WRITER'S WRITING REFERENCES RAVE: HOW TO WRITE AN ACCURATE AND THRILLING FIGHT SCENE

"Then I did one fight scene, and they said it looked good. Because I did it well enough, they've given me more." -Victor Garber

Hello again writer and pen-and-paper extraordinaires!

This post comes as a new segment on G.E.M With a Pen–References Rave, a place where you can find dozens of resources quickly to use while writing your book.  Today, we will be discussing one of the most exciting, compelling, thrilling parts of writing that almost all writers look forward to the most when writing their books-fight scenes. Let's be honest with ourselves-fight scenes are cool. You have magic duels in Harry Potter, Light Saber fights in Star Wars, Sword Fights in the Princess Bride. We all have a good, epic fictional fight scene that we absolutely love,and our jaws still drop and our eyes go wide every time no matter how many times we've read or watched it. It's just that epic!       And, as unfortunate as it is, fighting and arguments are part of real life. It's just human nature to want to fight sometimes, argue, win arguments, and get our point across. It's simply human, and adding that drop of humanity to characters in your book? How could you not take that opportunity?! Plus, it allows readers to see two opposing forces finally meet in an epic showdown, allowing you, the writer, to show both sides of an argument, good and bad, and make the reader see your story in a new perspective. It gives the reader the opportunity to cheer on their favorite character, and maybe even find sympathy with the antagonist. And infusing that into your book? Well that's just....EPIC!! So how exactly do we write a fight scene? And more importantly, how do we make it accurate?Maybe you've written a few fight scenes before, maybe you're getting ready to write your first, or maybe you've struggled with researching and protean to the specific fight scene you are writing-whether it be magic, swords, or hand-to-hand. Whatever the case may be, here on some tips for writing and accurate fight scene.

1. LOOK AT WHY THE FIGHT IS NECESSARY

First of all, decide if the scene is necessary. Just like very scene in your book, a fight scene has to serve a purpose.

What exactly is it doing for your story? Does it raise the drama? Intensify the climax? Perhaps someone important dies in the fight, and now this raises a problem for one or more of your characters. Maybe it reveals larger plot points later on, or gives an advantage to the protagonist or antagonist.    Write down what you want to happen in this scene, and why you think it's important. What does it reveal to the reader? Maybe it's just a simple argument between two friends that escalates quickly, or maybe a team has to battle a new creature from your book that no of the readers have seen yet. If you write down everything that happens in the fight and nothing important seems to happen except for the fact it's a fight, or if it reveals nothing to the reader, you should probably scrap it.  Ask yourself this: If this scene didn't exist, would it affect the plot at all? If you answer no, then you've probably written a scene that isn't necessary for your book. Remember, you shouldn't have a fight scene just to thrill the readers, a fight scene should be dynamic. 

2. KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIGHTS

Look at different types of fights. You may already have an idea of the type of fighting you want for your fight scene.

You may want a swordfight, you may want hand-to-hand combat, you may want a gun fight, you may even want a magic duel. You may want one person to fight another person, or you may want one person to take on a group of people, maybe you want a ragtag group of people to take on an entire army, or maybe you even want a bunch of different groups to fight each other. Or maybe you just want a disagreement between a couple. Maybe you also want to reveal more about a certain character through a fighting style they know, such as karate, taekwondo, judo, kickboxing, or kung fu. Fights scenes are always excellent ways to display character development. Keep these elements in mind as it will help you determine the type of research you should do. 

3. RESEARCH

Research. Research. Research. In the world of writing, you can never do enough research, and fight scenes are no exception.

The best way to turn a reader off during a fight scene is if you have no clue what you are talking about.    Even if the readers don't know much about swords, or fighting styles, or which punches are the most fatal–they can tell if you don't. They can sense if you are walking in the dark, making guesses as you write. Don't be that person. Research before you type, especially when writing about things that could actually happen, like a fight.  Read books, watch movies, take a self-defense class, maybe even talk to some experts or instructors.  Take the time to make your fight scene as authentic as possible. 

4. DON'T GET TOO TECHNICAL

It's good to know exactly what you're writing about, but taking all the new terms and facts you've learned and putting it into your fight scene can really confuse the reader. 

The reader doesn't need to be able every single part of a single weapon after they've read your fight scene, and they shouldn't need a dictionary while reading it.  Another example is that you don't need to describe every little movement in your fight scene. For instance: Reginald curled his fingers around his sleek, silver, carbon steel sword, turned a quarter of an inch, slicing Sid, the royal king of Writingsburg's head off in a single slash, and watching it bounce down the hill at three miles an hour. That's just unnecessary. And boring. The best way to lose your reader during a fight scene is to use too many details, or terms they don't understand.  When writing a fight scene use short, choppy sentences to display action, like throwing punches at your reader, always surprising them. 

5. DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FIGHT AND AN ARGUMENT

An argument usually isn't as serious as a fight, and is usually verbal. You wouldn't call a fist fight near the lockers "an argument". That just sounds wrong. 

Determine if the scene you are writing is a real "fight scene", or just an argument that happens in your book.     Arguments are usually brief and unintentional, and most of the time people make up afterwards.  Arguments can escalate into physical fights, though, such as a bully against a weak classmate.  Whatever you decide, make sure your argument isn't drawn out. It can get boring reading about two people yelling at each other for a whole chapter. It's okay to draw out the effects of the argument out (such as a friend giving another friend the silent treatment, two friends refusing to text each other, one character moving out of the other's house), but if you read through your argument and find yourself yawning or counting the pages until the scene ends, you might want to cut back a little. 

6. THE PROTAGONIST DOESN'T ALWAYS WIN

One of the main things about writing a book is not letting your protagonist get what they want or need every single time.

You let them struggle, you give them obstacles, you take everything they love away from them. Without struggles there isn't much of a story, and this holds true  fight scenes as well. Just because your main character is the main character doesn't mean they are indestructible or unbeatable. They will fall, bleed, and loose, too. If they won every battle against the antagonist, they're wouldn't be a point in having an antagonist in the first place. Let them fail, let their weapon malfunction, let there be consequences for their failure. Make your protagonist realistic and relatable.

7. FIGHTING TAKES EXPERIENCE

Look at it this way: a young, boy peasant who has lived his whole life on the streets with no battle training or battle experience at all , probably isn't going to just pick up a sword and win his first fight. 

Fighting takes practice. Whether it be guns, archery, or just punching, fighting takes experience and practice.  For someone without experience, it would be miraculous if they won there first fight, though maybe in your book they have magic, or they're the son or daughter of a powerful, magic entity. 

8. USE SHORT, CHOPPY SENTENCES FOR BRIEF ACTION

Throw sentences at your reader like punches. Action after action. Make the fight or battle fast-paced, just like your character would see it. 

During a battle, a lot of things are happening all at once. Start new sentences as your character's focus shifts. Use short sentences to describe actions, then, take pause, let your reader take a breath, then use a longer, reflective sentence.

9. INJURIES HAPPEN

All sorts. So it would be weird and unrealistic if after a full-scale, all-out battle, your character, or group of characters come out without a scratch, or bruise, or ugly gash from their opponent's sword. 

Battles are ugly, messy, and dangerous. You may feel like you have to skip the gruesome details because your audience might be grossed out by it, and while your fight scene doesn't have to be all injury, having your character walk out with bloody wounds and seeing people get injured around them, is what makes me believe a war or fight actually happened. 

10. USE EMOTIONS

Injury isn't all physical. Gruesome fights and battles also leave marks on peoples' minds. How does your character or characters feel about the battle afterwards? 

Maybe they were victorious and won, but they also made a lot of sacrifices along the way. Maybe they're mad at the antagonist for killing or capturing their friend. Maybe your character performed really well as a group, and they've now formed a sort of trust, but they also are feeling their separate emotions. Show that. Show the aftermath. Your reader already feels a certain way about the fight, they're worried about their favorite characters–use that. Make them even more worried.  Maybe your characters react out of emotion after the fight, like maybe one of the team members leaves.    We all have emotions, so adding those in after and during the fight will make it seem more realistic for your reader.

11. THINK ABOUT LIFE-LONG INJURIES

Scars, blindness, loosing a limb–all of these things sound horrible, and are something we could never picture going through.

They are memories of the fight. Sometimes they are souvenirs, sometimes they are sacrifices. But when your character suffers permanent damage, they remember the fight forever. I often find that when a character suffer a permanent injury, it makes the fight more memorable, and more dramatic. Watching them go through the emotions, and learning to live with their new injury, often grasps the reader more, and helps to add suspense, and even assist in the plot later. But of course, permanent injuries aren't necessary for every single battle. Just like I said for writing a fight general, if it is not necessary, don't write it. That's why I said think. Think about using the "permanent-injury trope".

12. MAKE SACRIFICES

Everyone can certainly relate to loosing something in their lives, whether it be money, a family member, or our favorite pink, Polly Pocket coin purse. Loss is relatable, and every human goes through.

Having your character loosing something, or someone in the battle can make it just that much more tragic, and maybe even maybe even strike your reader's hearts.  Maybe your main character lost the trust of their team, or a good teammate or friend.  Having your character loose something can cause them to doubt themselves, adding to the story, and furthering the plot.

13. LET YOUR CHARACTERS LEARN FROM THEIR PAST MISTAKES

Everyone makes mistakes, but in battle, mistakes can be fatal.

Having all of that stress and responsibility on your character's shoulders can really give the reader a bit of insight on your character and the type of leader they are. If your character makes mistakes in a fight or on the battlefield, it can encourage them to train harder, reinforce their military,  or maybe even push their team harder. It makes them stronger, and maybe even more feared the next time they face the antagonist or obstacle in your story. Let your character fail, make mistakes, learn from them, and get stronger because of it. 

14. AVOID OR USE CLICHES

Clichés can be good and bad. For one, the reason movies and book have clichés is because people seem to like them. On the other hand, clichés can make people roll their eyes and say seen it! 

And sometimes, especially with fight scenes, we just don't see anything unpredictable or unexpected. But there are some clichés we just can't help falling in love with no matter how many times we've seen them used before. Some clichés for fight scenes include: . The strongest opponent always winning at first, the weaker guy slouched unconscious against the wall, as the crowd cheers the stronger guy on as he waves at them and pumps his fist in victory, celebrating his win. Then, suddenly, the weaker guy that no one expects to win gets up and pommels the stronger guy, defeating all odds, and inspiring all the little people . The wise, old wizard guy who taught the main character everything to know about magic  ALWAYS dying when facing the main antagonist in a magic duel . A male character fighting a masked stranger and beating them, only for them to mind out when the stranger removes their mask that-Surprise!- he's been fighting a girl. . A character only training for five minutes, and already they are a master . A girl fighting a major enemy and winning, and twenty seconds later one of her male friends/teammates jumps into save her and gets shot/stabbed . The antagonist whose only goal has been to kill the main character for the entire series suddenly switching over to the good side in the final battle through the power of persuasion Now don't get me wrong! These clichés can be good! I'd read a fight scene like one of the ones above right now if you handed it to me! Just make sure that your fight scene is overly-predictable, or that your readers can see the direction it's going in five minutes into reading it. A good fight scene should have a bit of suspense!

15. BE BOLD

Do something unexpected that no one has seen before! 

Authors and movie writers are always coming up with new endings and methods for their fight scenes, and that's what makes them memorable. Get creative! Throw your ideas out there! Don't assume an idea is bad just because it's different. Books are meant to be the writers imagination. Every book is different, and every world is different. Maybe in your world weapons are different, or people can survive being sliced in half.  It's not crazy to throw something bold out there once in a while! It just means that your fight scene will stick out from the rest. 

REFERENCES

Now that we have covered the essential tips for writing a fight-scene, let's move on to how to actually write an accurate one. Weapons, punches, blood loss, and how to make it believable. All of that can be found in the easy to navigate list below.

. STICKING A LANDING -Jumping and landing in a heroic stance with one palm on the ground and landing on one knee can actually damage your joints very badly. It can also: -Shatter your ankles -Damage your knees - And quite possibly break your knees - The higher up you, the more force, and the faster you are going in the fall, the more the landing will hurt -If your character is less dramatic, or possibly went through some sort of military training, they probably learned to "roll" when they land, because it is safer and protects you from injury. 

-This is not to say that character can't land in this stance.

. HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT -Hand-to-hand combat is very difficult. It's all about using yourself, not tools, to take down your opponent. It requires intensive training, and different people use different methods depending on what they were taught/trained to do.For example, if they took taekwondo, they might use more kicking than punching. -Hand-to-hand combat is exhausting. Even if you are well-trained, all the punching, kicking, and slapping starts to get tiring. Your hands will burn. Your whole body will ace. For this reason, most hand-to-hand fights only last a few minutes. -Trained professionals are taught to fight through the exhaustion of hand-to-hand combat

. THROWING YOUR OPPONENT TO A WALL -Is actually extremely inefficient -Gives your opponent a chance to run away -Distances yourself from your opponent -Not a very good tactic unless you are pinning them to the wall, shooting them after you throw them, or somehow your character throws them hard and fast enough to knock them unconscious 

. THROWING A PUNCH -If you've ever punched a really hard punching bag, you know that punching starts to HURT after a while -Your character's thumb should be tucked in their fist between their second and middle finger. If they were to have it outside their fist, or against their index finger, they COULD BREAK THEIR THUMB -The KNUCKLES should be the part of the hand that comes in contact with whatever your character is punching, not the flats of their fingers. This is how most hand injuries while punching occur -Your character's wrist should be straight while punching to maximize force -Punching style varies depending on classes your character took/what training they had. Different martial arts have different ways of punching (such as boxing, karate, and traditional martial arts)

. ADRENALINE -Adrenaline is a hormone that is produced during stressful conditions. It accelerates blood circulation,increases breathing and metabolism, and prepares muscles for exertion.  -One of the most common mistakes I see when authors are writing fight scenes is that adrenaline works completely to your advantage in a fight, like a surge of energy. But adrenaline also works AGAINST you in a fight.     .Adrenaline is considered a "fight-or-flight" hormone, and it DOES do its job    .It dilates the pupils to increase the amount of light that comes into your eyes    .It causes sweating to help with body heat    . It increases blood flow to the muscles    . It increases the heartrate, allowing more blood to pump through the body -HOWEVER sometimes adrenaline can get of hand. Adrenaline is released during times of stress, meaning your brain believes your in danger and can start kind of an instinct or "self-function". While this can be good, it could make you loose your focus. You could also be swinging punches like wild, flailing around, fighting as hard as you can, but its uncoordinated and clumsy. -When adrenaline kicks in, your body is focused on NOT dying.  ."FLINCH RESPONSE" -Another natural response, but unlike adrenaline, your natural "flinch response" isn't concentrated on survival, it's saying Get me out of here! -Your "flinch response" is what causes you to stumble back, like when someone throws a punch at you -It's your body's natural response to avoiding pain -Your brain is telling you to move back, not fight back -Trained fighters are taught how to control this

. FIGHTS ARE MESSY -A battlefield is not going to be in the same condition it was before the fight -Weapons and other gruesome things will be all over the ground - There will be blood -There could possibly be fire depending on what your army fought with -Battlefields also REEK. There a stenches of blood, sweat, and possibly death, of course, but also urine and feces. It sounds gross, but sometimes when people die, their muscles relax,and well...you get the picture. Of course, this isn't something you necessarily have to include... .BLOOD LOSS -A person has about five liters of blood in their body -Half a liter is about one pint, a completely normal blood donation. Your character would be fine. -One liter is a bit more. Your character might experience fatigue, dizziness, pale skin, or even fainting. It might be painful, but they would probably live. They would need fluids to get their blood pressure and volume back to normal, and it would take a few weeks for them to restore their body's iron levels. -A liter and a half is about 30% of your blood volume. This is a lot of blood. Your character would experience weakening pulse, decreased blood pressure, breathing fast, anxiety, confusion, and probably unconsciousness. It will hurt like crazy, but your character will probably be fine (emphasis on probably).  -Two liters of blood is about 40% of our blood volume, which is a TON of blood.Your character would likely suffer from intense confusion, barely being able to move, VERY weak pulse, increased heart rate, unconsciousness, and fast, shallow breathing. There is a HIGH chance they will die at this point. -Two and a half liters of blood is a bout half of your blood volume. Your character is DEFFINATELY unconscious by now, their heartrate is about the equivalent to what it would be if they were in the middle of a workout, their blood pressure is extremely low, and they are probably breathing very fast and shallow. THEY WILL DIE! -Five liters of blood. This is literally all the blood your character has unless they are a giant, or magic, or something. Don't even write about this if your character is a normal human unless they die, because THEY WILL DIE! . SWORDS -The over-looked thing about swords when it comes to writing is that they can bend, or even break if you hit something hard enough -They are also dull quickly, and are very high maintenance -They have to be repaired or replaced constantly -They are also very heavy    .The average weight of a normal sword with an average length is between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds, making it exhausting to wield and swing it after a while. -The average length of a classic sword is 33-43 inches long -Classic, medieval-style swords are normally very well-balanced -If the tip of your sword is sharpened into a sharp point, the rest of the sword will not cut through -There are over 500 types of swords, and not all are alike, and each one requires a  different sort of training to know how to use it

. BOW AND ARROW -People who use a bow and arrow are usually very strong as it takes a lot of strength to draw back the bow. If your character is an archer who is used to a certain bow, it will probably take them a while to get used to a new one. -Bow strings can be about  two feet long and an inch thick -Bow strings are not that easy to break. In fact, if a bow string breaks in the first one hundred shots, the string was likely defective, or not secured properly.  -The slot that holds the arrow on a bow that the archer pulls back on is called a nocking point -The belt that the archer wears on their waist, or on their back is called a quiver - Your character should draw the bow fully back to their cheek -Some archers that shoot traditional bows they find it harder to shoot a crossbow, but crossbows shoot straighter and harder.

. AXE  -Battle axes have a more crescent shape, and are designed to be swifter than normal, blocky axes used for cutting down trees -Battle axes are specifically designed for combat -Battle axes weigh anywhere between 1 and 7 pounds, and their handle can be up to a foot long -Fighting with an axe is not the same as fighting with a sword. Axes tend to be heavier, and require more swinging and force. 

WELL, THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, WRITERS....

I hope this list proves to be beneficial for you and is as thorough as I planned for it to be.

Please remember that I have only attempted to summarize some main points and list some thing you should think about when writing a fight scene. As always, if you are hoping to write with accuracy, I would recommend researching what you plan to write, and gather it from more than one source.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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