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Tipsy Kitten

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    • i honestly have no idea what to do when i plan / want to write scene.
      like, it just doesn't happen? So, WF, how do you go about fight scenes in novels?
      would studying them in novels in the genre im writing in help?
      do i focus on imagery or dance around the fact that people may be fight for their lives?
      how about in fantasy, do i detail every spell used or generalize everything unless
      the character know what spell is used explicitly?

      tbh i haven't even written a fight scene yet, but i know there'll be quite a bit of them
      in my writing eventually and the thought terrifies me bc i have no idea on what
      im doing ;;;

Divine Conversationalist

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focus on imagery when describing fight scenes. you want to make picturing the fight as clear as possible.

Tipsy Kitten

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Queen Of Kinqs



    • thanks! q v q
      but uh, here's a follow up question
      do i like, offer a play-by-play or just like, follow a flow, like i miss some things, esp
      if it's in a view of a character that is less that observant?

Dedcadent Pants

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It depends on what you're going for, I'd think.

If you have long descriptions, then the battle will seem more of a grand massacre/field/whatever you describe. If you have short, staccato sentences, it'll heighten emotion and the feeling of urgency.

You should pick which one works best for your goal.

Edit: Leaving out details is perfectly fine. Not everyone is super observant, and if you're trying to go for the higher emotional response, then it's better to not have sentences drag on with details about "he executed a parry 5 to block the head assault, then, with a bit of a push, threw the opponent's sword out of the way long enough for a simple slash."

Tipsy Kitten

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LiaThistle



    • thank you!
      i'll keep this in mind when i get to writing fight scenes, esp since
      im kind of switching perspectives around between chapters. o v o

      this really helped, thanks again!

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LiaThistle
It depends on what you're going for, I'd think.

If you have long descriptions, then the battle will seem more of a grand massacre/field/whatever you describe. If you have short, staccato sentences, it'll heighten emotion and the feeling of urgency.

You should pick which one works best for your goal.

Edit: Leaving out details is perfectly fine. Not everyone is super observant, and if you're trying to go for the higher emotional response, then it's better to not have sentences drag on with details about "he executed a parry 5 to block the head assault, then, with a bit of a push, threw the opponent's sword out of the way long enough for a simple slash."


Agreed. I'm fond of focusing on the characters, their thoughts and emotions, and such over a blow by blow, for example. It all depends on what's important. Like most things in writing, it's a mix between too much and too little. It's all a balancing act that you can only know where the balancing point is by writing it.

Devoted Bookworm

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Couple of links for you covering the basics. Good stuff!

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2013/08/get-into-the-fight-how-to-write-action-that-wont-show-youve-never-thrown-a-punch/

http://www.wattpad.com/3596338-yuffie's-writing-how-to's-how-to-write-physical

Tipsy Kitten

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    • terradi

      thank you!
      that wattpad series / link rly expansive oh my c':

      Sir Icehawk

      thanks! o v o
      yeah, going with what sounds right, although a vague kind of thing to say on my behalf,
      sounds right, since, like, if the narrator has their back to someone else, they can't exactly
      show the reader what their opponent is doing, especially if the fight includes more than
      two people. And with that, i just kind of have to find a sound balance between detail and
      flow, right? q v q


      thanks, everyone, this actually really helped me think of what i could write as a fight scene! :')

Divine Conversationalist

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bye
Queen Of Kinqs



    • thanks! q v q
      but uh, here's a follow up question
      do i like, offer a play-by-play or just like, follow a flow, like i miss some things, esp
      if it's in a view of a character that is less that observant?


like others have said it depends on what it is exactly that you're trying to go for. follow a flow and it's perfectly fine to miss somethings. play by plays are more often than not boring to read because of how slow they are which is not at all how fights are. think of it like animating with words. the more you describe the slow the action is because the more frames you're adding in. the less frames the quicker the action

Revered Vampire

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help me with inquisitor & threadmaster?

❝ For non-magical fight scenes, I find that getting together a group of friends and physically walking through it helps me to determine what is possible and what isn't. Being a historical reenactor that has done combat displays helps a bit as well. ❞

Dapper Gaian

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I think the first thing you should ask yourself is what you want the fundamental nature and purpose of the fight scene to be, both in and of itself and in relation to the rest of the story.

Is it supposed to be abstract or surreal? Alternatively, is it supposed to be a shocking, unreal experience? If so, you could try to communicate it in more vague language, to leave more up to the imagination and to be more symbolic in your word choice.

Is it supposed to be intense and visceral? If so, use as many details as possible, both about the tangible and the intangible. Draw readers into the fight scene as deeply as possible without making it more (or less) intense than you want it to be, and considerations about that depend heavily on what kind of age group and audience you have in mind when writing this story.
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