A Change of Plans

In my Review and Preview 2023/2024 I got carried away to the following statement:

The third and final chapter of Skeleton Crew is currently in the making, and I have a short (and this time I do mean short) ponygirl story up my sleeve to bridge the gap. After that I will concentrate on Ponygirl Vet.

Good plan. Doesn’t work, though. Given not only the overall length of the final chapter of Skeleton Crew, but also its complexity in terms of tone, atmosphere and technical details, I have to switch it with at least one part of Ponygirl Vet to free up some time.

Skeleton Crew — A Dark Steampunk Story

Skeleton Crew

by

Venom

—

~Chapter Two~

The Crew

It was not the heavy smell of machinery, not that of oil and heat. Lucy hobbled the vertical ladder down into the ship’s innards, along a cascade of brass lines. At intervals arrays of valves came into reach, and gauges appeared before her. Some pointers danced across their off-white dials, whilst others remaining in stoic stagnancy. And still the atmosphere wafting through this murky shaft was akin to that in a clock tower, not to the odour of ever-churning machine halls.

Sneak Peek: Skeleton Crew — Chapter Two

It is now a given that every story of mine comes by default in an extended version. So word count has of course exploded on me with the second chapter of Skeleton Crew. I see early next week as a realistic posting date. And to make the wait just a bit harder for everybody, here’s a little preview of what to expect:

Reuß would load upon him the sin of lie if he would claim that the woman’s attitude wasn’t intriguing him. He turned his face towards the bulkhead, but not without fetching the satchel that had been placed on her cape and clearly belonged to her. From behind the rustling of her shirt reached him.

10th Anniversary – to be continued

My very dear and very few readers,

Last Sunday the first chapter of Skeleton Crew appeared out of nowhere, because if there’s anything this site needs, it is yet another pending multi-part story. This one, however, marks a special occasion. Ten years ago on that publishing date I had posted my first piece of work on WordPress. Back then it had been the initial chapter of the ill-fated House of Cthulhu, a story I have discontinued, but despite its faults never fully abandoned. Much thought went since then into the question of how I would celebrate my tenth anniversary here. A ponygirl story? After all, this fetish takes up an important part in my body of work. Perhaps another slow-burner like The Writer, punching way above its weight?

Skeleton Crew — A Dark Steampunk Story

Skeleton Crew

by

Venom

—

~Chapter One~

The Jump

Even without the rolling clouds it would have been on the wrong side of twilight. Now and then the heavy sky flickered with lightning, but the thunder did not yet reach the darkening streets. The sounds echoing from buildings and archways were originating from other sources, and they were heralding a far more sinister spectacle than a thunderstorm would be.

Rattling of buckles against cuirasses.

The rapid steps of armed men.

Her own flat boots on damp-blue cobble stone.

Am I seeing double, or is it just me?

On several occasions I have wondered how unique or generic my literary ideas were, and today it is time for it again. A couple of weeks ago I finished reading a book which sported several scenes resembling those descript in a story of mine (all in the same chapter, actually). To make this absolutely clear right from the start: I do not believe that the author has read my story and taken notes. And even if, it would not be plagiarism in any way, nor would I be pissed off – quite to the contrary. I would be intrigued by the rather absurd idea that somebody drew inspiration from my writing. However, since this is in all likeliness not the case, I am left in awe of the uncanny resemblance of scenes written separately by two different authors.

Thoughts About: House of Cthulhu — Seventh Night

Today I began to write a fair copy of the seventh chapter of HoC. Why do I grant this literary event its own post, one may ask. Because ever since I have started this story in late 2011/early 2012, writing on it has been stalled and impeded massively. Sometimes external factor have been responsible, sometimes the considerable length of each section has made the continuous publishing I managed to uphold for Pony Boot Camp impossible. The last chapter was released exactly nine months ago. The material I will be using for the next chapter is about two years old, and I doubt I will be able to finish Seventh Night before the year ends.

HoC isn’t my most popular story, not by a long way, and it was never meant to become that long (or weird). But it is also a narration I worked very hard on, and a narration which shows its evolution to the reader. It was never an option for me to not keep working on it, for I am just too curious about its development myself.