YAY!
Gruzz says:
I had concerns about writing a battle into one of my books, as I've never written a battle scene before. I've already got a few small skirmishes and duels here and there, and they are REALLY hard to write sometimes. I've got to balance portraying the feel of the fight with enough detail to let the readers picture it in their minds but not so much that the can't grasp the pace because it takes to long to get through the description. Reading that someone swings a sword can take longer than actually swinging a sword, and that can be a real problem if you're trying to "see" what you are reading with the minds eye. I've done ok so far (by my standards at least) but a battle presented a new challenge. It was a challenge I was looking forward though, as I knew that plot wise it would be fun to write, and give me a chance to really focus on one character that I've not really had much chance to truly play around with yet.
So, I wrote the chapter. And it was bland. I reached the end far too quickly, and the conclusion was nowhere as impressive as it should have been. I realised why soon enough - in an effort to maintain continuity between the two perspectives (this is also the first and possibly only chapter I've ever switched between two characters in) I'd left out a big chunk of the battle, briefly covering it in a single paragraph. So yesterday I sat down and started on the missing bit. I got wrapped up in it very quickly, my fingers flying as fast as they could, and I really started to get into it. This is always a good sign, and one of the reasons like to write so much. Unfortunately I had to run off part way through, and could not revisit it until today, but revisit it I did, and this time "wrapped up" does not accurately describe how involved I got. Everything I wanted is there - action, finesse, grim reality, character plot, the lot. Everything that was missing after the first attempt and more. I've never enjoyed writing a chapter so much before, never been so drawn into it. And the end result is far better than I hoped. Turns out battles (this one at least) are easier to write than skirmishes. And add to that the fact that I've broken the 250,000 word mark across the two books, I'm now in rather a good mood,
The sun has just broken through the clouds. Soon I'll be on my way to the pub. A great end to a good week :)
Book update - Book 2 now at 95,000 words.
Be well,
G.