave the house. It's no joke. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I've sacrificed almost my entire social life in order to dedicate myself to my writing career. Although it's been an easy choice in so far as it's something I want to do, I still feel guilty for not keeping in better contact with my friends and family.

I'm glad to have the peace in the evenings to work. I get so little opportunity to read during the day, so if I've been asked to review, or if I have an article to write, I have to squeeze my reading into my writing time.  I miss my friends, but my time is so precious these days. Between looking after my daughter and writing I have very little time for anything else. Including sleep.  Even trying to fit in a visit to my local gym seems too difficult to organise. This is mostly due to the fact that I refuse to pay the £2.60 peak hour price (I have to watch the pennies these days, and the 50p sessions seem far easier to justify). All the same, I could do with an extra day in the week.

I awoke this morning with a desire to take up Tai Chi again. Whether this comes from the fact that I've just finished reading Tao Te Ching, or simply because I feel the need some calm in my life, I couldn't tell you.  Either way, trying to find the time to fit a class of any description into my week seems impossible. If it's before 7pm, I have to arrange child care. Trust me, this not an easy thing for me to arrange, for a variety of reasons that I wont go into. However, I do find it ironic that I have no time to fit in a class that would essentially help me feel less hectic.

Anyone can churn out dross. I've met so-called authors who claim writing a book is easy. You only need to see how poorly their work is written to understand why they think this. Fact is, writing a book  - a good, well written one -  takes time, hard work, and quite often, tears. Unless you are either extremely privelaged, or already a well-published author, rarely do you have lots of time on your hands to write. To consistently produce quality work, most authors need to lock themselves away from civilisation any chance they get.

Dolly Parton has been known to harp on at concerts in between songs about the sacrifices she's made for her career. I'm no Dolly Parton, (I'm not a singer for a start) but I do agree with her that hard work and sacrifice to be a talented and prolific artist. Ah well, here's hoping it'll all be worth it.