Writing Tips!

All About Writing Fight Scenes

this post was made by brynwrites on tumblr, or http://brynwrites.tumblr.com/post/162531161729/all-about-writing-fight-scenes

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@ galaxies-are-my-ink asked brynwrites:

"Do you have any advice on writing fight scenes? The type of scene I'm writing is mostly hand to hand combat between two experts. I'm definitely not an expert so when I try to write it, the scene ends up sounding repetitive and dull."

Fore note:  This post is coauthored by myself and one of my amazing critique partners, Barik S. Smith, who both writes fantastic fight scenes and teaches mixed martial arts, various artistic martial arts, and weapons classes.

I (Bryn) will tell you a secret: I trained MMA for seven years, and when I write authentic hand to hand fight scenes, they sound dull too.

The problem with fight scenes in books is that trying to describe each punch and kick and movement (especially if it's the only thing you're describing) creates a fight that feels like it's in slow motion.

I write...

Lowering her center of gravity, she held her right hand tight to her face and threw a jab towards his chin. He shifted his weight, ducking under her punch. His hair brushed against her fist, and he stepped forward, launching a shovel hook into her exposed side.

But your brain can only read for fast. In real life that series of events would take an instant, but I needed a full eight seconds to read and comprehend it, which gave it an inherent lethargic feel.

So, we have two primary problems:

1: How do we describe this fight in a way the reader can understand and keep track of?
2: How do we maintain a fast paced, interesting fight once we've broken down the fight far enough for readers to understand it?

(We will get back to these, I promise.) But for now, let's look at...

Different types of"fight scenes:"

Because "fight scene" is a broad term, it can be helpful to break it down into different types, each having their own strengths and pitfalls. Some are better to use more frequently than others, but each has their own circumstances to shine, and figuring out which one feels most natural for the part you're writing can be very helpful for gaining direction.

Type A – Movie Epic

-Spells out what's happening in a more step-by-step fashion.
-Doesn't progress the plot during the scene (usually).
-Doesn't develop the character during the scene (usually).
-Has well thought-out fighting choreography.
-Highlights the "awesomeness" of the fight.

Personally, I am not a fan of these in books, and generally find them to be slow and rather boring to read, but since some people do really like them, I won't tell anyone not to write fight scenes this way.

This is usually the sort of fight scene you write when you just have to write a fight scene, even if you couldn't integrate character growth or development into it, because the plot simply demands two or more characters duke it out. For instance, you might have written yourself into a corner, and your climax ended up being nothing but a final battle. You can use these to create some really awesome scenes with memorable set pieces, choreography, and powers, but have to be extra engaging, as action like this can never quite come across on paper as well as it can in a movie.

The most important aspects of this type of fight scene are well described settings, understandable individual actions, and a fight with goes from 'least threatening situation' to 'most threatening situation.'