The Right To Write

Fighting Scenes: Part 3

Chloe covered everything effectively, but I feel that there are bits and pieces I could patch on.

Everybody Fights Differently. Especially in a novel where the majority of your characters fight, there should be some diversity. Maybe one of your characters uses his sword with his left hand, maybe one masterfully fights with martial arts over gang-style fighting. Your characters have every right to fight their own way, and possess a different set of skills. 

Keep in mind that they often belong to the same standards as unique character voice. It depends on where the character was raised, how he were raised, and his own individual personalities.

"Because We're Writing a Fight, Not a Performance." I think Chloe phrased that very well in her own definition. It registered in my mind with a different definition: Your character can't walk out of a pool of bloodshed without a scratch. 

We all know that one miraculous character that we force ourselves to love, who comes out of the smoke with her slick double-edged blade, glorious sweat, runaway model walk, and what? Not a single scratch. You want anything but that in your book. 

Let me tell you a little secret. Fight scenes are the last thing you want to romanticize. Realistic fight scenes should have third-degree burns, broken bones, gun wounds, and punctured lungs. Any wound your evil writer's mind can think up. A runaway model warrior is a major wound all it its own--to your reputation.

So get on with it. Give your character a battle scar, a life or death situation. They need that healthy experience once in a while.

A Worthy Opponent. I'm sure you can tell the difference whether or not you're writing an major fighting scene, or a brief battle between your main character and a couple of inexperience guards. But it is utterly vital that major battle scenes are composed of an opponent with a suiting set of skills.

Your character needs to meet his match, and opponent who truly challenges your protagonist's skills. Only then will the groundwork be laid for an exceptional battle. 

I thought this was a rather well-known fact, until I read a whole lot of manuscripts. A large amount of beginning writers design fight scenes where their protagonists defeat their enemies with the flick of their hand. The logic that seems to be whirring in these writer's minds is that their character will be regarded powerful and amazing. But again, the point of your book is to emphasize the flaws and weaknessesof your characters, not the perfection. The bar of suspense is greatly raised when you suggest the possibility that your character may not win because of his imperfection. 

Just to make it clear:

Give your character a worthy opponent.