I especially appreciated your thesis regarding the tendency of many writers to compose battle scenes in which the odds are greatly in favor of the antagonists. Whereas in real battle the antagonists would attack in numbers and overwhelm, they assault the protagonist one by one, negating any advantage their superior numbers may have had. I hope writers of sword and sorcery take your well thought out and clearly expressed advice to heart. That way, I can stop shouting at the book or screen, "Attack him all at once, you idiots!"
As a big Soulsborne fan I concur that fights should carry the necessary weight. Protagonists should not have an easy time of it and should suffer injuries and have those injuries impact future fights. For my own fight scenes I was once part of an English Civil War re-enactment group were we had to learn sword, pike, and musket combat. While it was for fun you can get a good feel for how swords (and the rest) actually work, weight, what movements are possible etc, while suffering mere bruises.
I tend to find there's a balancing act in how high stakes you can make it. A hero vs any enemies is a problem if the enemies lose their heads and attack one-by-one instead of all at once. Even more of an issue with archers/crossbowmen who are a serious problem for a sword wielder at a distance. To raise the intensity and enjoyment requires a deft hand. Much like how Dark Souls raises the stakes by testing the player's skill rather than flooding an area with enemies. Just 2 dogs with Capra Demon and it's a hard fight. Maliketh in ER is a nightmare because of his speed in the 2nd phase, and his sword shooting lasers. Or the classic Ornstein and Smough who separate aren't difficult but together are. My point is small tweaks to a fight scene can immediately add a lot more drama than just a couple extra grunts.
Spot on! Anyone who's done martial arts or reenactment will know that fighting in real life requires hair trigger reflexes and commitment to your attacks and maneuvers in order to survive and achieve victory. Add wounds on top of that and the logistics become more complicated based on injuries. Even in sparring getting a bit shaken up can seriously affect how you make your next moves.
How important is it for the writer to learn and understand the technical aspects of swordplay and melee combat? Clearly, some terminology and vocabulary of the historical martial arts and associated weapons is important, but when describing a combat encounter, is it a help or a hindrance (to the author or the reader) to overly rely on the jargon and technical terms? I always liked the way that R.A. Salvatore (I know, not S&S) described fight scenes, even though the fighting style of Drizzt probably has no basis in reality. Conn Igguldun - historical fiction writer - seems to strike a good balance in his use of technical detail, but his style may not stir the imagination of an S&S reader.
That would make for a good separate post. A writer doesn't exactly have to include technical details and jargon as it may assume the reader knows what's going on when it would be more thrilling to describe a combat while in the thick of it.
'S e do bheatha (you're welcome)! Glad it got you thinking! Honestly, either one of those routes would be a great way to get some practice in.
That's a very good point. Tolkien's own experience in war probably had an influence on which scenes he felt were important to describe or truncate. It also likely depends on who your POV characters are for particular scenes; sometimes in myths, we get recitations of battles from the combatants, so having the experience come from a person's mouth might feel a bit more natural to write than as the narrator who's able to capture and describe most details.
Best of luck with your writing, and don't you dare go hollow!
I especially appreciated your thesis regarding the tendency of many writers to compose battle scenes in which the odds are greatly in favor of the antagonists. Whereas in real battle the antagonists would attack in numbers and overwhelm, they assault the protagonist one by one, negating any advantage their superior numbers may have had. I hope writers of sword and sorcery take your well thought out and clearly expressed advice to heart. That way, I can stop shouting at the book or screen, "Attack him all at once, you idiots!"
As a big Soulsborne fan I concur that fights should carry the necessary weight. Protagonists should not have an easy time of it and should suffer injuries and have those injuries impact future fights. For my own fight scenes I was once part of an English Civil War re-enactment group were we had to learn sword, pike, and musket combat. While it was for fun you can get a good feel for how swords (and the rest) actually work, weight, what movements are possible etc, while suffering mere bruises.
I tend to find there's a balancing act in how high stakes you can make it. A hero vs any enemies is a problem if the enemies lose their heads and attack one-by-one instead of all at once. Even more of an issue with archers/crossbowmen who are a serious problem for a sword wielder at a distance. To raise the intensity and enjoyment requires a deft hand. Much like how Dark Souls raises the stakes by testing the player's skill rather than flooding an area with enemies. Just 2 dogs with Capra Demon and it's a hard fight. Maliketh in ER is a nightmare because of his speed in the 2nd phase, and his sword shooting lasers. Or the classic Ornstein and Smough who separate aren't difficult but together are. My point is small tweaks to a fight scene can immediately add a lot more drama than just a couple extra grunts.
Spot on! Anyone who's done martial arts or reenactment will know that fighting in real life requires hair trigger reflexes and commitment to your attacks and maneuvers in order to survive and achieve victory. Add wounds on top of that and the logistics become more complicated based on injuries. Even in sparring getting a bit shaken up can seriously affect how you make your next moves.
How important is it for the writer to learn and understand the technical aspects of swordplay and melee combat? Clearly, some terminology and vocabulary of the historical martial arts and associated weapons is important, but when describing a combat encounter, is it a help or a hindrance (to the author or the reader) to overly rely on the jargon and technical terms? I always liked the way that R.A. Salvatore (I know, not S&S) described fight scenes, even though the fighting style of Drizzt probably has no basis in reality. Conn Igguldun - historical fiction writer - seems to strike a good balance in his use of technical detail, but his style may not stir the imagination of an S&S reader.
That would make for a good separate post. A writer doesn't exactly have to include technical details and jargon as it may assume the reader knows what's going on when it would be more thrilling to describe a combat while in the thick of it.
'S e do bheatha (you're welcome)! Glad it got you thinking! Honestly, either one of those routes would be a great way to get some practice in.
That's a very good point. Tolkien's own experience in war probably had an influence on which scenes he felt were important to describe or truncate. It also likely depends on who your POV characters are for particular scenes; sometimes in myths, we get recitations of battles from the combatants, so having the experience come from a person's mouth might feel a bit more natural to write than as the narrator who's able to capture and describe most details.
Best of luck with your writing, and don't you dare go hollow!