One Methods:Sample Fight Scenes
An exciting fight scene can make or break an action story. Follow these simple rules, and you will be well on your way to writing the next best selling adventure novel!
1Have competent opponents. It won't be a very enjoyable read if your hero is a far better fighter than his opponents. A respected opponent makes for a good fight. Mindless goons getting mowed down gets boring, fast. Have the opponent pull surprises.
- If the enemy does come in seemingly endless waves, show the effect on the protagonists. Perhaps the constant fighting in wearing them down, or they realize they're low on ammo.
2Make it real. Real fighters don't stop to make speeches at each other. In real life, while the adrenaline is pumping, people won't have the energy to compose devious and witty lines. Swearing is common, instinctive and often violent. When someone gets kicked in the jaw, or hit with a headbutt, they rarely just shrug it off as though nothing has happened. When your hero gets hit, make sure your readers can "feel" the hit.
3Consider carefully the effect that your words have on the reader when it comes to perceptions.
- Short sentences with little extraneous detail create a faster, more frantic tempo.
- Longer sentences with more detail are good but they slow down the tempo and make everything happen slower.
- Use both types of sentences to help control the tempo of the fight scene exactly how you want it to go.
- The more detail you give the less the reader will use their imagination, the less you give the more they will use it.
4Develop a style. There are dozens of different ways that you could write a good fight scene and each author needs to come up with one that works for their writing. Here are some ideas of fight styles to consider.
- Over the top fantasy.
- One on one.
- One on many.
- Epic scale (many on many).
5Show the effect of the fight once it is over. After the fight, is your hero injured? Is he bleeding? Did he break an arm? If there were any, what about the other combatants? If your fighter walks away afterwards as though nothing has happened, then he is either a robot, or you are missing some detail.
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- One work can have multiple styles of fight scene.
- Using sound effects may also give nice onomatopoeia in battle. Like, Clash! The sound of the two swords echoed upon the breeze.
- Consider using grid paper to create a scale map of where the fight is happening. It will help you come up with good narration and creative settings. Four to an inch paper works well for this.
- Try giving thoughts from the minds of all combatants.
- Plan carefully or you may accidentally create an impossible situation.