《How to Write Stories People Will Love》Question 25: Fight scenes
Advertisement
asks: How do you make a good fight scene so readers can understand clearly of what's happening?
Three vital things keep your fight scenes interesting and fun.
A major mistake is to write too much description. You may think you're describing the action in awesome detail, but too much detail slows everything down. Here's an example:
The man jumped out of the bushes, brandishing a hunting knife with a serrated edge in his right hand. Jane's instincts kicked in, and she whirled around, kicking her left foot out, and knocking the knife out of his grasp.
Some of the details we can do without, unless they are relevant to the plot. Nobody cares which hand he's holding the knife with, nor do we care which foot she kicked with. We don't even need to know the knife was serrated unless it's a clue to something else. Actually, even then, the knife's serrated edge should be mentioned after the fight, when looking for clues. Here's an abbreviated version of this scene:
The man jumped out of the bushes, pointing a knife at her. Jane whirled around, all instinct, and kicked the knife out of his grasp.
We've said the same thing with fewer words, and now we can get on with the next piece of action. Quick pacing is crucial to a good fight scene. Never bog down a reader with too much description.
Don't insert a pointless fight. Action scenes should move the plot forward. There needs to be a reason for the fight, or else the reader is going to think, "Why is this here?" The reason could be to reveal personality, introduce characters, resolve a conflict, or numerous other purposes. So long as the reader gleans information from this fight, it serves a purpose.
Don't follow the same action sequence more than once. Even deja-vu scenes should be handled differently so it doesn't feel like we're reading the same thing over again. By keeping each fight fresh and different, the reader won't lose interest.
Advertisement
To get back to the original question, which is making the reader understand clearly what's going on, I have this to say: Don't underestimate the reader's imagination. Given a few key details, the human brain has an incredible aptitude for filling in the blanks. The important thing to remember is the reader needs to understand the plot, not the exact way a fight happened in the writer's imagination. It's a bit arrogant to want readers to imagine things exactly as you did. No two people experience the same thing alike. Ask any crime scene investigator. The point of your writing is to entertain, so if you imagined Jane kicking with her left foot while the reader imagined the right, does it matter? Not at all. So don't worry about trying to transplant a scene exactly from your brain to someone else's. Just make sure the key details are there to support the forward movement of your story.
Advertisement
- In Serial205 Chapters
The Blessed Child
The Ravine. A wide gap which tore through the plains of Maur several thousand years ago and has acted as a boundary between the countries of Solar and Tyne. It has been a place of mystery, fear, and to many- a place of potential treasure. Many adventurers have braved its walls and climbed into the maw in hopes of finding glorious rewards, only to never be heard from again. A young boy, the son of a nobody adventurer, decides that the stories aren't quite enough and wishes to see them for himself. Carrying nothing but a few supplies and his imagination, he descends into the black. But what will he find beneath the surface? Will there be beautiful flowing waters and lush greenery? Crystals worth thousands? Or will it all just be a hoax, a lie, and will he find nothing but stone and darkness. Disclaimer: Not a Necromancy Story.New Chapters/Updates posted on Saturdays. [Author's Note, 5 June 2022: Early Chapters are undergoing revisions. New Chapter releases are on hold until complete. Thank you for your patience.]
8 220 - In Serial17 Chapters
Metamorph
Myke Zifroff, a renowned engineer and scientist, wakes up in a strange cocoon and after he manages to burst out of it, he realizes that the world he knows is no more. He starts exploring the destroyed city struggling to survive and searching for answers. Slowly he realizes that the world is much different now. The city is full of zombies and he has magic abilities. Later he meets with the beautiful vampire girl Liana. She was in an adventurer party searching for loot in the city, but her party was ambushed by the zombies and all other members were killed. Loathing being alone she decides to stay with Myke for now. Myke learns from Liana about this new world. She also doesn’t have all the answers and together they go on an adventure to find the truth.
8 130 - In Serial39 Chapters
Virtual Vampire Vorld
Real Fantasy Online. The world's first virtual reality MMO game, imputing the signals directly to the brain for full immersion. Reality becomes fantasy, perfected. What better way to pass the time? Especially when you have hundreds of years for boredom. Alex is a vampire, an undead immortal over hundreds of years of nights, and he is bored. To allieviate this, he plugs into the hottest new game around. After all, the worst is he loses a couple hours of a day, right? If only. This technology is unprecedented, and there are those who would seek to turn it to their ends. Such as using the game to trap and brainwash the players into slaves. With the secret of vampirism and the world on the line, it's up to Alex to gather allies, aquire resources, and quest to stop the villainous plot. Now if only he could figure out how to level up...
8 78 - In Serial7 Chapters
Mitosis: A Battle for Mankind
Saturn E. Wellingford was a lead scientist of Operation: Black Out, a project that focuses on breeding and cultivating the ""Incandescent"", a man-made bio-weapon that was first created in service for war. The virus maintained a long age of peace, now known as the ""Age of Gods."" Fearing the virus, countries deviced a peace treaty on maintaining order in the world.As time progress, this virus started evolving at a rapid pace that scientist cannot keep up. Random mutations in the viruses DNA popped up and started making the virus much more dangerous. Eventually, the virus broke free of its chain escaping the lab that once its jail. Now only one question remains, can we kill the monstrosity before it kills us? This is my first fiction.Sorry if it is kinda wonky,Enjoy!
8 180 - In Serial409 Chapters
Firebrand
Sing the story, bard, of the Firebrand. He, the youth who saved Morcaster from ruin. He, the warrior who defeated an empire. He, the archmage who crossed the Netherworld... The tale of Martel the mage, from his humble beginnings as a hapless novice at a magic school. Slow, character-focused and light-hearted progression fantasy. Updates Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Join the Lyceum on discord.
8 1596 - In Serial61 Chapters
Elani
"I mean, you're not human, obviously.... Aren't you afraid he might be keeping you around for your powers?" Assassin. Thief. Smuggler. Hale Verdun is branded as the worst type of scum there is in the galaxy. His line of work has taught him to never trust anyone and always look out for number one. Being held in the galaxy's second largest prison, he finds himself left with nothing but endless debts to people more evil than he. Princess. Heir to the throne of Elani. Pandora is beloved by her subjects as a model of regal purity and ultimate beauty. Her societal status, though seen as one of power, has bound her to the confines of her castle. Her world Elani cries out for her help as its power slowly dies away. She knows what she must do to save her home, but first she must escape it. When by chance their paths cross and their eyes meet, Hale is immediately drawn to Pandora. Her violet eyes have a power over him only she can explain. And after she resurrects him, he has even more questions about who or what she is. If he wants them answered, he must help Pandora save her world. [this book is also published by me on Wattpad]
8 372

