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Thanks for visiting my blog again! I always appreciate your support. Today, I'm continuing my series about writing steampunk fiction. Many people want to write their own stories and getting started can be a daunting task. Some people want to become professional authors who sell their work to the public. Others just want to write for a hobby. Either of these options are great, but many individuals fail to write anything. It can be hard to find enough motivation and creating ideas can be tricky. That's why I post these writing tips. For those of you who are curious about steampunk, I noticed the genre tends to have a dystopian vibe. In short, most steampunk novels take place in dark and gritty settings with a lot of violence. Some steampunk fans will disagree with me about this part, but I haven't noticed many steampunk stories with particularly happy environments. Most steampunk tales have a lot of feuds, political corruption, upheavals or rebellions, and many characters struggle to survive. Some steampunk books are downright post-apocalyptic. I'll go into more detail and help you understand this part of the genre.
We often think about successful metropolises with advanced technology, stylish fashion, and a genteel culture in steampunk fiction. Where does the dystopian part come into play? Many steampunk books are false utopias. Steampunk civilizations appear beautiful, egalitarian, romantic, progressive, and economically stable. Everything is different underneath the façade. Steampunk stories often feature cruel experiments, prisoners of war, plagues or famines, discrimination, unsafe work environments, etc. It's not unusual for the author to include monsters like vampires or werewolves that drag away humans and devour them. Why is it so common to see dystopian themes in steampunk fiction? It probably comes from the cyberpunk genre. Cyberpunk was the original punk subgenre in the realm of science fiction. Most cyberpunk books are also dark and gritty with characters who experience great suffering. Cyberpunk uses high tech and low culture with societies that are on the verge of collapse. Steampunk is a variant of cyberpunk set in the 19th century. Overall, steampunk uses advanced technology through steam power instead of computer technology. The punk element also signifies a rebellion or political statement. Steampunk characters want to make drastic changes from their current living conditions. I don't blame them. Wouldn't you want to rebel against a society that allows oppression, starvation, corruption, destruction, and other dark means? In some cases, the issues in steampunk fiction could reflect problems we see in the real world. Perhaps the author is rebelling against something too. I think it depends on the individual writer. I should give some specific examples. Cherie Priest wrote the Clockwork Century series as a steampunk version of the zombie apocalypse. It's an alternate version of the American Civil War where a toxic gas turned many people into zombies and then the disease went out of control. The Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve takes place in a post-apocalyptic future many years after our current society created mass destruction through nuclear war. Surviving humans live in mechanical cities that move from one location to another. They compete for resources with larger cities literally devouring smaller ones. Indie authors write a lot of dystopian fiction as well. I really enjoyed the Vitruvian Heir by L.S. Kilroy. It also takes place in the future. A great war took place and then the victor forced everyone to revert back to a Victorian lifestyle. People had to wear Victorian and Edwardian clothing, modern technology was eradicated, and women's rights were nullified. Our modern civilization was wiped away from the record books until a young lady discovered evidence about the 21st century. Jonathan Fesmire wrote Bodacious Creed, an alternate version of the American Wild West. James Creed is a U.S. Marshall who died and was resurrected in a laboratory. Bodacious Creed includes outlaws, organized crime, zombies, and all kinds of mayhem. It's a really fun book. My own book series definitely has dystopian themes. The Post-Apocalyptic Society is a futuristic setting that takes place after American civilization fell from nationwide terrorism and anarchy. Some time later, society was rebuilt with highly progressive technology and a lot of influences from the Victorian period. Unfortunately, the characters still encounter a lot of terrorism and destruction. It's hard to maintain a civilization when criminals are constantly trying to tear everything down. I hope you guys had some fun while learning about steampunk dystopias. You can also click on Wikipedia's link for an in-depth explanation about dystopian fiction. Leave a comment if you have anything to say about this post. Don't be afraid to write your own stories and watch out for next week's post. Enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day weekend!
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 Greetings! Everybody is talking about the new Avengers movie. It’s been out for a few weeks and I didn’t have a chance to review the film until now. I’ll give you my thoughts about the Infinity War, including both positive and negative elements.
Let’s start with a brief plot synopsis. Thanos is an intergalactic being who wants to obtain the Infinity Stones. These stones have immense power that can warp reality, time, and more. He wants to bring balance to the cosmos by destroying half of all life in the galaxy. This nightmare will become a serious threat if Thanos collects the stones because he’ll become the most powerful entity in the galaxy. All of our favorite superheroes in the MCU need to join forces and save the cosmos. It's an intergalactic battle that will change everything for our favorite superheroes. Overall, I believe the Infinity War is a great film. It’s exciting and daring with fantastic action scenes. The film makers took a lot of risks and it was a smart decision. It’s unpredictable with an awesome villain and a smorgasbord of superheroes. Even though it’s a little bit convoluted, the story is still pretty good. The visual effects are amazing and I will be really disappointed if this category doesn’t get an Academy Award nomination. This movie is like a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. Action movie fans will really love this film. Comic book fans should also feel satisfied. Infinity War is faithful to the original comics, but it also changes some elements to avoid predictability. Surpsringly, Thanos is a tremendous villain with a lot of character development. He’s probably one of my favorite villains portrayed in a superhero film. There’s a very strong motivation behind his master plan. He’s not evil just for the sake of the movie. Thanos is a complex character and it’s oddly easy to sympathize with him at times. He’s very intimidating and easily one of the most destructive beings in the galaxy. I’m also impressed with his motion capture elements. He’s a CGI character who looks great. Thanos doesn’t look like a cartoon or video game character. He has convincing facial expressions and genuinely appears to be made out of flesh. I also enjoyed one of his minions named Ebony Maw. Unfortunately, he’s not a particularly big character. Ebony Maw has really cool powers and seems a lot different than most Marvel villains. I find him kind of weird and interesting. The Marvel heroes don’t stand out much individually, but they make terrific teams. I would say we have three solid groups in the film. Each team makes use of everyone’s powers and it’s a very entertaining sight. Teamwork seems to be a major theme in the Infinity War. In terms of criticism, I guess there might be too many characters in the film. It’s necessary for the story, but none of the characters can have adequate development or screen time except Thanos. I don’t even think it’s essential to show a lot of character development in this movie, but there’s an additional problem. Audiences need to understand these characters really well ahead of time. You need to see all of the MCU films before watching the Infinity War. Otherwise, you’ll be completely lost. I’m not kidding. This might be a daunting task for many people. Hardcore Marvel fans have seen everything, but that’s probably not the case for casual movie goers. If you want to see the Infinity War, some homework might be necessary. The film also has plenty of plot holes too. I don’t think it’s a big deal because we should expect that from an overloaded plot. However, it might be a little bit confusing for some viewers. In fact, people who read the Infinity War comics will understand the story better than everyone else. Does that seem unfair? People complained about the plot being confusing in the Justice League movie. If people weren’t familiar with the comics, it seemed confusing. The same thing is true for Infinity War. Sorry, but it’s true. I was quite proud of the film’s outcome. It was a risky story and the creators of this movie did a really good job. I’m sure it will make comic book fans happy. It’s not a perfect film, but I think the Infinity War could easily be my favorite movie of the year. I guess it will depend on future film selections. If you’re a Marvel fan, go see this movie ASAP. I highly recommend seeing it on a large format screen like IMAX. This movie will cater to action movie buffs too, but make sure you watch the other MCU installments first. That’s all for now. Have you guys seen the new Avengers movie yet? Let’s talk about it in the comment section. I would love to hear some feedback. Take care of yourselves and have fun at the movies. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
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