Writing Challenge Tuesday: Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight

So in honor of the new year, and also being a bit of a sadist to all the characters I write, I thought I’d talk about failure. (Justine and Juliette would like to point out that I am entirely their bitch. I have decided to refrain from comment.)

Anyway, failure is a big part of what I love about writing. It’s a series of curveballs, with one chance to hit it out of the park at the end. And the concept of bringing a knife to a gun fight is pretty central for me as an author, since Daniel is perpetually in that situation. He’s fought demons, demigods, crazed witches, eldritch horrors, and so on. Very rarely has he fought anyone who he can actually match in combat. And quite often, he gets his ass kicked.

For this particular challenge, I wanted to offer up an idea: Imagine your protagonist has brought the proverbial knife to the gun fight. Who are they fighting? Why are they outstripped? Is it a matter of different talents they don’t possess (parkour, marksmanship, backgammon) or is it simply a matter of being up against someone far more powerful? For Faust, some of his most inspired work happens when his back is against the wall. I’m hoping that by exploring more of the concepts behind failure and what can tip the scales, I can make the story more fun. No one likes it when the hero gets his butt thoroughly kicked around novel after novel with no letup, but I have to admit, the triumphs seem all the more, well… Triumphant, when they have the potential for getting their ass handed to them. I think back to the times my protagonists have fled from their villains, and some of the best moments of those stories have been in failure.

Alternately, you can turn the tables. Lampshade the idea that your hero is outmatched, and then prove that he can muster the necessary tools to turn the tide. Faust has done that too, though never alone. He rarely functions as a standalone hero. On the few occasions he tries, it tends to be uncomfortable for him. He has this unfortunate tendency to accrue injuries that way. Felix is little better, and probably could’ve had a very pleasant life if he’d stayed home, but then, no one writes about pleasant stay-at-home lives.

Join me on Thursday for another inspiration post -- which hopefully now that the holidays stop landing on Thursdays, I’ll actually do.