They Fight! A Guide to Writing Fight Scenes
With examples from Harry Potter, Stargate SG-1 and Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
Nothing is more interesting in a story than a good fight scene. Whether it's an argument, a fist fight, or even a war fought on a battlefield, fight scenes add a spice of life (along with lots of action/adventure) to the stories we write. Everyone gets angry at one time or another - there's no denying the arguments and fights between lovers, friends and enemies, but the trick is knowing how to describe these scenes, how to make them convincing.
Though many writers are daunted by fight scenes, if you break them down you will find that describing the argument/fight in a story and making it convincing doesn't have to be difficult. Rely on human nature for the most part, and half the battle is won. Throw in some props and a technique and the scene nearly writes itself. To put it in finer terms, fight scenes are composed of the following: Motivation, Emotion, Equipment/Props and Pacing, or MEEP (which is a totally fitting term for fighting - IMHO anyway).
Let's look at each component to see how it fits neatly into a fight scene.
Motivation
Motivation is a huge part of any story, not just the fight scenes. It's what drives people and gives them a reason for almost everything they do, whether it be get up to go to work in the morning or even talk to someone they would rather kick in the knee, let alone exchange pleasantries. People are motivated by all kinds of factors in life, including their morals and their beliefs, and it's the author's job to explain what makes the characters in a story tick.
Conflict and tension are great motivation for fights and arguments. To quote a line from one of my stories, "Tensions were high between them, and wherever there was tension, tempers are easily ignited."
So what else motivates characters into starting an argument or a fist fight? There are so many obstacles in life, including logic, beliefs/morals, and a desire to protect others, but here's a list with examples to show how motivation can create tension between the characters:
Emotion
Let's face it. When people become angry, they tend to say or do just about anything to get back at the person they are angry with. It's human nature, and no one is immune. No matter how witty and polished a character is, they will undoubtedly say something stupid when they are angry.
Emotions are unpredictable at best, and writing a fight scene is a great opportunity to play up the anger and give the character free rein on the way they act. Rage, hatred, and desire for vengeance are just some of the emotions that can be portrayed as the characters work through their issues. Artfully blend in the conflicting feelings of love, pain, or moral values (that will keep him/her from killing the person they are angry with), and the scene takes on a complexity that will leave the reader wanting more.
Here are some examples of emotions and how they affect the characters:
Equipment/Props
Like in any good scene in a movie, props are a must. And even though the fic is not a movie, there are still props, or equipment, in each and every scene, even if the prop is a chair. Arguments rely on physical displays of anger: a character bangs on the table in frustration, throws a glass against the wall or shakes the keys he is holding. You can also display anger in your characters by using body language - a character narrows her eyes as she prepares to verbally pounce on her opponent, or someone stands with clenched fists at their sides. Body language itself is not necessarily considered a "prop", but should be used in the same context in order to add a visual to the scene.
Fist fights are physical in nature, and more often than not, require props to make the scene real. Tables, lamps, and chairs that are broken when a character is knocked into it lends to the reality of a scene, as does dirt from the ground thrown into a opponent's eyes, or any number of handy items lying around to aid in beating the heck out of one another. Unless the characters are in an extremely large empty room, there will always be something to use as a prop or a weapon.
Speaking of weapons, war scenes, battlefields, and police dramas are chock-full of them. The more the merrier, and in the case of sci-fi, a full fleet of battleships make excellent weapons of destruction. Use whatever is available, but remember to use the right weapons. Unless it's a crossover, having a CSI detective wield a Jaffa staff weapon will throw a reader right out of the story.
Pacing
Pacing is another important aspect of a fight scene. Too slow of a pace and the scene loses its "punch". Having an argument escalate at a fast pace makes the scene a little too hard to believe. Words and sentence structure are important choices when writing the scene. Choose strong action words and keep the sentences to the bare minimum.
Consider the following scenes:
Jack threw a punch at his opponent, hitting him square in the face. The Jaffa fell, but got to his feet and swung his fist in retaliation, narrowly missing Jack's nose. It was a close fight, but Jack was determined to win.
vs.
Blood spurted from the Jaffa's nose, gushing all over the place, even as Jack hit him again, over and over, pummeling him unmercifully in order to get his revenge. He was determined the Jaffa would pay for nearly killing Daniel, but knew he was in trouble when the Jaffa drew out a knife and thrust it at Jack's stomach with wide jerky slashes, causing him to jump back each time to avoid the blade.
vs.
Blood gushed from the Jaffa's nose as Jack hit him again, over and over, pummeling him unmercifully to get his revenge. The Jaffa drew out a knife, thrusting it with wide jerky sashes, causing Jack to jump back each time.
The first example actually has great fight pacing as far as structure goes, it's just the flabby words that slow it down. The second example is the opposite: the words are dynamic, but there are so many phrases in each sentence that some of the urgency is lost. The third example uses structure and words to create a pace that keeps the scene moving along at a good pace. Take the time to work out the right pace and the result will be a believable scene that has the reader feeling like they are right there along with the characters.
Think of it as watching a movie or TV episode. Even the music picks up when a fight scene is playing out. Choose your words like the directors choose their music and choreographed fight scenes. The readers will love it.
Here's another example to show how pacing and choice of words help to create pacing and keep the action moving:
They had almost made it when Reynolds aimed his gun at Jack. “Down!” he yelled, causing Jack and his teammates to fall to their knees as they ducked to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. They ended up on the ground, face first, waiting for the shooting to stop, while Jack made use of the moment to study the lay of the land. His head swiveled around as he studied the area, looking for possible obstacles that could put a stop to their rescue. He didn’t see anything obvious, but he kept looking around, even as he jumped up when the shooting stopped and they ran the rest of the way toward the gate.
Even with the characters lying on the ground while a fire fight raged over their heads, the main character was still busy looking for an escape. The action didn't stop while they were lying down, which helped keep the pace of the scene going strong. Pacing in a fight scene isn't hard to achieve. Just keep the characters moving.
They fight! MEEP!!
Despite the heading for this section, I really do love to read and write a great fight scene. And I know that there is more involved in writing them - such as having the scene actually fit in with the plot or the hurtful words in the dialogue. But for the most part, MEEP is a great starting point. Once the motivation is in play, emotion takes over and the fighting begins. Give the characters something to use in "persuading" their opponent, and then describe it all with words and sentences designed to pull the reader right into the fray. Just remember MEEP, and the scene will practically write itself.
Nothing is more interesting in a story than a good fight scene. Whether it's an argument, a fist fight, or even a war fought on a battlefield, fight scenes add a spice of life (along with lots of action/adventure) to the stories we write. Everyone gets angry at one time or another - there's no denying the arguments and fights between lovers, friends and enemies, but the trick is knowing how to describe these scenes, how to make them convincing.
Though many writers are daunted by fight scenes, if you break them down you will find that describing the argument/fight in a story and making it convincing doesn't have to be difficult. Rely on human nature for the most part, and half the battle is won. Throw in some props and a technique and the scene nearly writes itself. To put it in finer terms, fight scenes are composed of the following: Motivation, Emotion, Equipment/Props and Pacing, or MEEP (which is a totally fitting term for fighting - IMHO anyway).
Let's look at each component to see how it fits neatly into a fight scene.
Motivation
Motivation is a huge part of any story, not just the fight scenes. It's what drives people and gives them a reason for almost everything they do, whether it be get up to go to work in the morning or even talk to someone they would rather kick in the knee, let alone exchange pleasantries. People are motivated by all kinds of factors in life, including their morals and their beliefs, and it's the author's job to explain what makes the characters in a story tick.
Conflict and tension are great motivation for fights and arguments. To quote a line from one of my stories, "Tensions were high between them, and wherever there was tension, tempers are easily ignited."
So what else motivates characters into starting an argument or a fist fight? There are so many obstacles in life, including logic, beliefs/morals, and a desire to protect others, but here's a list with examples to show how motivation can create tension between the characters:
- Frustration - Frustration over her own inadequacies had Dr. Carter snapping at Captain Carter over every little remark.
- Betrayal - Harry stormed down the stairs of his dormitory, leaving an angry Ron upstairs to brood over his misguided beliefs that Harry had deliberately put his name in the Goblet of Fire.
- Accusations - The accusations were too much for Jack, and he took a great deal of satisfaction in watching the blood stream down the face of the commissioner.
- Teasing - Harry ran at Malfoy, intending to knock him senseless when the taunts became too much to bear.
- Fatigue - John lashed out in anger when his mother wouldn't leave him alone. He was just too tired to deal with her at the moment.
Emotion
Let's face it. When people become angry, they tend to say or do just about anything to get back at the person they are angry with. It's human nature, and no one is immune. No matter how witty and polished a character is, they will undoubtedly say something stupid when they are angry.
Emotions are unpredictable at best, and writing a fight scene is a great opportunity to play up the anger and give the character free rein on the way they act. Rage, hatred, and desire for vengeance are just some of the emotions that can be portrayed as the characters work through their issues. Artfully blend in the conflicting feelings of love, pain, or moral values (that will keep him/her from killing the person they are angry with), and the scene takes on a complexity that will leave the reader wanting more.
Here are some examples of emotions and how they affect the characters:
- Jealousy - The argument between Ron and Hermione grew to a shouting match when Lavender Brown came to Ron's defense.
- Hatred - Despite Daniel's belief that everybody had the right to live, he hated Apophis so much, it was easy for him to sit back and let him die.
- Anger - Hot anger coursed through Sarah's veins as she watched the machine aim his weapon at her son.
Equipment/Props
Like in any good scene in a movie, props are a must. And even though the fic is not a movie, there are still props, or equipment, in each and every scene, even if the prop is a chair. Arguments rely on physical displays of anger: a character bangs on the table in frustration, throws a glass against the wall or shakes the keys he is holding. You can also display anger in your characters by using body language - a character narrows her eyes as she prepares to verbally pounce on her opponent, or someone stands with clenched fists at their sides. Body language itself is not necessarily considered a "prop", but should be used in the same context in order to add a visual to the scene.
Fist fights are physical in nature, and more often than not, require props to make the scene real. Tables, lamps, and chairs that are broken when a character is knocked into it lends to the reality of a scene, as does dirt from the ground thrown into a opponent's eyes, or any number of handy items lying around to aid in beating the heck out of one another. Unless the characters are in an extremely large empty room, there will always be something to use as a prop or a weapon.
Speaking of weapons, war scenes, battlefields, and police dramas are chock-full of them. The more the merrier, and in the case of sci-fi, a full fleet of battleships make excellent weapons of destruction. Use whatever is available, but remember to use the right weapons. Unless it's a crossover, having a CSI detective wield a Jaffa staff weapon will throw a reader right out of the story.
Pacing
Pacing is another important aspect of a fight scene. Too slow of a pace and the scene loses its "punch". Having an argument escalate at a fast pace makes the scene a little too hard to believe. Words and sentence structure are important choices when writing the scene. Choose strong action words and keep the sentences to the bare minimum.
Consider the following scenes:
Jack threw a punch at his opponent, hitting him square in the face. The Jaffa fell, but got to his feet and swung his fist in retaliation, narrowly missing Jack's nose. It was a close fight, but Jack was determined to win.
vs.
Blood spurted from the Jaffa's nose, gushing all over the place, even as Jack hit him again, over and over, pummeling him unmercifully in order to get his revenge. He was determined the Jaffa would pay for nearly killing Daniel, but knew he was in trouble when the Jaffa drew out a knife and thrust it at Jack's stomach with wide jerky slashes, causing him to jump back each time to avoid the blade.
vs.
Blood gushed from the Jaffa's nose as Jack hit him again, over and over, pummeling him unmercifully to get his revenge. The Jaffa drew out a knife, thrusting it with wide jerky sashes, causing Jack to jump back each time.
The first example actually has great fight pacing as far as structure goes, it's just the flabby words that slow it down. The second example is the opposite: the words are dynamic, but there are so many phrases in each sentence that some of the urgency is lost. The third example uses structure and words to create a pace that keeps the scene moving along at a good pace. Take the time to work out the right pace and the result will be a believable scene that has the reader feeling like they are right there along with the characters.
Think of it as watching a movie or TV episode. Even the music picks up when a fight scene is playing out. Choose your words like the directors choose their music and choreographed fight scenes. The readers will love it.
Here's another example to show how pacing and choice of words help to create pacing and keep the action moving:
They had almost made it when Reynolds aimed his gun at Jack. “Down!” he yelled, causing Jack and his teammates to fall to their knees as they ducked to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. They ended up on the ground, face first, waiting for the shooting to stop, while Jack made use of the moment to study the lay of the land. His head swiveled around as he studied the area, looking for possible obstacles that could put a stop to their rescue. He didn’t see anything obvious, but he kept looking around, even as he jumped up when the shooting stopped and they ran the rest of the way toward the gate.
Even with the characters lying on the ground while a fire fight raged over their heads, the main character was still busy looking for an escape. The action didn't stop while they were lying down, which helped keep the pace of the scene going strong. Pacing in a fight scene isn't hard to achieve. Just keep the characters moving.
They fight! MEEP!!
Despite the heading for this section, I really do love to read and write a great fight scene. And I know that there is more involved in writing them - such as having the scene actually fit in with the plot or the hurtful words in the dialogue. But for the most part, MEEP is a great starting point. Once the motivation is in play, emotion takes over and the fighting begins. Give the characters something to use in "persuading" their opponent, and then describe it all with words and sentences designed to pull the reader right into the fray. Just remember MEEP, and the scene will practically write itself.