Cool Steampunk site for writers and readers

Steampunk is a subgenre that is upwelling in big, huge, roiling, boiling laval masses of volcanic spew all over the fiction landscape of late.  Yeah, it seems to be to be that big a deal.  I've never been that interested in writing the stuff, and I hadn't really read it until I grabbed up Steampunk, the anthology by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer.  I have a few other things (Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest; The Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger, etc.) but not a whole lot.  I was more fixated on cyberpunk than steampunk. 

But I'm being won over, at least in reading tastes.  I'm not inclined to try writing the stuff...yet.  But there are some surprizing things that are considered steampunk-- for example China Mieville's On Perdido Street Station (another in the tbr pile.)  Matthew Delman, proprietor of the blog Free The Princess, terms Perdido Street Second-World Steampunk, defined (loosely) as a post-apocalyptic world with steam technology.  Second World stories are presumably NOT defined by the political definition (e.g. part of the former USSR and it's satellites.)  I'm having a hard time finding the term 'second world' in any other context besides that one and world wars; but it appears from context in the cited article to be a post-apocalyptic or collapsing world, a world that's experienced or is experiencing a fall like that of the Roman Empire. Anyhow, read the article, it's really interesting.

Interestingly, my current main work in progress, Magus of Athlinar, has similarities in its world to Mieville's novel.  So perhaps I'm writing steampunk after all--just Second-World Steampunk!  The only thing that makes me equivocate for not being steampunk is that there really isn't much in the way of Victoriana or clockwork and brass tech.  Mostly it's biological and magic blended.  So perhaps I am wrong.

But back to Steampunk in general.  If you want to read some great sites by writers in the genre, you couldn't do better than to read the blog Free The Princess.  There, you will find a lot of historic information, steampunk links, and a lot of other information that is steampunk friendly.  The proprietor, Matthew Delman, states that the blog is a "practical literary guide to writing Steampunk."  I whole-heartedly agree. [Also, a great article on multiculturalism in steampunk, guest posted on FTP by Ay-leen the Peacemaker, proprietress of Beyond Victoriana.

Another cool Steampunk blog.  Adam Heine's blog, Author's Echo, is also very informational and dedicated to steampunk.  I particularly like his post on how to talk like an air pirate.

Additionally, Booksmugglers had quite the interesting discussion on steampunk here.

And also, a reminder about my currently running flash fiction blog contest.  Submissions close Sunday, August 22nd. Please see here for the details.

Comments

[Adam Heine]

Hey, thanks for the link, writtenwyrdd! I believe Matt is using "second world steampunk" to mean steampunk set in a world other than our own (so a fictional world, not Earth).

Traditionally, steampunk is a kind historical fiction/alternate history, taking place on Earth around the 19th century. Much like the two steampunk novels you mentioned at the top.

[Matthew Delman]

Thank you for the mention, writtenwyrdd! I can hardly believe you've given me some a great endorsement!

And yes, Adam's right -- "Second World" could more accurately be called "Fantasy World" Steampunk, but the term Second World is bandied around a lot in Steampunk theorist circles, so that's what I used.

Glad you're enjoying the Practical Literary Guide. :)

[writtenwyrdd]

Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the clarification. I suppose I *should* have emailed...just color me lazy. :)

[writtenwyrdd]

Hi Adam, thanks for the info.