Making the Past Into the Future: The Writings of Blake Moore

Making the Past Into the Future: The Writings of Blake Moore
By Erica McLewee

Blake Moore, a 19-year-old Frostburg State University sophomore originally from Grantsville, has always been interested in writing science fiction and fantasy. However, he began writing in high school, having a few guest appearances in his high school newspaper. Moore is all about writing by immersing himself in his creative writing major with a minor in journalism.

Moore draws inspiration from science fiction and fantasy authors such as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Chris Wooding. Some notable works from these authors are I, Robot (Asimov), The Black Lung Captain (Wooding), and The Martian Chronicles (Bradbury).

“Everyone in my high school had to do a project,” stated Moore about a novel that has been in the works for some years, “I had it completed from the prologue to the sixth chapter.” He admitted that, at this point, the draft was 150 to 200 pages long.

Unlike some science fiction writers, Moore intends to add an extra dimension that goes overlooked by other authors. “My mother does a lot of genealogy and I started getting into it,” said Moore about the inspiration for his novel. For a futuristic plot, Moore adds a little bit of the past. Genealogy is the study of one’s family tree and history. “I’m going to have to go over my dates and events probably. Right now, there is this whole back story with Time.”

Blake Moore's ability to draw from the past is similar to a futuristic Victorian style called “steampunk.” The main concept of steampunk is characterized by the phrase: “what if we had the modern technology of today, 100 years ago?” The result is “steampunk.” Moore stated with enthusiasm, “I like the 1900s, everything that happened. Basically, in 100 years we had 500 years of technological advances.” Moore has a pocket watch which has clear parts so that the inner workings and gears can be seen. However, like all fascinating interests, involvement in the community surrounding it comes at a price. Preventing Moore from exploring steampunk is of course... “Money! Some of that stuff is really up there. I know websites that sell period clothing.” Gatherings of people who share interests like Blake Moore's meet at The Steampunk World's Fair.

Someday, in the future that is riddled with hints of the past, Blake Moore may join the ranks of many prestigious technological science fiction writers.