Fantasy novelist looking for helpful advice

Unfortunately, while it is a real sword in the sense that it is a tangible part of our reality, it lacks a certain attention to structural integrity and engineering for the sake of an aesthetic flair. The sword, while perhaps appealing to some as a decoration, could not be used as a tool of war. The pommel is clearly underweight while the guard is bulky and cumbersome. This will throw off the harmonic balance of the blade and result in a very "rough" feeling sword in the cut, transferring a lot of vibration to the user as well as the target. Then there are the cut-outs, which (though rounded to a degree) still open up a large possibility of stress points on the blade. There's a reason you don't see these kinds of things on swords in history, and it's not because the smiths lacked the skill to implement them.

In the end, though, it's a piece of fantasy and honestly as your literary creation you're entitled to do whatever the hell you want. If it's a sword with a semblance of realism, though, unfortunately the sword in question (and ultimately your design) does not fit the criteria.

And like some others have said in your other thread, I do not mean this is a harsh or belittling way. Honestly I think it's great that you want to strive for a sword that seems "realistic" for your story, which is much more than I can say for many authors.

i want something that is real in essence and one day, something that is tangible in real life. As for the buying aspect of it, no. I took these pictures to show and represent that i had found a sword that i liked and wanted to borrow certain aspects of the design to create my own. i have even taken some aspects from video games to try and come up with my own. I want something that shows the magical quality of it, showing that it has the unworldly magical ability.Then, one day have it made so that i can have it. Just keep the advice a comin'

Listen to Aaron's post. He speaks sense.

Second, I have a bit of advice of my own: a sword need not look outlandish to be outlandish. Case in point: many of the XIVs I design. Historical XIVs generally had a short blade, a curved guard (Style 6 or 7), and always had a wheel pommel. Reclaimer, my favorite, has a short, 27" blade and a curved guard (albeit a heavily curved Style 9), but a fishtail pommel. And for it, it looks like something out of a fantasy novel (though, the deeply blued furniture helps). Highlander, my XIVa (which didn't exist), has a 33" blade, hand-and-a-half-grip, a wheel pommel, but a quatrefoil guard common to claymores, but it would still look at home in a historically set movie; I could even see it replacing William Wallace's sword because of how striking it is and I say that without bragging. It's just distinctive and big, perfect for a hero. Behemoth, my XIVb (another that didn't exist), has a wheel pommel and curved guard, but a 40" blade and two handed grip. It would look just as perfect in the hands of a tank in a D&D or similar movie as in the hands of a medieval knight. I'm not saying any of this to brag or claim I'm a great sword designer, because I'm not. I'm using them as examples to get my point across. Design an average looking sword, make a few small, seemingly inconsequential changes that make it seem a little unusual, and then give it a background worthy of it and your readers themselves will attribute something special to them, even if they break. Hell, they might attribute something special to it because it breaks; ever heard of Anduril, Flame of the West? :lol: What makes a sword special or magical isn't how it looks (well, not entirely), but how people regard it. Take Tamlin al'Thor's sword from the Wheel of Time: it was described as being rather plain with a bronze crosspiece that looked like braided rope, a grip for two hands, a slender, curving blade, and a plain black scabbard. It's a little unusual, but there's nothing really special about it... Until you see the herons on it. A heron marked blade is the sign of a blademaster and, as such, they view its owner, Rand al'Thor, a simple sheepherder from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, with respect and awe (and suspicion, because he's young). All because of one tiny little detail.

If the characters in the story view it with awe, your readers will too, even if it's just a simple soldier's sword with a brass crosspiece and one of the easiest ways to do that is if they view it's owner with awe. It's the natural order of things, truth be told. For you music lovers out there, it'd be like meeting KISS back in their hay-day and getting the chance to, I dunno, hold Gene Simmon's guitar or something. If you were a fan of KISS at any age, you'd probably start babbling in gratitude at the chance and then go home and brag to everyone that you got to hold Simmon's guitar. Same thing with swords. Swords attain magical and mythical airs about them because of their owner. Just look at the katana fanatics; many of them believe the katana is the best sword in the world because of the hype over the samurai.

Personally I don't find them attractive, but if that's your thing then more power to you. Likewise, I'm no fan of most eastern weapons but that doesn't detract from the validity of someone's interest in them. I understand where you are coming from, but it is a very modern, impractical and romanticized ideology.

The main difference here is that the 'swords' you've pictured aren't actually designed to be swords at all, they are simply designed to (loosely) have the appearance of one. These are not the same thing and should not be confused. I've been told countless times that I look a good bit like Heath Ledger, but this does not mean that I am Heath Ledger. The distinction must be noted.

If the sword in your story isn't going to be used, then by all means make it outlandish and garish if that's what you/your character is into. But if it is meant to be a tool of war (as all swords are designed to be), then you must shy away from that style, otherwise it will break the illusion of your story for the reader. I can't tell you how many books or films I've read/seen and come across something in it that just doesn't work, or some explanation of a phenomenon where the writer clearly had no expertise and expected the viewer to be similarly uneducated. I can't tell you how much that ruins an otherwise good story, and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth toward any of their work.

Now, what may be a better solution (and one which writers fall back on so often, for good reason) is to simply vaguely describe the sword, or focus on it's importance or practicality rather than strictly describing its appearance or including an illustration. This leaves the reader free to interpret their own image of the sword and leaves you free to focus on what's important: the characters and the story.

If you feel it is absolutely necessary to include an illustration of the sword, then do so at your own peril as it may alienate many potential readers from your stories. Fantasy or not, many rules of our world still apply to story worlds, and a tool should properly reflect its intended use.

Just a quick note...

Number one thing to avoid in a fantasy sword: pointy projections protruding towards the grip. Like the dragon wings on that bronze-hilted SLO - all the other elements of the design could be made to work on a perfectly functional sword with just a little tweaking, I should think, but those wings would hurt your hand if you ever tried to actually wield it. NEVER PUT SHARP POINTS AROUND WHERE THE USER'S HAND IS SUPPOSED TO GO. NEVER. This is so fundamental, so elementary, that even calling it Ergonomics 101 feels like belittling the entire concept of ergonomy, and yet makers of fantasy SLOs keep doing it. It vexes me greatly.