Why Write Fight Scenes?

-      Fights and Action sequences follow the same rules as any other narrative scene

-      They contain clear stakes and a conflict that the protagonist must overcome to achieve their goals, while opposed by an antagonist or an antagonistic force

-      A good action sequence both advances the ploy and reveals the depth of the characters

Clear and Present Stakes

-      The characters in a fight scene must have clear and specific goals

-      Conflict is generated when your protagonist’s goals are opposed by an antagonist

-      This opposition may derive from both protagonist and antagonist pursuing the same goal, for instance, both parties attempting to acquire the same MacGuffin

Chase Scenes

-      Another common set of stakes for a fight scene is the chase: the protagonist is being pursued by the antagonist, whose goal is to either capture or kill them, or to acquire the MacGuffin they might be in possession of

-      This is sometimes reversed, with the protagonist pursuing the antagonist

-      Chase scenes are also an excellent opportunity to incorporate the character’s environment, which we’ll get into later

Actions and Goals

-      Every action your character (both protagonist and antagonist) take in a fight scene must be in service to their goals

-      A character whose goal is to escape the scene is not going to engage in  protracted fight to the death (unless given no other option)

-      A character attempting to capture rather than kill should not resot to lethal force unless provoked

Breaking a Fight Down: Beats

Every fight scene is going to be broken down into its individual beats: specific actions and their repercussions:

-      Action – Reaction – Emotional Impact – Response

Example: Beats

-      Action: the antagonist throws a punch at the protagonist

-      Reaction: the punch connects, triggering a physical consequence – the

protagonist is knocked backwards

-      Emotional Impact: fear of their opponent’s power, anger born of pain, resolve to keep fighting against the odds, etc.

-      Response: (depending on their emotional impact) fight back, run away, de-escalate

Pacing Your Fights

-      Many written fight scenes drag because they describe every single move the fighters make in detail, blow-by-blow

-      This works for film because it’s a visual medium, but often falls flat on the page, since the focus in writing is not on the external action, but on the character’s inner emotional state

-      Focus less on the particulars of each individual fighting move, and more on how the fight makes the character’s feel, the fear, exhilaration and terror of combat

-      The experience of a fight is often a blur of individual moments and sensations rather than a clear chain of events

Environmental Combat

-      No fight takes place in an empty room

-      The best fight scenes take place in interesting, dynamic environments

-      These environments enhance the stakes the characters are fighting for AND present new obstacles and dangers to be overcome

-      By writing a scene that takes place in a distinct, interactive environment, you enhance the verisimilitude of your writing

-      The character’s world feels real and lived-in when it interacts with and is interacted with by the characters

Fight Scene Twists

-      If the outcome of your fight scene is never in doubt, it won’t hold the reader’s attention

-      A compelling fight contains surprises for both the character and the reader

-      Readers are smart; they know that if the book has 200 pages to go, the protagonist isn’t going to die in this fight. But the outcome needs to be in doubt until the very end of the scene, and twists are a great way to accomplish that

Outcome

-      It’s rare that a fight scene ends with either the antagonist or protagonist completely winning

-      More commonly one party will succeed, but only partially.

o   The protagonist escapes the antagonist’s clutches, but leaves behind a clue to their destination they permits the antagonist to follow them there

o   The antagonist defeats the hero and obtains the MacGiffin, but not without revealing a crucial flaw in their plan

Fight Scene Consequences

-      No character can shrug off all damage with impunity

-      As characters go through repeated action sequences, it starts to wear on their body

-      Particularly dramatic fights may result in lasting injuries, but even minor skirmished result in cuts, bruises, and fatigue that will last throughout multiple following scenes

-      By the time your protagonist reached the ultimate confrontation, they will be battered, battle-weary, and all the more compelling because they’re still undaunted in their goals

Summation

-      All fight scenes must advance the plot, reveal new facets of the characters to both the reader and the character themselves

-      Fight scenes need clear stakes and goals for both the protagonist and the antagonist(s)

-      Fight scenes should be fast paced and focused more on emotion than individual actions

-      Fights should occur in interesting environments

-      Fights should have twists that leave the outcome in doubt

-      Every fight’s outcome should have direct consequences for the narrative