I always find new ideas a bit distracting but I got very very distracted by a blog post here about mixing genre’s and general book mash-ups. I noticed in the list of genres for insipartion my old favourite, steampunk, and remembered that a while ago I had told myself I should really see if I could come up with some kind of steampunk book. I also really like the concept of dragons. I always have, great big fire-breathing monsters with wings, who wouldn’t like them?
So I suddenly had an image in my head of a victorian style house all powered by steam, and who makes that steam, you guessed it, the posh victorian families pet dragon! Steampunk, dragon style! So far all my plot consists of is that thought and something to do with a young servant, either male or female. It’s not much to go on but it’s already got me totally distracted.
Of course I have no idea where or when to set this book (other than something vaguely victorian) but that leaves a lot to be decided. Shame I’ve got a few too many other projects to be looking at to write it just yet but we’ll see. I do want to write a choose your own adventure style book though so you never know, choose your own dragon steampunk adventure anyone?
You’re a young male servant to the lord Rushdale and live in the servants quarters there. Your main job is to feed the two young dragons that provide the fire needed to create steam for the houses many contraptions. As usual you head down to the cellar of the house and to the semi-tame pets that will already be waiting for their food. The sun is not yet up, just like the family you serve but the four deep gold eyes greet you in the deeps of the house.
The left one, coughs and lights a fire, chasing away many of the cellar’s shadows and showing you both animals. They are still just babies but almost completely trained. You chuck them the six lambs you’ve been lugging over your shoulder and watch as they chargrill them and wolf them down. The slightly larger of the sibling dragons turns it’s eyes back on you as if to beg for more, just as you notice their spiky tails have knocked a hole in the back wall.
While you’ve been waiting the sun has started to rise and you can see daylight through the opening. You walk past both animals, neither of them aggressive to you and rightly so, you’ve been training and feeding them since they arrives six months ago.
With a little extra force from a tail whip or two the opening could be made big enough for the dragons to get out. You pause, thoughtful as the male dragon nuzzles your hand, really hoping there will be more food.
What do you do?
Get some more lamb and ignore the hole?
Tell Lord Rushdale about the hole and see to it the dragons don’t escape.
Encourage the dragons to make a bigger hole?