How do you write action? As in fight scenes.

[LORD_SHAXX]

honestly, I'm struggling with this bit you describe too much it sounds boring too little and no one has any idea what's going on. Any advice

 

[Cipiteca396]

Try this one to start, then you can clarify what you need help with.

Writing - [Tutorial] Writing ACTION 1: The Trick to Writing Action Scenes that Work

The Trick to Writing Action Scenes that Work: Action THEN Reaction! The #1 Most Common cause of Confusion in Action sequences...? Putting the Reaction BEFORE the Action. WARNING! This tutorial is NOT meant for those do Creative Writing. This essay was originally written for writers seeking...

forum.scribblehub.com

 

[atgongumerki]

My rule of thumb:
describe the engagement (how it started and who is involved), then how one side gained the upper hand or how a stalemate was reached, then how the situation was broken up, describe each shift in momentum, and then how the fight ended

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

3 things to watch out when writing an action scenes.

First, its the fight choreography. Next would be character's movement reaction. Finally would be the character's reaction.

In that order should be followed since its how a fight should proceed.

" 'A' move at a lighning speed which 'B' block the attack, barely enough to dodge a devestating blow. B was surprised that the attack was so fast that he could barely react to A's strike.' "

The character's sync with the fight sequence on the choreography, followed by the movement reaction of the opponent before finally the character's reaction.

For novices that want to write action scenes, you should start with this before delving in to the more complex action writing squences. Its actually easy to write an action scene but hard to make readers feel indulge in the reading of a fight.

Make it that you deliver a more intense fight scene by making the fight more fluid first before getting to over the top.

 

[Varstark]

Depends on the tempo of the battle, I guess, and what you want to omit and what you want to show, as well as the mood of the battle that you want. Is there ample preparation beforehand and a buildup to the action? Is it a quick ambush or assassination? Does the POV character feel starkly aware of his actions or feeling poetically disengaged? Is it his first battle or just one among many? What are the stakes of the battle? Are his family or friends on the line? His country? Is it a personal battle or one of duty? Is it a war or a small skirmish or one-on-one? Is it day or night? Who is he fighting? His friend, an enemy, a hunt? Is it one for survival or is there an objective to it? Will there be a flourishing climax, a rectum-clenching twist or an anticlimatic, calculative end?

What does your gut say? Then what does your dick say? Then what does your brain say?

Once you've answered those questions and whatever else comes to mind, you'll probably have a rough idea of how to write it.

 

[HappyVainGlory]

honestly, I'm struggling with this bit you describe too much it sounds boring too little and no one has any idea what's going on. Any advice

Easy three step process.
1. Learn to fight.
2. Get into a fight.
3. Profit.

On a more serious note, it really helps to observe how fights actually go. It really is best to go experience one, but if you can't then watching and observing action scenes in movies help you get a sense for how the flow of a fight should go.

Other than that, find an action scene you like and pick it apart.

 

[Kilolo]

were you writing it on 1st PoV or 3rd PoV?
i mean, it's different according how you wrote it.

1st PoV is about monologue, 3rd PoV is about flow and suspense.

one thing that you should understand is, time flow differently in a battle, you don't have to worry explaining a one second instance in 3 sentence, so it's actually fine.
for 1st PoV if someone monologuing about how he barely escape death by avoid a stab directly to his heart, then the monologue shift to the mc checking on his opponent expression or footing (or it could be both). then you can wrote at how mc thought of process trying to overcome the situation and how he actually cope with it.

on 3rd PoV since monologue aren't supposed to be a thing (thought nobody would stop you if you want to do that), you start to explain from the first move, how the characters saw the other party moves, then how each of them trying to cope with it. in sort : you show them that the character are trying to win, even if it's just as straightforward as "if i can land this one punch, then i win!"

battle scene it's not about how, you're not just simply wrote A punch, then B sidestep, then A throw a kick, then B counter with magic and such.
leaves such a thing for something with easy visualization like manga/anime. in a novel, you explain why.

why is A throwing a punch, what he's trying to achieve with that punch, was it just a mindless punch? and why the B even need to sidestep, why didn't he just take it then kick A in the crotch right after that. it has to be an explanation on why everyone moves the way they are.

and i'm sure you're thinking "would these just make things bloated with wall of text?"
well, just avoid a repetition. just don't make any character doing something that they already do in the same battle.

hope it helps

 

[Mighty]

This is my advice: first, what is the intention of your character that causes them to fight? second, what is the condition for the protagonist to win and the look of their surroundings? and they need to be short because no one wants to read a whole chapter of just fighting because it's boring, so make the fight short and the fight needs to be connected to the plot that's all.

 

[Amok]

Action has reaction, yet some act faster than others, and some actions narrow the reactions of others(shot through the knee, grappled around neck with one arm held behind back.)
Each thrust need not be described in detail, time is malleable: They entered into a quick succession of strikes and parries, the knight driving the churl ever toward the wall.

Magic and ballistic weapons create another level or complexity, or can make things simpler to describe: they fell to a burst of machine gun fire spewing from two nests, the firesphere connected with the troll, skin and flesh roasting away to cinders within seconds.

 

[Ai-chan]

honestly, I'm struggling with this bit you describe too much it sounds boring too little and no one has any idea what's going on. Any advice

If you really can't imagine it, there is no other way than to go to a dojo and start learning. To write Felicia's Second Life, Ai-chan went to a dojo to learn kenjutsu, and Ai-chan also practiced archery to get a feel of how archery works. If your imagination is good enough to provide an image for the scene, this is unnecessary. But if you really can't make a mental image, then experience is pretty much the only way.

Movie scenes are rarely accurate, so don't use those as reference. They're there to wow you, but most often those scenes can't teach you anything. Experience is best.

 

[owotrucked]

I like those advices. If you want to write an isekai, buckle up and get that truck out there. Nothing beats real experience.

 

[Southdog]

honestly, I'm struggling with this bit you describe too much it sounds boring too little and no one has any idea what's going on. Any advice

IRL, fights are messy, dirty, brutal, short, and over before you know it. High-stress situations are remembered after the fact and recounted, not experienced in the moment. That's the nature of high-stress, unplanned situations like fights and attacks. Most fight scenes just don't do it for me because they rarely capture high-stress, high-tension events like that.

As an example, I was playing with my dog recently at an open field when two strays run up on us. They're bigger dogs with no collars and no tags. I don't know if they're rabid, aggressive, if their owner is nearby, or anything else. All I am reacting to is a pair of animals that are suddenly violating my dog's space and trying to get on top of her. My dog is standoffish and I can immediately see this situation could deteriorate FAST. Thus, I draw my handgun and keep it at the ready in case I need to defend myself from an animal that turns aggressive. Luckily, these were just strays that were playful and brave, and I ran them off with a few loud words. But a situation like that doesn't invite standing around and rationally observing if the dogs are friendly, what they act like, etc. It's a sudden, unexpected turn of events that demands immediate reaction and constant attention lest something bad happen. I would bet the whole altercation happened over the course of about two minutes from them running towards me to me running them off.

That wasn't a fight, but it is an experience that I feel can influence my writing. I avoid blow-by-blow descriptions. I like to use reactive terms. Things happen, people respond to them, situations change in ways you can't predict. Things do not happen because you had a plan for it to go that way. They happen because you react that way instinctively or through training. When fights happen, they're either lethal, one-sided, or it becomes a slugfest. Very rarely do fights end on draws and VERY rarely do they end on either party coming out unscathed. You do not have full recollection of your knowledge, you can't name a kick as it's coming towards your head. Analysis of a fight comes after the fact, not during it. It doesn't matter if there's a Glock or a Beretta pointed at you or if it's a German Shepherd or Alsatian biting at you. Both of those are trying to make your inside blood become your outside blood, and you do not want that to happen. You can sort things out after the dust settles. That is probably the most important takeaway from the sketchy situations I've been in so far in my short life, lol.

 

[Gryphon]

So most people in this thread are talking about the flow of action and cause and effect of the action, but I want to talk about the characters in said action. Yes you want your action to flow well and have a reason, but there's one thing that a lot of people overlook when writing a fight scene and that is how a character's personality affects their fighting style. I'm more of a character writer so this is much more in my expertise.

So basically what you would want to think of is what your character's personality is. Is your MC a hotheaded brute? Then most likely his fighting style will be getting up close and personal, trying to hit their opponent rather than coming up with how they were going to do it and what they'll do after. The description of the fight should also reflect this with your prose being much more fast and loose, only going into detail if he gets one good blow in.

Example: Joshua darted toward Liam, kicking up a wave of dirt in his wake. With as much force as he could muster, he threw the first punch. Liam dodged out of the way, but Joshua already had another punch flying his way. In a barrage of fury, fists flew and Joshua's screams of hatred rang in his ears. Until he was kicked in the groin at least.

Well what about if the MC is a tactful character that thinks first, acts later? Then he'll most likely dodge throughout most of the fight, analyzing his opponents techniques, only striking once he realizes there is an opening. The descriptions for this type of character will be much more personal and analytical.

Example: Liam studied Joshua's proud and ugly stance. It was rather embarrassing that he thought he'd be able to hit him with that. He could already see the flow of action from how his fists and legs are positioned, it was laughably easy. Joshua made the first move, darting toward Liam at blinding speed. Liam darted his head out of the way, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow aimed at his nose. Joshua dug his feet into the earth, and unleashed a torrent of punches strong enough to shatter planets. He dodged each and every one of them. The only thing moving as fast as him are his eyes that traced Joshua's every punch. In a single speck of an instant, Liam saw his chance. He raised his leg and kicked Joshua squarely in the groin.

I hope this helps cause its really disappointing how often I see people forget the characters when a fight plays out. It may be cool to read a bunch of Gods duking it out, but if there's no character in the fights, then something that readers will pick up on is that each fight reads about the same. Once every fight feels the same, then what's the point in reading them.