When picking out something to use as an improvised weapon, what would be the most important thing to take into account about it?
That you take whatâs available. The trick about âimprovisedâ weapon is that itâs improvised.
Or according to Googleâs dictionary:
im·pro·visedËimprÉËvÄ«zd/
created and performed spontaneously or without preparation; impromptu.âan improvised short speechâ
done or made using whatever is available; makeshift.âwe slept on improvised bedsâ
For example, your character is at a bar and they are about to be attacked or threatened by another angry person (drunk or not). They might grab their beer bottle by the neck and slam it down on that personâs head. They also might grab a mug and hit them with it, they might throw their drink in that personâs eyes before they lunge in to go to town. Assuming the chairs are wieldly and theyâre backed into a corner, they might pick it up off the floor and attempt to either hit someone with it or keep them at bay using the legs. Itâs going to be awkward, but whatever works.
Think about the environment theyâre in, think about what is around in that environment that they have access to, and most importantly what every day household item your character thinks is going to make for a good weapon. The vast majority of these are going to be snap decisions made with limited information while under pressure.
You have the better ones a more experienced character and less law abiding character might choose to carry around with them or keep in their car. Then, itâs more likely theyâll carry whatever they can easily explain away.
For example, would you question why someone would keep a heavy duty metal flashlight in their driverâs side door? Obviously, itâs in case the car gets stuck at night. Itâs not because itâs heavy, easy to wield, small enough to hide behind the leg, and great at cracking bones. You can also shine it in someoneâs eyes, much in the same way you can use the high beams in your car to blind an enemy. Thatâs just a pleasant side benefit to a useful tool.
Why does a character keep a tire iron in their trunk? In case they get a flat, right? Youâre less likely to think that the character used it to break three peopleâs arms last week on a collection round.
A car door can be an improvised weapon. Someone approaches to drag a character out of their car and instead of politely waiting, they slam it into them when they get close. Then, when theyâre stumbling, crack them in the face or the arm with that heavy flashlight. Or they drag their fingers into the door, then open it and shut repeatedly several times until you crush (or even sever) their fingers. The heavier the car door, the better. In the same way, a door in your own home can become an improvised weapon. The character listens carefully, waiting for them to get close or reach or draw back to break it down, then they open it into them.
If you can pick it up and is decently solid, it can become a weapon. A rolled up newspaper can be a weapon. A plate can be a weapon. A frying pan is an excellent weapon, nice, metal, sturdy, especially one thatâs been sitting on a hot range or if one were cooking anything in it.
A backpack carrying text books or any heavy books can become a weapon.
Your character can be as safe or as vicious as they want. Play a game with yourself, look around the room and ask âif I were being attacked right now, what would I grab?â. Then, ask your character that question, think about it from their reaction and their background. Think about what theyâd do or what theyâd choose if they started with nothing and it had to be right now.
Think about where they are and whatâs around them. Think about what they have access to. Think about their environment. Then, donât ask yourself âwhat would be the best choice for this situationâ because your character doesnât have the time for a âbest choiceâ. Theyâve got time for âI see it, I grab it, I hope it helpsâ. (Also, âI hope I know what to do with it once I have it in my handsâ.)
The problem that comes in with a lot of writing of violence is that you canât munchkin it. Well, you can, but it kills all tension. The advice Toph gives Aang in the second season of Avatar: the Last Airbender when teaching him earthbending. There is no cool move or trickety trick thatâs going to get you through that rock, youâve just got to dig in. Commit. Write the scene. Theyâre in it now, theyâve got to be the ones to get themselves out.
One of the hardest parts of writing in general, not just violence, is that sometimes the story doesnât go the way you expected or planned. Sometimes, it takes off in a whole new direction. Instead of fighting it, let the current take you. See where you end up. Run with it. Live in the moment.
So what if your character grabbed a useless weapon or what theyâre trying to improvise doesnât work out? It doesnât necessarily mean theyâre going to die. (They could.) Itâs more a question of what they do next rather than trying to brute force the situation into one that works to their benefit.
A character is defined by what they do when things go wrong, when things donât work quite right, how they adapt to their changing environment. Their resourcefulness, their cleverness, their ability to maneuver or even fuck up a situation. Their actions could make the situation better, but they could also make it worse. They can make mistakes. They can screw up.
That doesnât make them bad characters. Or say anything bad about them if they arenât particularly good at fighting. What makes a badass a badass is how they deal with situations, not the fact that they can kick the ass of everyone in the room. Your character will always have to earn the title anyway, rather than starting with it as a default. So long as the mistakes your character makes are incorporated into their development then it doesnât really matter.
Take chances. Make mistakes. Put them on the defensive. Make them think. Make yourself think. Imagine different ways out of a bad situation. Think about the consequences. If your character does X how do the other characters respond? Do they get angrier? Do they become scared? How do they try to take back control? Which one feels like the right course for this character? Imagine it from the perspective of a different character. How would they do it differently?
Think about it. Thatâs pretty much all you need to do.
