Choose Your Weapons!

Choose Your Weapons

Sooner or later, most writers in the Action/Adventure genre are going to write about weaponry-and in most cases, this translates into guns. (For sci-fi and fantasy A/A writers who prefer light-sabers and magic wands, skip down to the bitem reading list.) This column will not try to make you an expert on guns of various types. To do that would take far more space than is available here.

Some writers may argue: "What's the big deal? All I have to know is some realistic-sounding lingo and I'm good to go." Let me explain why that attitude often leads to disaster in an otherwise good story.

A writer's job is to spin a tale so well that the reader 'suspends disbelief' and exists for a magical moment in the imaginary world the writer has created. Any false note in the details which wakes the reader from this mental illusion will abruptly end the suspension of disbelief and his acceptance of your story.

Genre readers are generally 'fans' whose consistent reading habits make them more knowledgeable about details-and therefore more demanding of authenticity by the author. I'm told by a popular Romance writer friend that fans of the Georgian Romance sub-genre are quick to write letters about any error in dress or furnishings. I didn't know there were that many Georgian era experts out there, but there are countless millions of gun owners in America. In addition, millions of non-gun owners live out Walter Mittyish lives vicariously through Action/Adventure  films, TV, and written fiction. These Action/Adventure fans have developed a base of knowledge about guns through their reading and viewing habits. If you hope to attract them, then you must meet their expectations. Let me give you an example.

I once wrote a Western story that won an award as the best short story in a University publication in Texas. I was proud of myself-until I got some letters that the rifle I'd cited in the story had never been chambered for the popular .44-.40 caliber. Not only were the critics correct, but I'd deliberately chosen a manufacturer other than Winchester simply to go for something out of the ordinary. Mea Culpa. So the gun nuts are not only out there; they read and will catch you out.

But what about the original question posed? Does a little lingo go a long way for a writer who doesn't know much about guns, especially if you aren't too specific? No, and here's why.

The idea for this column derived from reading a beginning chapter of a book in a critique group. From the opening paragraph, a scene on a firing range, the author set up certain expectations about the expertise needed to describe this scene.  The protagonist, a "Firing Instructor" attempts to teach pistol shooting to a 19 year old recruit for a position as an armed bank guard.

The scene didn't work on several levels, not least of which is the unreality of a 19 year bank guard or the inexpert use of 'lingo' in the descriptions: "He aimed his .38, pulled the trigger, and shut his eyes...the bullet flailed, zoomed past its intended mark..." Let's analyze this description. Most people shut their eyes in anticipation of the explosion, not after the shot. Bullets don't "flail" and are never described as "zooming" in my experience in the genre. Since many readers scan the first page to gauge the appeal of the book, my guess is that this author needs some help in writing about firearms and their use. Here are some practical suggestions.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK: As an aspiring professional, you wouldn't try to slip a manuscript past an editor without doing a spell or grammar check. If you don't know anything about guns in all their many permutations--revolvers, semi-auto pistols, machine guns, rifles, shotguns, black-powder muzzle loaders--then you need to do some research to get a basic understanding of what you are going to be writing about.

One good basic book, written with the writer in mind, is Armed and Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons by Michael Newton. He gives a quick review of guns from their invention to the modern day with chapters devoted to the Old West, military periods (Civil War, WWII, Viet Nam etc) and Cop & Robbers. Newton explains some common author errors: you can't use a silencer on a revolver, (But we knew that, didn't we) as well as some good tips to use in whodunits. The book has a glossary, annotated pictures of various types of guns, and some useful ballistics and trajectory information.  Another good reference is the Shooter's Bible which details information on current guns and ammo.

INTERNET SEARCHES: I've found the internet is a research tool without peer when it comes to quickly finding out about weaponry. If you want detailed information on current products, check out the websites for popular manufacturers such as Glock, Smith & Wesson or Hechler & Koch. Some have videos which give you a sense of the sound and mechanics. Or spice up your writing by finding little gems like the H&K MP5K which fires from inside a specially designed briefcase with a trigger in the handle.

You often hear about "Gun nuts." They are people who have a deep interest in weapons and they are willing, nay eager, to share their facts and opinions with a lay person. I recently placed a question on a political website about a .9mm pistol for people with small hands. Within a few minutes I was getting replies; after 367 opinions I begged them to stop.

Best of all, you can find specialized information on websites that cater to various subgroups such as black-powder muzzleloaders (276,000 hits on Google), guns of the Old West (1,400,000 hits on Google) or civil war arms. (<http://www.history-sites.com/mb/cw/cwaemb/index.cgi>?) These enthusiasts really know their stuff about the weapons they study. How about related items? I once wanted to know about uniforms of the Red Chinese Army and actually found a site devoted to them.

Many sites have message boards where you can ask for, and get, information surprisingly quickly when doing period pieces on about firearms used in the Old West, the Civil War, or modern wars like the Gulf War.

Sometimes it takes a little ingenuity or luck in linking to various sites.  Once I wanted some info on a "Swedish K" sub-machine gun the CIA used in Viet Nam. A visit to the manufacturer brought up nothing but their current products. But surfing around, using various search words, I came up with a hobbyist's site about Swedish military history. It had pictures of uniforms from the 16th century along with maces and swords--lots of fascinating stuff all in Swedish--but nothing about my Viet Nam weapon. Finally, about midnight, I gambled on an email to the webmaster, explaining I was writing a novel, and had forgotten details about an idiosyncrasy of the weapon after forty years. The answer, along with some additional details, was back by 9:00 a.m. It was the type of information I couldn't have found in a library in years.

If you're going to write an action/adventure story, you owe it to the reader to utilize some basic research on weapons to prevent errors and discrepancies from creeping into your writing. As you learn, you'll improve your stories by injecting authentic details about weapons and incorporating them into your plots. Then you'll find your artful words will create that magic moment when the reader suspends disbelief and you transport him into your illusionary world. Gentlemen, choose your weapons.