tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post7715528592631897046..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: Writing Battles, by Manda ScottMary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-31907021607061506692013-08-15T19:19:28.978+01:002013-08-15T19:19:28.978+01:00When I say wholesale butchery, I meant really, mes...When I say wholesale butchery, I meant really, messy butchery!Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-55306327509000358302013-08-15T19:18:32.444+01:002013-08-15T19:18:32.444+01:00I practise Chinese broadsword as part of my tai ch...I practise Chinese broadsword as part of my tai chi practice, It is a fun thing to do as a sport, but a really scary weapon if you were using a real one, in a battle, It's a kind of scimitar, and probably could be used to decapitate if a person put their mind to it, but, as you say, the soldier is in the business of selling their lives as dearly as possible and neat decapitations are not the object. Wholesale butchery is more likely the scenario. I do agree with you about the unlikeliness of so many fictional scenarios where people fight on - though I suspect people can do things when angry and psyched up that they couldn't do at other times. All the same, I adore V.I. Warshawski, but when she rises from her sickbed, with a fracture or other injury that would incapacitate normal people, goes off to the empty factory or wherever, and engages with the baddies, I do always feel rather impatient. I have decided though that this must have something to do with psychodrama, where the hero becomes the image of ourselves keeping going even though we think we couldn't possibly, or encourages us to do so?Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-36214063898035799292013-08-14T17:55:28.690+01:002013-08-14T17:55:28.690+01:00Excellent… so much good information here. Should b...Excellent… so much good information here. Should be read and noted by anybody who writes about battles.<br /><br />Another thing often overestimated by writers (fiction and non-fiction) on battles is the actual desire of participants to kill each other. A good way to get the”feel” of a battle – at any rate one where the bulk of the combatants are not professional soldiers – is to watch some film footage of a riot. You see a great deal of rushing around, a lot of sound and fury, but notice how few there actually take the initiative in attacking the opposition…<br /><br />Same in battle, at least until the present day when soldiers are indoctrinated to fight and kill. In World War II, only about 30% of conscript combatants actually fired aimed shots at the enemy, unless they felt personally threatened .<br /><br />Similar story in earlier conflicts, apart from the warrior elite who often made up only a small proportion of an army. The famous “Highland Charge” of the Scottish clans for example. The actual fighting was mainly done by the chiefs and their immedate retainers in the front line. The rest, unkindly described by an an 18th century English general as “arrant scum”, hung around behind, and tended not to really get involved unless the opposition routed, when they would readily join in the killing and looting. There is , it seems, an almost atavistic urge to kill a fleeing opponent… A number of likely reasons for that.<br /><br />At Culloden, for example, when faced by disciplined troops who kept up a steady fire, the "Charge", without at all belittling the men and boys caught up in a hellish situation, on a number of occasions became more of a "Highland Shuffle". <br /><br />So basically, and this is as important a consideration for non-fiction writers as novelists,when writing about a battle don’t necessarily believe all the blood and thunder boasts you sometimes read about from actual or alleged participants. To be charitable, the human memory can play tricks .<br /><br />As for beheading with a single stroke, try it with a dead sheep and a 17th century (replica) cavalry sword sometime…. If you can do it, you’re a better swordsman than I ever was:-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-10045928396512472802013-08-14T17:50:31.716+01:002013-08-14T17:50:31.716+01:00Writing a battle for that age group is quite trick...Writing a battle for that age group is quite tricky. They aren't squeamish, particularly after what they see on TV regularly, but on the other hand the brutal reality would be too much. <br /><br />Not too much detail, I'd say, and yet not the bloodless kind of glamourisation approach. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-68705981055021477762013-08-14T13:31:43.147+01:002013-08-14T13:31:43.147+01:00At least one battle happens in every book I've...At least one battle happens in every book I've published, though many of these are for young readers, which presents a special challenge - how to depict a battle with the outcome suitable for 9 year olds?<br /><br />So far, I've had the most fun with my older Alexander the Great novel, where I got to write battles from the horse's viewpoint. These were historical, and so the outcome was known (i.e. Alexander won all of them except the last one against Prince Porus' elephants in India). But the unknown fates of the minor characters and their horses still left me with enough creative freedom to make the book interesting to write. I even ended up with my own theory of the Battle at the Granicus, since that one (early in Alexander's campaign) was obviously the subject of careful propaganda to make Alexander look more of a hero than he acted on the day.<br /><br />With historical battles, I think the main thing to remember is that history is written by the victors, and there is always another point of view... that's what makes battles so interesting!<br /><br />Good post - and yes, I think a "writing battles" course sounds great.Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-43241323136673486942013-08-14T08:24:34.687+01:002013-08-14T08:24:34.687+01:00Wonderful... Makes me want to write more battle sc...Wonderful... Makes me want to write more battle scenes! Imogenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08925800621947616280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-39834058300745062462013-08-13T13:08:47.480+01:002013-08-13T13:08:47.480+01:00Oh, yes! AL Berridge - wonderful, wonderful write...Oh, yes! AL Berridge - wonderful, wonderful writer of battles. I'll add that... thank you<br /><br />Glad you all liked it<br /><br />mAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03236283426113684923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-1115746879803796942013-08-13T12:21:22.405+01:002013-08-13T12:21:22.405+01:00Fantastically helpful, Manda! I have do not (anoth...Fantastically helpful, Manda! I have do not (another) sea battle next year so shall use this as my guide.<br /><br />And I would add Into the Valley of Death by our own HG Louise Berridge, which I have just read and loved.Mary Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-60007247335878030732013-08-13T08:33:26.560+01:002013-08-13T08:33:26.560+01:00Excellent blueprint for success! I think your poin...Excellent blueprint for success! I think your point about research - knowing how the weapons were used and what sort of "damage" might be expected - is vital for an actual historical battle. The other thing, if it's possible, is to visit the site. I've found that has helped me enormously. Historical sites have usually changed but some still allow you to put yourself in the position of the combatants and get a feel for their perspective in relation to the contours, position of rivers and other features, etc.Derek Birkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07707897736595813602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-33546696556113973532013-08-13T06:17:24.074+01:002013-08-13T06:17:24.074+01:00This is brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing, Man...This is brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing, Manda. I'm just about to tackle a battle scene based on a passage in Virgil and you've given me some useful tips. Caroline Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249424644829463560noreply@blogger.com