# How to describe a steam punk style airship? (example)



## CroZ (Apr 18, 2012)

I'm having a bit of problem doing it without becoming a tad repetitive. 

My story takes place in a sort of early steam punk age. Airships have only recently been invented and steam energy (the most advanced form of technology available) is still fairly new. The airships themselves are a cross between the wooden sea vessels of old now marred with intricate pipe metallic pipe works, and various nuts and bolts, sort of a Frankenstein's monster of new and old. I have little trouble describing the general shapes from afar but start to struggle when I need to describe a detailed scene from up close. I just don't know much about those sorts of things enough to describe them.

I was wondering if there are any good steam punk stories with vivid descriptions and if any one could post up a segment worth reading? Even if there are any key words which might come in handy. Feel free to post up more pics of awesome airships, if anything it'll get the juices flowing.

I was thinking of something like the below pictures. Only one might be made of wood while others are made of metal. The ships are supposed to be very rustic and stuffed with so many pipes no member of the crew knows what to do with some. It's supposed to look like one day someone came up with this idea for airships, then someone grabbed it and rushed it together as quickly as possible before the creator knew what's what.


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## Kyle R (Apr 19, 2012)

Hey Croz,

I haven't read any steampunk, but I think the genre is pretty damn cool. I like the mixture of technology from different eras.

The best approach, in my opinion, is for you to read the types of stories that you want to write, to get an idea of what conventions are already used. I'm sure Google can guide you in the hunt for books about steampunk airships.

Beside that, as a writer, how would you describe a boiler room? You know, with metal pipes winding in all directions, and steam fogging the air with it's thick, damp heat.

How would you describe a wooden sailing ship?

How about a hot air balloon?

Perhaps try describing each one, using your main character. Place him in each one. Then, try combining two of them. Try combining all three of them. Describe the setting, too (out over the ocean? Over the mountains? What time of day is it? Is it hot or cold? What's the weather like? What can he or she see?)

If someone were to order me to write a steampunk novel about an airship, that's the approach I would take. I'd also clad my hero in clothes that seem "steampunkish", by googling the style and looking at pictures of what's common. It seems, just at a glance, that tophats with steam goggles on them is a norm.

Also, steam-powered, or mechanically pressurized devices, are something to really let loose with your imagination.

A character can do anything with that kind of technological freedom, from making mechanical, steam powered wings, to building a steam powered weapon that blasts exploding steam bombs. Who knows! Go wild with it.

Hope any of this helps. Cheers!


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## Cefor (Apr 19, 2012)

Also, try to find a bank of words that are frequently used to describe ships, hot-air balloons and other kind of similar ships. Off the top of my head, words like 'canopy', 'bulkhead', 'deck', 'railing'... and what not, these are going to be invaluable to you -- because especially when you use words that have a cemented 'infamy' within a genre, it's going to make your readers think of specific things when you say them. It's called connotations, and they're extremely useful.

In a book I bought called 'How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy', the author said something which I think is pertinent: "...there's no reason to make up a new term, since if hyperspace is ever found to exist it will almost certainly be called hyperspace - the way that when robots were finally created, they were called robots because sci-fi writers had been calling artificial mechanical men by that name ever since... the 1930s."

Basically, because of the pervasion of science fiction and the influence it had on these men and women who created the real technology, they borrowed terms. Now, anyone who knows anything about hyperspace got it all from sci-fi, but they know exactly what you mean when you say the word. It's the same with particular words from steampunk, you're just going to have to find them 

Read in the genre, Google will find steampunk novels for you.

Good luck.


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