This week: The Science of the Shot Edited by: Legerdemain  
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The Science of the Shot
We're always shooting people, aren't we? Understanding the science of the bullet might help your story feel more credible. In looking this stuff up, I was amazed at how far a bullet can fly. First, the whole cartridge in the gun is not the 'bullet', just the part that flies out is. Ammunition is made up of a primer that ignites a propellant when struck by the gun's firing pin, and this ignition creates the pressure that drives a projectile forward. Most bullets are made with heavy metals such as lead, jacketed by brass or copper, because their mass helps them hold their momentum. Counterintuitive, it seems, the longer the barrel of the gun, the faster the bullet goes.
I found some statistics "rifle bullets, such as that of a Remington 223, leave the muzzle at speeds of up to 2,727 mph (4,390 km/h) — fast enough to cover the distance of 11 football fields in a single second. A bullet from a 9mm Luger handgun, by comparison, would cover half that distance at speeds of up to 1,360 mph (2,200 km/h)"
Fun stuff to know! So whether you choose a rifle or a handgun, do a little research and get to know your weapon. Knowing what it can or cannot do is helpful to the story. Also, keep in mind how far a human is capable of carrying a weapon. Can it be concealed? What will the character do after they shoot? Do you add their planning to the storyline?
This month's question: Is detail accuracy in your stories important to you?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below  Editors love feedback! 
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WDC March Site Contest
The task is simple: Write a short story using the image prompt as inspiration!
Excerpt: “Fine. Fine!” She moved quickly, the metal chair legs stuttering loudly. “But I’m either takin’ a long smoke break later, or leavin’ early.”
Sighing, Garth said, “You don’t even smoke, Tee.”
Wrapping her sandwich in a paper towel, she said, “Well then I guess I should get rewarded for not being gross and having such a filthy habit.”
Excerpt: A group of Observers are observing this death, looking at a large Image Monitor in front of them. “Why have we let this happen?” A new Observer named Jimen asks. “We could have stopped this from happening.”
“No, we couldn’t,” says Timma, the leader of this group of Observers. “We are only here to observe this planet.”
Excerpt: Somewhere, not in space time neither heavenly nor hellish, something not solid neither based on carbon, silicon, nor iron, placed its creation on a spinning disc. It deftly laid a needle on the outermost track, and observed.
| | | Exile (18+)
A life spent continually looking over your shoulder was no life at all.
#2289472 by deemac  |
Excerpt: As he pulled on his cigarette, the soft red glow reflected in his eyes. He ran his left hand distractedly across his bearded chin. He was well aware of the risks, but knew at the same time that if he didn't get outside on days like this when he felt particularly low, he would likely go mad. Slowly he rose and made his way to the door.
Excerpt: Clunk!
Confused by the loud thud, Ben turned around to face his customer, whose arm was stretched across the oak bar. The unbuttoned sleeve of his dress shirt loosely covered the grip of a pistol. Ben's eyes widened slightly, knowing he was the only employee on premise.
Excerpt: They high-fived each other while trying to catch their breath.
"One more for Girardo. That dude went down like a bag of bricks! Nice shot, man." Merv was leaning against a dumpster in the alley behind the restaurant. Before the hit, the plan was to leave the car in a lot on the backside of the block. But there were a lot of people on the street when they ran out, so they'll have to lay low for a short while.
Excerpt: Well, another day here in Tombstone, Arizona, with blue skies and incessant sun. A bunch of cattlemen just moseyed down Fremont Street, passing by me without so much as a nod. That’s okay, though; I eat the Arizona dust, promise crammed. I pen cattle, horses, sometimes sheep--I stir with the vastness of sky, sigh with the fluttering of sparrows, tense my oaken arms for each lean crow as day unfolds, and help remains transparent. Yet, mine is not to question why; mine is to abide among the mutter and stride of cowboy and commotion.
| |  | The Outlaw Torn (E)
A gunfighter continues her battle with a crooked android manufacturer in a sci-fi western.
#2225541 by C.E.Wilder  |
Excerpt: A harsh, dry wind blew across the dusty terrain, tossing Ellie's dark hair about her face. Her eyes were sharp and focused beneath the brim of her hat, her mouth a hard line as she rode on. She'd been in the saddle for days, barely taking the time to rest. But she finally had a real lead and if her target realized there had been a leak, she'd never catch him.
Excerpt: King Oderonk was a good king, as kings go. He was not particularly wise, but he had a good heart and he listened well. That was what made him a good king. He was also getting old, so each of the celebrations on the anniversary of his coronation grew fancier. The anniversary of his thirtieth year as King was no exception. The members of the King's court had planned a great party. As with all parties, gifts were expected.
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This month's question: Is detail accuracy in your stories important to you?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Action/Adventure Newsletter (February 12, 2025)" question: Do you twist a genre to create stories outside the ordinary?
W.D.Wilcox  : Do I twist a genre? Oh yeah. I twist and twist and twist until its head pops off.
Monty  : Never LOL.
StephBee  : My favorite unlikable character was character that Alan Rickman played. That actor added such complexity to his characters it was delightful to watch!
Beholden  : Thank you very much for including my short story, "Seven" [13+], in your Editor's Picks section.
As regards twisting genres, etc, I don't really think about genre until the story is finished. At that point I consider where it would fit (and twisting and stretching where necessary to include as many genres as possible). As long as you're honest in your first description of genre, any additions aren't going to turn a reader off.
Quick-Quill  : I am writing a religious novel with a paranormal twist. I also have a manuscript about a "alien" family with supernatural abilities. Each story is about a different brother who solves a mystery and finds love.
Mousethyme  : All the time. I don't try to write for genre or anything for that matter when I first start a story. If it happens to decide on a theme, genre, structure, ect. that's all well and fine.
N.A Miller : yes and twist the plot to give a story a good twist...
Dave Ryan : I've tried adding twists to my stories, but I've a tendency to telegraph them and so completely ruin the effect.
H. M. Marie : Of course; it makes writing that much more fun.
Ichabod Crane-writing-reading. : I am trying to learn to do that.
creatress : Yes. I can make stories with narratives with unexpected or unusual settings by twisting a genre, usually by mixing one with another.
jackson : Most of my work is not in, or for a genre; if they happen to fit in one, that's good.
Arsuit : No. I like to write the same story over and over again with different protagonists, and then write that same story one more time except with all of the protagonists at once, and then write that same story again a bunch more times with a dimensional-travel element that allows me to disregard and/or reverse the consequences of all the previous times I wrote that same story, and then write that same story a bunch more times except the protagonists are different.
THANKFUL SONALI Love my family  : I try!
keyisfake : I hope so.
Thank you for your responses; they're much appreciated! L~
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Action/Adventure: March 12, 2025 Issue [#13030]
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