forum How do I write a fight scene?

Started February 05, 2018 by Lexi

tune

I want to include a fight scene with swords and knives, but I've never written one and don't know how. Any advice?

It's difficult… I'll do an example…

"Alright, Aizen, your first lesson starts now!" Were Marco's first words, as soon as I entered. So this is what they called me in for.
"Yessir, Marco, but… Out of curiosity, what are we starting with?" I asked, I desperately hoped it wasn't hand to hand.
Funny thing.
In the history of my life, nothing has ever gone my way.
"Come on Aizen, come at me."
Reluctantly, I charged him throwing a punch whenever I got in range. With speed that seemed superhuman to me, he sidestepped it, grabbed my fist, and pulled me in. Momentum sent me flying his way, I went to punch him again. Of course, that didn't work out, his arms were longer than mine. He got there first. I felt my jaw shatter like glass, it hurt so bad, that, in that instant, it was numb. I lay there gasping on the floor, spitting up teeth.
"Come on kid, didn't you take a headshot yesterday?" He said.
He was right. I felt my jaw mend. That was the worst part, manly because now I could feel the sheer, staggering mountain of pain, even if only for a second. After that I was good as new. All 32 teeth and everything. He chuckled.
"Come on Aiz' man, I could do this all day!" He said…
Jackass. I charged him again.

Thank you so much! Also, that is amazing!

Thank you too, glad to help… Action is my forte.

I can try to help, but it won't be perfect. I write an example. July's sword clashed with the baron's, head on with a lot of force. She shoved her sword with as much force as she could muster, throwing him back into a chair. She flipped nimbly backwards onto a table and shouted at him,"Where are you holding the people?" He grinned wickedly and returned,"You will never find them." He leaped onto the table and made a stab at her knees. She deflected it easily and threw him off balance. Not wanting to kill him, she leaped high into the air, did a piroette like spin, and kicked him in the face. He crashed to the floor with a glorious thud. She checked his pulse to make sure that he was still alive, then she turned toward the door. "Now to find, and free, his hostages." She said out loud to herself.

Also a good example…

also keep in mind with fight scenes not to oversaturate the scene with descriptions and keep sentences short and quick (like jabs with a sword). when you use too many descriptor words to describe the entire scene, it pulls the reader out of the scene. not many people are going to be aware of their surroundings and be able to describe them during a fight. they're not going to focus on the way the grass shines in the dappled sunlight – that would be an afterthought after the battle is over – but maybe they can taste the bitter tang of blood in their mouth.

That is extremely helpful! Thank you!

Always ready to help a fellow writer.:)

Me too.

And thank you @Cami. I will keep that in mind the next time I write a fight scene.

Fight scenes are fast. What you're attempting to do is write a few moments, maybe a few minutes, in agonizing detail. That doesn't mean detailing every action or move. Detail feelings, sounds, smells.

Fight scenes have a rhythm. Snap. Snap. Short, action-packed sentences. Strong verbs. No adverbs or adjectives.

Heart pounding in their ears. The taste of blood on the tips of their tongue. The jolt of pain as it snakes down their arm. The smell of sweat.

In a battle, adrenaline keeps you from thinking too much. You won't be making many observations unless you're a seasoned fighter. Be fast, brief, describe things as they happen. Avoid grand, sweeping descriptions. Keep the camera focused in tight.

Emotions run wild. Panic, desperation, rage.

Write it as a feeling. Make us feel like we're in the battle so that once it finishes, we're out of breath too.

Tasper grappled with his sword. It was heavy. He wondered how his mother could wield it.

His opponent smiled with his usual innocence, his eyes sparkling. "Are –are you ready? This is fun!"

Tasper didn't respond.

The kid's speed was astounding. He wasn't a few feet away anymore; he was inches away, the air cracking as he appeared. Wind tousled his hair. Bit at his cheeks.

Mitsig's qeapon clashed with his. The sound of metal on metal clanged through Tasper's skull. He was forced back. His heart leapt in his throat.

Again. Parry, blow, parry. He couldn't gain any ground. He was entirely on the defensive. Mitsig kept moving. His eyes couldn't follow.

The smell of blood met his nose before he felt the blow. He gasped, jerking back. His arm felt like it was on fire. He hadn't even seen it coming.

The pain was soon replaced with shock. Not much better. The sweat on his hands caused his sword to slip around even more. Mitsig had no such trouble.

Tasper threw his sword down. A curse hissed through his teeth. Dizziness muddled his senses. "I give up," he snarled.

Mitsig just smiled again. He seemed confused. "Okay! Good fight."

That one was by far the best.

Also, remember that nobody gets good at fighting overnight. Have them loose a few fights. Nobody fights without motivation- give it to your characters.

Adrenaline works against the character, not for them. It might give them more energy, but they will tire out quickly afterwords. They will also become more clumsy, and less accurate.

Don't over-describe weapons, but give them a basic description. Don't tell me that it was a sword, tell me that it was a "sharp, needle-like rapier". Then again, nobody wants to hear about the intricate gems embedded in the handle. If you want to add this, add it after the fight, when the character would actually notice this.

In the middle of a fight, the character isn't going to notice how their opponent looks. You can tell us a few things: a hair color, a skin color. But don't go too overboard, or else it will take the attention away from the fight.

Finally, remember: nobody dies from a punch to the head, or bleeds out from a stab would to the arm. Nobody dies from a single cut from a pocketknife. You might want to do some research, see how much blood someone can use from a certain type of wound and the symptoms of it are. If you get the information wrong, it's even worse than a boring scene. Even if your book is fantasy, or science fiction, it still needs to be realistic enough to be believable.

If you're looking for a pretty neat place for research, http://howtofightwrite.tumblr.com is definitely something to check out.

I would advise using short, punctual sentences. I don't really know too much, but its just something that I picked up from reading. Have you read the King's Avatar? Its a Chinese translation, but has a lot of model combat scenes. Try learning from these examples to convey the detail and complexity of a fight as well as keep the reader engaged and interested.