Bloomability: Swords, Daggers and Such

    

Almost every adventure--and not just in children's literature--has them: Peter Pan, The Sword in the Stone, Tolkiens well known "sting", Sasha--a story about a young woman warrior. Arrrrrr! Yes, pirates have swords, so any wiry pirate adventure will do. Yes, that includes The Princess Bride. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is full of them. Then there is Don Juan, Ryann Watter's and the Kings Sword, Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone, King Arthur, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, The Sunflower Sword, The Perfect Sword, Aladdin, Sinbad...the list is never ending! 

     Let us examine why swords are so wonderfully enchanting and dangerous. Is it the sharp pointy tip? No. Is it the arm of the wielder that makes it so powerful? Partly, I'd say. Really though, what is the strongest part of the sword? You will laugh when you learn this because it is a bit ironic. Forte! 


1: the part of a sword or foil blade that is between the middle and the hilt and that is the strongest part of the blade
2: one's strong point


En Garde! 


I always thought fencing was this super hot sport....tight butts and all. Okay, but my point is....hee hee, see the irony? MY POINT is that swords are powerful. Swords wield power. They symbolize something of greatness. Anyone, anywhere who holds a sword is a force to be reckoned with, they should be feared. The sword is the gun of the wild west, the light saber of the Jedi....pure power in ones hand. So my next thought was, "Okay as a writer, what is my strong point, my forte?" How is my pen mightier than the sword? Does my pen have a forte so to speak? Tough questions? Yes. Easy answers? No. 






There is no science to it. It is in the words on the page, and the anticipation to turn the page. It is in the laughter and the tears of the reader. It is the image of a child staying up late past bedtime under the covers with a flashlight trying to storm to the end before mom or dad tell them "Lights out!". Yes, a sword, like any pen is a mighty adventure and force to be reckoned with. When done well, it is like honey dripping from tip of pen to tip of page which becomes a flood never to be encountered but by the reader who has no idea their head is only just above the water.

What is your forte? Picture books, character-driven/plot-driven stories, boy adventures/girl adventures, poetry/rhyme, quirky books, dystopian, historical fiction, research, sci-fi, graphic novel, comic, coming of age story, fairytale/folklore?