Author Brad R. Cook’s steampunk persona. Illustration courtesy bradrcook.com.
This week, Brad R. Cook, author of The Iron Chronicles series as well as numerous steampunk short stories, shares his thoughts about storytelling. We conducted this interview via email over the winter holidays.
Treehouse Publishing released Brad’s young-adult steampunk novel Iron Horsemen in 2014. Two more novels in the series have followed, as well as a middle-grade steampunk tale, Steamtree: The Airdrainium Adventures. Visit Brad at www.bradrcook.com for a complete book list. He authored The History of St. Louis Writers Guild: Celebrating A Century, to be published as part of the anniversary festivities of 2020.
Writers At The Lodge In March
Brad is generous with his time and talents in the service of creative expression and literacy, volunteering many hours with the St. Louis Writers Guild (past president and current historian). He is a sought-after teacher and presenter for writer audiences of all ages. On March 7, 2020, Brad will be working hard at Writers At The Lodge, a Saturday morning seminar presented by the guild at the Des Peres Community Center. More information can be found here.
Virtual Interview with Author Brad R. Cook
What Steampunk Is And Isn’t
Kathy: Let’s talk about the “punk” in “steampunk.” How is this genre different than, say, Victorian historical fiction or an urban fantasy set in Victorian times? What characterizes a work as “steampunk” in your experience and opinion?
Brad: The “punk” in any of the “punk genres” has to do with showcasing the genre’s rebel nature. From the type of characters, to the aesthetics, even the plot line and the world itself. Whether it is steampunk, dieselpunk, atomicpunk, or clockwork, I try to push the world, the technology, the characters, and the color schemes into something that feels familiar but is completely unique. Victorian historical fiction is so limiting: the airships don’t have cannons, and magical aether doesn’t power any of the strange tech, plus too many people die from preventable diseases—boring. I’m kidding—I love history, but I love to play with time periods more. What sets steampunk aside from urban fantasy or Victorian fiction is the period-based technology—taking what was probable and pushing it in ways they didn’t know were possible—and maybe a few impossible things too.
Writing For Young People
Kathy: What are the most challenging aspects of writing young-adult (YA) fiction?
Brad: Every genre has it challenges, but in young adult specifically it is about understanding what your audience wants to read, what type of characters do they want to see, and how they interact with each other. Young people think differently from adults, and you have to understand what’s going on in their world and find ways to relate to them. Also [cultural] references [to the past]. Young readers, especially my middle-grade readers, don’t have the reference base. Even though it’s historical, it has to be relatable.
Writing Fiction versus Nonfiction
Kathy: You’re writing a history of the local writers’ guild, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020. What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned in that process? And have you learned anything new about writing nonfiction by doing a history book?
Brad: I have learned so much—about St. Louis Writers Guild AND writing nonfiction. Honestly, nonfiction is harder than fiction. I can make things up in fiction but don’t have that luxury in nonfiction. There is so much research and fact-checking. However, it has allowed me to discover and commit to history stories that would have been lost for all time. There is a reverence to writing nonfiction that has been an intriguing process. The most interesting thing I’ve learned from this whole experience—history has a way of preserving itself, carried on by tradition or stories passed down, a million little ways, really. However, these tales twist and tangle overtime, until what you thought you knew becomes only part of the truth.
Kathy: What is your writing process? Does it different for fiction and nonfiction? Has working with an editor had an impact on your process?
Brad: My process didn’t really change [for nonfiction], except a lot more research. With fiction, I limit the time spent on research to focus on the book, but with nonfiction the research was constant, and I still find myself checking things even as I gear up to publish the book. I have made more last-minute changes to the nonfiction book than I ever have for a fiction book. Of course, I work with editors—love them—but in fiction, I tend use all the editors—content, copy, and line—while for nonfiction it’s more about grammar and consistency. Although I could use a fact-checking assistant for the nonfiction work. I spent a month doing nothing but verifying everything I’d said in the book.
Being able to captivate others with a tale is the divine gift all writers have been given.
Brad R. Cook
Storytelling
Kathy: What does storytelling mean to you?
Brad: Storytelling is what all this work is about. I call myself a storyteller more than an author or a writer. To me, being a storyteller is the mark of all writers. Grammar can be learned, punctuation can be handled by a computer, editors can be paid, but telling a good story—that’s not something that can be taught. Being able to captivate others with a tale is the divine gift all writers have been given.
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