A Clockwork Story-line

Image by Kjirstin via Flickr
That is by far the worst parody blog post title I have ever seen, let alone conjured. Forgive me, father, for I have sucked.

Lately I've had an inexplicable affinity with all things involving clockworks. I think I'll scream if I can't incorporate it into my mostly fairy-tale based novel. As of now I have no idea how I'm going to make it work, but it's at least obvious now that it's either going to be incredibly cool or tragically terrible.

I'm not going to call this affinity that I have "Steampunk" because, to be completely honest, no one really seems to know what it is. Plus, I'm not willing to walk around in Victorian clothing. Well...I'm willing, but let's just say that I'm not able.

Anyone who knows me knows that I would dress up as a giant cupcake if I could. Damn society. Not letting me be weird.

BUT...as I was saying...maybe it could work if I stick some sort of machine at the center of my story world. That should give me my gear fix while still giving me my fairy tale fix. I just don't want to to look forced. There's nothing more annoying than forced fiction. Don't you just hate it when it seems like even the characters know what kind of story they're in? Or when the story is set in a technologically advanced age and the author spends nearly an entire page describing gadgets and only a paragraph on actual progress in the plot?

It's like...we get it. They're all in the future. Now what's going to HAPPEN in the future?

I also hate hearing that a book is completely wonderful when I've tried to read it, myself, only to get so  bored that I can't even manage the first few chapters. It's like dangling all of that wonderful-ness everyone is talking about right in front of my face. I know it's in there, but the storytelling bores me before I can get to it.

Of course, sometimes people will tell you that a book is wonderful and you'll read the whole thing cover to cover and never get to the amazing story they've been telling you about.

Such was the case with a certain book series I read a while back. Yes. The entire series. I read it all just because my so called friends said that it started off bad but got better.

Guess what?

It never got better.