Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant

February Characters in Costume Challenge – Reveal

February 8, 2013 by Gillian Bronte Adams 16 Comments

It’s here! I’m excited to be doing this monthly now, and can’t wait to see what costumes you’ve managed to come up with. Remember to place a link to your post in the comments so I can stop by. :)

For this challenge, I decided to pick the main character from a series that I’ve just started writing. This character and her story have been growing in my mind for some time now, and I recently sat down and wrote up two or three chapters of her book.

Since then, I’ve had to set it aside and work on other projects, but her character is still developing in the back of my head, and her story is still growing and nagging at me, so I look forward to the day when I can drag By Sword out of obscurity and experience again the beauty, tragedy, and glory of . . .

The Epic of Aedonia

A noble king’s death leaves his kingdom in chaos, with treachery and deceit simmering below the surface, enemies on the doorstep, nobles clamoring for surrender, and his daughter to take up his sword and save her people.

Ceridwen, or Gwen as she is more commonly called, is the daughter of King Esmond of Aedonia. After her father is slain in battle, the country of Aedonia is ripe to fall. An army of invaders steadily pushes their way inland. The chiefs are divided, and whispers of treachery set them still further at odds.

When Gwen claims her father’s sword and throne, she expects that her greatest difficulty will be leading her men to victory in battle. She doesn’t anticipate the dangerous politics that threaten to tear her country apart from within.

“I, Ceridwen, daughter of Esmond, here claim my father’s throne. By right, by blood, and by sword.”

I’m still figuring out exactly who Gwen is as a character. At first glance, she appears so strong and determined, but I know that most of that is an act. Still, the act is so good, I couldn’t pierce it for the longest time. I’m still working at it. Gwen doesn’t like to show weakness to anyone, even me, her author! ;) But leading a country at war is no easy task, and Gwen has her fears and faults the same as anyone else. Sometimes it takes writing your character into a terrible situation in order to figure out what those fears and faults are.

“Aeon, help me.”

And yes, I realize that if she actually tried to fight in this dress, chainmail, and cape, she would be slain instantly. But I like the way it reflects the dual aspects of her personality – warrior and maid, captain and queen.

* * * *

Next month’s challenge Character Accessories takes place on March 9th, and answers the following question: What is one object (not a weapon) that your character is likely to have around at all times? I’ll post more information about this challenge as it draws nearer.

Don’t forget to link to your post and share the Challenge with your friends! :)

Participant Links: (I’ll continue to update these throughout the day!)

www.photos-by-em.blogspot.com
http://enterthewriterslair.blogspot.com

Villainy 101 – The Proper Procedure for Hiring Evil Henchmen

February 5, 2013 by Gillian Bronte Adams 5 Comments

5 Steps Every Villain Should Take When Hiring Evil Henchmen

Editor’s note: I walked in from my lunch break to find another audio recording from our “friend” on my desk. Sounds like our spy has been busy! Click on the following “video” to listen to Dr. Sylvia Sinestra lecture on “The Proper Procedure for Hiring Evil Henchmen,” or scroll down to read the transcript.

Previous Villainy 101 Posts:

10 Things Every Villain Should Avoid ~ 5 Things Every Villain Should Do ~ On Heroic Propoganda ~ 3 Steps to Launching Yourself as a Super-Villain

Transcript:

Spy: Howdy folks. Well, good news—I’m still alive. Bad news—these villains have kept me running all week long! Now that they’re alerted to my presence, they’ve been tearing this place apart trying to find me. Not that I’m too worried—these guys obviously haven’t taken Tracking 101. It’s one of the advantages of being a Good Guy—we’re used to hunting down Villains, while the Villains aren’t quite so used to hunting us down.

I’m back in Dr. Sinestra’s class. Couldn’t manage to get a seat in the back today, and didn’t want to risk sitting up front, so let’s just say, I’m perched somewhere high and slightly precarious, but I’ve got a great birds-eye view of the auditorium, so it’s not too bad.

Oh—here comes Dr. Sinestra now.

Dr. Sinestra: I have received confirmed reports that there is a spy in our midst. One of you is betraying us. And I’m glad to hear it.

The last thing a Super-Villain has to fear is publicity. As we discussed in our last class, anonymity is the
worst fate that can befall a Super-Villain. So, let the world know what the Academy of Ultimate Villainy teaches, and let it tremble in fear of the next generation of Super-Villains!

We of the Academy of Ultimate Villainy would like to offer our thanks to the spy . . . and this warning: Whoever you are, you will be caught. And you will experience firsthand just how grateful the Academy can be.

Now, on to our discussion today. You see on your desks, the fifty question quiz from our last session. Turn it in by the end of class. I need not remind you of the penalty for wrong answers—I’m sure you all remember.

Today, we are discussing the Proper Procedure for Hiring Evil Henchmen.

Evil henchmen are a necessary cog in the machine of Super-Villainy. Without evil henchmen, many a notable Super-Villain would be unable to accomplish their dastardly schemes.

Why? Because as diabolically clever as we are, we simply cannot be in two places at once—the Mad Science Lab has been working on an Omnipresent Machine for years, and the science simply isn’t there yet. So, we are forced to rely upon underlings to be our hands, feet, eyes, and ears throughout the world.

There are three types of sub-villains who fall under the category of underlings—these are our minions, expendable crewmen, and evil henchmen. Today, we shall focus on evil henchmen and how to go about hiring them.

You as the Super Villain are the brains of the outfit. Your evil henchmen are the brawn—the brutes, the muscle to get the dirty work done.

Unfortunately, evil henchmen have become somewhat of a stereotype—I’m sure you’ve all seen it depicted in modern entertainment. The witless brute with massive arms, a face that looks like his mummy took a sledgehammer to it, more like a gorilla than a man. As long as he doesn’t speak, he appears fairly intimidating, but the second he opens his mouth, you realize that he’s probably just as slow in a fight as he is at thinking. And this, of course, only serves to give the hero an advantage.

Now why does this stereotype exist?

Because, unfortunately, more often than not, it is true. Evil henchmen are notoriously dull witted. And historically, they have been responsible for the downfall of many a Super-Villain.

But this stereotype can, and should, be avoided at all cost. When the time comes for you to hire your
evil henchmen, there are 5 steps you can take to ensure that your henchmen possess a little brains along with the brawn.

Ask the evil henchmen their name. If it’s something like Gob, or Snort, or Bubba, or even
worse, they respond “Uh . . . duh . . . um . . .” Don’t hire them!
Engage them in a five minute conversation. If they use the word “duh” at all, send them packing. Or better yet, send them to the dragon and rid the sub-villain world of their stupidity.
Perform an IQ test. We’re not expecting Moriarty-level genius here, but find henchmen who can
at least pass the first question! Henchmen need to be able to do basic things like read and write. A novel idea, I know. Don’t get me started on the number of times heroes have pulled the whole fake entrance pass trick and so lied their way into the Super-Villains fortress simply because the gatekeeper couldn’t read!
Get references. Ask for resumes. Understandably, when you’re first starting out as a
Super-Villain, you cannot be too choosy when assembling your sub-villain team,
but at the very least insist upon your henchmen providing references and resumes
when they apply for the job. They ask the same when ordinary people apply to
work the most basic jobs in the ordinary world. You as a Super-Villain can do
no less.
The Fight Test. Submit your applicants to a rigorous fight test and training program. One of
the stereotypes of evil henchmen is that they often possess no more fighting
skills than a wet noodle. What is the use of hiring muscle, if your evil
henchmen don’t know how to use it in a fight? Train your evil henchmen in the
arts of subtlety, deception, weaponry, and knockout punches, and you will be well
on your way to assembling a Super-Army to rule the world.

Next time, we shall discuss the other members of the sub-villains class—minions and expendable crewmen. Your assignment for today, little villains, is to find that spy. Class dismissed.

Spy: Okay . . . so, that was interesting. Um . . . well, hope you find this lecture helpful as you combat the world of Super-Villainy, and you crazy authors do what you crazy authors do. I’m uh . . . going to sneak out of here now. And go do something especially villainous so I can keep my cover. So long for now. This is your spy at the Academy of Ultimate Villainy, signing off.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to my brother-in-law, Bryan, for composing the theme music! It has a proper villainous sound, don’t you think? :) Sound effects found through Freesound.org. Many thanks to redjim, cmusounddesign, dobroide, J. Zazvurek, and RHumphries for the use of their sound effects.

Villainy 101 – 3 Steps to Launching Yourself as a Super-Villain

January 28, 2013 by Gillian Bronte Adams 4 Comments

Editor’s Note: The following audio recording arrived on my desk this week. It has been so long since we’ve received anything from our “friend” at the Academy of Ultimate Villainy, that I begun to fear the worst. From the sound of it, however, our “friend” is still alive and well and hard at work.

TRANSCRIPT:

SPY: Hello? Is this thing on? Ok, good. I don’t have much time. Now, I’m going to talk quietly and hope that none of these villains surrounding me notice me talking into my collar. This is your spy at the Academy of Ultimate Villainy and today you’re in for a treat because I managed to smuggle this microphone into the auditorium with me for History 101 – How to Write It. We’re in the middle of a series on how to launch yourself as a Super-Villain.

So, take out your pens and papers, get ready to takes notes, because we’re going to school.

The evil Instructor, Dr. Sylvia Sinestra, is approaching the podium …

DR. SYLVIA SINESTRA: Hello class. I trust you’ve had a terrible day. Today, we are discussing three key steps to launching yourself as a Super-Villain.

Now there are villains—those that ordinary humans consider villains, second rate criminals, and petty thieves, peasants who don’t deserve the title. And then there are Villains—Super-Villains. The sorts of Villains who not only become a part of history once they are gone, the sort who write it. Who define terror, and brilliance, and cunning for generations to come.

This academy provides you with the tools to become a Super-Villain. And yet, every year, there are those who graduate with all sorts of fancy degrees from this academy and step out into the world ready to take it by storm, only to be lost in the seas of anonymity. Forgotten by history, ignored by the world.

What happened, you ask?

Platform happened.

Marketing. Press. The key to becoming a successful Super-Villain no longer resides in committing heinous crimes alone, although the crime is important. But a true Super-Villain knows that marketing and publicity are no less important to a Villain’s reputation than the crime itself.

So, here are Three Steps to launching yourself as a Super-Villain and being remembered in an increasingly distracted world.

Three Steps to Launching Yourself as a Super-Villain

1) Create a platform.

A fanbase. What, you ask? A fanbase for Villains? Indeed. Surround yourself with those lowlife criminals who will idolize you for your brilliance, those bored young people who want a taste of adventure, those sensationalist reporters who will track your genius. They are your means to making your name known to the world.

2) Social Media

The importance of social media in our world can no longer be ignored. As a Villain, you must take advantage of this. Create a Villain fanpage. Set up false accounts to spread rumors of your activities. Once you begin it, they, those gullible ordinary people, will continue you. And you will become a part of history.

3) Establish your “Personal Brand” as a Villain

In order to stand out amidst all the other Villains in the world, you need something to set you apart. This is your brand, your mark, something that you use to claim a crime as your own. It can be anything from a calling card left at the scene, to a particular type of crime and a particular manner of carrying it out. Whatever it is, you want to give your fans and your enemies something definite to point to, so when they hear of a crime committed by The Gravedigger, they’ll know exactly what to expect.

And along with that, this final admonition: Be original—copycatting may be the sincerest form of flattery, but you are not here to flatter the Villains who have gone before, you are here to establish your name as a Super-Villain in your own right!

Follow these three steps, and you will become Super-Villains capable of writing your own history!

Tomorrow, we will look at the proper procedure for hiring evil henchmen. And there will be a 50 question quiz over the material we have just discussed. Class dismissed.

SPY: Well folks, looks like that’s all for today. Hopefully I’ll be able to sneak this microphone into class with me again tomorrow. Providing of course, I’m not caught and thrown to the dragon before then.

This is your spy at the Academy of Ultimate Villainy, signing off.

Note: Sound effects found through Freesound.org. Many thanks to redjim, cmusounddesign, dobroide, J. Zazvurek, and RHumphries for the use of their sound effects.

Mining for Gold

November 29, 2012 by Gillian Bronte Adams 4 Comments

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.“

~ Jack London

Sometimes the best stories don’t chase after you, begging to be written. You have to hunt them down like the ever elusive white stag.

You have to dig them out of the deep places of the earth, like precious gems.

You have to dive into the depths of the sea and retrieve them, like ancient treasure from the wreckage of a sunken ship.

Victory won through sweat and sacrifice is that much more dear. And a story penned through tears and toil, mined from the depths of the earth, hounded from the farthest reaches of the forest, often rings truer than the story that springs nigh fully formed into your head one morning.

I’m still hunting the plot for my newest story, By Sword, mining my characters out of the rocks, and following their pathless trail through the forest. And it’s hard work. Discouraging, sometimes. But every once in a while, a tiny sliver of gold breaks through that inspires me to keep going, to keep hunting, to keep typing.

To hunt inspiration with a club.

Where are you in your writing? Are you hunting inspiration or refining gold?

Wanted: Burglar To Share In Great Adventure – Middle Earth Ramblings

November 13, 2012 by Gillian Bronte Adams 5 Comments

“As they sang, the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking stick.” ~ The Hobbit

I expect most of us, like Bilbo, have a bit of a Tookish side. The part of us that loves adventure and the thrill of peril and the glory of great deeds. The part that loves reading Tolkien or leafing through ancient epics, watching action and adventure movies, the sight of the road going ever on and on.

The part that wants to wear a sword instead of a walking stick.

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” ~ Gandalf

If only he had stopped by at my house on the way to the Shire. The Tookish part of me is jumping up and down at the moment, “Pick me! Pick me! I’ll sign up!”

And I would in a heart beat.

If The Hobbit were set in modern times, I could see Gandalf writing up this ad and posting it on facebook, or craigslist, or somewhere online.

WANTED: Burglar to share in Great Adventure.

Requirements: small, stealthy, clever.

Destination: the Lonely Mountain.

Object: Gold.

Remuneration: treasures beyond imagining.

Employers: Thorin and Company.

Expected enemies: trolls, goblins, wargs, dragons, and other nefarious creatures that inhabit the dark places of Middle Earth.

Danger: High.

Chance of return: Slim.

Apply at the Prancing Pony in Bree, ask for Gandalf.

Note: Thorin and Company are not liable for any injuries to employees, including (but not limited to) loss of life, limb, or sanity, dismemberment by wargs, enslavement by goblins, or barbecuing by dragons.

As Gimli would say, “Certainty of death . . . small chance of success . . . what are we waiting for?”

Song of the Saddle

November 7, 2012 by Gillian Bronte Adams 4 Comments

If you have spent any length of time wandering the dust-ridden halls of this blog, then you might just know that I spend a decent amount of my time in the saddle. Especially during the summer months – odd considering that I live in Texas where the summer months are known for the blazing sun, triple digits, and mud cracks large enough to be portals to distant lands . . . or at least, the center of the earth.

Having spent so many hours in the saddle, I’ve come to realize that riding is like music.

Each horse has a distinct rhythm. The beat of their hooves, the varying pace, the distinct walk, jog, lope, and run that is all their own, contributes to their unique melody.

Each saddle sings its own song. An old saddle with its well worn leather skirt, wooden tree, and metal pieces frosted with rust creaks a different ballad, a tale of miles already traveled, than the squeak of a new saddle with leather stiff and unbroken, and metal pieces still jangling to find their proper place.

Each landscape offers a different harmony. The drum of hooves over hard packed earth differs from the harsh scuffling through dead leaves lining the forest floor or the soft thudding through the arena sand.

For me, part of the joy in riding is discovering the beautiful melody that each different horse, saddle, and landscape affords. Finding the horse’s rhythm so that horse and rider can move as one. Hearkening to the ballad of the saddle and listening to the tale it unfolds.

There is a sort of grand symphony present in the world around us, if we just have ears to hear it. The whisper of a turning page. The orchestral chirping of crickets in the night. The blazing glory of a sunrise. Each is a song in itself, an offering to the praise of the One who created it all, the Singer who set the song in place.

So, when I weary of writing and the formerly pleasant clacking of the keys as I type becomes only slightly less grating than the scraping of nails across a chalkboard (one of the worst sounds in the world!), then I take to the saddle once more, lose myself in the rhythm of hooves, and allow the cares and worries of the world to fall from my shoulders, borne away upon a fleeing wind.

Are there any sounds that seem to bear more melody than others to you? Have any others become enchanted, as I, by the song of the saddle?