Write Effective Fight Scenes (Fantasy)
You've reached a pivotal location in your book: the fight sequence. But there's a problem: you're stuck. That, or you're hesitant and searching for ways to not mess this up. The good news is, if you're worried about screwing up, you've developed the proper attitude toward writing an epic clash of armies and/or nemeses. It's okay to worry sometimes; keyword being 'sometimes' -- never let your perfectionism blow out the flame of creativity.
AIM FOR MORE THAN HUMDRUM
Sexism isn't seen solely in men; women do it, too! In fact, one of the worst cases of sexism I've heard from both genders, on writing, is that 'men are incapable of detailing events with the same finesse as women,' that men's writing is 'strictly sequential', 'list-like,' or 'concise'. Whereas that may be true in some cases, with quality writing, it is not. Experienced writers know when to spend a little extra time on a specific passage. D.H. Lawrence, Cormac McCarthy, and Lewis Carroll are all capable, male writers. Their prose is poetic and intriguing. So, what gives? Why mention Cormac McCarthy in a how-to on writing fight scenes?
Well, while those aforementioned writers may not have written nearly as many battle sequences as they should have, certain aspects of their writing styles can and should be adopted for the purposes of writing effective battles. And not just the flow of it all, but for the details. Battlefields are chaotic, bloody, and terrifying. Explain that. Describe the scent of blood on a blade, or the knee-high muck the infantrymen are forced to march through in order to meet their opponents in melee combat. Do it with style; the choice is up to you: whether you'd like to write in a more staccato-y, abrupt pace, or a more flowing and descriptive style. Just make the battle scenes starkly different from the rest of the narrative. Alert the reader: SOMETHING IS WRONG. SOMETHING IS INTENSE. LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.
One fight comes to mind when thinking of well-written examples: Paul Kearney's Corvus. During one chapter, Kearney describes everything about the battle in vivid detail: the fighting styles, the screams and chaos, even the lingering odor of feces and urine from the deceased and routed. By the end of it all, I was left drained, inexplicably thrilled, and in need of more action to quench my bloodlust!
Well, while those aforementioned writers may not have written nearly as many battle sequences as they should have, certain aspects of their writing styles can and should be adopted for the purposes of writing effective battles. And not just the flow of it all, but for the details. Battlefields are chaotic, bloody, and terrifying. Explain that. Describe the scent of blood on a blade, or the knee-high muck the infantrymen are forced to march through in order to meet their opponents in melee combat. Do it with style; the choice is up to you: whether you'd like to write in a more staccato-y, abrupt pace, or a more flowing and descriptive style. Just make the battle scenes starkly different from the rest of the narrative. Alert the reader: SOMETHING IS WRONG. SOMETHING IS INTENSE. LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.
One fight comes to mind when thinking of well-written examples: Paul Kearney's Corvus. During one chapter, Kearney describes everything about the battle in vivid detail: the fighting styles, the screams and chaos, even the lingering odor of feces and urine from the deceased and routed. By the end of it all, I was left drained, inexplicably thrilled, and in need of more action to quench my bloodlust!
Battlefields are chaotic, bloody, and terrifying. Explain that.
REVELATIONS
No, not like the Bible. What I mean by 'revelations' is that every sentence in your story should do one of two things:
1) Build character
2) Advance the plot
If a sentence does not accomplish at least one of those points, then it's likely filler. And before you spew molten vitriol my way, don't get mad at me, that was Kurt Vonnegut's concept. But why should your battles be any different, honestly? Time is the one thing none of us can get back; respect your reader's time. Would you want yours wasted? Make every bit of your battle important, from the way your character swings their sword, to the emotions they feel as they swing. Why is the battle happening in the first place? Fighting for the sake of fighting is about as hollow as killing off a character for shock value. In history, fights occurred for a multitude of reasons, whether the root cause was a cultural deviation between two or more nations, or an opportune land-grab, or even because of fear itself. Fight for a cause, make deaths count.
You'll be surprised by just how many books violate these ideas. Then again, in order to sell paperback copies, publishers have a prerequisite amount of pages (which vary publisher-to-publisher, genre-to-genre). I would not be surprised if, after boiling down most stories to their essentials, most would likely wind up being a quarter of their initial length.
1) Build character
2) Advance the plot
If a sentence does not accomplish at least one of those points, then it's likely filler. And before you spew molten vitriol my way, don't get mad at me, that was Kurt Vonnegut's concept. But why should your battles be any different, honestly? Time is the one thing none of us can get back; respect your reader's time. Would you want yours wasted? Make every bit of your battle important, from the way your character swings their sword, to the emotions they feel as they swing. Why is the battle happening in the first place? Fighting for the sake of fighting is about as hollow as killing off a character for shock value. In history, fights occurred for a multitude of reasons, whether the root cause was a cultural deviation between two or more nations, or an opportune land-grab, or even because of fear itself. Fight for a cause, make deaths count.
You'll be surprised by just how many books violate these ideas. Then again, in order to sell paperback copies, publishers have a prerequisite amount of pages (which vary publisher-to-publisher, genre-to-genre). I would not be surprised if, after boiling down most stories to their essentials, most would likely wind up being a quarter of their initial length.
Build character. Advance plot. Be brief.
FANTASY AND REALITY ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
When writing a high fantasy, the last thing you want to do is throw all rules to the wind. Do you have magic in your realm? Why, who, and how are all pertinent questions. Be sure the reader knows why fantasy exists in this realm (did the Ancients grant this gift?), who possesses the power (the Chosen Ones?), and how they possess it (does it flow through the caster's body, are spoken words necessary?) Is it easily taken away? Answering these questions makes for a well-rounded, believable tale -- even if the story is impossible to begin with.
When detailing nighttime battles, the utilization of torches, especially, is misused. For one, you don't hold a torch out in front of you to scan what's ahead; you hold it behind you, high above your head. Think about it: if you're holding a torch in the pitch dark, what will you see? I'll tell you: a white image that is burned into your eyeballs... and maybe some of your hand. But will you see anything up ahead? No. That's not how light works. It's often better to allow the eyes to adjust to the dark and fight it out that way. The moon itself is also a great source of light.
The only reason why I know this is because a friend of mine recently linked me the following videos describing torch physics. Most people simply have never held a torch in their life, so it's understandable if they do not understand how it works. However, Hollywood is often responsible for committing this faux pas, and I'm not sure if that's as easily forgivable.
When detailing nighttime battles, the utilization of torches, especially, is misused. For one, you don't hold a torch out in front of you to scan what's ahead; you hold it behind you, high above your head. Think about it: if you're holding a torch in the pitch dark, what will you see? I'll tell you: a white image that is burned into your eyeballs... and maybe some of your hand. But will you see anything up ahead? No. That's not how light works. It's often better to allow the eyes to adjust to the dark and fight it out that way. The moon itself is also a great source of light.
The only reason why I know this is because a friend of mine recently linked me the following videos describing torch physics. Most people simply have never held a torch in their life, so it's understandable if they do not understand how it works. However, Hollywood is often responsible for committing this faux pas, and I'm not sure if that's as easily forgivable.
Guess who's about to be blinded AND eaten by wolves?
These are just a few ways to improve your battles. But there are literally dozens more to add. If you have any questions or additions, feel free to send me an email.
Thanks for reading. As always, I wish you all the best. Happy reading and writing.
Talk to you soon!
-V.C. Remus
Thanks for reading. As always, I wish you all the best. Happy reading and writing.
Talk to you soon!
-V.C. Remus
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