Trying a New (Sub)Genre

Courtesy of Guilane Nachez, MorgueFile.com

Almost forgot to post.

Okay, where was I? Right. Steampunk.

What? Steampunk?

All right, put down your sword canes and stop brandishing your parasols. Oh, and do you mind watching where you pour that tea? Thanks!

Yes, folks, scary as it sounds, I've started a steampunk short story. And what I mean by started is I've run the idea through Dramatica Pro, but haven't actually started writing the story yet. I bought Beth Daniel's book on how to write steampunk, but glancing through it gave me an initial idea. Jotted down a one page synopsis and started from there.

A bit nervous, especially since steampunk has certain expectations, much like mysteries. (And I want to write a mystery. That's one of my goals for 2013.) Anyway, I digress. I like steampunk, although I'll admit I'm still learning about it. That's why I'm working on a short story. I don't have enough knowledge to try to pull off a novel-length work. Heck, I may fall flat on my face with this endeavor, but I want to try. 

Writing is about taking chances, of pushing oneself to another level. Just because I've never written a steampunk story, doesn't mean I can't do it. Maybe my first attempt will be laughable, but that's what first drafts are for. Anyway, I have enough information to start writing. Maybe next Tuesday, I'll have a first draft or at least a partial one.

A Shout Out to Kentucky Writers (Part 2)

Last week, I talked about some of Kentucky's literary authors. This week, I want to introduce you to several genre writers. They write romance, science fiction, mystery, horror, and more.

First there's the Kentucky Independent Writers group. These authors take writing and publishing seriously and are willing to learn and pass on their knowledge. You can learn more about each author by stopping by the KIW blog.

Another independent author who publishes with small presses is Amy McCorkle. She also writes as Kate Lynd, and has had stories published by Hydra Publications and MuseItUp Publishing. You can find out more about her at her blog, Creative Chatter.

Debbie Kuhn is a multi-genre author whose work has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Apex Publications, and Mysterical-E, among others.

Reviewer and author, Michele Lee also writes speculative fiction and is an advocate for helping others understand autism.

I hope this introduction to these Kentucky authors will inspire you to check out their writings.