
Rayne Hall, editor of the Fiery Beasts anthology, has asked me for a steampunk story. I've never read this genre let alone written anything remotely similar, so I had nothing—except imagination, of course. I found a copy of Steampunk, a collection of stories edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, and devoured it.
Since beginning this project, I've come to realise many people are unfamiliar with this genre.
What is Steampunk?


It began, as do all my stories, as scribbles in a notebook and plenty of tea-cradling and staring into space. With dozens of ideas that seemed to flow, this project was in danger of becoming a novel. Before I knew it, I'd written a chunk of 6,000 words beginning with a horrible exposition dump and too much waffle throughout. I was, however, excited about the premise: an escaping automaton, on fire and wreaking havoc as its magnetic flux strengthens.

Once I had pretty much everything in place, it was time to get both characters in on the action as their creation crashes through town...
Throughout the tale I needed to find a way to weave in all that back story and having now done that, the whole piece clocks in at just under 7,500 words. It's my longest short story so far. Indeed, it's almost a novelette.
So, as I print out yet another draft of "Hole In The Sky" and attack it with the Red Pen of Doom, I can only hope Rayne likes it enough to include it in her next Ten Tales anthology, Cogwheels.
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Author photo (c)Christopher Shoebridge |
Mark Cassell lives in a rural part of the UK with his wife and a number of animals. He often dreams of dystopian futures, peculiar creatures, and flitting shadows. Primarily a horror writer, his steampunk, fantasy, and SF stories have featured in several anthologies and ezines.
His debut novel, The Shadow Fabric, is a supernatural story and is available from Amazon.
Twitter: @Mark_Cassell ~ Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMarkCassell
His debut novel, The Shadow Fabric, is a supernatural story and is available from Amazon.
Twitter: @Mark_Cassell ~ Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMarkCassell