Characteristics of a Good Survival Knife

November 5, 2015February 4, 2016 / Ben / 5 Comments

Many knives fit the criteria for a “survival knife,” but I went with the ESEE-5 for one of my projects. (ESEE photo)

TLDR: Forget the bells and whistles. Fixed blade knives built for durability and practicality are the best for getting a character out of a pinch.

On the surface, a “survival knife” might seem to be any blade within arm’s reach that saves a character’s carcass from certain defeat. But if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know things are never as simple as that. There’s plenty to consider when assigning a character one of these resilient brutes. I even had to gut-check myself with one of my most recent releases, Chase Baker & the Vikings’ Secret. Continue reading →

Tips for Creating Fantasy Weapons for Fiction

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 / Ben / 3 Comments

Christine Frazier’s Better Novel Project is hosting my post today, 6 Tips for Writing Fantasy Weapons. Frazier also drew the illustrations in this infographic by hand, which shows you how much time she puts into making the site one worth checking out. Continue reading →

10 Golden Tips for Writing Weapons in Fiction

August 27, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / 6 Comments

The following is excerpted from my book, The Writer’s Guide to Weapons: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction. It’s an abbreviated version of the list of “golden tips” (but not golden rules, because that’s just asking for it) found in the book.

Enjoy!

~Ben

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Can a “Bulletproof Vest” Also Stop a Knife?

June 17, 2015December 7, 2016 / Ben / 12 Comments

At the risk of sounding like a condescending ass, knives aren’t bullets. The only exception is when I butter my toast with ammo in the morning. (Image by imaspy via sxc.hu)

TLDR: Most likely not.

Bulletproof vests on walls of corpses sparked the idea for today’s topic. But before I get into that, a point of clarification.

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Perfect for Fiction: Assisted Opening Trench Knife

June 8, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ben / Leave a comment

A trench knife is a like a combination between brass knuckles and a fixed blade knife. This type of knife has been around for quite a while, but it’s only recently that something like this comes along: