Time Travel GuideRelated to Alternate History, this sort of story started with the characters traveling (presumably backwards) through time, either to make some change, witness some important event, or discover that time itself is unchangeable.
To write in this subgenre
Alternate History GuideGo back in time and pick out some event that happened. Or didn’t. Make a change as a world-builder, then extrapolate outwards from there. The Difference Engine (William Gibson and Bruce Sterling) posited a world where Babbage’s invention of the same name was completed, and the Computer Revolution started a century earlier. (This book also is somewhat foundational in the entire Steampunk Genre.)
Steampunk Study MaterialsIf you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. Along with the books below, read the books on the steampunk bestseller list, especially the self-published ones, to know what's happening in the genre now.
Three Act Description StructureIf you’re looking for an easy way to write blurbs, why not use the structure most writers use — whether they know it or not. It’s based on the three act story structure, as featured in this portal fantasy blueprint. The structure is three acts split into three sections each like this: Act I — Set Up Exposition — The setup. Show your protagonist in their ordinary life. Inciting Incident — The thing that happens to start the protagonist on their journey through the plot. Plot Point One — The thing that solidifies the protagonist going on their journey (despite...
Alien Invasion GuideThe 1950s went a little crazy with this genre, in books but especially in movies. In those days, it tended to verge over close to horror without actually crossing over. (Remember, in real horror, the bad guys win. Only in Hollywood is the monster defeated by the heroic guy, his romantic interest, the older scientist, and occasionally a plucky sidekick who might survive.)
Science Fiction GuideScience fiction is one of the “What if…?” genres that characterize speculative fiction. The answer to that question is going to vary widely by subgenre. While a genre like fantasy is distinguished by magic, the thing that might identify science fiction is technology. Always a little (or a LOT) ahead of the timeline in question, so you can have steampunk where mad scientists invent fantastical—TECHNOLOGICAL—devices. Magic can mean anything, and sometimes the hand-waving can get far enough out there. Arthur C. Clarke posited three laws for writing about science fiction. The laws are: But it is technology. Reproducible by machine....
Publisher Rocket BasicsPublisher Rocket might be the most important tool an independent author can have when deciding what to write and how to market it. In this video, Adam walks you through the basics of its operation....
Analyzing Story BeatsWhether it’s on your own stories or someone else’s, learning how to analyze the beats of a story can be an important tool in a writer’s toolbox. First of all, what do I mean by story beats? Story beats are not the plot. In fact, you can map out the beats of a story without talking about the plot at all. Story beats are shifts in tone, in action, in emotion. They are the highs and lows and the movement between those points that make a story enjoyable or tragic or comedic or whatever it is determined to be by...
Finding Your NicheFinding your niche is writing to market for people who aren’t comfortable in just writing anything. Which, frankly, is most writers. It’s hard to write in a genre you don’t love. We all have our favorites, our go-tos. And reading widely within the genre you write in is a near essential skill for writing successfully in that genre. If you don’t understand the genre, and at least like it or hopefully love it, most times the readers can tell. And in the end, it’s the readers who decide whether your books will be successful or not. Ignore them at your...
Simple Guide To Social Media PromotionThis isn’t as tough as you might think, we promise. Listed below are the basics to any social media campaign and the specifics to the major ones. Study them, find the ones that suit you, and become a social media maven. Two Steps to Social Media Success If you want to successfully use social media to promote your books, you must begin to use it as a tool — not for fun, not to troll, not to find someone who is wrong on the internet and scold them, but as a tool for finding readers and turning them into fans....
