Walking Around Naked at Authors' Combat Academy

-- not for real, but it sure felt that way.

I arrived in Nashville, Tennessee for Authors’ Combat Academy and the whole weekend I felt like I was walking around naked. It was a little bit like that feeling you get when you’re dreaming about your glory days in high school, standing at the blackboard solving a problem for physics class, and you realize that you’re only wearing your underwear -- and it’s the orange and purple granny panties your mom bought you at a 10 for 1 sale at JC Penny’s. Yeah that dream – or maybe your reality. Hey, I’m not here to judge.

The reason for my distress was that I traveled for the first time by plane in fifteen years. I like to drive. I like packing whatever the heck I want to pack, pace my trip at whatever speed I want to pace, and tool around whenever I want to tool around. Okay, I just like control.

Remember this is a non-judgement zone.

Also, by driving, I would have avoided the drunken giant who sat next to me on my last leg, who opened with "Hey, my wife just left me, and I’m messed up – I hope I’m not inappropriate." 

"Dude. . . "(shakes head, takes notes for future novel.)

No car keys. No EDC (save my paracord -- which, by the way, came in handy when an instructor was building a booby trap). . .

Missing those things which I usually have on or about my body was really uncomfortable for me and left me with that "I forgot to pull on my pants" feeling. (And again, I’m noting this feeling for a future novel.) It was slightly discombobulating, a low hum of “something’s wrong”. But believe me, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the weekend that I just spent with the fabulous people at Authors’ Combat. WHAT A BLAST!

You all know that I am a HUGE, VOCAL, possibly even OBNOXIOUS advocate of hands-on experiences for writers. I know many of you, for reasons of health, location, and laws, may not get to try everything you’d like to in your novels, but I truly support and believe that if you can swing it, SWING IT! And Authors' Combat gave us the opportunity to do just that.

There are conferences that will put you in front of readers; they are important. There are conferences that will put you in front of publishers and agents; those are important. But honing your craft will make the agents more interested in your excellent prose and the readers thrilled with the realism that you are only able to capture when you know what the heck you're talking about. 

I was at 

AUTHORS' COMBAT ACADEMY to present. My talks included such topics as understanding the psychology behind violence and trauma. We also talked about how humans approach each other with the possibility that an interaction ends very badly, but also the path to a happily-ever-after at the end of your story.

Chief Scott Silverii, Sgt Derek Pacifico, Liliana Hart

There was a wealth of information available from professionals who did both presentations and one-on-one question and answer sessions with authors like --

Scott Silverii from SWAT ACADEMY and 

Lilliana Hart who has sold a bajillion novels (that translates to “shit-ton of books” here in beautiful Nashville) as an Indie author and their SILVERHART resources for authors. (I'm a member, are you?) 

And too, there’s an enormous amount of camaraderie that’s developed when you're being tossed (with your permission) to the ground and handcuffed by Sgt. Derek Pacifico from WRITERS' HOMICIDE SCHOOL, or learn to throw a knife from world knife throwing hall of famer Jack Dagger (hilarious, by the way. If you can get to his shows please do – and tell him I sent you. And if you can't catch his show  but your hero is throwing a knife to take down your bad  guy, Jack has a DVD on his website so you can try it at home and know how to write that move and make the knife stick). 

Jack Dagger - the importance of distance

Jack Dagger teaching the art of the knife throwing
 so now you know how to write it right!

Imagine, if you will, how edifying it would be not only to experience the hands on opportunities so you know:

the heft of a sword, how it reverberates after you hit a shield.

but you’ve also played with the weapons in the weapons room. You've had ninjas help you choreograph your big fight scene. You've learned how a self protection move can take down your bad guy. And you get to try it yourself!

Imagine that you got a chance to talk to Sgt Pacifico or Police Chief Silverii and you not only heard what an alpha males voice sounds like (it’s a particular timbre), but you've seen how they move about in a public space. You might notice that they choose their seats facing toward the room with their backs to the wall (and how subtly stressful it is for them when someone else takes the alpha seat first.) Talk about fodder for character development!

Or you got to hear Liliana Hart give the keynote that was deeply inspirational and affirming and made me want nothing more than to leave the room immediately and start putting words on the page.

Really good stuff.

Huge kudos to Eli Jackson and AJ Scudiere – what a marvelous, smooth, laid back, fun, interesting (delicious!) event they put on. I am so looking forward to going next year. And seriously, as soon as Authors' Combat Academy announces sign up for next year, mark your calendar (right now it's being planned for March 31- April 2nd) and stake your claim on a space. You definitely want to be here.

Upcoming hands-on conference that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND:

LINK

And as always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

BAM! SLAM! KURSPLAT! How to Write a Fight w/ Martial Arts Hall of Famer Eli Jackson

________________________________________

Eli Jackson is the smaller fighter on the right.
Ah, but there's POWER in her small frame - and mastery.
Don't mess with the best.

Let's fight it out!

Fiona - 
It's fun to imagine and write a fight scene - but fight scenes, just like the other details in your book, have to make sense and be as accurate as possible. There are real life fighters out there who will put your book down if you're writing garbage strikes and kicks. To save you from bad reviews, I've invited Eli Jackson to visit with us. 

Eli, please tell us about your background.

Eli - 
I have over 30 years of martial arts experience in Tae Kwon Do, Isshinryu, and MMA. I was ranked 3rd in the world in fighting and 4th in forms for 2 years by NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association). I was a member of Team Pepsi when I competed. I have been inducted into 2 martial arts Halls of Fame. I currently hold a 3rd degree in Isshinryu and a 3rd degree in MMA, and I have taught martial arts for over 15 years.

I also have over 10 years experience running large events and coordinating multi-day conventions.

Fiona -
From a technical POV, when you read fight scenes what makes you skim past all the words?

Eli -  
* I skim when authors get it 
   wrong. I hate reading that 
  someone took 20 punches, 
  wiped a bit of blood from their
  lip and kept on swinging. 
* I also skim when someone puts
   in too much detail. It's as if 
   they did the research and you
   (the reader) NEED to know 
   that they did it, so they include
   every single detail they ever
   learned. It's an action scene - it
   needs to keep the pace.

Fiona -
I just read a book where the guy survived a bomb blast, pieces from the surrounding structure were embedded in his leg. He dug out the pieces, end of information. Seriously, he ran miles and had maybe five fights, and they never mentioned his thigh again. 

Can we talk for a moment Eli about the after effects of a fight? How does someone feel? - How long is recovery? Any tips you can offer?

Eli -
This is something that authors often get wrong. It takes time for bruises and breaks to heal. It often takes lots of rest and sometimes physical therapy. But that's boring, so I understand why writers sometimes skip that part. 

If you want to be realistic at all, you have to have some of that. We've all had scrapes and scratches, and we know how long it takes for them to heal.

One thing people miss is the general scars from training. Especially guys who train very hard all the time, they have crooked noses from breaks, and they have what we call "cauliflower ears" where their ears have turned inside out from being rubbed on the mat. They aren't usually the hot, sexy guys authors make their heroes out to be.

Fiona - 
I know my knuckles are often bruised and raw. You do not have a crooked nose or cauliflower ears - how does training show up on your body?

Eli - 
I train using equipment (padding and gloves), and I don't go full out. I'm not in a cage going 75% on a daily basis. But I don't have cage matches to prepare for, nor do I fight in kickboxing matches where people consistently get knocked out. So that's why I don't have those types of injuries.

But I do have injuries. I injured my shoulder a couple years ago. I ended up having surgery to fix it, and it still isn't 100%. I was in a sling for weeks and unable to use my arm much at all for months. I still have lingering pains, and I may never do a push up again. Time will tell.

Fiona -
Let's talk about that - old injuries. I have cadaver parts in both of my knees from fights that went badly. Though they are supposedly even stronger robo-knees now, I am hyper protective of them in fights because each took me a year of painful recovery. 

You have shoulder issues - does this change how you fight, and how a character would approach a fight? 

Eli -
A fighter is DEFINITELY protective of injuries (trained or not). It's built into us. For me, I use my other side more. I'm not as fast with my left arm and when given the option, I will use my strong side whether in a stand up fight or on the ground. My options are more limited based on limited strength. And if anyone starts to attack that part of my body (shoulder locks are not uncommon in a trained ground fight), I am extra protective.

Fiona -
Let's talk timing. It will be different with trained fighters v. fighting-for-her-life fighters. But these fights don't/can't go on very long. Can you offer some basic timing parameters?

Eli - 
A real fight can end after only a couple of well placed blows. A trained fighter knows that they aren't doing their job if a fight goes on much longer than that. A bar fight, however, could go back and forth for a while.

Timing will vary tremendously based on who is fighting. Two untrained fighters could have any length of fight. It depends on how much damage they're willing to do. Are they wrestling around? Is one trying to force the other to do something? Does one care if the other lives? Is it an all-out brawl where one or both is fighting for their life?

As an author, try running in place for 60 seconds. When you do it, lift your knees above your waist and keep the pace up as fast as you can. That's what it feels like to be in a fight. 

Adrenaline helps, but only so much. It gives you a great burst up front, but it also drains you faster than normal. 

A real fight won't go more than 2 min and MOST fights are going to be maybe 30 seconds. Granted, there are ALWAYS exceptions, but a good rule of thumb is to put yourself in your character's shoes and ask yourself how much their body could handle.

Fiona -
What does it really take to knock someone out? How long until they usually get up?

Eli -
It takes training or luck to knock someone out. While a trained fighter knows where to hit and how to strike, the ability to do that on a moving opponent is extremely difficult. With that said, we've all seen it happen. So it can be done. It will happen more for a trained fighter, but it isn't a given.

How long it takes to get back up depends on the strike or choke and it also depends on the person who went down.

Fiona -
Eli, we met at Writer's Police Academy, and I pointed out to a fellow writer that you stand with your weight on your back foot and your front foot is ready - like a sheathed weapon. 

You're getting ready to have your own writers' weekend. Can you tell us all about it and maybe share a few tidbits that writers might pick up while there?

Eli - 
I feel like all my answers about fights are "it depends," but that's just kind of true. Every situation is different. This is why we recommend talking to someone about your specific scene. Getting it right is harder than just using some general guidelines.

I am the CEO of Griffyn Ink Publishing. I have over 15 books published currently. I am not a writer, but I am an avid reader. I believe in giving authors the opportunity to present the stories they want to write, so my authors have a lot of freedom. We try not to make them write something simply because someone somewhere thinks it might sell. We want quality writing and great stories.

We are putting together an amazing weekend full of fighters and business professionals to show writers how to write fight scenes. 

We want them to see the different types of fighting up close and ask the experts questions about their specific scenes. 

We will have martial artists, military professionals, physicists (teaching a class on space battles, specifically gravity and lasers), a doctor (to discuss what happens to the body), gun specialists, historians who specialize in weapons, and so much more. 

We are also bringing in NY Times best selling authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon and Jon Jefferson) to discuss how to write tension and hand-to-hand scenes. We will also have publishers, artists, publicists, and brand managers.

But our coolest feature is Rent-A-Ninja. Attendees can work with 1 to 3 ninjas to play out their very own scenes and ask questions. Our trained fighters will walk through what the writer has in mind and offer suggestions. The writer can also see and experience what things really look and feel like.

Fiona - 
This is such an exciting opportunity - can you tell us when and where and give us the link?

Eli - 
We will be in Nashville, TN April 17-19 at the Inn at Opryland. The link is www.AuthorsCombatAcademy.com

Fiona - 
Eli - we always ask this question - tell us about your favorite scar. 

Eli - 

I have 3 small scars on my left hand where I was drug across a driveway trying to break up a dogfight. I think it lasted about 7 or 8 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. 

It was amazing how the chemicals released in my body made me hyper-aware of everything going on and seemed to slow down time. 

I was afraid, but not enough to get out of the fight. What surprised me even more was the time it took afterward to feel "normal" again. It was almost 24 hours before I didn't feel like I was high on something and hyper-alert. And I still remember what happened very clearly as if it is burned into my brain.

Fiona - 
As we close, what piece of information do you wish all writers knew BEFORE they constructed a fight scene?

Eli - 
I hope all authors know that there are details that they don't know. They need to talk to someone before they write a fight scene. The mistakes are glaring to anyone who knows what is going on. 

Body mechanics play a huge part in a fight, as do angles of attack, reaction times, counters, state of mind, etc. Seeing it done (even in a mock situation) and understanding WHY it happens the way it does will make it so much clearer to the writer.

BEFORE conducting a fight scene, try it. You don't have to actually hit anyone, but stand in front of someone and see how you lift your arm and how you guard your body. See where your strike will fall and how your opponent would react. See what that sets up for the opponent to do in reaction.

Fight scenes are like chess matches. Every move dictates the board for the next move. I can't plan to use my favorite choke hold unless the opportunity presents itself. I can do things to set that up, but my opponent may see an opening I didn't realize and the whole scene changes instantly. Fights are reactionary because the playing field is constantly changing.

Fiona -
It's a chess game for a trained fighter. I know you probably can't remember this far back in your fight career - but adrenaline has a way of making you do stupid stuff, and you end up being very reactive.

Eli -
You absolutely do! It's reactionary for everyone. A trained fighter just has a toolbox to work from and knows which tools to use for which situation.

Fiona -
One last question, can you tell us about tunnel vision in a fight and if someone questioned you (the police) afterwards what would you be able to tell them about what had happened?

Eli -
Tunnel vision is extremely common when you are threatened. Your brain puts all it's power into the threat, and so you can become extremely aware of every little detail about that one thing, excluding everything else around you. 

That's why it can feel like slow motion: because you took in so much information. Later, if you were talking to the police, you might remember exactly how the fight went, but you might also not remember anything about the person yelling at you from 2 feet away the entire time or even the person who tried to pull you out of the fight.

Fiona -
And that detail might turn out badly - especially if it is a police officer ordering you to stop. It's very possible you never heard them. Or never saw the man with the gun coming up on your right...

You can also reach Eli Jackson on Facebook LINK
and Twitter @AuthorsCombat

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.