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[itsjayzara]

First large scale battle

The goblins are invading! This is the first time I’ve tried to tackle a large scale battle, and I’m finding it to be an interesting challenge. Do I want to focus on the heroes, and let the imagination fill in the rest of the battle? Do I metaphorically zoom in and out to different parts of the battlefield? 

Being a story about our heroes, it’s pretty clear that the champions on both sides will face off at some point during the battle. But is that the most interesting thing that can happen? Is it anticlimactic to have a peasant with a bow take out the big scary mage with a lucky arrow? 

And, of course, there is the ever-present question of whether or not to kill characters. Like most fantasy stories, the reader has a pretty good idea that the three protagonists are going to live to see the sequel, but there is a wide cast of characters. I try to give them each enough reality and personality to be interesting, which also means that they would be missed if they were killed. Now I just have to convince myself that I’m willing to let some of them die instead of trying to tell everyone’s story all the way to its conclusion. 

So I’m looking forward to seeing how the battle plays out, who lives and dies, who makes a good showing and who flees the field. As Fezzik would say, “Inigo, I hope we win.” 

[itsjayzara]

Dead computer

The universe and I don't always see eye to eye. For the first time in two years I had a two-week vacation, and was all set to spend it at home writing furiously in an effort to maybe finish a book this summer. I came home on Monday night ready to go ... And my computer died. Eight days, two techs and several hundred dollars later, I'm still waiting to get it back. On the bright side, my data should all be intact. On the down side, as me and my fat fingers try to compose this post on my phone, I really want my computer back. There will definitely be some stabbing in the next chapter ...

[gifbro]

[soulcookieblog]

Slal-OW!-m

[fantasy-writing]

One thing a writer should always research when writing an action novel is how to actually fight with the weapons used in the novel. You see, the best fight scenes are the ones that feel real…

This is mostly about sword fighting, but I’ll add some variety, don’t worry.

I’ll compile a few...

[itsjayzara]

Here's some fun food for thought ... now I just have to get to a fight scene.

[itsjayzara]

Tabletop RPGs and Fantasy Writing

I'm sure I'm not alone among gamers in that when I read a fantasy novel, I tend to either envision it as a campaign I could run, or envision how the story evolved from someone else's game. Often when watching a movie or tv show, when the plot takes a turn for the worse, I'll turn to my wife and say, "Boy, their DM is a jerk."

Now I'm working on my first fantasy novel, something I've wanted to do for many years. And I'm basing it, unsurprisingly, on a game that I ran several years back. One of the things I'll be writing about in this blog is where I stayed true to the game, and where I made major changes.

There are many other writing projects trapped in my head, too, so we'll see if those start to escape now that I have somewhere to direct them.