Inspired by Kristen Lamb’s hilarious post ‘Planning Travel? Five TSA-Approved Weapons of the Zombie Apocalypse’ (seriously, go check it out) and Piper Bayard’s review of the film The Equalizer, I thought I’d share my 3 tips for writing a great fight scene.
Still the best lightsaber fight.
A disclaimer: I’ve never been in a real fight myself (unless you count scraps in primary school), but I have trained in Tactical Krav Maga for over three years and counting. Since Tactical Krav Maga specialises in dropping you into scenarios so you can test what you’ve drilled in more realistic conditions, during that time I’ve been choked in the back of a van, had a knife pulled on me in a public toilet, and ‘died’ in a home invasion three times. Or had a variation of all three, all in the same damn training session.
With that in mind, here are my tips to writing a great fight scene.
1. Remember and apply the basic rule of writing
The rule that writing is about conflict is so well established that Wikipedia has an entire article dedicated to it. That’s why we all get excited about great fight scenes in books and movies, because great fight scenes are conflict incarnate.
So what sort of conflicts draw us in as readers? And can we apply that to fight scenes? Well, continuing on in the form of asking rhetorical questions, when was the last time you were on the edge of your seat reading about a big bully crushing a tiny kid? Or a mecha-robot sporting the latest weaponry versus a caveman with a stick? Or a team at the top of the league going after the one holding the wooden spoon? I’m going to go out on a limb and say never, because it’s a foregone conclusion. There’s no conflict when we know one side will definitely win, and even though all of us automatically want to root for the underdog, we also want the underdog to win on their own strengths. When they’re in a fight that uneven, a deus ex machina will satisfy nobody.
So how do you get the best conflict for a great fight scene? When both sides are a close-ish match, so you don’t know who will win. Then escalate that. If they’re closely matched because one has friends or the environment favours another, mix it up. To get your readers even more invested, make it look like one is winning, and then throw in something catastrophic that leads to the other side gaining the upper hand, and then just as they’re about to win, have them slip on the rugged fire-spewing mountain… and so on and so forth. Done well, the constant escalation in anticipation and uncertainty will leave your reader hooked.
2. Try for some realism
I write fantasy and sci-fi, so I’m not going to tell you to put away your sorcery or your nuclear guns. But nothing pulls me faster out of immersion than a writer who clearly hasn’t done any research or put any thought into their fight scenes.
Here’s a rough paraphrase of nobody in particular:
Karl let the man back him into the corner before he dodged to the side and laughed. “You’ll have to do better than that, Jarface!” Before the big man could retort, Karl rolled out underneath his lumbering arms and lashed out with his sword, leaving a neat slice of blood in his wake. He continued dancing around the lug for a few minutes, until he began to tire.
Alright. Firstly, I want all of you to imagine you’re holding something around the length of your average longsword (90-110cm), perhaps a baseball bat. For historical accuracy, grip it two-handed. Now back yourself into a corner and pretend someone is looming over you like an archetypal bully. Feeling awkward, like you have no room to swing or thrust? It’s because you’re wielding a weapon that’s not really designed for fighting in close, cramped, quarters. So make sure your character uses a weapon appropriate to their fighting style and situation.
Secondly… don’t write your characters dodge rolling during a fight. Please.
Lastly, and I know I’m starting to sound like a grumpy old man but this really ticks me off and I see it everywhere: if you’re going for a gritty or at least realistic feel in your story, please don’t tell me that a fight goes on for more than a few minutes unless there’s a very, very good reason for it. Yes, I know we all enjoy movies where fight scenes can go for a good 5-10 minutes without stopping for breath, but those fight scenes would typically also leave everyone in the general vicinity dead or with broken spines and a lifetime of legal battles. If you’re writing about a fight in close quarters, then most real fights end in under a minute because you can do a lot of damage with even a single, unarmed hit. If you want to draw it out, then show your characters tiring, unless they’ve been in the military or have professionally trained for years. If you don’t believe your characters will tire after a minute, try punching the air as fast as you can for 60 seconds, and then reassess how long your concept of a minute is.
3. Make it more than a fight
In my opinion, this is still one of the best lightsaber battles ever filmed.
Here it is again to save you from scrolling up to the top, losing your place, and teaching your neighbours some new words.
Yes, I know that the prequels have brought us beautifully choreographed lightsaber battles with truly astonishing acts of athleticism and breathtaking CGI. And I know in comparison, this one looks a lot like two people whacking together broom handles. But at the end of the day, I still yawn during the former and am riveted during the latter. Why? Because I don’t really care about the cardboard characters and their obscure motivations in the prequels. But the final fight between Luke and Darth Vader is so much more than just a fight. There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty for one – yes, Luke has gotten much stronger but he’s still green against the experienced Darth Vader, and their last fight ended with him minus a hand. On top of that, Darth Vader is trying to turn him to the Dark Side and for a while, it really looks like he’s succeeding. On top of that, Luke really wants to avenge Obi-Wan Kenobi, and at the same time he’s wrestling with all his conflicting feelings about his father. Then Darth Vader invokes Leia, bringing all of Luke’s protective feelings rushing to the fore. There’s so much more going on than just two people fighting, and that means that viewers have so many more reasons to worry and get hopelessly drawn into the story.
In short, if you remember to:
- Create and keep escalating the conflict;
- Keep things realistic enough within the rules of your world and story that your readers aren’t jarred out of the experience; and
- Make your fights about more than people hitting each other with things,
… then you’ll be on your way to writing a great fight scene.
TREASURE TROVE OF RELEVANT LINKS
If you’re looking for some more inspiration, there are a whole lot of fantastic articles out there on writing great fight scenes. I’ve included my pick below. Be sure to check them out and share your own tips!
How To Write Fight Scenes by Alan Baxter
Alan Baxter is a British-Australian author who writes dark fantasy, horror and sci-fi, and teaches kung-fu. He’s also published the short, handy e-book Write the Fight Right in order to help authors write more effective fight scenes.
5 Ways to Write Intense Fight Scenes (Superhero and Fantasy) by Superhero Nation
Brian McKenzie writes comic books and dispenses valuable writing advice on his blog Superhero Nation.
Ten Tips for Writing Great Fight Scenes by Andrew Jack
Andrew Jack got his first rejection letter at the age of 4, that suggested he learn to read and write before resubmitting. He is a lifelong martial arts enthusiast, and is currently working on his first novel.
