Why write steampunk?
Steampunk blends history, imagination and invention. It takes the elegance of the Victorian age and adds strange machines, airships and brass gadgets. Readers love it because it feels both nostalgic and adventurous. (When I wrote my first steampunk short story, a reader told me it reminded them of Jules Verne mixed with modern fantasy, and I was hooked.)
Examples:
- Victorian London with steam-powered cars
- Airship pirates roaming the skies
- Goggles, gears and gadgets that defy logic
Example in action: Imagine a smoky London where every lamppost runs on steam, and street urchins carry tiny clockwork owls to send messages. A detective in a bowler hat chases a thief through fog, the hiss of steam valves echoing in the alleys.
Tips:
- Research the 19th century for authentic flavour
- Add fantastical inventions powered by steam, cogs or clockwork
- Balance history with imagination so it feels fresh
- Create worlds where science and magic overlap
Step by step:
- Read a few classic steampunk novels for inspiration.
- Research Victorian technology, fashion and slang.
- Pick one unique invention to feature in your story.
- Sketch out the world rules (what is steam-powered, what is magical).
- Decide if your setting is real history or an alternate one.
- Write a short test scene to check if the tone feels right.
Further reading: The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer
How do I build a steampunk world?
World-building is the heart of steampunk. The details bring it alive! From the hiss of steam pipes to the glow of gas lamps. (Once I described a clockwork bird in a scene, and a reader said it stayed with them long after the story ended.)
Examples:
- Streets filled with smoke and gears turning in the distance
- Characters wearing waistcoats, corsets and goggles
- Steam trains racing through vast landscapes
Example in action: Picture a grand railway station with brass arches, stained-glass ceilings and pipes pumping out mist. Passengers step onto gleaming iron trains while vendors sell pocket watches that double as compasses.
Tips:
- Choose a city or region to focus on rather than the whole globe
- Use weather, architecture and clothing to create atmosphere
- Add small inventions like mechanical pets or message tubes
- Think about how society adapts to these new technologies
- Avoid only “surface steampunk”, the world should feel lived in
Step by step:
- Pick your base setting: Victorian London, Wild West, or a made-up city.
- Decide how advanced steam technology is in your world.
- Make a list of everyday items reimagined with gears or brass.
- Sketch a city map or floor plan to keep details consistent.
- Add smells, sounds and textures (steam, soot, brass, leather).
- Write one descriptive paragraph without characters, just the world.
- Re-read it and ask if a reader could “see” it clearly.
Further reading: World-Building for Fantasy Writers by Sabrina Vourvoulias
How can I write steampunk characters?
Characters in steampunk should feel vivid, eccentric and driven by curiosity. They are inventors, adventurers and rebels. (In one of my drafts, the villain was a polite professor with a mechanical arm and readers said he was more memorable than the hero.)
Examples:
- Inventors obsessed with their machines
- Sky captains running smuggling crews
- Aristocrats hiding secret laboratories
Example in action: A daring young woman in a grease-stained corset tinkers with a flying contraption on her rooftop. Below her is her father, a stern politician. He has no idea she sneaks out at night to test it over the Thames.
Tips:
- Give your characters unusual accessories (monocles, pocket watches, prosthetics)
- Balance flaws and strengths to make them human
- Create backstories linked to technology or social change
- Use names with a slightly old-fashioned sound
- Write dialogue with formal touches but keep it readable
Step by step:
- Decide your character’s role in society (engineer, captain, scientist, thief).
- Give them one unique gadget or invention.
- Write down one ambition that drives them.
- Choose a quirk: nervous habit, odd fashion, unusual speech.
- Write a one-page character sketch.
- Test them in a short dialogue scene to check voice and style.
Further reading: Creating Steampunk Characters by Theresa Crater
How do I plot a steampunk story?
Plots in steampunk often mix adventure, mystery and invention. The story should feel like a journey through gears and smoke. (I once outlined a plot around a stolen airship engine and found the chase scenes wrote themselves.)
Examples:
- A quest to stop a mechanical monster
- A mystery about a missing invention
- A rebellion powered by strange new machines
Example in action: Your protagonist discovers that a secret society is sabotaging the city’s steam engines to spark a revolution. To stop them, she must pilot an airship across Europe while hunted by sky pirates.
Tips:
- Keep the pace brisk, like an adventure novel
- Add obstacles linked to machines or inventions
- Mix personal stakes with bigger world stakes
- Use cliffhangers at chapter ends to keep tension
- Blend mystery, science and even romance if it fits
Step by step:
- Start with a “what if” question (What if an airship crashed into London?).
- Write down the villain’s goal and the hero’s opposite goal.
- Plan three big set-piece scenes involving inventions or machines.
- Add smaller mysteries in between to keep tension high.
- Create a clear climax where technology or invention plays a key role.
- Write a resolution that ties both personal and world stakes together.
Further reading: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann VanderMeer
How do I get the steampunk “feel”?
Steampunk is as much about mood as it is about plot. It is the creak of gears, the smell of smoke and the clash of corsets and goggles. (Once I played a steampunk soundtrack while drafting and it completely shifted my descriptions.)
Examples:
- Fog rolling over cobblestone streets
- Brass and copper shining under candlelight
- Music boxes, ticking clocks, and steam hissing
Example in action: In a dark workshop, the hero oils the gears of a brass automaton while outside rain lashes iron windows. The steady tick-tick-tick of a clock builds tension before the machine suddenly sparks to life.
Tips:
- Use sensory details in every scene (sound, smell, touch, sight, taste)
- Focus on textures: metal, leather, lace, smoke
- Sprinkle in Victorian-style slang but do not overload
- Read aloud to check the rhythm of your prose
- Collect a Pinterest board of steampunk visuals for inspiration
Step by step:
- Make a list of five steampunk sounds (hiss, clank, whirr, tick, puff).
- Make a second list of five steampunk smells (oil, smoke, brass, leather, coal).
- Use at least one from each list in your first chapter.
- Pick a colour palette (bronze, sepia, black, gold) to guide your imagery.
- Read a passage aloud and adjust words until it “sounds” steampunk.
Further reading: Writing the Victorian Era by Kathryn Hughes
Frequently Asked Questions about Writing Steampunk
Do I need to know a lot about history?
Not every detail. Get a general sense of Victorian life, then bend it. Steampunk thrives on mixing history with imagination.
Can I add magic to steampunk?
Yes. Many writers mix steam technology with magic or alchemy. Just decide early how the two systems interact.
What makes a story steampunk rather than just historical fiction?
The inventions, atmosphere and sense of an alternate history. A novel set in 1880 without steam-driven gadgets is simply historical. Add clockwork airships and you are in steampunk.
Do I need to write in Victorian English?
No. A light touch of formality is enough. You want the flavour, not unreadable text.
What themes work well in steampunk?
Invention, rebellion, exploration, class divides, curiosity, progress versus tradition.
Is steampunk still popular in 2025?
Yes. It has a steady niche fan base in books, games, cosplay and film. It might not trend on TikTok every week, but the readers who love it are loyal.
How do I avoid clichés?
Do not rely only on goggles and gears. Add fresh angles, like steampunk set in non-European cultures, or new types of inventions.
Should I write a short story first?
That can help. A short piece lets you test the feel before committing to a novel.