Comments | enchantedinkpot: TOTW: A Past That Never Was

lia_keyes in enchantedinkpot

TOTW: A Past That Never Was

Oct 10, 2011 03:07

Have you ever felt as though you were born in the wrong century? Or yearned for the elegance and manners of time gone by? I'm willing to bet that, on reflection, your reverie ended with the realization that there are some conveniences of modern life you'd miss if you could really go back in time.

But what if you could reinvent the past and go back ( Read more... )

historical, steampunk, fantasy settings, topic of the week, lia keyes, gaslamp fantasy, kate milford, world building

Comments 31

A PAST THAT NEVER WAS ext_826493 October 10 2011, 11:00:35 UTC

Wow Lia,

Thanks for such a clear explanation of these two genre. I think I'm more of a Gaslamp Fantasy reader and writer.

Re: A PAST THAT NEVER WAS lia_keyes October 10 2011, 11:11:51 UTC

I suspect I probably am as well, but I just love the name Steampunk! It sounds so very cool!

natalieag October 10 2011, 11:19:28 UTC

I never heard of the term Gaslamp before. Thanks for sharing about it. I definitely am more into it than Steampunk.

lia_keyes October 10 2011, 18:05:36 UTC

Glad you're intrigued, Natalie! Doesn't Gaslamp sound lovely? A half-lit world of flickering light and deep shadows has so much more potential for storytellers than our efficient electric light, which flattens everything out and strips the mystery from life!

Perfect Title carmenferreiro October 10 2011, 11:39:12 UTC

A Past That Never Was is such a perfect title.

I had never heard of Gaslight Fantasy either but it does have the right feeling.

Now, I get it!

Re: Perfect Title carmenferreiro October 10 2011, 11:48:27 UTC

Wow! I have a friend who corresponds with Cassandra Clare!

Also, thank you for clarifying. Cassandra Clare, thanks to you, is now sitting on my reading pile. And, I just love Libba Bray's books.

I wish I had the willpower to attempt to write Steampunk, but am having difficulty just trying for realism and comedy.

You are just so bright, Lia!

Re: Perfect Title lia_keyes October 10 2011, 17:49:08 UTC

Ha! She was so kind to respond to my tweet! I'm always amazed by how interactive she is with her fans. At her level it must take a lot of energy. Thank you for reading my 2 am burblings!

Re: Perfect Title lia_keyes October 10 2011, 21:34:03 UTC

That's the best thing you could have told me! Hope you'll have fun exploring the genre, Carmen!

leah_cypess October 10 2011, 11:47:41 UTC

I love the term gaslamp fantasy - it's so evocative and interesting while, to be honest, I never had a clear idea of what exactly "steampunk" is supposed to mean. Thank you for this post, which made me look at the genre in a whole new light.

lia_keyes October 10 2011, 17:52:35 UTC

Steampunk is one of those genres that nobody likes to try to define-it's such a genre mash-up to start with! If we only produced novels like the founding works the genre would quickly suffocate by repetition, but it does help to set some parameters for those who are new to the genre.

angie_frazier October 10 2011, 12:24:11 UTC

Wow, awesome post Lia! This really clears it up for me. My current WIP is a gaslight fantasy (a term I didn't know existed until this post!). Thanks for explaining all of this in such clear detail, and for the reading list :-))

lia_keyes October 10 2011, 18:03:01 UTC

Angie, thank you! I hope the one thing you take away from this post is the wisdom to write the book you want to write without worrying about genre labels. That's a marketing concern. So write with freedom and joy. Don't limit yourself by considering it this or that genre until it's done and dusted and you need to explain it to someone else to sell it. :)