Wim Demeere's Blog

Martial Arts, Self Defense and a Whole Lot More.

Archives for June 2009

So you want to be a writer, Part 2

by 5 Comments

We got the ball rolling in part one of this guide with an aspiring writer contacting me to review some of his fight scenes. It got me thinking about the last couple years, ever since I started writing books and what kind of ride it’s been: the good, bad and ugly. Let’s move on now to some of the common myths people believe about the job. Again, this is just my personal opinion, feel free to disagree if your journey has been different from mine.

Myth #1: I’ll write a bestseller and get rich in no time.

In truth, this could happen and it does. Every year, a handful of writers make it to the big time with a hit novel or non-fiction book. For instance; JK Rowling had an insane success with her first Harry Potter book. The sequels, movies and merchandising made her one of the wealthiest women alive today. Excellent! But, it also took her six years to write that first bestseller and many publishers turned down the manuscript.

For every success story like hers, there are millions of writers who either don’t get published or they make virtually no money at all in comparison. Sit down, have a cup of tea and repeat to yourself: “It may never happen. It may never happen. It may never happen.” Does that mean you shouldn’t try? Not at all. Only that you’re better off with both feet on the ground if Lady Luck never favors you.

[Read more…]

Keep your guard up…

by 2 Comments

All the time! From the first to the last second.

I surprised people like this several times when I competed. In fact, one of the best times to (T)KO somebody is right at the beginning of the fight, in the first few seconds. Many fighters, even professionals, aren’t at 100% mental focus then. Blows they shrug off in the second or third round can put them down if you get one in right away, simply because they need time to “warm up” inside their head.

So if there’s a lesson here, it is to work on your intent before the first blows are thrown. And keep your guard up!

Another lesson might also be to learn some cool dance moves to celebrate your victory. The funky chicken has been out of style for decades… :-)

.

So you want to be a writer, Part 1

by 14 Comments

A while ago, an aspiring author sent me a manuscript to look over the fight scenes. I just finished sending him my remarks and can picture him now, sitting at his desk, grinding out paragraphs and polishing the sentences. Now I don’t write fiction (nothing published anyway)  but writing is writing, at least at the level I’ll be talking about.

I started writing over six years ago. It happened by accident really. Loren had seen some of my reviews and articles and asked if I’d be interested in co-authoring a book. I was amazed he’d even consider me for such a project but it seemed like fun so why not?

For the record, we wrote several books together and I still don’t feel like a “real” writer. I just don’t know what that’s supposed to feel like. I’m just me, that big, blond guy from Belgium, but with a few published credits to my name.

Anyway, fast forward a year and The Fighter’s Body was born. There’s no feeling quite like the one when you open the box of author copies and see all your hard work lying there on the table. Tangible, real, after all that time and effort. It’s easy then to  romanticize the process that led up to that moment. In your mind’s eye, it all turns into fun and good times:

  • The time you amazed yourself with a hilariously funny sentence.
  • How great it felt when the first chapter was finished and the anticipation of starting on the second.
  • The feeling of accomplishment when you send the manuscript to the publisher.

As you reminisce, your soul fills with a sweet, soft warmth and before you know it you have “The IDEA!” (TM). You’re going to be a full-time writer! By God, Crom and Bob the Mechanic, you’re the next Hemingway!

Hemingway, aka YOU at your desk!
Hemingway, aka YOU at your desk!

Hell, you can already see yourself in one of your million dollar homes! If those other guys can do it so can you, right?

[Read more…]

Q&A with Loren W. Christensen on “Fighting in the Clinch”

by Leave a Comment

I reviewed Loren Christensen’s book Fighting in the Clinch here and he graciously agreed to do a quick follow up interview. Here it is:

Q: “Fighting in the Clinch” came out a little while ago. How has the feedback from readers been?

A: All positive – so far. But there is always someone in the martial arts community who feels compelled to say, “Well, your heel is up in that photo,” or “A better way to do that move is…” But so far everyone likes how we laid out the book with Mark Mireles showing his grappling moves for half of it and me doing my tearing, clawing and ripping techniques for half. Mark is an amazing grappler with over 30 years experience training and 20 years using his stuff in the street as an LAPD cop.

Q: For which audience did you write the book? The average martial artist? Grapplers? LEOs?

A: We wrote it for everyone because it’s been our experience – we have 50 years of police street experience between us – that there is a moment in most (not all) physical encounters where there’s clinching. I’m not talking about a nice Gracie jujitsu type clinch, although that does happen, but rather a desperate moment where both fighters are trying to dominate the other as they clash body-to-body. A broad definition of clinching includes grabbing/holding/clinching the side of the body, grabbing from the back, grabbing in the classic bear hug, tackling around the waist and tackling around the chest.

Loren calls this the "Mike Tyson technique" to use against clinchers. Chomp deep into the gristle and shake your head like a dog does with a rabbit.
Loren calls this the "Mike Tyson technique" to use against clinchers. Chomp deep into the gristle and shake your head like a dog does with a rabbit.

[Read more…]

Reading list for self defense: the fun books.

by 13 Comments

A while back I was mailing back and forth with one of the blog readers here and he asked me which novels I liked, specifically those related to self defense or martial arts. It didn’t really take long for me to answer as I have my preferred authors. Here’s a list and I’ll explain why.

  • The John Rain series by Barry Eisler. Barry’s a friend of mine and I had a great time teaching him private classes several times. He’s a judo black belt and a pretty good wrestler. His background shines through in the Rain series, as you’ll be able to read: John Rain is a half-American, half–Japanese hit man specialized in making it look like his targets died of natural causes. The books are always a great mix of a good plot, exotic locations (extremely good descriptions on these!), trade craft, fight scenes and like Barry says “Hot, steamy sex.” What’s not to like?  :-) Here are the relevant parts:
    • The fight scenes always incorporate a solid grasp of reality: Rain fights for keeps and ends it as soon as possible, preferably by ambushing his opponents.
    • Sometimes, he goes up against other professionals and has more of a duel on his hands than an actual self defense situation. Barry still tries to keep it real in those situations.
    • A big part of the books explains the counter-measures Rain uses to avoid getting killed: awareness, procedures, etc. Scale them down for the average civilian and they’re pretty good.
    • The best part about the series is how Barry explores the mind set of such a hit man: the good, the bad, the ugly. But more importantly, he lets his character evolve and grow way beyond what you expect when you start the series.

[Read more…]

Popular posts

Recent Posts

Search this blog

Custom Search
Google