Steampunk Sideswipe

Monday is a work day for my ‘day job’. There I was minding my business, working and conversing with my client about work stuff and I heard the word ‘steampunk’. Double take. Did you say ‘steampunk’?Yes! After her expressing surprise that I actually knew what ‘steampunk’ was, we launched into a long conversation on all things steampunk!  Post Costume Ball photos were requested for her perusal. It was refreshing to meet someone (of the non-costuming population) who actually knew what steampunk was, a bit on its history and not just thought it was goggles and gears stuck on something!

It is obvious that steampunk sells. Take a look on etsy and ebay and there is a plethora of things to buy, some  of which needs quite a bit of imagination to relate back to anything steampunk or even Victorian. A quick search on Amazon produces links for books, accessories, How to’s and clothing (some a little debatable).  Is Steampunk becoming too mainstream?

Last year major fashion houses got bitten by the steampunk bug and it has been spreading. Louis Vuitton’s models goggled up for the 2012/12 season and The Times asked Is Steampunk the New Fashion Trend? Just this week there was an article doing the rounds, on Facebook: How the Steampunk movement is catching the eye of High Tech 

I have being steampunking it for several years now and have a few costumes. I find them fun and (mostly) comfortable to wear. I love the fact that I can reuse bits for other costumes. It reminds me of historical re-enactment where the costumes are more clothing than just a one-off costume.

       

I have developed quite a penchant for cephalopods as you can see on my Redbubble page and on my website. (and my latest Victoria costume!) My outfits are possibly not as ‘mechanical’ as others but that is also the allure of the genre; it is different to everyone.  Some add mechanicals, armour and contraptions galore, some are upper class Aristocrats, mad scientists or explorers… anything can happen! (Above you can see my Steampunk Scout Mistress who has a badge in kraken lore and handling).

So what is steampunk? Essentially it is a genre based on alternative history usually set in the industrialised Victorian era (though it can be earlier or later if you wish). It is the ultimate ‘what if’ scenerio: What if the electronics age didn’t happen and everything was steam driven?) It can be post apocolyptic, fantasy, historical. It is what you make of it. Google it.

Most of all, I love writing and reading steampunk (though some of it seems to be of the gaslight/gaslamp genre. Now that is a whole other blog! Think steampunk with supernatural, though it is a bit more complicated than that). I started out writing fantasy and very, very quickly I found myself plotting for mad scientists to be foiled by my Victorian heroes/heroines who are often themselves armed with science or gadgets. (I must admit I love the ‘properness’ of the Victorian era; there is so much juxtaposition between the civilities and the havoc that can be wreaked!)

(thanks to Catherine Scholz for this photo in the Mortlock Wing of the State Library)

Steampunk Sideswipe

A Kick up the Butt

Sometimes writing a story is easy; the characters behave and are willing to be led on a merry dance. Sometimes they misbehave and insist on doing their own thing. Last week they just up and went on strike.

I have been in a bit of a writing funk for over a week; in truth, almost two weeks. I had been working on a really cool idea. I had the basic plot, two fantastic sounding characters. I had thought I was set for an easy write. Not a chance. They sat there refusing to be committed to the page. I began to wonder if I had ran out of ideas.

Then I happened to connect with one of my old roleplaying friends who had moved to the US many, many years ago. She found me on Facebook. We did the obligatory catch up and she asked about my writing. I pointed her to one of my online short stories An Eye for Detail. 

I must thank her for a kick up my writers’ block butt. I decided to revisit two of my favourite characters Victorian ophthalmologist/optician Dr Viola Stewart and Police surgeon Dr Collins and their nemesis, a clandestine organisation of scientists. My friend will be happy.

The weekly writing race was a perfect time to start the ball rolling. In one hour I had over four hundred words. It would have been more if I had not had to stop for some crucial research. (I tried to write around it but I needed the information to continue).  I now have two disappeared Toffs, a happy mad scientist and a secret plot being hatched. Will our intreprid amateur criminologists survive the plot and will Dr Stewart start a new fashion trend?

Hopefully I will find out in the next few days!

A Kick up the Butt

Delays and Surprises

It was a simple task; leave at 8.20 am so I had plenty of time to find a park at my Ear, Nose and Throat specialist; on my last two appointments I had to park a few blocks away and walk due to ongoing building blocking the entire street parking.  The appointment was at 9.30 and a good run to the city is twenty minutes. Thirty to forty minutes on a bad day, as I was just missing out on peak hour traffic. Or so I thought.

It is interesting to see how many tempers fray when the traffic is crawling and the only side streets that can be escaped down are eventually dead end streets. I saw a few drivers scoot off down the side street just to end up trying to join the long queue at the next side street.  I was stuck in the middle lane with no one willing to let me into either outer lanes; I had no chance of trying to effect a detour.

Fifty minutes later I caught up with the source of the traffic congestion. A large gaping maw encompassing almost a entire traffic lane and part way into the side street. Adelaide does not have the most modern water pipe system, the evidence of which lay before me. Even the trailing fire engine  had to drive along a few kilometres along the opposite side of the road into oncoming traffic. Fortunately traffic on the outgoing lanes were not full of frustrated commuters late for work, so were happily moving out of the way (as they should).

Eventually I made it to my appointment and was preparing for the long search for an on street car park. Today just had to improve.. and it did! I drove straight into a park in front of the building.

Delays and Surprises

Dream vs Day Job

At the beginning of their journey, most writers  probably need to consider a ‘day job’ or risk suffering from the clichéd starving artist’s fate. I cannot lie; one day I hope to have finished my first book and improved my writing to a point where it is published and I could make enough money to not need my ‘day job’.

I think many writers have a similar dream. Some realise the dream. Many give up and never finish their project ; I have read some scary statistics quoting that only 1-2% of writers actually finish their story or book! The rest just keep writing (or procrastinating). Right now I am thankful that I have a ‘day job’ so I can afford to keep writing.

I am awaiting the results of several writing competitions and it is frustrating. Many of them have not published the results; one I have been waiting since the beginning of August to find out. Nada. Some feedback would be a lovely thing as I would have an idea if I am improving. Note this is more a sigh of impatience. I cannot complain as I did achieve short listing in one competition with just my fourth short story. From what I have been told that is a good statistic for a ‘new and emerging’ writer.

While I try to quell my impatience, I will continue to write. I look forward to our next writers’ group meeting and the feedback, constructive criticism and help it will provide. My aim is to improve my writing and learn more of my craft… while having fun!

Recently our daughter has been asking to read my short stories; last week she advised me that she want to write stories. Since then I have have found her scribbling and she has asked about writing competitions to enter. Last week she presented me with two different paragraphs, each the beginning to a different story. I was blown away. I wish I had thought of the concepts for a story. Proud mum moment!

I am encouraging her writing as much as possible. It is great that she is finding a way to express herself; this will be useful in her future life, for communication and possible jobs. Maybe she will become a successful writer? Who knows. I gave her one last lot of advice. Love the writing. Keep on doing the writing but also get a ‘day job’ in the mean time.

First Day of Spring; a Photographic Record

After a busy week of writing tasks and costuming, I decided today they would be best avoided. This brings me back to one of my other passions; photography.

I started close to me, around my garden.  Today was the hottest  first day of spring for some years, being 27 degrees celcius. It was a perfect day. The birds were singing, there was a heady smell of freshly cut grass on the breeze. The sun was gentle on the skin. Yesterday my irises were naked; today there were flower buds just waiting to burst open!

The broccoli was just about ready to be picked and, seemingly overnight, it started to flower. I will have to save what I can but, in the meantime, it is looking beautiful in my front yard.

Last year I planted some calendula. At the end of the season they died back and I was not sure if I would need to replant. No need; they have sprung into life with some of the happiest looking flowers in the garden.

Later we drove up into the Adelaide Hills to collect our daughter from grandma’s. I decided to take some more shots ‘on the road’ to practice trying to focus quickly to capture transient scenes and objects. This is not an easy task.

Going up the hill in the early afternoon:

  

and down the hill in the late afternoon…
I took a few when we were up at the vineyard. This was my favourite, looking into the cow paddock next door.
 

and a few on the way home again. The last one was an interesting fluke… There was a vapour trail from one of the airforce planes. Serendipity is wonderful; the powerlines (out of focus) followed the line of the vapour trail beautifully.

 

First Day of Spring; a Photographic Record

Pretty Pictures

Some pics of our costumes for the Ball:

 

    

 

 

Pretty Pictures

Pumpkin Time

Why is it that getting ready for a costume event seems to take forever but we are always running out of time? After timing the week so I did not have to do sewing on Saturday, I ended up helping my hubby to finish his hemming.

Daughter dropped off at grandma’s, we were ready to go party as Captain Nemo and Victoria, with Otto tagging along for the ride. (my costume was based on a character by popular artist Ben Kesinger). We picked up a friend of ours who was resplendent in her 1920s flapper outfit (in a most gorgeous shade of blue) and made our way to the ball. Our motorised carriage had some challenges on the way. Do not frett, it was of the passenger train and then looong freight train variety. (It really is a good idea to stop at the railway crossings. Trains are much bigger and usually win the arguement!)

We had a great run and presented ourselves at the Hall’s front door fifteen minutes early. Unfortunately we had to wait about twenty-five minutes to enter, as our hosts struggled to open the door (they had been given the wrong key.) In the end, we used the tradesman’s entrance while the proper key was procured.

I eagerly await the Costumer’s Ball every year. Though I complain about making the costume (I never leave long enough to make it and have serenity on my side) I love having a new costume to wear. It is one of the few occasions that I like to keep it secret to maximize the ‘wow’ factor. Otto in a hat was a big hit.

For some reason, though I do attend other costume events throughout the year, I always feel that I can really let myself go and dance like an idiot (we mastered The Doctor’s dancing like a drunk giraffe dance last night) and having a fun time. I don’t feel that I have to behave in front of the public (when sitting on the ACG table at a Con or at the Medieval Fair representing the SCA) where I have to be respectable, so as not to scare potential newcomers off.

I get to meet up with the regulars and we all revel in all that is costumey fun. This year we had mostly novice and journeyman entrants into the ‘masquerade’ or ‘costume parade’. I always think entrants are amazing; they have the courage to get up in front of all those people. I feel much more comfortable facing a judge for close up inspection of my workmanship than facing an entire room full of people … by myself!

I danced and danced; it is really scary that I used to know all the dance moves to Thriller, Mickey  and of course we ALL did the Nutbush.  It is now past midnight and I have turned into a pumpkin again. Today I have sore muscles and am exhausted physically but mentally it was a breath of fresh air.

I had a Ball!

 

Pumpkin Time