- Use short sentences
- Put each action into it's own paragraph unless it's just a one liner (I got conflicting stories on this. It's up to the writer)
- Don't choreograph it, you tend to distance your character and leave the reader uninvolved.
- Use realistic, sequential, logical moves
- Use imaginative verbs(Of course)
- Experience the fight through a character's pov, preferably your MC. He's the one the reader identifies with.
- Follow an action with a reaction. Don't put the horse before the cart
- Get the pov character emotionally involved.
Now it's your turn. Add to the list. I can use a lot of suggestions in my rewrite.
Thanks
I tend to use a lot of fragments. It gives that awesomely tense, rushed feeling you need to get the reader invested in it. Other than that, I think your list is great.
ReplyDeleteFight scenes are hard to write! Thanks for the advice!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the list of useful tips. I find I spend most of my time working the line between 'too choreographed - distancing the reader' and 'not enough detail - reader is ungrounded' when writing fight scenes. I agree that much of the advice on this topic is conflicting, but I believe that is a result of the fact that a good fight scene is dependent on context. I always enjoy reading fight scenes by a writer who can achieve tension over the entire range of styles; from a 'slow motion' type of scene that goes on for pages to one that is over in a sentence. I certainly tend to the more wordy style, myself, which is sometimes appropriate and other times needs a touch of trimming :)
ReplyDeletewww.onewritersmind.blogspot.com
My current WIP will have a fight scene eventually. Good to hear the advice from someone who's been there.
ReplyDeleteLiz H Allen
www.writingmommy.com
Relevant/motivated dialogue is a useful tool to drive the action forward and give the reader a mental break from pure description.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to print out this list and put it on my wall. Very nice. Thanks for putting it together.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. I struggle with fight scenes, because I tend to want to internalize the fight too much. I like the idea of using sentence fragments or short sentences to generate pace. I think I always want to delve into everything the character is thinking, which is probably exactly the wrong thing to do in a fight scene.
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