Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Writing Group => Topic started by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on September 14, 2004, 01:06:47 PM
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ok, that should warn off JP. The Dark Blade is the current working title of the novel I'm writing about Peks. Therefore, if you fear spoilers, I'd suggest not reading this until later. However, at least three of you on the board know how this ends, so I'm going to asks you a question.
In the current form, the Dark Brood and their chosen have an extreme reaction to iron. Thus, I have made Birge's sword of iron. So Peks can use it later, even though that's an unusual thing to do in a world where steel has been developed.
I'm wondering if it would not be more plausible to go back to Lund, where Peks hangs with the smith. Now, the smith gives Peks a knife. Would it be better to make this knife iron (in terms of plausibility)? Or, even though Peks is nigh incompetent at everything at that point, have him make a knife out of a lump of iron there and make that his weapon? This choice seems a little more satisfactory to me, since it is something Peks has done, and he doesn't get everything cool in his life as a hand-me-down from Birge (like a dog, etc).
The only down side I see is that Birge's sword can be reforged and be an anti-Dark Brood sword for future installments. Unless it's not used. What do you think?
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I like the knife idea better. Especially since it would make sense that it was iron instead of steel because iron is less valuable and therefore the blacksmith would be more likely to let him experiment with it.
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Do you mean to revise the Lund chapter, or do you mean for Peks to return to Lund as an adult? I think returning as an adult could have some interesting implications. Keep in mind that I never fully read the Lund chapter(s), as I was floating in limbo at that time for some reason or other, so I have a bit of a gap in my knowledge there.
But I agree that Peks should not have everything as a hand-me-down from Birge. And a knife is a much more practical item for Peks to be carrying around compared to a sword, if you're talking iron. He does a lot of traveling, remember, and iron is so much heavier than steel. Isn't it? Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
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I'm talking about revision. I don't want to make the story any more bloated
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Okay, good. What I meant to add but didn't was that returning as an adult would have been weird and added to the story more than I'd like to see. So yes, getting it from the smith when he's young, yes.
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The only problem with labelling a thread spoilers, is that I read every thread, and that directive overrides the directive of not wanting to know.
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then you have no one to blame but yourself.
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in response to my outburst in this thread (http://www.timewastersguide.com/boards/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=writing_group;action=display;num=1095277571;start=0), I've made an end change. Instead of using his power to see the advantage iron gives him, he's going to figure it out. I don't think it's enough to save the character, but it's a start.
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Yeah, knife. Make it an ugly looking knife, too.
Sorry for the late response.