Faith Kindred

Thing is, though, most of the composers you mentioned composed film music, and for me, it’s difficult to listen to music from a film I’ve watched while I’m trying to write, because the music has prior associations and therefore is difficult to match up to the scene I am writing. If that were not the case, I could live for the rest of my life using…[Read more]

Whoops! Sorry about that, Daeus. I guess I knew that. Thanks for correcting my mistake. I believe I was trying to make a distinction between a hand-and-a-half sword and say, a claymore. There is a difference, isn’t there?
Rolena, it’s possible that a sword could shatter if the temper of the blade was bad. Not that the blade had a bad temper……[Read more]

Well yeah, but If I could have a gold coin and/or a silver coin I would take both.

Say, how about the phrase, “Love at first acquaintance”. Still pretty hard to believe, but more realistic.

Just to clarify, a hand and a half sword actually has room for two hands, but its handle is small enough to control with one hand easily as well.

Yeah, probably.

I think the commands to love your enemies apply to ‘agape’ love— not ‘eros’, which is romantic love. Romantic love does differ from agape love. It’s just that it must be built on the same spirit of sacrifice to be worth anything.

Pin it onto your shirt. Put it in your pocket. Have it hanging from a peg on your trench coat. Keep a picture of it on your cellphone. Don’t let a dragon swallow it though. I imagine dragon stomach acids are strong enough to digest metal objects.

Now we’re getting somewhere! How would you carry the medallion with you? In pouch? Sewn into the lining of your cloak? Depending on its size, of course.
You know, a medallion isn’t really a piece of jewelry, and that made me think. Why should it have to be a piece of jewelry? Why couldn’t it just be something as simple as a stone a dragon had…[Read more]

I think I can answer that one. The category of swords commonly and generally labeled ‘broadswords’ is pretty… well… broad. You can have anything from the heavy Scottish claymores to the Roman ‘shortswords’. I think it depends upon who made the sword and for what purpose. Actually, most swords are only made for one purpose— war. But if…[Read more]

“In broadsword fighting, is there a difference between a defensive stance and an offensive stance?” Not really. A stance (assuming by stance you mean a guard) is a stationary position. Your body and weapon are positioned to be able to attack or defend with the greatest speed, accuracy, and power. You may choose to use one stance over another for a…[Read more]

Thanks Daeus for all the helpful info!
Haha! I asked about the sword being able to shatter, because I read a fiction book in which that happened. I’ve never heard of it before though and since then I’ve always wanted to know!

Good idea— you can always be less technical. You can always describe a technical term in everyday words, and it generally gives a much stronger image than just the one term that sums everything up.
And I’m sorry Daeus, but I missed your reply to my knife fighting question. I don’t know how I didn’t see it there— but thanks for the tips. I’m…[Read more]

I always have liked descriptive fight scenes myself. Even if I don’t know exactly what is going on, or if I do, but find it despairingly inaccurate, I always love hearing about each swing, block, or trick. Each move is tantalizing because you never know which one will decide the match.

You can be descriptive without being technical. I have tried…[Read more]

Carrying on with the manipulative advisor idea …

What if he was the princesses’s tutor who had taught her from birth. He could appear to be a nice gentle man, but one with unsatisfied ambition. Suddenly, the king dies. What does he do? Convinces his pupil to take the throne (using every power he has to ensure she does) and then uses his…[Read more]

Well, alright. If you don’t think your readers can be that imaginative, how about a medallion?

Think of Deborah— she was a leader. She had to step up and lead because Barak was being weak. But that does not mean that women generally should be leaders. Those were far less than ideal circumstances, and may I remind you that she did not actually go into battle. One very practical reason that women shouldn’t ideally lead is because they are…[Read more]

Hm… somehow I don’t think that would go over too well. ‘The Socks of Power’. Nah. Sorry. Just wouldn’t cut it.
A ‘magical sock-knitting factory’ would be cool, though… wonder how they do that?

Well Mark, I would disagree. Not that you have to have a character— obviously, there’s no other reason to write a fight scene than if it is affecting one of your characters— but that you should not describe everything, and that you should use short sentences. Now it sounds like I’m nitpicking, but I have very legitimate reasons for presenting…[Read more]

Hi Sarah,

That massacre exactly. Its quite an impressive story. I’ve considered one day turning it into a novel, keeping basically to the true story but adding parts to lengthen it.

That’s certainly an interesting opinion, but is love at first sight really even possible? I mean, if you just look up one day and see this guy staring at you across the room, are you automatically just going to think “wow, he is the one! Already I love him so deeply that it cannot be anything but true love!”?
Now don’t get me wrong— I’m…[Read more]