Kate Flournoy

Good points.
Morbid?! My dear young lady, you sound like a girl after my own heart!

Oh and by the way, Daeus, I thought of a literary villain that fits your category of conflicted, I think. Captain Nemo, from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Have you read it? He was my favorite character. I know, I’m not supposed to love the villain, but I pitied…[Read more]

Oh boy, what an extensive topic! Are we being general, or covering all the different personalities in depth? One thing I can tell you regardless of personality, though. The perfect protagonist… is the one who is by no means perfect. (That was supposed to be funny— you were supposed to laugh).
One of my all time favorite books is Howard Pyle’s…[Read more]

Hey! Another fantasy author! Join the club.
Do you mean specifically for fantasy, or for any character in any genre? Is there anything about writing a fantasy character you think should be different than writing any of the other genres? (Despite the fact that they can use magic, some of the time).
I’d love to be in this discussion with you.…[Read more]

A band of trusty renegades! I would give anything for one of those at my beck and call. (Not). Haha!
For myself, I have to admit I like my villains to come in all different shapes and sizes and types. I don’t think I have a definitive favorite to either read about or write about— just so long as it is well written, and by that I mean is both…[Read more]

Good thoughts. What are some good ways to actually show this in the story, instead of giving it to your reader in so many words?
Say we have a number one type villain— the one who thought his original actions were justifiable, and did not notice when he slipped farther and farther into evil. We could tell the reader that such was the case, but…[Read more]

You had no idea your introductory post would turn into such a deep and touching discussion, did you Daniel?

I’d have to agree. There’s something very specially human about those kinds of villains. It’s like you can almost relate to them— you can look at them, and you can see sometimes that they may at one time, at one point, have had a chance to be good men— and they could have done it, too, if they had only tried a little harder. Sometimes you are…[Read more]

I think a battleaxe, if held in the right hands, could penetrate almost any form of armor. It would actually be easier, I think, for a battleaxe to penetrate hard armor because there is solid resistance and something very substantial to cut, but if the blow struck on the mail covered leather shirt was not a glancing blow I think it would…[Read more]

Okay, that’s great. I was just curious. I’m attached to the name myself now, having come to know him, after a fashion, but I wondered how it fit. You’re right. A Britisher definitely would not sound well clothed in an Italian name. 🙂
It’s funny, now that I think about it. I don’t think I could write an Italian story either. For some reason I also…[Read more]

Daeus, you said this was a Renaissance era story? Is Edwin, and especially Brook, a name you would expect to find in that era? When I think of the Renaissance, I think of names like Michelangelo Buanerotti, and Botticelli, and Machiavelli, and Savanarola— Italian names. Does this story not take place in Italy? How does the name fit with the era?…[Read more]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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?