Happy Blog Day Everyone!
Today, there's a sudden twist in my steampunk writing attempts (and I'm not joking about the 'sudden' here) but before we get into all that, we really should check in on Brennan and Riz...
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Yup, that's certainly Gallows. Don't be surprised if I tweak his character design a bit more before his next appearance, but we'll see how it goes. We're almost at the middle point now. I'm certainly learning things about this process, and I plan to do better with the plotting of the Xmas multipart story later this year. I don't want that to be 12 parts long!
Phantom Dawn: Memories of a Rose
Following last week's Gabriel shaped diversion we'll rejoin Rose and her new travelling companion, Neal, as they enter the next phase of their adventure...
(First posted 25th April 2021)
Rose shuddered as she felt violent thoughts being #drawn to her. She looked round for the source but saw nothing but the wasted plains.
"What's wrong?" The old man asked, before pointing over the ridge.
"There, that's our destination."
(First posted 26th April 2021)
Rose looked around in awe, as Neal explained.
"This is the town of #adoration, a small trading post on the edge of Finch's territory."
"Finch?" Rose asked. A drunk young man was thrown down in front of them, interrupting them.
"Kurz," Neal sighed.
(First posted 27th April 2021)
"Hi, gramps!" The drunken young man said looking up at Neal. He looked #cooked with the red face and dopey grin. "I just had a drink...or five!"
Rose turned in shock:
"You know him!"
"Kurz," Neal said again. "What am I going to do with you."
(First posted 28th April 2021)
Kurz started to pull himself up from the dirt, blissfully unaware of the eyes in the doorway. A second later he was dragged to his feet and forced to look at a juggernaut of a man.
"Where's that #thousand coins you owe me cur?" The man asked.
(First posted 29th April 2021)
"Mason! Put Kurz down! He has no money to offer the likes of you!" Neal said, bravely stepping forward.
"Please! Don't make this messy old man!" Mason growled. Then he spotted Rose.
"A thousand poets could never #describe your beauty," he muttered.
(First posted 30th April 2021)
Mason towered over Rose, #nodding all the while.
"Yes, a pretty little flower like you, needs someone like me for tender lovin," he mused. He grabbed her arm which triggered revulsion within her that needed to express itself in a most violent way.
We'll leave things here for now, her violent retribution will have to wait till next week!
Attempting Steampunk II
Last week, I spoke about the latest short story I was working on and the trouble I was having with it. There looked to be light at the end of the tunnel, as I had the foundations of a story...And today I threw it in the bin.
I tried to work with it, changing bits, but a 1000 words in, I was ungripped, and worst, had barely started the story. To tell the story I wanted, I'd probably have needed novella length at least to play with, getting the most from the story concept. Was I too ambitious (probably, I tend to think big on these, making grand plans that tie everything together and yet never writing them), or was I just lacking in skill? Thinking back while writing this, I think it's maybe more that my issues with coming up a solid plan for the story caused the whole thing to fracture. I forced an idea on myself that never stood to scrutiny, included a character that didn't need to be in there (sorry Gabriel fans!) And just set myself up to fail.
Am I abandoning the effort of writing a steampunk story? Not on your life. No, I've still got a story to turn in, and I'm going all in on weird with it. The narrative of the old tale restricted me a bit with how I was going to handle events and including hallmarks of the genre. This new story will be doing the opposite. It will also have big robots in it...So, a definite win there! My word for this story would be pulp, as that's the feel I want. Larger than life characters in do or die situations! My preliminary outline involves a group of thieves, a oppressive regime, and everything in between.
Let's see how far I get with this one!
Till next time,
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
Quick Links
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 1
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Book 1: A Boy and A Rat
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 2
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