How to Plan a Fight Scene
- 1). Think about what the point of the fight scene is. Is it just to injure someone? Why is the fight scene happening? Essentially, decide on your motives for including the fight scene and it'll be easier to see what needs to happen in it for it to be successful for your story. For example, does the fight scene help us see that main character finally stand up for himself? Does it show us a secret power a character has that she didn't realize before, a power she can use for greater good in the world?
- 2). Pinpoint action verbs that are varied, yet not over the top. As your characters are fighting, what could be some good words to show the action? You want to avoid repetition, such as saying "punched" or "hit" dozens of times, but you also want to avoid over-the-top words, such as "annihilated" or "destroyed," unless they're necessary to your story.
- 3). Identify key dialogue that adds to the story. Use dialogue to break up the action scenes. It doesn't have to be several lines of dialogue, but a line or two here and there can add a lot. Think of what a reader needs to hear. "Whoa -- hey, man" is three words that let us know quickly that one person has done something the other person doesn't like or is upset or surprised by.
- 4). Plan to write it low-key. The temptation might be to write it with guns blazing the entire time. If the writing is at full intensity the whole time, it can wear out readers and it will lose its effect. "Tom swung wildly, landing a blow to the side of Hank's face," can be more effective than "Tom swung his arm like a baseball pitcher, unleashing a torrent on Hank's face, splitting it into a brutal disarray of huge proportions." Occasionally you might want to write it with that much intensity, but do that sparingly.
- 5). Think of interior monologues and other perspectives on the fight. Who is watching the fight? What do the characters that are fighting think about it? Are they scared or determined? Are the onlookers scared or excited? Think about how this could add to the fight, such as increasing the intensity by an onlooker shouting, "You're killing him!" As well, an interior monologue could show us a character's mental or emotional reaction, such as, "What am I doing? Oh -- what have I done?"
- 6). Remember that fight scenes have a natural ebb and flow. Fighters aren't typically fighting the whole time, but fight for a little bit and then back off, say a few words or pace around, before continuing the fight. For the actual fighting moments, keep the sentences fairly short. When the fighters are pacing around or talking, longer sentences can work well. Short sentences help move the action along quickly.
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