# Here's a realistic prop for your stories.



## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

If I have a pet peeve in writing it's the super-macho Mary Sue character.  I believe it smacks of poor creativity and sloppy research.  Having said that, I'm delighted when I find something that really works--baffled, actually.

As you know, I'm a knife salesman.  I have knives stacked up around here like cordwood.  The vast majority are just good, basic tools, and it takes a lot to impress me after all of these jaded years.  But I needed a good strong, basic cutting tool for use in the real world, so I bought a knife to accomplish that goal, The Zero Tolerance 0121.

After several weeks of use, abuse and rudimentary bevel refinement, I am happy to report it's one of the best knives I've ever owned, and it would make a great prop for your stories.  Here's why:

First off there's this that concept of "real world."  The cutting edge is a little over four inches long.  I've been packing it on my left kidney, and forget that it's there.  It's no problem to carry.  And any tool is worthless if you leave it at home.

Added, it's tough.  The blade blank is 1/4 inch thick CPM-S30V.  While it had a horrid bevel when it arrived, and I did not polish it, I made it uniform and sharpened to 400 grit.

Here's what it's not.  While I would confidently give it to a firefighter, an EMT and even a deployed soldier, it's a not a weapon any more or less than a wet brick.  It's a tool.  I cooked my dinner with it a few nights ago.  I trim loose laundry threads with it.  It would make a terrific wilderness camp knife.

To relate this to our stories, this is the kind of prop a "normal guy" would seek out and carry.  It's not a show-off's Bowie knife or bayonet, the last ninja died 100 years before it was invented, and one of the collaborators (Mick Strider) has the penchant for constructing stuff that cannot be broken.

Everything with an edge that I own is never really "mine."  One of my best clients is a local boy scout troop leader, and my guess is that he or someone like him will its ultimate true owner.  But I must relate, I'm going to hate to see it go.

I will admit, one of my book's characters is going to own one--and it will be the thoughtful guy, the realist, the guy who spends his hard earned money for a tool.  John Rambo, The Terminator, most Airborne Rangers and secret spec-ops posers need not apply.


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## SungmanituTanka (Nov 1, 2013)

You make an excellent point. While I'm not in love with the phrase 'Mary Sue' (I think people try too hard to avoid having one in their story and it shows), I completely agree with you and think when writing a character the key phrase should be 'believable'. Your average Joe (no matter how awesome he may be) isn't carrying around a rocket launcher (and if he finds one during the zombie apocalypse he's either not going to know how to use it or it's going to knock him on his ass). Everyone - EVERYONE - has a breaking point, something they don't know, a moment of hopelessness and/or fear. At some point. And leaving that out of a character is not only a disservice but takes away the very thing that makes them human. (In my humble opinion of course). 

And that's a fantastic knife, but you already know that.


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## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

I just use the term "Mary Sue" as a shorthand term, spinner, instead of saying _"trite, unoriginal lax creation with more holes than your plot."_  It's easier.

But your point is well taken.  How can anyone really get into your story if there's no touchstone to embrace?  Unless you live next to your mom's dryer and have a video game controller grown into the calluses of your non-dominant hand (tee hee), then boredom will set in before empathy.

My point here is the same as your rocket launcher observation.  Even if the great zombie apocalypse comes (are brains covered under ObamaBilk) chances are all I'll have is a .380, this knife and a Starbucks card.  I'm married, so I never get to carry actual cash...

I hope there's a writer here penning a realistic action adventure yarn or a story of historical fiction.  He/she needs a knife for the lead, they google this knife, and find out that rather than some worthless Hollywood prop it's a real tool that anyone can buy and/or handle.


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## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

Oh, and I forgot this part--the sheath.

It's durable, it clips to any belt, parachute harness or backpack imaginable.  No matter what your character is wearing--from BDUs to an Armani suit--there's a way to get this knife into the story.


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## SungmanituTanka (Nov 1, 2013)

The Tourist said:


> I just use the term "Mary Sue" as a shorthand term, spinner, instead of saying _"trite, unoriginal lax creation with more holes than your plot."_  It's easier.
> 
> But your point is well taken.  How can anyone really get into your story if there's no touchstone to embrace?  Unless you live next to your mom's dryer and have a video game controller grown into the calluses of your non-dominant hand (tee hee), then boredom will set in before empathy.
> 
> ...



Gotcha. I just see way too many writers assuming that if they use any type of personal experience people are going to believe they've written a Mary Sue. Then I see writers proclaiming many characters as Mary Sue's because the character is too shallow, too rude, too anything. People are people and they run the gamut. For instance - in a novel I'm working on the female character says some really horrible things to her parents (socially unacceptable little wench that she is) and it's been claimed that she's a Mary Sue, because NO ONE would EVER say that to their PARENTS! Really? I would. I know lots of people who would. Not unless she's a drug addict! They fire back. Well, she's not, she's just pissed off that she's invisible and inconvenient and she's a teenager. She's not a Mary Sue, she's just a messed up kid - royally ticked at the people who have contributed to messing her up. She's real. But I don't think a whole lot of people can see, or even know, what _real _is anymore. They're far too busy watching Miley Cyrus twerking on MTV and playing CoD. Because apparently that's real now. That matters. Sigh. /rant. 

If the zombie apocalypse comes I will most likely have a shotgun, a knife of whatever sort I'm carrying at the time, and a useless bank card. (LOL, cash is dangerous - it begs to be spent  )

I think I am, possibly both (depending on your definition of historical), but that remains to be seen.


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## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

SungmanituTanka said:


> If the zombie apocalypse comes I will most likely have a shotgun, a knife of whatever sort I'm carrying at the time, and a useless bank card.



That makes us both an anachronism.  You'd be amazed at how many people here locally got their CCW permit but lug only an iPhone.  It seems that personal responsibility went the way of the purple goose.

Here's a fun fact.  I do not loan out my EDC.  For one, most guys just cut themselves--and I mean badly.  But more to the point, I think everyone should be carrying a edged tool of some form (my wife has a SAK and a small pair of collapsible scissors) and a flashlight.  

You'd be amazed at how self-sufficient you can be if you can repair even simple things and see in the dark.  Oh, well, in the land of the blind...


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## SungmanituTanka (Nov 1, 2013)

Yes, I most definitely agree with that! I learned early - I don't really belong here, lol. I'm a throwback from way back. 

I bet they do! I've seen it. 'Men' (many - not all) don't know how to handle a knife, a hammer, or a wrench. I can use all of those and more, and I think there's certainly a time to call in an expert, but you gotta be able to do some things yourself. I always have a flashlight  So do my kids, lol. 

I wouldn't, no, but I know a lot of people would be. Of course, much of that depends on whether their iphone is working to tell them HOW, lol.


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## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

Girl, here's an example that touches many of the things we talk about both here is the open and in PM.

First is our pet peeve.  _Research, research, research!_  I researched the tools below.

As you know, I pack my jeans and gym bag as we correspond in the morning.  One of my beliefs is that the best tool is worthless if you don't have it with you.  Below are today's EDCs.

All of them are light in weight--the key components are aluminum, resin, kydex and other lighter alloys.  I could have just as easily substituted my SW 360PD for the SIG, that has a scandium frame.

That little Tough Tony has a two-inch blade, but it also is constructed from a 1/4 inch blade blank.  That SureFire flashlight might be only the size of a C-battery, but it has a high output bulb.  Night becomes day.

I can easily carry it all on a regular 2-inch leather belt.  I can fix anything I usually break, and idiots leave me alone.  _But the biggest asset is that I never feel vulnerable, trapped or marooned._


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## SungmanituTanka (Nov 1, 2013)

You have a Sig! I miss my Sig  Looks like an excellent set up to me, and mine would be much the same. Just no gun, since I have no CC  But here at home, well, you don't want to mess with me (or outside my house either, really, because I'm a pretty capable female. 

My flashlight is blue, the same size as yours, and bright as can be. 

EDIT: haha, I went smiley crazy - I really like your EDC's, lol.


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## Bard_Daniel (Nov 1, 2013)

Definitely cool, definitely useful.


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## Sam (Nov 1, 2013)

You make some good points, TT. It's always easy to go for the popular, and ultimately easier, option of a Bowie knife or a shuriken because it's been done so often and fits right in. Paradoxically, it is often a trite choice because of that. Sometimes it's better to do the research and pick a weapon more suited to the task and, ultimately, one that the character would know of. I've spoken to a couple of soldiers who served in Afghanistan, and their knife of choice was a simple retractable blade. Nothing fancy, just reliable in a pinch. 

Apropos of knives: A few months back I had a scene where one of my characters had to throw a kitchen knife at a human target ten feet away. I went outside to the barn, drew the outline of a knife target on the door, set up an oche of ten foot, and pitched an old kitchen knife at it. It took me two days to get the technique down so I could hit the door with consistency, another three until I hit my first back-to-back bullseye, and a week until I could hit the target ten out of ten times. Not the bullseye, mind you, just the target. 

A few days later, I ordered a Cold Steel Perfect Balance throwing knife off the Internet to gauge the difference. It was of course weighted perfectly, designed primarily to take the impact and force of throwing, and a hefty fourteen pounds into the bargain. It made mincemeat of my barn door. Whereas the kitchen knife was erratic and bounced out a lot, the throwing knife would stick in the door at even the most acute of angles. The kitchen knife required far more spin and force to do likewise. 

What did this tell me? It told me that an ordinary man with no training whatsoever is more than likely going to miss with a kitchen knife (and likely even on the first time with a throwing knife). If by some miracle he managed to make contact, the chances of mortally wounding someone are minuscule. That loaned itself to the scene and created far more tension and suspense than it would have if I had just made the character pitch the knife and kill the guy. 

The value of research can never be understated.


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## The Tourist (Nov 1, 2013)

SungmanituTanka said:


> You have a Sig! I miss my Sig.  Looks like an excellent set up to me, and mine would be much the same...My flashlight is blue, the same size as yours, and bright as can be.  I really like your EDC's.



It's a great little pistol.  That's a hi-cap, seven in the mag and one in the pipe.  I carry two additional magazines just like it.  Not just for the rounds, but with a pistol you have to be careful about damaging the feed lips.

I think you'd like the Mantis, as well--you know, *to snip yarn*...



			
				Sam said:
			
		

> What did this tell me? It told me that an ordinary man with no training whatsoever is more than likely going to miss with a kitchen knife...the scene and created far more tension and suspense than it would have if I had just made the character pitch the knife and kill the guy.
> 
> The value of research can never be understated.



I hope the folks here read your post and take it to heart.  "Sister Sung" and I have been harping on originality and research like Paul Revere off his meds.  It's good when someone else adds that they, too, have had some surprises when working on their stories.

Now that I know that this "Research" section is where to put little reviews of tale-worthy products, I hope others jump in.  For example, I don't know much about poetry or computers.  I might need to research those topics.  If one of our members builds custom CPUs (and I know that there are guys who make them in glass boxes with fancy lights just for grins) an exchange might provide lots of writers with technical information.

I've been a bullet-caster for forty years.  In a strange twist of fate, my lead character uses linotype bullets.  Boy, that was lucky...:thumbl:


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