Self Defense, and Writing About It

Ben Cheah, author of the fantastic No Gods Only Daimons, reviews Marc MacYoung’s series on writing about fighting. I believe I’ve mentioned the site nononsenseselfdefense.com before. It’s dated, marginally organized, but utterly invaluable in its insights.

Writing Violence 1: Getting Shot is all about surviving a two-way shooting range–or not. More than just a technical discussion of the effects of gunshot wounds, MacYoung shows how experienced and inexperienced characters would react, tactics characters would use in certain situations, and skewers common Hollywood myths.

Writing Violence 2: Getting Stabbed covers the art of the knife–and, to a lesser extent, larger blades. One part informal lecture in knife tactics and effects, one part roasting of Hollywood sacred cows, it offers plenty of no-holds-barred advice on how to properly stage and choreograph scenes involving knifeplay.