Penumbra Goes Steampunk

Penumbra's Steampunk Issue Now Released

by Dianna L. Gunn

This month's issue of Penumbra has just come out and I am amazed. I'm not too familiar with steampunk—knowing little more than that I like it and that nobody seems to give me steampunk books—so this issue of Penumbra was incredibly satisfying for me to read, like a chocolate doughnut after a week of dieting.

Let me take you on the tour...

The Fiction

The Jade Tiger by Rachael Acks—Captain Marta Ramos makes a raid on a tip and then steals her informant's most prized possession.

The Star of India by A.J. Bell—René Santiago learns that he is not the best thief in the world.

Song of passing grief by James Beamon—the song of a woman's loss leads Russian soldiers to their doom.

The Time Maching by Stephen Smith—Harlan goes back in time again and again, until he can't make it back in one piece.

A Thousand Words by Shannon Leight—A photographer whose camera discovers secrets finds her career in serious danger.

The Non-fiction

Editorials by Celina Summers and Coreen Montagna—Celina, our editorial director, introduces us to steampunk from her recovery position while Coreen Montagna, our acting director, talks about why writers need an editor.

Foglio Interview by Brandie Tarving—meet the Foglios, creators of Girl Genius, who will introduce you to the concept of gaslamp fantasy and discuss some of their more recent exploits.

Terra Incognito by Richard C. White—This month's article discusses creating a map for your world—complete with pictures of a map he's created.

Back of Beyond by Lori Basiewicz—comparing steampunk to fairytales and using examples from Girl Genius, Lori shows how steampunk writers create suspension of disbelief in their readers.

Interview with Gini Koch by Dianna L. Gunn—This month I had the opportunity to interview Gini Koch, best known for her Alien series published by DAW—and slightly less well known for several works here at Musa.

With five great stories and several non-fiction features, this month's issue of Penumbra will round out your reading list quite nicely. All you need to get your steampunk fix this month is $3.99. You can buy this issue of Penumbra here. To purchase a subscription and make sure you get your reading fix all year, click here.

Dr. Seuss and Speculative Fiction

Dr. Seuss and Speculative Fiction

by Dianna L. Gunn

For some reason when I think of kids books, I rarely define them by genre. In my head, they're all just kids books. Of course, books for kids are sort of their own genre, but as with YA, all the usual genres exist in these books.

I came to all of these realizations when I was asked to write about Dr. Seuss and speculative fiction. At first I was confused. How is Dr. Seuss a speculative fiction writer? The question bounced around in my head for a few hours, and then I realized the answer was right in front of me.

Dr. Seuss uses lots of speculative fiction elements. His stories are so far out there that it's hard to define them within genre, but definite elements of speculative fiction can be found within his work. Think about the Cat in the Hat. Talking animals don't happen in mainstream fiction, but they do happen in speculative fiction.

Then I started talking to my grandmother about The Lorax, a movie released yesterday based on one of Dr. Seuss's books. For some reason the book escaped me in my childhood, but after my grandmother's explanation, the concept fascinates me. It's the story of the last tree in a world where everything has fallen apart. It might be a kids book and it might end on a happy note, but it's sort of post-apocalyptic fiction.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Dr. Seuss has to do with speculative fiction. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas we encounter the fantastical Grinch and Christmas magic. In Horton Hears a Who, we discover an entire world on a four leaf clover. What's more speculative than that?

Dr. Seuss was one of my favourite authors as a child. The more I think about the speculative elements in his fiction, the more I want to revisit his works. Now, with maturity and distance, is a good time to return to Dr. Seuss and to really examine him as a writer. His stories are fascinating and hard to classify but easy to read.

I think we all have something to learn from Dr. Seuss, especially those of us writing speculative fiction or trying to write work that defies genre. It's time to dive back into our childhood favourites.

A Wild WORD DOC Appears! by Rachael Acks

A Wild WORD DOC Appears!

Rachael Acks

I wasn't actually aware of the steampunk theme issue for Penumbra until about two weeks before the due date. Despite the fact that I had a midterm looming and a large project due, I knew that I had to write something for it. The same way you know that the person who just threw his or her drink in your face is the one, or the way you know that as god is your witness, you will eat that entire pizza and damn the unending hell of heartburn that is to follow.

This is really to say that I have to write. I can't not do it. And steampunk? Sign me up. It's an unholy love triangle of speculative fiction, frock coats, and physics.

One of the most valuable pieces of writing advice that you will ever hear - and hear it you shall, over and over until you're forced to believe it or scream loudly enough to drown us all out - is that if you want to write, just do it. Sit down and write.

That was exactly what I did. Only that glosses over the details of my writing process. In all honesty, it went something like this:

A wild WORD DOCUMENT appears! What do you do?

> stare blankly

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 34 damage. What do you do?

> spin in office chair (whilst staring at ceiling as if that will reveal some universal truth about steam engines and pistols)

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 19 damage. What do you do?

> cry out to the sky and angrily ask an uncaring, distant god why he has forsaken me

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 20 damage. What do you do?

> consume a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food, liberally salted with my tears

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 23 damage and now you have LOVE HANDLES. What do you do?

> clench my teeth and raise my shaking hands to the keyboard

> write

You WRITE. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE! You hit WORD DOCUMENT for 4500 words! Victory!

> celebrate

> wait a second, the word limit for Penumbra is 3000 isn't it?

> shit

 

The second most valuable piece of writing advice I've ever seen comes from Stephen King, by way of his fantastic book, On Writing. Kill your darlings, he says. Not just great advice for horror (where it might be more literal), but for anyone that wants to write. Sometimes you have to look at 4500 words you have sweated and sustained multiple brain cramps for, and know that at least 1500 of those words are about to go to the big recycle bin the sky. Try to think of yourself as the sculptor, and that block of words is marble from which a glorious work of art will emerge. I also recommend not imagining that you can hear the words let out tiny, pathetic shrieks every time you hit the delete key. It's probably healthier that way.

Then you send what's left of your darling - or hopefully your new and improved darling - out into the world. It's a scary experience, though somewhat easier when you're a hair away from panic with a deadline staring you down like a mountain lion looks at a toy poodle. Don't sweat it. It's not hard to keep busy while you wait.

A wild WORD DOCUMENT appears! What do you do?