Latest Posts by ainesseyspiegel - Page 4
How to Write a Fight Scene (Rebloggable Version)
Admin Note: This post is a rebloggable copy of our page on fight scenes. The page is being phased out, so from now on all updates will be made on this post and not on the page.
Among the typically difficult scenes writers face in their stories, the fight scene definitely ranks high on the list. Below you will find several resources with tips for writing a good fight scene.
Action with a Side of Zombies: One of our articles focused specifically on writing action scenes. Bonus: the examples all include zombies.
ArchetypesAndAllusions: An article on the three main types of fighters and their various approaches to kickin’ ass (or not).
TheCreativePenn.com: Alan Baxter, speculative fiction author, gives some great advice on characterization, setting, martial style, and cliches.
StoryHack.com: A PDF that takes you through writing a fight scene step by step by Randy Ingermanson, compiled by Bryce Beattie.
MarilynnByerly.com: An extremely good guide to writing fight scenes. This guide includes tips on character viewpoint, mapping the fight, and tricks for writing each type of fight.
Shelfari.com: This site is an interview with famed fantasy author R.A. Salvatore on how to write great fight scenes.
TheBusinessOfWriting: C. Patrick Schulze gives some good, solid advice on identifying and writing your fight scene.
EzineArticles.com: Marq McAlister explains how to make a fight scene pack some serious punch. This article is good for fine-tuning.
Martin Turner: Focusing specifically on sword-fighting scenes, Martin Turner writes in great detail on every conceivable detail of this type of time-honored fight scene.
SeriousPixie.com: Susan tells you about the three types of fight scene writers and explains how to fix the problems that arise for each type.
David Alan Lucus: This multi-part guide gives advice in exhaustive detail on how to write an awesome fight scene.
NightFoot: This Tumblr post offers some great tips for writing fight scenes.
These links provide advice specifically for writing battle scenes:
Gerri Blanc: eHow’s article on battle scenes is a basic step-by-step list for you. It’s a good introduction to writing battle scenes.
StormTheCastle.com: This article takes you through an in-depth guide on how to write battle scenes for fantasy stories.
Rhonda Leigh Jones: Jones lists some dos and don’ts of writing battle scenes.
Other resources:
List of Martial Arts: Looking for a fighting style? Find it here!
List of Weapons: Every type of weapon you can think of is listed here.
List of Military Tactics: From troop movements to siege warfare, this list has got you covered.
Asylum.com: A few examples of awesome battle tactics from history.
BadassOfTheWeek.com: Get some inspiration for awesome fight scenes and fighting characters from this compendium of badassitude.
Thearmedgentleman: Austin has offered to share his knowledge on weaponry with any writers who have questions. Thanks, Austin!
We hope this helps! If you have another link or a tip for how to write fight/battle scenes, hit up our ask box and let us know!
Let's use APOSTROPHES correctly :D
So, as the title shows, it’s time we have a little lesson on apostrophes in general. We could all use it ;)
(Sorry about the LONG post. Whenever I put it under “Read More” the article no longer appears.)
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Rule 1
Use the apostrophe with contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed.
Examples: don’t, isn’t You’re right. She’s a great teacher.
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Rule 2
Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession.
Examples: one boy’s hat one woman’s hat one actress’s hat one child’s hat Ms. Chang’s house
NOTE: Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second sadded in possessive form, it is preferred.
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Examples: Mr. Jones’s golf clubs Texas’s weather Ms. Straus’s daughter Jose Sanchez’s artwork Dr. Hastings’s appointment (name is Hastings) Mrs. Lees’s books (name is Lees)
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Rule 3
Use the apostrophe where the noun that should follow is implied.
Example: This was his father’s, not his, jacket.
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Rule 4
To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe.
Examples: two boys’ hats two women’s hats two actresses’ hats two children’s hats the Changs’ house the Joneses’ golf clubs the Strauses’ daughter the Sanchezes’ artwork the Hastingses’ appointment the Leeses’ books
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Rule 5
Do not use an apostrophe for the plural of a name.
Examples: We visited the Sanchezes in Los Angeles. The Changs have two cats and a dog.
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Rule 6
With a singular compound noun, show possession with ’s at the end of the word.
Example: my mother-in-law’s hat
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Rule 7
If the compound noun is plural, form the plural first and then use the apostrophe.
Example: my two brothers-in-law’s hats
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Rule 8
Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item.
Examples: Cesar and Maribel’s home is constructed of redwood. Cesar’s and Maribel’s job contracts will be renewed next year. Indicates separate ownership. Cesar and Maribel’s job contracts will be renewed next year. Indicates joint ownership of more than one contract.
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Rule 9
Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose. They already show possession so they do not require an apostrophe.
Correct: This book is hers, not yours.
Incorrect: Sincerely your’s.
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Rule 10
The only time an apostrophe is used for it’s is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
Examples: It’s a nice day. It’s your right to refuse the invitation. It’s been great getting to know you.
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Rule 11
The plurals for capital letters and numbers used as nouns are not formed with apostrophes.
Examples: She consulted with three M.D.s. BUT She went to three M.D.s’ offices. The apostrophe is needed here to show plural possessive. She learned her ABCs. the 1990s not the 1990’s the ’90s or the mid-’70s not the ‘90’s or the mid-‘70’s She learned her times tables for 6s and 7s.
Exception: Use apostrophes with capital letters and numbers when the meaning would be unclear otherwise.
Examples: Please dot your i’s. You don’t mean is. Ted couldn’t distinguish between his 6’s and 0’s. You need to use the apostrophe to indicate the plural of zero or it will look like the word Os. To be consistent within a sentence, you would also use the apostrophe to indicate the plural of6’s.
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Rule 12
Use the possessive case in front of a gerund (-ing word).
Examples: Alex’s skating was a joy to behold. This does not stop Joan’s inspecting of our facilities next Thursday.
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Rule 13
If the gerund has a pronoun in front of it, use the possessive form of that pronoun.
Examples: I appreciate your inviting me to dinner. I appreciated his working with me to resolve the conflict.
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SOURCE (CLICK HERE)
-H
“If I didn’t think you’d hit me back, I’d slap you for that.” Use this somewhere in your writing.
The Writer’s Book of Matches
"All My Friends Are Dead,"
an autobiography by Merlin Emrys.
Dedicated to Dr. John Watson
Preface by The Doctor.
Epilogue by Dean Winchester.
using the prompts below, write a drabble (or whatever) a day for the next 30 days. find someone willing to hit you if you miss a day. look back at the end and go ‘oh! i’m a writer!’.
beginning. accusation. restless. snowflake. haze. flame. formal. companion. move. silver. prepared. knowledge. denial. wind. order. thanks. look. summer. transformation. tremble. sunset. mad. thousand. outside. winter. diamond. letters. promise. simple. future.
Puppy Sibling
She walks around the house with a stuffed rabbit. We had put it in her crib about a week after she was brought home from the hospital. She was so tiny, and mom thought that she might accidently suffocate herself by hugging the toy too tightly. We told her it was silly, and we still put the toy beside our baby sister, but a part of us could not help but wonder. So, despite our own inner scolding’s, we still kept a mighty fine watch on that crib. We still listened for the sounds of the baby inside extra carefully, just in case. But nothing bad had ever happened.
She did love that rabbit though, and I could not have been any happier. I had spent hours upon hours working the doll into a decent shape. My fingers were all practically useless, numb from the constant jabbing of several different needles. I had started making it when mom gave us the news that she was expecting another baby. That was about two months along. It took me an entire seven months, and a couple of weeks more for added measure, to finally finish it. I can’t say that it wasn't a pain, but I knew it was worth it when I saw her slobbering all over the thing.
I used to call her Puppy, or Pup, because back then I hadn’t seen anything cuter than a puppy before. Yet, I had decided then, at twelve years old, that my litter sister was even cuter than the purest of purebred puppy dogs, and thus gave her a set of nicknames I felt suited her. It was something special between the two of us. Everyone else called her by her name, Evelyn, or Eves if they were feeling cute, but she always liked my names the best. Just like she liked that stuffed rabbit more than any of her other toys. She carried it with her wherever she went, and she was never without it when she needed to take a trip back to the hospital.
Puppy was a sick kid. She had breathing problems and would often have these huge fits that would leave her in bed for days. Her curly hair would go limp, her plump little cheeks would lose color, and her eyes would lose a bit of their sparkle. My brothers didn’t like getting too close. Even though they were older, and knew they couldn’t catch what she had, they didn’t want to get too close. So mom depended on me for a lot of the help with her. I didn’t mind. Pup and me were like two really aged gapped peas in a pod. I was her favorite brother, and I just loved her to bits. That rabbit was a testament of that, I guess, and she once said, in that cute little baby-doll drawl of hers, that we’d all be together always. I think I believed it.
But sometime during the winter she turned three, she got sicker than I had ever seen her. I stayed home from school a lot because I was so worried, and I would later pay for it by repeating my senior year of high school. But, back then, all I could focus on was Puppy. The last time I saw her smile, she told me she loved me, asked for a hug and kiss, and then went to sleep. She didn’t wake up again. We buried her in a dress mom made, and her favorite toy bunny wrapped in her arms.
Pup was a very sore subject after that. Mom liked to talk about her a lot, and dad did too now that I think about it, but my brothers never stuck around for the conversations. I think they felt guilty, and would have preferred we’d forget the source of the pain. I think they thought it would make things easier on all of us, but I couldn’t do that. Instead, I used her as my driving force in life. I was going to live enough for the two of us. The night after her funeral, I promised her I would make it back to her someday, and when I did, I was going to be good enough to keep that little promise of hers.
Ever since then, I’ve had a bit of an affinity for good luck. Good things happen to me for no reason, and eventually people had to wonder what was going on. I never lost my keys, never forgot that important date, and the opportunities had a way of finding me just when I needed them the most. People thought I was blessed. They thought I must have done something really good to deserve all of this luck. I think I was just a beloved older brother with a younger sister who still wanted to see him happy.
Yup, you guessed it. I didn’t think it was luck, or a blessing, or even any good karma on my part that put me in a good place in life. I’ve always believed that it was Puppy looking after me like I used to look after her. In fact, I know that’s what’s been happening. I know because I’ve seen her.
At first I thought I was hallucinating, letting grief take over, but it’s happened too many times since then, and I’ve long since healed after the initial pain of her death. Now I know she’s just following me around the way she always used to when she was alive. Only, this time, she’s learned how to do nice things for me without physically being there. I see her peeking around the corner when I’m having a bad day, giggling when I need a bit of a pick-me-up, and running a hand through my hair when I end up sick. And I still see that rabbit of hers bouncing up and down in her arms from the corner of my eye. My little sister, my favorite Puppy, is now my own personal guardian angel.
And I think that makes me the luckiest man alive.
Shattered Reflection
This was the me who didn’t make it. Not just the one who hadn’t accomplished her dreams, or the one who had given up on what she’d wanted in life. That may or may not have been true, but that wasn’t the first thought to come to mind.
Her neck was bruised, and maybe it was just me, but they looked very ominous. Perhaps it was just me, considering I was the one with an imagination that was as vivid as it was limited by what I already knew. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, making shapes recognizable only because it was something I knew and something I could identify. Maybe it was fear, feeding an apprehension deep inside my stomach that grew the more I looked at her.
Her face had some shallow but long scratches. Her arms looked an ugly mixture of purple and yellow, gashes appearing every few inches or so. They also seemed to have the same kind of marks that her neck did. Handprints. Marks of a struggle.
It took me a long while, and when I finally looked back up at her, I saw my own dark brown eyes staring back at me with an icy numbness. “Did I die?”
Keep reading
Emotions: Writing Grief
Anonymous asked: Hi, I was wondering if you folks had any resources that describe different grieving processes people go through? I think most everyone has heard of the ‘stages’ process (anger, denial, bargaining etc.), but it’d be awesome to have something that goes into greater detail about it, or offers some sort of alternative. :)
This is a drug reference guide. It’s medically accurate, research and general knowledge based. None of it is from personal experience and I absolutely don’t encourage any drug use. This is simply made for a reference for your writing so that if you’re playing a certain character, taking a certain drug you’ll have a better understanding of how they might act, what they’ll experience internally and the after-effects and medical effects the drug has on their body and mind. I am in no way telling you how to play your character, this is just a few helpful pointers that might help you get to know your druggie a little better.
Read More
A summary of how people die (and don't) in swordfights
This is a really good article about how quickly people actually die from cuts and punctures inflicted by swords and knives. However, it’s really really long and I figured that since I was summarizing for my own benefit I’d share it for anyone else who is writing fiction that involves hacking and slashing your villain(s) to death. If you want the nitty gritty of the hows and whys of this, you can find it at the original source.
…even in the case of mortal wounds, pain may not reach levels of magnitude sufficient to incapacitate a determined swordsman.
Causes of death from stabs and cuts:
massive bleeding (exsanguination) - most common
air in the bloodstream (air embolism)
suffocation (asphyxia)
air in the chest cavity (pneumothorax)
infection
Stabbing vs cutting:
Stabbing someone actually takes very little force if you don’t hit bone or hard cartilage.
The most important factor in the ease of stabbing is the velocity of the blade at impact with the skin, followed by the sharpness of the blade.
Stabbing wounds tend to close after the weapon is withdrawn.
Stabbing wounds to muscles are not typically very damaging. Damage increases with the width of the blade.
Cutting wounds are typically deepest at the site of initial impact and get shallower as force is transferred from the initial swing to pushing and pressing.
Cutting wounds have a huge number of factors that dictate how deep they are and how easily they damage someone: skill, radial velocity, mass of the blade, and the size of the initial impact.
Cutting wounds along the grain of musculature are not typically very damaging but cutting wounds across the grain can incapacitate.
Arteries vs veins:
Severed veins have almost zero blood pressure and sometimes even negative pressure. They do not spurt but major veins can suck air in causing an air embolism.
Cutting or puncturing a vein is usually not fatal.
Severed arteries have high blood pressure. The larger arteries do spurt and can often cause death due to exsanguination.
Body parts as targets:
Severing a jugular vein in the neck causes an air embolism and will make the victim collapse after one or two gasps for air.
Severing a carotid artery in the neck cuts off the blood supply to the brain but the victim may be conscious for up to thirty seconds.
Stabbing or cutting the neck also causes the victim to aspirate blood that causes asphyxiation and death.
Severing a major abdominal artery or vein would cause immediate collapse, but this takes a fairly heavy blade and a significant amount of effort because they are situated near the spine.
Abdominal wounds that only impact the organs can cause death but they do not immediately incapacitate.
Severing an artery in the interior of the upper arm causes exsanguination and death but does not immediately incapacitate.
Severing an artery in the palm side of the forearm causes exsanguination and death but does not immediately incapacitate.
Severing the femoral artery at a point just above and behind the knee is the best location. Higher up the leg it is too well protected to easily hit. This disables and will eventually kill the victim but does not immediately incapacitate.
Cutting across the muscles of the forearm can immediately end the opponent’s ability to hold their weapon.
Cutting across the palm side of the wrist causes immediate loss of ability to hold a weapon.
Stab wounds to the arm do not significantly impact the ability to wield a weapon or use it.
Cuts and stab wounds to the front and back of the legs generally do not do enough muscle damage to cause total loss of use of that leg.
Bone anywhere in the body can bend or otherwise disfigure a blade.
The brain can be stabbed fairly easily through the eyes, the temples, and the sinuses.
Stabs to the brain are more often not incapacitating.
The lungs as targets:
Slicing into the lung stops that lung from functioning, but the other lung continues to function normally. This also requires either luck to get between the ribs or a great deal of force to penetrate the ribs.
Stabbing the lung stops that lung from functioning, but the other lung continues to function normally. It is significantly easier to stab between ribs than to slice.
It is possible to stab the victim from the side and pass through both lungs with an adequate length blade. It is very unlikely that this will happen with a slicing hit.
“Death caused solely by pneumothorax is generally a slow process, occurring as much as several hours after the wound is inflicted.”
Lung punctures also typically involve the lung filling with blood, but this is a slow process.
The heart as a target:
I’m just going to quote this paragraph outright with a few omissions and formatting changes for clarity because it’s chock-full of good info:
…[stabbing] wounds to the heart the location, depth of penetration, blade width, and the presence or absence of cutting edges are important factors influencing a wounded duelist’s ability to continue a combat.
Large cuts that transect the heart may be expected to result in swift incapacitation…
…stab wounds, similar to those that might be inflicted by a thrust with a sword with a narrow, pointed blade may leave a mortally wounded victim capable of surprisingly athletic endeavors.
Essentially, the heart can temporarily seal itself well enough to keep pressure up for a little while if it’s a simple stab. The arteries around the heart, while they are smaller and harder to hit, actually cause incapacitation much more quickly.
Human Nature - Seeking Revenge
Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! This week I’m going to be discussing a few different facets of human nature as they relate to characters and writing. See the quick schedule below:
The Love Affair
Holding a Grudge
Seeking Revenge
Situation Reaction
Thought Processes
Today is day three and we’ll be talking about Seeking Revenge. Grab those papers and pens and let’s get going!
There are a few types of people who seek revenge. Some who do it on purpose, and some who do it without realizing what they’re doing when it happens. Here’s a breakdown:
Vengeful and Proud - This type of person lets it be known they are out for blood. If you piss this type of person off, they’re going to tell you that you better watch your back. Rest assured, you should watch your back. Of the many types, this is probably the least common. But, on the bright side, they’re also the most honest type of person. If you hurt them, they’ll be in your face warning you. You’ll be told what you did to cause them to seek revenge and exactly how they’re going to make it happen. At least you know what’s coming. They oftentimes regret the vengeance afterward, but it doesn’t stop them from acting out in the first place. They feel justified at first; only to lament the decision later.
Vengeful Without Qualms - These people are out to hurt anyone that hurts them. They don’t care if you have sixteen children and it’s your last dollar they force you to give up knowing everyone will starve. It doesn’t bother them later. There is no remorse and they’ll let you know it. Watch out for these types. While they make good characters, they also must be without a conscience at all. It can prove difficult for them to be allowed to form any type of relationship. Ever.
Sneaky Vengeance - Oh my. People like this hit you and you never see it coming. You may not even know what you did to bring it on until after the proverbial poo has been splattered by the fan and lands in your open mouth. They are dangerous because they put on a smile and work to stab you in the back however they can. Acts brought about by them will destroy your life and you may not even be able to trace the source of the pain back to this person. They make great characters because they can constantly throw in a gauntlet for your hero/heroine to overcome while still being the pretend BFF. They will never ever admit to being the cause of the pain.
Woeful Vengeance - Meek, honest to a fault, and shy people act out woeful vengeance. They may do something unintentionally to get revenge. Only after the fact do they realize what a horrible thing they’ve done and they usually rush to apologize and admit their wrongdoing. These people beat themselves up daily for what they did and often have a difficult time moving past it, even if the other person forgives them for the wrongdoing. It can change them for the better or worse. That’s up to the character’s personality and you, the writer. Let it be a lesson or a life-altering event.
All types of people who seek revenge do it for a specific reason: they feel pain. A desire to make the other person feel pain is at the root of their actions. Even the woeful vengeance type will harbor a secret desire to get back at the person that wronged them in some small way. Human nature tells us that if we intentionally wrong someone, we should watch our backs. It’s the same in a story. If your character does a dirty deed, they should be careful. If they aren’t, they’ll be naive in nature.
You can use this in character development for both the revenge seeker and any companions he/she may have. Lessons in how people react to situations go a long way in showing your reader just how a character can change from page 1 to page 400.
Question of the day: Have you ever experienced a revenge seeker? Have you ever been one? What type were they/you?
Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
On Twins
I’m a twin, and I’ve been angry about twin stereotypes for years now.
The most prominent ones being: the exactly alike twins, the exactly opposite twins, the creepy twins, or some combination thereof. Like, I nearly vomit whenever I read the line, ‘X and Y were twins, but they couldn’t be more different,’ because that is just lazy writing. It is. How much more lazy can you get than to create a character and then just make another one the exact opposite?
Answer: You can make them exactly alike. This one I hate more, because seriously, in real life, how likely is it that twins will be completely identical, not just in appearance, but in personalities and attitudes and intelligence? I will cut slack for twins raised apart, because that can happen and that’s been proven, but seriously? If you have two characters be exactly the same, you might as well have one character, and try to flesh them out a little more.
Let me explain something about twins: if we’re really close, we tend to adapt to fill in each other’s weaknesses. For instance, my sister and I had an interesting pattern for making friends; my sister, an incredibly outgoing social butterfly, would meet people and make them part of our group. Then, it was my job to keep us staying friends with them, by doing things like making sleepovers, remembering people had feelings, and remembering birthdays. However, while this obviously distinguishes between twins and makes it clear they’re unlikely to be exactly alike, it also doesn’t mean they’re exact opposites. For instance, my twin and I are both not good at communicating over the phone; we both tend to be bad at planning our time effectively. The important thing with writing twins is to remember that there is an intricate pattern of alike and not alike, determined both by upbringing and personality. It’s complex, like any relationship, and it should be treated with the same care as any relationship in a story. On the topic of creepy twins, just know that me and most twins like me will gladly leave a scathing review on any story with poorly explained twin incest. Just, ew, man. Ew.
Stories | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas OST
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