# Proper way to do a fight scene.



## Blake_Foxx (Feb 15, 2014)

Hello. I've been writing forever, but it's been some number of years at this point since I've ever so much as thought about writing out a fight between characters in a story. It made me realize I should probably put some effort into that. So I have three questions in that regard

1.) Special abilities/powers/magic: When it comes to the supernatural how does one go about the fighting? Is there a method to it, or are you just kind of having the fight involve lots of cool explosions and stuff? Would it be best to produce your own set of rules to the magic? Perhaps the classic This beats that type deal?

2.) Fist fights/sword fights/basically anything that doesn't involve powers: Should this type of fighting be more tempered? Should it be more bare bones? Would you think this style of fighting is the best kind to make over the top ( tables smashed, people flying in the air, ect...)?

3.) How do you go about making it feel fluent?


----------



## BronwynMendoza (Feb 15, 2014)

I'm not sure if this will help at all, but thought I'd comment what helps me when writing fight scenes. I like to focus on the emotional side of things in fights/arguments as this is where it starts off for me. Maybe the character experiences pain before off loading magical abilities? Or maybe has to conjure great mental strength? Maybe there is unspoken dialogue before a flourish of violence? The action part ie explosions or broken furniture and/or adversaries (for me) fits in around the above.


----------



## Blake_Foxx (Feb 15, 2014)

BronwynMendoza said:


> I'm not sure if this will help at all, but thought I'd comment what helps me when writing fight scenes. I like to focus on the emotional side of things in fights/arguments as this is where it starts off for me. Maybe the character experiences pain before off loading magical abilities? Or maybe has to conjure great mental strength? Maybe there is unspoken dialogue before a flourish of violence? The action part ie explosions or broken furniture and/or adversaries (for me) fits in around the above.



That's an interesting angle to approach a fight scene by. 

I'm just not sure, it's been so long since I written out a fight scene I want to be sure before I get around to it lol


----------



## Conker (Feb 15, 2014)

When it comes to magic, it really depends on the world you're writing in. I'm a fan of trashy fantasy novels, and most of those have a magic system that seems pretty akin to what you'd find in a DnD game or World of Warcraft. I enjoy that with the flashes of fire and explosions and all sorts of crazy shit. But if you're going a bit more gritty or realistic, ala Game of Thrones, you'd want something a bit less cartoony. Sauron's magic in The Lord of the Rings works pretty well in that regard, where he's mostly controlling the weather and certain physical aspects of land masses. Crows too I suppose. It's a bit less "LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHTNING BOLT!" though.

But yes, make up your own rules. If there are no rules then magic can easily become a go-to "get out of jail free" card when problems arise. Plus, I like my magic systems to have some forethought to them.

For sword fighting, I prefer the Salvatore route with all kinds of details. I like to know every damn parry and slash, but that's not always needed or easy to pull off. When I write fighting, I tend to err on that side though. It's kind of a hard line to work with as too many details will bog things down. 

As to fluency, I'm all about flow. Sentence variety will help a lot there, though keep important parts of the fight to short, choppy things to punctuate em better. Makes em stand out.

YMMV. This is what I go for/like to read.


----------



## whatisthisidonteven (Feb 15, 2014)

BronwynMendoza said:


> I'm not sure if this will help at all, but thought I'd comment what helps me when writing fight scenes. I like to focus on the emotional side of things in fights/arguments as this is where it starts off for me. Maybe the character experiences pain before off loading magical abilities? Or maybe has to conjure great mental strength? Maybe there is unspoken dialogue before a flourish of violence? The action part ie explosions or broken furniture and/or adversaries (for me) fits in around the above.



This is good advice, I'd say. When you're writing anything, always ask yourself what it is you're trying to do for your readers. You wanting them to feel fear, pain, excitement, etc.? These are all emotions and flying furniture by itself isn't going to do it. Let the people (or person, depending on how many POV's you are juggling) be the conduit for these emotions and sensations. 

I'd also advise recalling your own experiences of fights (assuming you've had them) and injecting that impression into the writing. To emphasize, this is an _impression_ you are going after, not so much a description. (Unless you're approaching it in a high-above-the-battlefield, eye-of-God type of way.) So use words, expressions, sentence and paragraph forms that convey the abrupt, jagged, surreal, slow-mo or sped-up sensations of being in the center of a fracas. Change up those rhythms a bit. Boom-boom-boooooooooom-boom-booooooom-boom-boom-boom-end. Your audience should feel just about as disoriented at the cessation of a fight as the character(s). Do this and you're really tapping into the reader's glands (just as important as the heart and head at certain junctures).


----------



## Inignem (Feb 16, 2014)

Blake_Foxx said:


> Hello. I've been writing forever, but it's been some number of years at this point since I've ever so much as thought about writing out a fight between characters in a story. It made me realize I should probably put some effort into that. So I have three questions in that regard
> 
> 1.) Special abilities/powers/magic: When it comes to the supernatural how does one go about the fighting? Is there a method to it, or are you just kind of having the fight involve lots of cool explosions and stuff? Would it be best to produce your own set of rules to the magic? Perhaps the classic This beats that type deal?
> 
> ...



To be sincere there is no human way to make a fight scene look good and fluent via writting. The words in human language to depict actions in a fight scene fastly get all used, and it is almost impossible to depict a fight using only words to be able to portrait what exists in your mind.


----------



## Aleu (Feb 16, 2014)

Inignem said:


> To be sincere there is no human way to make a fight scene look good and fluent via writting. The words in human language to depict actions in a fight scene fastly get all used, and it is almost impossible to depict a fight using only words to be able to portrait what exists in your mind.



It's not impossible, nor is it even almost impossible.


----------



## Inignem (Feb 16, 2014)

Aleu said:


> It's not impossible, nor is it even almost impossible.



I dare you to quote a correctly wrritten fight scene that manages to have the same fluent feeling of cinema or videogames, and, at the same time, that does not abuse words or redaction techniques.


----------



## SierraCanine (Feb 16, 2014)

In regards to the original post.... I prefer to write my fight scenes as the second option, preferring to define it as more "raw".  My story is filled with various fights (some rather gruesome and seeing Inignem's comment, some seem to happen incredibly fast ) and the way I have found works best is to have a lot of action happening in the build up to the actual fight and then it all fades out almost as if time stands still for the combatants (wolves in my case).  When I really want to bring readers into the fight I start with emotional extremes, then use VERY descriptive images to "show" what physically is happening.  Some example chapters (( they aren't too long of a read )) are here:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9368763/14/In-Search-of-Paradise (near the end of the chapter )

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9368763/22/In-Search-of-Paradise ( pretty much the whole thing is a compilation of several fights )

I prefer to listen to music that sets the tone of the scene I'm working on, especially when there is a fight scene.  Some more scenes I wrote you can check out are below and come from the sequel.

http://https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9696633/5/Pack-of-Outcasts (second half is a fast paced action scene with very minimal fighting )

http://https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9696633/7/Pack-of-Outcasts ( second half is a fight scene with dialog between characters )

For me the best way to approach a fight is not to plan it out ahead of time too much but to rather literally "role with the punches."  You are ALL the characters as an author so it can be very easy to get carried away by trying to think logically about a fight.  Fights aren't logical.  Tell me the last time you were able to think of all your moves, blocks, insults while in an intense emotional and stressful physical state? Lost?? That's because it just doesn't happen (( too often ))  Things happen in fights that characters regret, so be impulsive.  If a particular character would react a certain way under pressure, then that's how s/he should act.  Don't second guess yourself.  It only makes things inconsistent when you start rewriting parts of a fight.  Try to find time to write the whole scene, and get it done. If your interrupted it will show in your work as a subtle but often times noticeable shift in the style of the scene.

Well I'm gonna shut up now.  Let me know it y'all have any questions and I'll try to answer them as best I can.
-SierraCanine


----------



## DragonMasterX (Feb 16, 2014)

Think about what each character is capable of doing, and while staying true to their personalities (unless they have a different personality when fighting), and then pool in the motivations fueling each contesting side. The winner/loser outcome won't be as important because the story dictates where it'll go.

When you know about something, don't hold back on your details. People want to see the fight in their heads; it won't be like a comic book fight, it'll be fluent; it won't be a movie fight, it'll have a pace and lack Hollywood effects. Just try to find a balance that won't take your characters off their personality center.

As long as the characters are true to themselves, your fight can have the world exploding and its fragments eaten by a space puppy for all the audience will care (If you're writing about feeding giant space puppies), just be sure to make them utilize what they got (if they're scaly, make them weak to cold but thrive with warm temps. If they got prehensile, strong tails, give them a fifth limb, provided the only got four, and so on)


----------



## Aleu (Feb 16, 2014)

Inignem said:


> I dare you to quote a correctly wrritten fight scene that manages to have the same fluent feeling of cinema or videogames, and, at the same time, that does not abuse words or redaction techniques.



I dare you to read any book that involves any sort of conflict :V

Just because you lack the skill doesn't mean others do.

Also lol at the implication that video game fighting is in any way fluent or not-repetitive


----------



## Conker (Feb 16, 2014)

DragonMasterX said:


> Think about what each character is capable of doing, and while staying true to their personalities (unless they have a different personality when fighting), and then pool in the motivations fueling each contesting side. The winner/loser outcome won't be as important because the story dictates where it'll go.


Oh this is really good advice! 

It all comes down to the characters in the end, so make it about them. Fights are fun, but if they are there to just be there, then...well sometimes that can be fun too  but it isn't really "good writing" since it's action for the sake of it.


----------



## Inignem (Feb 16, 2014)

Aleu said:


> I dare you to read any book that involves any sort of conflict :V
> 
> Just because you lack the skill doesn't mean others do.
> 
> Also lol at the implication that video game fighting is in any way fluent or not-repetitive



I studied literature and philosophy formally two years at college and I used to write since child.

Videogames are a miracle of human thought that requires expertise in math; writing tales requires sitting over a couch and have a mental diarrea.


----------



## Blake_Foxx (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back to everyone on this.

Thank you all for the suggestions. Some varied opinions and interesting ideas. I especially liked the idea of creating the fight scene 'in the moment' because the more I think about it, the more I realize that most of the time fights do seem to be something that happens in the heat of the moment. It might create a good sense of flow going about it in such a way.

I also liked the idea of bleeding the characters thoughts and personalities into the fight as well. 

I'll definitely be keeping this in mind.


----------



## Conker (Feb 17, 2014)

Aye. And if all else fails, go to your bookshelf, grab something you like, and see how authors you typically read do it. I try to mimic the style of Salvatore because I'm a fan and I think he does fights quite well. Dunno who your own poison is, but go take a draft of it!


----------

