In Defense of Entertainment

I’ve been writing Steampunk lately, in both the fantasy and western genres, and I’ve noticed something. In the chats and in various things I’ve seen and read online there appears to be an argument over just what makes a book Steampunk. What do you have to have in your story to qualify as real Steampunk? One faction says as long as there is some form of anachronistic steam tech and your story is set in an alternate Victorian historical era you’re good to go. Another faction has decreed the writer must address a some sort of ideology along with the clockwork critters or steam engines in the story all you have is a plain story with a little Steampunk window dressing. For this group the authors of these window dressing stories are jumping on a bandwagon and don’t really understand Steampunk. Then there’s yet another side who just want a cracking good story that lets them indulge in their passion for a fantasy world of steam technology, Victorian style and manners, and above all adventure. They want to escape the dreary everyday world for a few hours or an afternoon.

Now in all fairness I have to say there’s a lot of the same faction friction in the mainstream Science Fiction genre. There are authors who write stories with SF window dressing, tossing in a few terms they’ve picked up from watching Star Trek or Star Wars. There are other authors who are totally immersed in the genre and have a wider experience gained by reading. The third group, just like the corresponding one in the Steampunk genre, wants adventure and escapism. They want to be entertained. Compared to the Science Fiction genre, Steampunk as a genre is relatively new, they don’t have the equivalent to a Space Opera subgenre. At least not that I’ve seen yet.
What attracted me to Steampunk in the first place was the art and design I was seeing. I’ve been reading books that could be called Steampunk for years, since the late 70’s at least. They were simply called alternative history back then, usually an alternate Victorian or Edwardian era. What got me thinking about this were statements made during the #steampunkchat last Friday night. The topic was Romance in Steampunk. Quite a few of the writers seemed to think Steampunk books have to be “Message” books. They must have an Ideology. I say no. Not only no, but hell no. Because when you come right down to it a “message” book is, most of the time, saying, “This is how you need to live because I think its right.” Uh-huh. Sure. Next book please. Very few “message” book authors manage to get past this. Even fewer fiction authors manage it. A reader can always tell when an author is on a soapbox about something. Don’t believe me? Look at the definition of Ideology, particularly definition #2 since a vanishingly small number manage to pull off #1. Look at the synonyms.

Webster’s Definition of IDEOLOGY
1: visionary theorizing
2 a : a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture
b : a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture
c : the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program
Synonyms: CREDO, DOCTRINE, DOGMA, GOSPEL, CREED, PHILOSOPHY, TESTAMENT

I write Romance, usually Science Fiction or Fantasy Romance, and now Steampunk Romance. I also write some Erotic Romance and Erotica. None of it has a deep, meaningful, social message. I’m not pushing an Ideology. My goal is to tell a fun story, to entertain. I don’t think, “How can I make a great social statement.” I think, “How do I give my readers their money’s worth and make them forget their worries for a bit.” Any message there is whatever the reader gets out of the story. I think this is really all you can expect. Because “message” books tend to be boring, preachy books, no matter what genre they’re dressed up in.

As a writer, I say do your research into the genre you want to write. Know the genre and know the readers. Learn your craft and keep learning. Read what others have written. If you absolutely have to put an ideological message in your story, learn to be subtle.

As a reader, I say don’t preach at me. Give me characters I care about, an interesting plot, a great story (very different things but that’s yet another rant) and above all entertain me. These are unbreakable laws because if your book doesn’t do these things I won’t buy anything else you write.

Science Fiction - A Rant

I do some reviewing for Night Owl Reviews and I used to edit for several publishers. I've been a life-long science fiction and romance reader. And I'm seeing something that bugs the heck out of me. I'm seeing stories where the authors are combining science fiction and romance. That isn't what has been bugging me though, I love the combination, I even write it myself.

The thing that bugs me is the number of books I see billed as science fiction romance where the author has made the assumption that calling a car a transport or having a character zip around in a flitter and talk to an intelligent cat with six legs makes the story science fiction. Sorry but it doesn't. Neither does copying things like warp drive, light swords, pointed ears and strange colored skin. Or setting the story on a space station or a planet with five moons and a green sky. I've seen books by authors who use the terms planet, galaxy, and solar system interchangeably, not having a clue concerning the difference between these things. They plug in a few spacey sounding terms and make the hero blue skinned and telepathic and bingo, they think they have science fiction. Um...No.

I have a suggestion for all the authors who want to write science fiction because they've seen all the Star Wars movies and every episode of Star Trek ever made. Read some science fiction. Read Heinlein, Niven, Asimov, Herbert, Bova, and Blish. Also Cherryh, Lichtenberg, Duane, Bradley, Tiptree, and LeGuin. There are thousands of great books out there. Hundreds of great authors. Read and pay attention to the world building, the aliens they describe, the culture the humans live in. Don't just copy a few terms you liked from the Matrix movies and rewrite Biff falls in love with Muffy. (Mary Sue / Gary Stu is a whole other rant.)

You want to write about people on a world with a green sky? Fine, take a minute and find out what would make that sky green, and would the people be able to breathe it or would they have to wear some kind of environment suit? Would they need air locks on their homes? What other problems would they have? Carnivorous grass maybe, who knows, the possibilities are endless. Research it; your story will be better for it. With Google and the internet these days research doesn't take much time at all.

Alright, rant over. For now. So, just in case you're wondering what I've read myself and personally recommend here's a short list.

H Beam Piper – Little Fuzzy (available on Kindle for free.)

James H Schmitz – Agent of Vega, the Telzey and Trigger stories (available online from Baen Books.)

Jacqueline Lichtenberg – Molt Brother and City of a Million Legends, plus the Sime-Gen books.

Marion Zimmer Bradley – Colors of Space as well as the Darkover series.

Frank Herbert – the first four in the Dune series.

Robert Heinlein – All of them, particularly Red Planet and Orphans of the Sky.

C J Cherryh – the Chanur books, Cuckoo's Egg, Cyteen, the Foriegner series, and Wave Without a Shore if you can find it.

Alan Dean Foster - The Flinx and Pip series.

And there are dozens of others. Go on, be brave, extend your horizons. It doesn't hurt a bit.

Lessons

I have learned a few things over the last couple months.

First I am definitely not and outliner. No I am what some call a pantster. I get my idea for a story or a character pops in to visit and I start writing. I may have a vague idea of where the story will go but most of the time I don't. I've discovered the characters always know, even if they won't share it with me until the last minute.

Second I am an outliner. Yes, schizo, I know. But what I've found is the perfect way to outline without outlining. And all it took was deciding to turn my fantasy romance book Puca into a movie. I found a group of great film and screenwriting people on Twitter which in turn led me to beat sheets and the three act structure. I had a vague idea that just possibly I could use this in my fiction writing but I had no clue how. Then I got some great advice from Jacqueline Lichtenberg and now the story is flying again.

Helpful Links:
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html
http://scriptchat.blogspot.com/
http://www.blakesnyder.com/tools/
http://www.rareform.com/screenplay-editor/beats.php