Steampunk a Different Reality by Ralph Hieb
August 17, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group, British Empire, Different Reality, Ralph Hieb, Steam Punk, Victorian
This month A Slice of Orange welcomes BWG member, Ralph Hieb.
Ralph Hieb grew up in New Jersey. After spending time overseas serving in the military, he returned home to New Jersey. While attending college he met his wife Nancy.
During the time he spent stationed Europe he didn’t miss an opportunity to travel around. Sightseeing and enjoying the culture are things that he still loves to this day.
Both Ralph and Nancy enjoy traveling to places that they have never been to, though sometimes they like to revisit former destinations. They want to visit Australia and New Zealand someday.
Ralph enjoys reading paranormal novels. He decided that he should try and write one. He is currently writing short stories, but a novel is in his future.
Steam Punk a Different Reality
I have been reading a lot of Steampunk novels lately. And I find them to be not only entertaining but very creative.
For instance if you wish to go somewhere in a hurry and it is only 1896 then you can go to the local airship terminal and board a dirigible for wherever your destination is. Then when you arrive you can either take a steam locomotive or an electric powered engine or even a steam powered carriage to the street or farm maybe even an estate that is your final destination.
Say you are going to an estate for a weekend grouse hunting. You back your Winchester gas powered, bird long barrel, weapon with spare chemical mixing tubes so that you will not run out of ammunition. Or maybe a Ruger X17R handgun with grenade launching abilities. There can be a variety of combinations or names for your weapons and their uses. Make up whatever name you like for the weapon. After all it only exists for the character in your story. I know of one individual that put a request on Facebook for people to submit names for his weapons. He received a lot of ideas.
Speaking of weapons, even clothing can be used to hold weapons, or might even become one. A man might have a small gun or knife in his hatband, or even a Derringer size pistol attached to the underside of the crown in is hat. Also knife blades that appear from the toe of his shoe while another curved slicing blade ejects from the heel, hitting a target several feet behind him. A woman can have well balanced throwing knives used as hatpins and she is protected by her bulletproof corset. A decoration in her hat might be a mechanical bird that zeros in on whoever she wishes it to attack.
Most of the Steampunk novels I have read take place during Queen Victoria’s reign. Some even offer a different reality as the British Empire won the American Revolution and all other wars that it ever fought, going back to when Boudica defeated the Romans in 60 A.D. maybe the San Francisco earthquake never happened and the city became so large the it rivals New York or London. I read one book where the city kept building higher and higher so that it had sidewalks for every additional layer with elevators to lift people to the higher walkways. Needless to say, the ones on the bottom level had sewage running down the streets, but steam powered pumps kept it flowing.
Steampunk will quite often use supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and demons in the telling of the stories. You may find these very lax guidelines make it easy to get your protagonist or antagonist into a world of difficulties. But then again they might happen to have a strange new weapon with an unpronounceable name that can efficiently deal with the situation. As everything else in this world you do not have to comply with known facts but can alter history or items to your own specifications, or interests, to move the story along.
So, I think Steampunk can be a useful format to let my imagination really run wild.
Books by Ralph Hieb
Ralph Hieb grew up in New Jersey. After spending time overseas serving in the military, he returned home to New Jersey. While attending college he met his wife Nancy.
During the time he spent stationed Europe he didn’t miss an opportunity to travel around. Sightseeing and enjoying the culture are things that he still loves to this day.
Both Ralph and Nancy enjoy traveling to places that they have never been to, though sometimes they like to revisit former destinations. They want to visit Australia and New Zealand someday.
Ralph enjoys reading paranormal novels. He decided that he should try to write one. He is currently writing short stories, but a novel is in his future.
Conference Conundrums by Diane Sismour
May 13, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group, conferences, Diane Sismour
Diane Sismour has written poetry and fiction for over 35 years in multiple genres. She lives with her husband in eastern Pennsylvania at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Diane is a member of Romance Writers of America, Bethlehem Writer’s Group LLC, Horror Writers Association, and Liberty States Fiction Writers. She enjoys interviewing other authors and leading writer’s workshops.
Social Media Links
Website
Blog
Facebook
Network for the Arts
Twitter
Conference Conundrums
Diane Sismour
There are hundreds of writing conferences across the country every year, all vying for our attention. The promise of intriguing workshops and spellbinding keynote speakers up the ante, agents and editors add promise, and do not forget the networking opportunities. Although good writing is the objective, in an era when “who you know,” is as important as “what you know,” need I say more. So how do you choose which events are best for you?
Small Conferences Can Be Cost Effective
To get the most for your money, there are small conferences providing an array of workshops on craft and the business of writing, without the expensive speakers, or sit down dinners. The incidentals of a nomad on the road are costly. Find a venue within driving distance to avoid hotel stays, and remember to pack plenty of snacks and beverages. Your local writing group or library can help guide you to the events in your area. The Shaw Guide to Writer’s Conferences and Workshops has wonderful information on a huge variety of conferences, workshops, retreats and events all around the world. Another is fabulous source is the Romance Writers of America website. For non-romance writers, RWA members are inclusive and the conference workshops are more about craft and business than romance.
Workshops by outstanding speakers can make a difference in how the information translates to your writing needs. These sessions are usually not part of the general registration and are often times pre-conference workshops, requiring additional fees. However, some people are just better teachers and are worth the charge. They communicate concepts in interesting ways that translate to the “ah ha” moments we all love feeling when a connection is grasped.
Save for One Big Conference
I do recommend saving for one big conference to enjoy all the pomp and glitter. Ogle at the incredible authors at the literary signings and go to every extra activity you can find. Not only is this an amazing way to make your muse sit up and take notice of what fun can be had, but after falling asleep from exhaustion every night, you’re too tired for nerves to interfere at the agent/editor appointments. Okay, maybe a little anxious, but remember that they are the same people who passed you the sugar that morning, and you had no problem chatting to them about everyday life.
Plan Your Conference
A few important facts to remember: Figure out your objectives and stick to them; go to workshops targeted to move your writing forward, or inform on a subject you’re curious about pursuing. Bring business cards; you’ll make lots of contacts and a few new friends. Realize many of the people you meet may sit across from you at the pitch table; edit your verbal thoughts everywhere. Most of all have fun and relax; you are paying to attend.
Good luck and Happy Writing
~Diane
You Can Find Some of Diane’s Short Stories in the Following Anthologies and Books
0 0 Read more
The Bethlehem Writers Round Table 2019 Short Story Award
March 4, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category Writing Contest tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, The BWG, Writing contest
The 2019 Short Story Award will open on January 1, 2019
Our theme will be Animal Stories, broadly interpreted.
Stories of 2,000 words or fewer about WILD ANIMALS,PETS, or IMAGINARY BEASTS will be welcome (so long as an animal is an important character or element of the story).
The winner will receive $200 and may be offered publication in our upcoming anthology.
For more information or to enter follow this link.
A few writing promts to help you come up with a winning story.
The 2019 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award
February 7, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category Contests, Writing Contest tagged as Animal Stories, Bethlehem Writers Group, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, The BWG, Writing Prompts
The 2019 Short Story Award Is Now Accepting Entries
The theme is Animal Stories, broadly interpreted.
Stories of 2,000 words or fewer about
WILD ANIMALS, PETS, or IMAGINARY BEASTS
are welcome
(so long as an animal is an important
character or element of the story)
The winner will receive $200
and may be offered publication in BWG’s upcoming anthology,
Fur, Feathers & Scales
Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales.
For more information or to enter the contest go to The 2019 Short Story Award.
Just in case you need some ideas, here are a few writing prompts.
Short Story Contest
January 29, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category Contests, Writing Contest tagged as 2019 Short Story Award, Animal Tales, Bethlehem Writers Group, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, BWGThe 2019 Short Story Award opened on January 1, 2019
The theme is Animal Stories,
broadly interpreted.
Stories of 2,000 words or fewer
about
WILD ANIMALS, PETS, or IMAGINARY BEASTS
are welcome
(so long as an animal is an important
character or element of the story)
The winner will receive $200
and may be offered publication in BWG’s upcoming anthology,
Fur, Feathers & Scales
Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales.
The 2019 Guest Judge: Best-Selling Author John Grogan
John Grogan is an American journalist and author. As the former, he has written for the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, serving as metropolitan columnist. In 1999, he moved to Pennsylvania to take the role of managing editor of Organic Gardening magazine at Rodale Publishing. He joined The Philadelphia Inquirer as a columnist in 2002.
When, in 2003, his dog, Marley, died at age thirteen, Grogan wrote a column in the Inquirer honoring him, and received overwhelming reader response. Grogan realized that he had more to say about the “World’s Worst Dog,” and “owed it to Marley to tell the rest of the story.” Released in 2005, his book Marley & Me was an international bestseller, selling millions of copies worldwide and spending twenty-three weeks in the top spot of the New York Times bestseller list. The book was adapted into a popular film starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Grogan wrote several spin-off children’s books, including Bad Dog, Marley, A Very Marley Christmas, and Marley Goes to School.
In addition, in 2008 Grogan published a coming-of-age memoir, The Longest Trip Home, revolving around the theme of “powerful love of family.”He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
For more information or to enter the contest go to The 2019 Short Story Award.
0 0 Read more
