So I have decided to tackle writing in a genre I have never written in before, Steampunk. Resources on the subject are a bit overwhelming especially for a beginner to the genre. I do not know what draws me to the topic but I would love to learn more about it. I have recently stumbled upon the author Jim Butcher and his new series The Cinder Spires and love it. I was hoping someone here would have either some experience in writing in the genre or perhaps knows could suggest some other authors or websites for research purposes.
Welcome to the site! My primary exposure to Steampunk has been the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films, but I can recommend TVTropes just on general principle Have you heard of the site? http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SteamPunk http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SteampunkIndex http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/WriteASteampunkStory More generally, the best research tip I can offer (again, as somebody with little exposure to Steampunk specifically) is to Google "misconceptions about X." Googling "X" gets you a bunch of people who've made cursory looks at the subject and who may be woefully incorrect, but Googling "misconceptions about X" gets you the people who've looked at both sides of a subject to see which is the more accurate. Not perfect either, but better Good luck!
I can't remember the titles to the Steampunk books I've read, but they were collections of short stories. Short story collections offer a myriad of ideas. Think of what science fiction would be for the people of the 1800's. These people consider science to be steam-driven locomotives and mechanical contraptions. A flying machine to them might be a giant, bird-like mechanism with flapping wings and hissing steam. And of course, everyone dresses the time period. The stories are entertaining. If I'm not mistaken, Jules Verne is sort of the father of Steampunk.