A Particular Set of Skills

I would like to have a very particular set of skills. But for now, I’ve just been giving those skills to my protagonists instead.

I went axe throwing yesterday, which was rather entertaining, even if I can see why it never really caught on in the olden days (why lob your weapon in the general direction of the enemy and hope the right end hits them when you can just walk a bit closer?). I was of course spectacularly bad at it, but it was fun, and it approaches a slightly different skill that I’ve always wanted to learn: the slightly more practical and much cooler ability to throw knives. It’s been on my list for ages, as utterly impractical as it is and as more niche it will be to learn… but one day I’ll be flipping knives around the place like darts.

Another thing I’ve always wanted to be able to do is pick locks, which is a somewhat more achievable talent, as well as being more practical if I ever lock myself out of my house, for instance. I have secured some practice locks from a friend, so if I actually get around to obtaining the necessary tools then I can get cracking.

It was when I put these things together in my head that I realised that what I want, essentially, is to be a fantasy rogue. I want to throw knives, crack open doors, learn to fence properly. I want to be as cool as, to have the talents of, my favourite two fantasy rogues, Tal and Lily Wenlock from the Boiling Seas. In the absence of having these actual abilities myself I have imparted them to my characters – I can do a bit of vicarious Cool Stuff through their adventures. It’s a lot easier, and rather fun too.

But I’m going to have to learn the rest of these skills one day – or at least try them out. Just like I’ve been wandering around my house while wearing my new gauntlets so I can understand what heavy armour feels like, I want to test out the other skills I throw at my characters. Axe throwing was a good step, but I realise even as I write this post that I’ve been working on one Wenlock skill in my free time without even realising: climbing. Those of you who’ve read Nightingale’s Sword will know that there’s a fair bit of scaling of walls and rocks, and there’ll be more in Boiling Seas 3. No self-respecting rogue skimps on the ability to scale a fence or crack open a high window, after all. But I’ve been climbing regularly for a couple of years now, so I can actually write a difficult climb with the experience needed to make it vaguely realistic.

Writing is a learning process in itself: I’m always finding new ways to wield words. But it can be a learning process in so many other ways, too, and the learning, I find, is one of the most fun parts.

So lockpicks next, and I’ll be able to actually understand what pins and tumblers really are. Then I should really look into fencing, and maybe my fight scenes will get a bit better…

Or at the very least, I’ll have a good time.