How To Write a Fight or Battle Scene

Part 7 - Other Action

Other Action

"Nothing ever becomes real 'til it is experienced." - John Keats

Whether you're describing a fight (hopefully faster than Captain Kirk up there), a car chase, a furious descent down a mountain on skis, or two small boys wrestling over a toy car, it all needs to be planned (Mr B again). Think through the entire scene in your head like it's happening on the big screen. If you can see how it happens in your head, then you can explain it to other people. If you have no clear idea yourself, there is no way you'll be able to explain it to your reader.

Keep it fast and sharp. Change pace occasionally if needed. Description should be there, but not too flowery. Just because you have the entire world you've created in your head, does not mean that your reader needs to be slapped with every last loving detail. 

You can add in little breaks, slow down the scene, speed it up, pop in some comedy, chuck in the odd surprise (Aardvark - there, that surprised you. But not as much as one armed with an Uzi), do all sorts of wonderful effects, characters and pops and bangs. But if Mr B ain't involved at least at a rudimentary level it'll go wrong. 

And we don't want that Aarvark with the Uzi wandered around...

A great editing tool you can use on action scenes is reading your work aloud. Don't do it as you go though. Get your scene on paper first. Once you've got it hammered to the screen (and for pity's sake hit Save), then you can go through and edit the thing. Let yourself write like a cretin for a bit, don't halt the flow if you're on a roll, just hammer it out, mistakes can be fixed afterwards.

Reading it aloud is a great way to see if the pace you imagine you've achieved actually comes across when it's being read. If reading it is proving difficult or the piece you've written seems stilted or kinda slow, then you need to get in there with the scissors. Adverbs are not your friend in action scenes (or otherwise quite often, they do not always help). Keep it trim, keep it sharp, keep it fast. 

And will someone get rid of that bloody Aardvark please? Give me the Uzi...