An aging clockmaker prepares for another ordinary morning in his workshop, where memory, routine, and old inventions keep stranger company than he realizes. Then Kira showed up.
This piece, which, funny enough, was for a prompt in a genre he doesn’t particularly like, ends up being one of his best works yet in my mind.
Allow me to explain:
He keeps the tenants of the genre here (and even pokes fun at them in hilarious ways), but underneath that, he brings forward his iconic, emotionally resonant storytelling.
The cherry on top of this steampunk sundae, though, is the final fourth-wall breaking bonus scene with J.M. and Kira (his muse).
This final conversation just brings everything full-circle and it gives us a brief and rare glimpse into the man behind the stories. It runs parallel to the story itself, and when taken together, it’s truly an exceptional piece of writing.
I don't dislike steampunk as an aesthetic. I dislike writing in Victorian prose. My natural voice is restrained and economical. I like negative space and subtext, whereas Victorian-inspired prose often revels in ornamentation and rhetorical flourish. It was fun to borrow for one story, but I wouldn't want to live there.
That's why I added the Kira part. Kira isn't so much a muse as she's my inner critic and editor. That's why she calls out the prose, then later says, "I forgot this was steampunk." When Thaddeus is in the workshop, the prose slips, he's wearing a mask, and more and more my voice returns to its normal register as the story progresses.
I think Bradley may have a point. 😁
Which part? He is usually right about a lot of things with my fiction.
This piece, which, funny enough, was for a prompt in a genre he doesn’t particularly like, ends up being one of his best works yet in my mind.
Allow me to explain:
He keeps the tenants of the genre here (and even pokes fun at them in hilarious ways), but underneath that, he brings forward his iconic, emotionally resonant storytelling.
The cherry on top of this steampunk sundae, though, is the final fourth-wall breaking bonus scene with J.M. and Kira (his muse).
This final conversation just brings everything full-circle and it gives us a brief and rare glimpse into the man behind the stories. It runs parallel to the story itself, and when taken together, it’s truly an exceptional piece of writing.
Ahh, yeah...
I don't dislike steampunk as an aesthetic. I dislike writing in Victorian prose. My natural voice is restrained and economical. I like negative space and subtext, whereas Victorian-inspired prose often revels in ornamentation and rhetorical flourish. It was fun to borrow for one story, but I wouldn't want to live there.
That's why I added the Kira part. Kira isn't so much a muse as she's my inner critic and editor. That's why she calls out the prose, then later says, "I forgot this was steampunk." When Thaddeus is in the workshop, the prose slips, he's wearing a mask, and more and more my voice returns to its normal register as the story progresses.