After years of writing romance and drama\nnovels, I was pretty confident that a fantasy\/action novel would be a piece of\ncake! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, as it turns out, fight scenes are really\nso easy \u2014 to mess up,<\/em> that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you also have stumbled upon the same\ndilemma; where you spend pages building the hype only to hear imaginary cricket\nsounds at the moment of the showdown, then this guide is for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s time that you learn how to write a fight scene!<\/p>\n\n\n\n An awesome tip to start<\/a> with when writing a fight scene is to make sure this particular scene adds value to the story and actually moves it forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not realize this right away, but when\nviolence is uncalled for, it can get pretty boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of it like this: if you want a scene to\nreally make an impact on the reader, wouldn’t it be better if it wasn’t a\nrecurring event?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you had your long-standing rivals fight\nevery several pages, would it really stay interesting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The anticipation and aftermath are quite\nliterally what makes a fight scene epic; you’ve just been wanting it to happen\nso bad!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you were to remove a certain fight scene\nfrom your novel and then read the scene before and after, only to find that you\ncan make sense of what happened regardless of the fight, then it’s probably\nbest to keep it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, the fight scene does affect the\nstoryline and really causes some sort of transition in the events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A note that you’d do well to remember is that\njust because this is a “fight” scene doesn’t mean the only aftermath\nyou can discuss is physical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, there can be injuries, lost objects, or\neven prisoners, but sometimes a fight can be much more damaging in the mental\ndepartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can read and feel an incredible representation of both mental and physical aspects of a fight’s aftermath in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather<\/a><\/em> using only one line: “See how they have massacred my son.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The emotions conveyed are so strong from the\nmere result of a confrontation, not even a grand fight scene. As a reader, you\ndon’t just imagine the horrible sight of Michael’s dismantled body, but you\nalso realize how this event changes the mighty Don Vito Corleone as he breaks\ndown seeing his son brutally killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, a fight scene doesn’t necessarily\nhave to be a climactic battle where the victorious takes it all. Maybe you’re\nputting it there to give a vital piece of information about your protagonist or\nantagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the antagonist may use a certain\nweapon or cause a specific type of cut that explains the wounds on another\ncharacter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, the protagonist may sustain a trauma that makes him closed off or weaker throughout the next couple of chapters, and you can, of course, blame it on the fight’s aftermath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than a blatant description of a\ncharacter’s skills or traits, you can use fight scenes to reveal more insight\nabout the character and explore its dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You could have a character who is a master in\ncombat, yet they tend to avoid physical confrontation and bloodshed as much as\npossible. On the other hand, a character could be a mere amateur yet they have a\nhunger for violence when presented with conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should also keep in mind that a really\ninteresting fight scene is one where you go beyond the physical aspect of the\ncharacters. Tease your readers with a glimpse of the character’s soul to keep\nthem intrigued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fight scene can also be a chance for you to\nshed light on other characters besides the protagonist and antagonist who are\nwitnessing the action. The way they react can be a way for you to create a more\nengaging scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a blow that hits one of the\nopponents can provoke a certain reaction from a spectator that hints at a\npotential alliance, a hidden grudge, or a chance of romantic involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few questions that can help you get\ninspired and allow readers to further explore your characters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the previous point, I recommended that you\nreveal some of the reasons why your characters are even going through with the\nfight. After all, you can’t just have your characters start to throw punches\nout of nowhere and expect the reader to buy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why creating believable motivation is\nkey to a successful and engaging fight scene. What kind of motivation do you\nask? Well, here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices flowing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple yet convincing reason why characters\ncan get confrontational is to protect something they think greatly of or hold\nclose to their hearts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your character can fight to defend a person, a principle, or a combination of both like many great fantasy novels, such as the popular series of J.K. Rolling Harry Potter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the fights in the 7 books of the\nfranchise, Harry Potter is mainly driven by his desire to protect his friends\nand loved ones while standing for the ideals of goodness and keeping magic\navailable for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The antagonist, Lord Voldemort, is also\ndefending the ideal he believes that magic is for purebloods only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The need to survive is a powerful motive for\ncharacters to get violent, particularly in apocalyptic and dystopian scenarios\nwhere protagonists are trying their hardest to get through the day alive. Here,\na fight scene would serve to intensify this need, making the reader break a\nsweat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzanne Collins does a superb job capturing this concept in The Hunger Games<\/a><\/em> where Katniss faces the inevitable decision of killing adolescent competitors if she wants to survive. She doesn’t have a choice, and neither do her opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just keep in mind that a survival fight scene\nis most credible when the situation is dire, or in other words, hell is about\nto break loose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honor can also be a good motivation for\ncharacters to fight, but it’s a bit trickier to use because it’s not as extreme\nas survival or protection. However, it can cause tragic consequences,\nespecially when insults are exchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We typically think of honor as a culprit for\nduels in Shakespearean novels and stories with kingdoms, royalty, and family\nfeuds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An example that easily comes to mind here is the timeless classic Romeo and Juliet<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The infamous fight scene that involves Tybalt, Mercutio, and Romeo is a terrific representation of fighting for the honor of a family name, friends, and one’s own self. The scene also ends with such a sharp turn in events as two characters are killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever skipped over a fight scene while\nreading, simply because it was taking too dang long? I’d hate to admit it, but\nI’m certainly guilty of this, and so are many other people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let’s face it, this is the writer’s fault\nin most cases. Granted, some readers might skip over just about any fight scene\nno matter how brilliant it is, but for the vast majority, they actually want to\nenjoy it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, readers can only read through so many\nhits and kicks before dozing off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, the reason for such unfortunate\nboredom is the trap of “slow pace”. Unlike movies where action-filled\nscenes happen very quickly, fights in literature can easily slow the pace\nwithout you realizing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because you’re too busy writing all\nthe details and the reader has to work their imagination to mentally\nreconstruct the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what do you do? Well, you need to achieve\nthe right balance between intense writing and being concise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On one hand, striking descriptions really help\nreaders build a solid mental image, but on the other hand, you can easily lose\nthe readers’ interest as you go on and on about punches and injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few pointers to help you create a\nfierce fight scene while maintaining your pace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nailing these techniques can take you a bit of practice, but they sure do pay off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We already made it clear how fight scenes\ndemand sentences that are short yet deadly. Such stimulating briefness means\nyou should ditch using adverbs as they add unwanted length to sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, go for strong verbs that’ll make your\nreaders feel the adrenaline pumping through their veins. The effect of a\ncharacter’s action is best delivered with a verb, not its description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you really want to master this aspect of writing, you’ll need to feed your vocabulary by studying different verbs\/adverbs combos and their corresponding one-word verbs. You should also explore synonyms<\/a> to these strong verbs so you don’t get repetitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple example would be the verb\n“hit” and its adverb combo “hit hard”. Instead of these two\nforms, you can use stronger verbs such as “smack”,\n“strike”, “pound”, or “bash”, depending on the\namount of force you’re trying to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verbs of movement are also an excellent area\nwhere you can achieve high levels of reader engagement by showing rather than\ntelling what’s happening. Some examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note the absence of adverbs and how verbs, on their own, are doing just fine painting a vivid picture of the scene without dragging the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most effective ways to make sure\nyour readers are completely immersed in the scene is to add sensory details to\nyour writing. Hitting the reader with all the senses can be quite powerful, as\nit lets them have the full impact of the confrontation taking place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I say all the senses, I mean all<\/em> of the five senses. You can describe\nwhat the characters are seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and even tasting.\nLet’s break it down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your novel has a special tone and style <\/a>that needs to extend throughout every scene, including fight scenes. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be flexible, but this flexibility should complement the overall style of the rest of your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you tend to use descriptions\nthrough your novel, then don’t stop it when you’re writing a fight scene. Carry\non with the general style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you reach the end of your fight scene,\ndon’t leave it unresolved. Yes, this particular fight may not be the end of\nyour story, but you should have it resolved, at least for the time being, so\nyou can move on with the plot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means cooling down the heat of the action\nand constructing a logical transition to the following events. Show the effect\nof the aftermath as well the impact of injury, loss, or gain on the characters,\nbe it physical or emotional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you have your fight scene all wrapped\nup, go back and reread it. Chances are you’ll need to do some tweaking to make\nthe scene flawless. This is called editing, which is the difference between a\ngood story and a sloppy one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such improvements include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studying how great authors do it can help you\nget inspired into writing a scene just as great, or perhaps even better! But\nnot just that, you may also find yourself leaning toward a certain style of\nportraying fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works of amazing authors such as Robert B.\nParker, John Connolly, Patricia Cornwell, Elmore Leonard, and many others can\nprovide you with the insights you need to shape up your own writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing a fight scene between two characters\nas opposed to a grand battle between entire armies are two very different\nthings. While the latter can be stretched over an entire chapter, the former\nshouldn’t last for more than a page (maybe two).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, fight scenes are best written with\nshort yet powerful sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing a good war scene is all about building\nthe hype and riling up your readers while throwing in intriguing details here\nand there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll need to first choose the point of view\nof the narrator and try to make that the situation doesn’t look too good for\nyour heroes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, you want to think like a general and\nplan your war accordingly. Here, it’d be helpful to read some military memories\nand fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add elements of surprise to keep your readers\ninterested in the story, and paint a picture of the war as vivid as possible.\nUse all the sensory details you can, from seeing and hearing, to smelling and\ntasting. This way you can really get the readers engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you have it, 10 tips to help you\nconstruct a good and convincing fight scene. Did you enjoy the list? Try to\napply what you learned, and remember that practice makes perfect, so don’t be\nafraid to try as many times as you need!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo by Thao Le Hoang<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Getting a fight scene right is hard work \u2013 you might find that it’s the moment that your novel starts kicking your butt! Follow these tips for crafting the perfect fight scene for your readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=958"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1128,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958\/revisions\/1128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}10 Tips on the Perfect Fight Scene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Ask Yourself: Is There a Point\nto This Fight Scene?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Try to Reveal More About the\nCharacter Through Action <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Create Motivation for Your Characters to Engage in a Fight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Protection<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Survival<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Honor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. Don’t Let Fight Scenes Slow the Pace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Use Fewer Adverbs and More Verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Include Sensory Aspects <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Make Sure the Style Suits Your Novel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Resolve the Conflict (Even if\nit’s Temporary)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Edit Makes Perfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
10. Study the Works of Great Authors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Long Should Fight Scenes Be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do you Write a Good War\nScene?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wrap Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n