What it says on the tin.
Some ranting, some advice, some archaic reference, and a lot of cussing. My take on how I think fanfiction should be written and some of the biggest problems with it right now. Because I may not be the best at writing, but...
Oh hey, a title that actually makes sense for once. About damned time.
So like, I've been putting off this chapter because I fucking hate writing fight scenes. Not only that, but I hate READING fight scenes as well. Don't get me wrong, I love those "multifemale" song music videos as much as the next bitch and have probably seen way too many, and I fucking love watching a good fight scene, but god do I hate reading and writing them. I don't know what it is, but as soon as a fight scene is put to paper, it is just sucked dry of all the excitement. When you're writing, you can't just tell your readers to imagine that badass song you're writing to. Well, you can, but it's tacky.
So what I'm trying to say here is, it's not that you're boring, it's that we're all boring. And I say that as a kid who grew up reading Alex Rider books. You'd think for as much as I love action, I'd actually love the action part of it.
So clearly, I don't like fight scenes.
Oddly enough, I don't see them much in fanfiction, even MCU. Usually, y'all glaze over it and just jump to the aftermath after a brief description that could be summed up to "and then they punched a little bit". It's what I personally like, but it's not what you're actually supposed to do so here goes nothing.
Firstly, don't rush it. If you need that fight scene, don't rush that fight scene. focus on it, drag it out. It's almost better if the fight scene feels incredibly slow. That gives the reader the chance to focus on the moment and really breathe in just how much is at stake here. If you smooth right on by, there are no stakes and I'm never worried about your OC actually being in danger. A no stakes fight doesn't really need to happen at all.
Secondly, don't focus on the hits, focus on the feeling. Yes, it's generally a good idea to know what's going on in the fight scene, but a bland play by play of a punch there and kick there and a block here just makes you sound like a bad sports announcer. Tell how much that punch made the character's knucklers sting. Tell how bad it hurt when they landed hard on their bad arm. Tell how good the sick satisfaction felt when the character heard their opponent's bone break. That sort of stuff is good, and it immerses your reader into the scene. Go into detail. Heavy detail. If ever a time for purple prose, this is it. Be over the top and extreme with your descriptions so they feel powerful. It's tense and I want to know what happens next.
And most importantly, make it realistic. This is admittedly a bit of a moot point considering that MCU fight scenes usually never follow this rule, but it doesn't mean we can't try, damnit. Do some research. If your OC gets stabbed, understand the consequences of that stab. Know how much blood loss will affect them and how it'll affect them. Know how long it'll take to heal. A good fight doesn't just leave some cool bruises, it leaves you in pain with damage that may never fully heal.
Here's the thing about fight scenes. For maybe five minutes, your adrenaline is killing it. You don't feel the pain, you're at the top of your game, and you're ready to fucking kill. But that feeling will wear off, faster than you think. There will come a time, usually after five minutes, where you just want the fight to be over. Everything hurts. You're not only doing extremely strenuous exercise, but you're fighting for your life. You're scared, tired, and desperate. Your moves will get sloppier and dirtier.
Basically, there will be fights that your OC is always going to win. Think, for example, that scene where Tony blows up the bunker in Iron Man. The odds were obviously in his favour, and it was a really badass moment where he wins by landslide and Ten Rings never had a chance. You can write those fight scenes, with the witty one-liners and shit. Those fight scenes are more fun and light-hearted and honestly can be really enjoyable. But they're not written like a full-on fight scene because once again, no stakes. You don't need to focus on the moves or the pain or any of that because it'll be an easy win for your OC. But honestly, that's not a real fight scene. And for the climactic big bad final showdown, you need to make shit mean something.
I don't usually give examples outside of the MCU, but for a really good example of a high stakes, gritty fight scene, look up 'Atomic Blonde stairwell fight'. No, I won't link it because I hate how linking shit formats on Wattpad. But it's a good scene. It drags on, and it feels real and painful.
Basically, if you're going to write a high stakes fight scene, write a fucking high stakes fight scene.
