5 Key Tips to Writing a Stellar Fight Scene (Guest Blog)

Without a great fight scene for your action or fantasy or sci-fi novel, does it really fit the mold? The great fight scenes of old have transformed good books into great books: Harry Potter vs. Voldemort (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire), Paul Atreides vs. Jamis (Dune), etc. There are a lot of great battles to name from all sorts of books from a plethora of genres. But why are they so important?

Great battles can move stories forward, reveal character, and sometimes provide the reader with necessary exposition. Writing fight scenes requires a certain finesse and intentionality. Therefore, think of these five key tips when writing your fights.

1) Do Research

In all things that you do, developing character, moving plot, or creating a new world, do your research. Research can be as simple as picking up your favorite book and reading your favorite battle and determine why it’s your favorite. There are also some great resources you can pick up at the library or at a bookstore that can elaborate more on the craft of writing fight scenes, so take all of that into consideration when you sit down to write.

Oh, and maybe watch some real fights on TV or in movies for some inspiration as well.

2) Choose Your Words Carefully

Writing fight scenes relies heavily on word choice. A lot of writers feel the need to use technical terms in their scenes such as parry which doesn’t add emotion to the scene. However, powerful verbs like lunge, slam, jab, and others add more impact to the scene, placing your protagonist in a precarious situation in a battle. These strong verbs are more visual and provide the reader with a sharper image.

Other great words to use are onomatopoeia words, the comic book words like wham, pow, and whack. While these words should be used sparingly, they can add to the scene by setting a tone and mood. When a character is whacked, it comes across different than saying the character was struck on his right temple.

Sentences in fight scenes should be short and sweet, with some variation. Skip all the little, small movements and show the scene from the POV of the character you’re following.

(Comment from Judy L Mohr: Be careful with using too many short sentences during your fight scenes. This will have the impact of creating disconnected, stuttered movement, and has the potential of disorienting your reader. Sometimes, the longer sentence is needed to help keep the reader grounded. I'll write a blog post on the literary mechanics of fight scenes in the future.)

3) Don’t Forget Dialogue and Sensory Details

When writing your fight scenes, don’t forget to make the stakes pop out for the reader. A stake in the battle could be the life or death of the protagonist’s best friend. It could mean total annihilation. If the stakes can’t be provided in the narrative, have your characters show them through dialogue.

And with all writing, don’t forget your sensory details. Make sure your readers feel grounded in the world you’ve created and that all the battles taking place in your story work within rules you have set for your world; magic systems, science, character interactions, etc., are what fit into the realm of what is and what isn’t possible.

4) Challenge the Protagonist

The stakes of the battle only become real when the protagonist has a real challenge. There should be some sort of disadvantage for the protagonist even if the antagonist is inferior in some way—physically weaker or not as smart.

Make your protagonist bleed a little to keep the action going and to raise the stakes of the scene. A mortal wound or a threat of death generally raises the stakes for the reader and incites an emotional response and the important question of will she make it out alive.

Consider Katniss from The Hunger Games or Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog in The Fellowship of The Ring.

5) Move the Story Forward or Reveal Character

No matter what, move the story forward with the battle scenes. These scenes generally take place in the first act, the rising conflict, and the climax, or other pivotal moments in the story where the protagonist must face the antagonist. Every time, there must be something at stake and the hero must have some sort of disadvantage in order for it to be engaging.

There can be exposition, meaningful dialogue, and a big reveal during these battles. So, use them in a way to keep the story moving forward. Or reveal character. There can be a lot to learn during these moments in your story. Use them to the best of your ability.

One great example of revealing exposition in battle is in the movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker learns that Darth Vader is his father. While this example doesn’t come directly from a book, it does check all the boxes for an extraordinary battle scene.

• Stakes – Darth Vader wants to kill him for destroying the death star. The Rebellion could lose their fight against the Empire.
• Disadvantage – Darth Vader is more adept at using the force and a lightsaber than Luke.
• Sensory details – We’re in a part of the ship which is dark and machines are whirring.
• Dialogue – The two talk about their conflict in between lightsabers as Darth invites Luke to join him to bring order to the galaxy.
• Character – Though Darth Vader is the enemy, he seems to have a twisted way of thinking to accomplish what is arguably a noble goal. Luke refuses to join as he sees something sinister in Darth Vader and that he is committed to the Rebellion—and he is convinced that Darth Vader killed his father.
• Reveal – Darth Vader reveals the truth that he is Luke’s father.
• Bonus – Though not mentioned before, every battle scene should have a definitive end, when the protagonist has either failed or triumphed over the antagonist. In this case, Luke failed to defeat Darth Vader. The battle ends when Luke steps off the platform and into the exhaust pipe, effectively giving up.

Conclusion

Writing fight scenes doesn’t have to be daunting. It can be fun as you meld in the elements of your story into one pivotal scene where the protagonist and antagonist face off. Be sure to bring the story into the scene and ensure that something is at stake for the protagonist. Also, don’t forget to use strong active verbs, sensory details, and some dialogue to add to the exposition and character arcs in your story. With all of that, you can write some pretty strong fight scenes no matter what genre.