Painting, Books, and Personal Storms

Recently I have had to deal with some painful health issues that make it truly difficult to write. I don't know it its the frustration or the fact that I can't seem to focus on writing that is the culprit. Doesn't really seem to matter. The end result is the same. I can't write at the speed and quantity that I am used to and that really puts a damper on the whole 'love of writing' thing.

I have been enjoying some really motivational and encouraging blogs as of late. Most of them have to do with writing or reading because that is my bread and butter. But there are some that are of my other loves like gardening and watercoloring.

I find often that having a creative outlet other than writing can sometimes remedy writer's block even if I end up painting stormy clouds or lonely asteroids floating in dark space.

As I concentrate on healing and on giving myself grace for not writing like a madwoman All. The. Time. I have also promised to better manage the other aspects of my writing life that I do have control of right now. Like time and stress and social interaction.

For one, I have chosen not to participate in #NaNoWriMo this year because if I add any additional pressure to myself I fear I will blow a gasket. However, I do encourage you to try it if you haven't as the community is outstanding. Encouraging, engaging, and tons of fun! Plus there's t-shirts!

Secondly, I did sign up for a giveaway earlier in the year and yesterday my daughter and I had a lot of fun doing the "photo shoot" for the book I'm giving away. I think it turned out pretty nice...

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If you're interested, its a HUGE multi-author event with tons of books and a $100 Amazon gift card!

You can enter here for a chance to win! 

Heading into the holiday season, I hope to get back into the groove of writing. Despite all the social engagements and shopping, I am determined to stay on task...most of the time. And give myself permission to procrastinate if I have to.

Hopefully, the words will start flowing again.

Exhibition of Wonders

So for my Steampunk series I have absolutely LOVED doing research for these books. There is something so fun about world building when you're doing Alternative History because you get to delve into a sea of 'what ifs' and that is my FAVORITE.

Photo by Myrabella

This week I have been learning all about diving bells and anthropomorphic diving suits of the Victorian era for my third book, The Chasm Walkers, which has submersible vessels.

I am so shocked by what was already possible that long ago. This guy is from 1882. Does that not inspire! I mean...it could also be a space suit. Those face windows though!

Building upon the fevered dreams of those intrepid inventors was both an honor and a challenge.  How far can you push the boundaries, even in fiction, and still remain believable? The suspension of disbelief is an essential and truly delicate thing.

One of my favorite inspirational pieces was the Strandbeest by Theo Jansen. This innovative apparatus was just a wellspring for ideas for mobility out in the Wastelands in my second book, the Wind Reapers.

These strange contraptions propel themselves...so cool!

And although #steampunk can be filled with mystic and magic. I chose to ground my series in science. So when researching chemical cascades to create my Tremblers, I had to have monsters I could believe existed.

It seems like in the age of industry, nothing seemed impossible for a piece of properly designed machinery. Calculating engines, harvesting machines, scientific apparatus...all of it conceived in wonder.

LOVE IT. Its what gets me up in the morning.

After this series, I am debating on working on a Gothic Thriller. I love the spooky and the strange. Its sort of who I am. I remember once finding the prettiest music box ringtone for my phone. When it went off, my daughter said it was from a horror movie about ghosts.  I had no idea. It just appealed to me and sounded cool.

I wrote some Gothic Romances before...they were set in haunted carnivals and decrepit mansions. I LOVED writing them. So I may give it another go.  As I have been told before, "You do you, Boo."

I believe I will, thank you very much. I shall let my inner eccentricities out to play. Mwahaha!

What do you love most about what you do? Is it the people. The places? What draws you in, keeps you interested, and motivates you even when things get hard?

To learn more about my upcoming YA Steampunk Thrillers, check out The Tremblers or visit my Author Site.

+Raquel Byrnes 

Beauty vs. Sublime

Darling House in The Dreadful Darlings

In doing preliminary research on my next book, I was pondering the difference between beauty and the sublime. Beauty, as you may know, is concerned with symmetry and harmony...order. 

The sublime on the other hand is almost the opposite. It is beauty and wonder in the face of the awesome and terrible and usually chaotic. Much like witnessing a lightning storm while on a mountaintop. 

The Dark Alley by Kimerajam

Frightening, yes. Awe inspiring, indubitably. Able to make you ponder your own mortality....absolutely. Seductive, definitely.

I've always had a fascination with the edgier side of literature. My mother was a huge Poe fan and her favorite poem, The Highwayman, is rife with imagery that would inform a lot of my earlier, amateur writings as a teen.

Angst and dread. Sacrifice and true love. The inevitability of death. The hope of redemption. Ahhh the adolescent goth years. Boy do I have some pictures to prove my love of matte crimson lipstick.

So to find the darling in the darkness. Hope in the horrible. And epiphany in the eerie. That is my goal these next few months as I start to gather the pieces of my next tale. I've been inspired by so many things, but photos by far help me to really get into the dark and dangerous aesthetic of the genre.

More news on my progress as it comes. I'm taking my time with this series. I intend to savor the writing process. Get back in to the love of just spinning a good yarn.

What has fascinated you since your youth? Has it changed or does it still drive your choices?

+Raquel Byrnes