Yeah. This isn’t romantic at all, but Valentine’s Day isn’t really my holiday. It does get me thinking about how closely linked love and pain are. To be in love, you open yourself to another and expose yourself to the pain. That pain can make you cherish love more or be afraid of it. The two emotions are so intricately linked that you see them combined in fiction and reality all the time. Most, if not all, people have experienced the entwined sensations at some point. Sadly, it could be one of the few things everyone can relate to on some level. So, let’s get to talking.
Do you agree that love and pain are connected and why?
How do you use that in your writing? If not an author, what do you think of it in fiction?
What is your favorite love/pain example in fiction?
I’ve noticed that it’s getting harder to find memes that aren’t insulting with no wit or controversial. Guess I’m lucky to have found these 6. I have family over for the Super Bowl, so I won’t be on much. Unless I decide to recharge my social battery. So, enjoy this post, the game, the commercials, or simply your day.
Well . . . Here we are. Well, I’m here. You’re there. That’s all I’m willing to be sure of and even then I’m a little iffy.
I genuinely don’t know what to say about this week. Work was busy, my son had a lot of work to handle, energy was at a minimum, frustration was at a maximum, and tensions ran high everywhere. There’s nothing else to say about it. No writing was done because I had no time or energy. So, my author life is in hibernation until either the Winter Break or I get some breathing room and quiet time during a period off. So, what else can I talk about?
Last weekend should have been a sign that things were about to go wrong. The plan was the finish the last 2 ‘Phi Beta’ rival teams. I woke up Saturday with severe pain in my lower back, which I always get wrong. It’s really my IBS acting up because I was stressed for too long and didn’t hydrate enough during the week. So, I had to spend Saturday chugging water, peppermint tea, and resting up. Laundry was the only thing I was able to fight through the pain to accomplish. That left me with only Sunday to do writing, which I did a little of since I was at about 70-75%. I wasn’t at 100% until Monday afternoon.
The plus side of that whole mess is that I managed to get through the worst within 2 days instead of 4-5. Being stuck in bed, I researched my butt off for anything that would help with this issue. I read one theory that IBS is caused by the brain sending incorrect signals to nerves in the large intestine, which causes spastic muscle contractions. This led to me trying to meditate and use my lavender oil mix. Figured it couldn’t hurt along with some Pepto. Understanding what was going on inside my body gave me a better idea on what to do, so I’m hoping to get even better at undoing the damage. Maybe I can get it down to a single day next time. There will probably be a next time.
Victory aside, it still set me up to be weak and anxious throughout the week. Had a meeting about my son to discuss how he’s doing in school. Think he made honor roll or dean’s list again. He’s doing great in school, but we’re starting the 3rd quarter off on a rough foot. It’s tough for kids to keep going, especially when you hit this time of the school year. Weather is miserable here and you have one long break followed by at least a full month of no breaks. This is on top of already being exhausted from trying to finish the second quarter after a long break. So, there are signs of burnout that we have to find a way to work around.
I still have 2 April blog posts to set up. Almost finished them, but my energy failed me around Wednesday evening. Too much was going on and I figured it was better to sleep early. I’ll get them done this weekend and start thinking about any topics I can explore in May. The hand-to-hand stuff worked out, so maybe I can do something similar with melee weapons. Feels like I’ve done that a bunch though. Really running out of ideas here and I’m too busy to search for writing subjects. Maybe I’ll use some quiet time this weekend to figure a few out.
Did I say quiet? This weekend is going to be busy. My son has 3 tests to study for and I promised him video game time. We’re also watching my niece, so we face the challenge of studying while watching a newly mobile 1-year-old. It shouldn’t be too hard, but it means a lot of juggling. I’m so tired of juggling, but it’s family and the kids will keep each other occupied. It’s nice when a 12-year-old can be entertained for hours by a 1-year-old instead of ignoring them. Double-edged sword though because it can make studying more difficult. Her nap time is when he expects video games too, so I might have to negotiate a bunch.
Next week is going to be more of the same. Last one before the winter break, so it’s going to be busy. If I can get writing done then I can. If I can’t then I’ll save the writing for the break. It’s only editing ‘Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Fate Bracelet’, but that’s going to be a challenge. As I’ve said several times, I need to make sure Darwin is coming out right. The book came in under 200 pages too, so I might need to build up various scenes. Hard to tell since Darwin’s difficulty in focusing means events end faster and he wanders off a lot. Can’t really change that without overhauling his character too, so I may have to accept that aspect of the series.
Nothing much else to say. Television was watching the first two seasons of ‘Merlin’ when I wasn’t napping. Going to start in on the new season of ‘Disenchantment’. Not sure what I’ll choose as my winter break show. Maybe ‘Assassination Classroom’ or something else that I’ve seen before, but don’t really remember. I need background noise more than anything else too.
Here we are at the final entry and component of writing a fight scene. As before, I’m going to note that this is a personal breakdown of aspects. So, it’s all opinion, which means you might not agree. We’ve done strikes and grapples. On to:
What Counts as Defense?
Seems like a simple question, but people can get tripped up. The reason will be the first tip, which I will get to soon. For the sake of this post, defense includes blocking, dodging, and parrying. That third option is similar to the first, but it has a very specific component that we’ll get to. Let’s begin.
Everyone has their own defense preference. This is why authors and readers may have different perspectives. Some prefer dodging while others blocking. It’s the same with characters. Those who can take a hit will be more inclined to put a body part in the way to stop the blow. A character who is less durable may dodge and jump around looking for an opening. Consider their body type, style, and mentality to make sure their defensive preferences fit.
Parrying is a great way for a character to go from defense to offense. You block and then you strike. In fact, defending yourself is a great way to go on the offensive. If you block, your opponent is momentarily stopped. At least, they are if they don’t immediately follow up with another move. If not then there is an instant where the defender can become the attacker. This would be a parry, which is something to keep in mind.
Predicting an attack is a key component of defending, especially if the opponent doesn’t easily telegraph their move. Better reflexes allow for faster dodging and blocking, which is what a character would need to train in. Yet, it doesn’t help if they aren’t able to predict the move. Establish that a defensive fighter is both a thinker and observer, which is what keeps them alive.
Just as striking can cause some damage to the attacker, a blocker will not escape unscathed. You are still putting your body in place of a blow, which will deliver some force. Bruises and cuts are possible even if the injuries aren’t enough to slow or stop a person. This is why speed and agility based characters are more prone to dodging than blocking.
Blocks are typically designed more to deflect than stop a punch or kick cold in its tracks. Remember physics where objects in motion stay in motion unless equal or greater force is applied. The defender would need to block with equal or greater force than someone who has acted first. It’s not impossible, but difficult. Of course, you probably won’t have many people asking about this since its cinematically cool for a blow to get stopped dead.
Dodging requires energy and space. The longer a character runs around, the more tired they will become. The hope is usually that the attacker will wear down faster because they’re exerting more energy. As far as space goes, you need it to move around or you get cornered. It is believable to use a tight area to help with dodging by bouncing off walls and staying within the swing area of the attacker. Yet, it does come with greater dangers.
A lesser method of defense is grappling. What I mean is that a character get catch or dodge a move then turn it into a flip or throw. This goes back to the physics aspect where momentum and force can be used against an attacker. Of course, this requires training and timing. It does allow for a smaller and weaker opponent to handle a bigger and stronger one though. For this, I would highly recommend doing a little research to avoid halflings flipping ogres with ease.
Welcome to Day 2 of martial arts writing aspects. Again, this is a personal categorization that I came up with to cover as much ground as I could. On Monday, we went over strikes and now we’re going over grappling. Like before, I’m going to give a general definition to put us on the same page.
What Do I Mean by Grappling?
Unlike strikes, these moves involve holding onto your opponent. There’s no brief contact to cause damage, but restraining your opponent for a variety of reasons. It could be to stop them from moving, breaking a limb, or knocking them out. All of these moves share the fact that they need time to work and involve a battle of strength for them to reach their conclusion. So, how can you use them?
Size is important, but brains can win the fight. A bigger, stronger character always has an advantage in grappling because their grip is harder to break. A barbarian getting a halfling with a bear hug will likely win. Yet, another essential aspect is the character knowing where and how to hold. That same barbarian could lose if the halfling uses pressure points and manages to get into a spot where they aren’t easily dislodged. It isn’t perfect and requires setting up the situation, but it can help allow weaker heroes to survive a grappling fight.
Speaking of pressure points, they are helpful to know for both locking in and breaking holds. If a character is able to press on a spot that causes extreme pain then they can escape a hold or weaken whoever they’ve grabbed. Do some research about this to find the weak points of the human body. This can be done with a blow too like boxing the ears or hitting the groin. Many martial arts focus on these points, so you can find guides to help.
The type of grappling will depend on the goal. If a character is trying to stop an enemy from moving then the legs will be the target. Stopping a fight without rendering the target unconscious could be a focus on the arms. Choke holds are perfect for knocking someone out as long as the hero knows how to do it. Of course, this will also determine how the character gets the hold in place. Some require sneaking up on an enemy while others are more direct.
As I said, time is needed for these to work. Even catching a limb and snapping it at the joint requires a second or two. Part of the reason for this is because the enemy should have some resistance or even lean into the hold, which can start a battle of strength. If a character is incredibly strong then it’s easier and needs less time, but it’s not as instant as when a fist hits flesh. This is truer for choke holds because the target needs to be held until they pass out, which takes time. Factor this into your character’s actions because they wouldn’t do it if they have multiple enemies since a hold leaves one open to other attacks.
There is one way to handle multiple enemies when grappling is involved, which I failed to mention earlier. A grapple can be turned into a throw or slam. Once the target is locked into the other’s grip, they can be manipulated. So, a hero can throw one person into another or out of the fight to focus on others. This is a quick move compared to breaking bones, restraining, and knocking out. It’s almost like a middle ground between strikes and grapples because you’re moving fast. Of course, this also requires strength and a sense of leverage since most people will try to avoid getting thrown or slammed.
A strike can help to set up a grapple. Stunning an enemy leaves them open to getting grabbed, so consider your characters having a combination. Even if they only know a few basic strikes, it increases their chance of getting to their specialty. It also causes some initial damage, especially if it’s a precision strike to the limb that one wants to break.
Yes, it would make it harder to fight back if a target is lifted off the ground while being held. They have less leverage to break out. Of course, they’ll also be squirming around and trying to escape. This means the person with the hold has to split their attention and strength on maintaining their grip, keeping their enemy aloft, and avoiding any flails that are on target. So, it’s not the most practical method to use unless we’re talking about a person with superhuman strength. This is why taking a target to the floor and pinning them would be smarter.
Legends of Windemere 