Helpful things for action writers to remember
- Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high youâre jumping/falling from. Thereâs a very good reason free-runners dive and roll.Â
- Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. Itâs exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, youâre going to tire out really fast.Â
- Arrows are very effective and you canât just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention.Â
- Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. Youâre giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless youâre trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, donât throw them.Â
- Everyone has something called a âflinch responseâ when they fight. This is pretty much the brainâs way of telling you âget the fuck out of here or weâre gonna die.â Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently.Â
- ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but itâs actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighterâs efficacy - meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesnât give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponentâs face.Â
- Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.
- Fights get messy. Thereâs blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone.Â
- A serious battle also smells horrible. Thereâs lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the characterâs senses when theyâre in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way.Â
- If your sword is sharpened down to a fine edge, the rest of the blade canât go through the cut you make. Youâll just end up putting a tiny, shallow scratch in the surface of whatever you strike, and you could probably break your sword.Â
- ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when youâre shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means âthe amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.â To give you an idea of how that works, hereâs a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters.  (CLICK ME)
- If an archer has to use a bow theyâre not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until theyâve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability.Â
- People bleed. If they get punched in the face, theyâll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, theyâll bleed accordingly. And if theyâve been fighting for a while, theyâve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. Theyâre going to bleed a lot.Â
- Hereâs a link to a chart to show you how much blood a person can lose without dying. (CLICK ME)Â
- If you want a more in-depth medical chart, try this one. (CLICK ME)
Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything Iâve gotten wrong here.Â
How to apply Writing techniques for action scenes:
- Short sentences. Choppy. One action, then another. When thereâs a lull in the fight, take a moment, using longer phrases to analyze the situationâthen dive back in. Snap, snap, snap. - Same thing with words - short, simple, and strong in the thick of battle. Save the longer syllables for elsewhere. - Characters do not dwell on things when they are in the heat of the moment. They will get punched in the face. Focus on actions, not thoughts. - Go back and cut out as many adverbs as possible. - No seriously, if thereâs ever a time to use the strongest verbs in your vocabulary - Bellow, thrash, heave, shriek, snarl, splinter, bolt, hurtle, crumble, shatter, charge, raze - itâs now. - Donât forget your other senses. People might not even be sure what they saw during a fight, but they always know how they felt. - Taste: Dry mouth, salt from sweat, copper tang from blood, etc - Smell: OP nailed it - Touch: Headache, sore muscles, tense muscles, exhaustion, blood pounding. Bruised knuckles/bowstring fingers. Injuries that ache and pulse, sting and flare white hot with pain. - Pain will stay with a character. Even if itâs minor. - Sound and sight might blur or sharpen depending on the character and their experience/exhaustion. Colors and quick movements will catch the eye. Loud sounds or noises from behind may serve as a fighterâs only alert before an attack. - If something unexpected happens, shifting the characterâs whole attention to that thing will shift the Audienceâs attention, too. - Aftermath. This is where the details resurface, the characters pick up things they cast aside during the fight, both literally and metaphorically. Fights are chaotic, fast paced, and self-centered. Characters know only their self, their goals, whatâs in their way, and the quickest way around those threats. The aftermath is when people can regain their emotions, their relationships, their rationality/introspection, and anything else they couldnât afford to think or feel while their lives were on the line.
Do everything you can to keep the fight here and now. Maximize the physical, minimize the theoretical. Keep things immediate - no theories or what ifs.
If writing a strategist, who needs to think ahead, try this: keep strategy to before-and-after fights. Lay out plans in calm periods, try to guess what enemies are thinking or what they will do. During combat, however, the character should think about his options, enemies, and terrain in immediate terms; that is, in shapes and direction. (Large enemy rushing me; dive left, circle around / Scaffolding on fire, pool below me / two foes helping each other, separate them.)
Lastly, after writing, read it aloud. Anyplace your tongue catches up on a fast moving scene, edit. Smooth action scenes rarely come on the first try.
More for martial arts or hand-to-hand in general
What a characterâs wearing will affect how they fight. The more restricting the clothes, the harder it will be. If theyâre wearing a skirt that is loose enough to fight in, modesty will be lost in a life or death situation.
Jewelry can also be very bad. Necklaces can be grabbed onto. Bracelets also can be grabbed onto or inhibit movement. Rings it can depend on the person.
Shoes also matter. Tennis shoes are good and solid, but if youâre unused to them thereâs a chance of accidentally hurting your ankle. High heels can definitely be a problem. However, they can also make very good weapons, especially for someone used to balancing on the balls of their feet. Side kicks and thrusting kicks in soft areas (like the solar plexus) or the feet are good ideas. They can also (hopefully) be taken off quickly and used as a hand weapon. Combat boots are great but if someone relies more on speed or arenât used to them, they can weigh a person down. Cowboy boots can be surprisingly good. Spin kicks (if a character is quick enough to use them) are especially nasty in these shoes.
If a character is going to fight barefoot, please keep location in mind. Concrete can mess up your feet quick. Lawns, yards, etc often have hidden holes and other obstacles that can mess up a fighter. Tile floors or waxed wood can be very slippery if youâre not careful or used to them.
Likewise, if itâs outside be aware of how weather will affect the fight. The sunâs glare can really impede a fighterâs sight. A wet location, inside or outside, can cause a fighter to slip and fall. Sweat on the body can cause a fighter to lose a grip on an opponent too.
Pressure points for a trained fighter are great places to aim for in a fight. The solar plexus is another great place to aim for. It will knock the wind out of anyone and immediately weaken your opponent.Â
It your character is hit in the solar plexus and isnât trained, theyâre going down. The first time you get hit there you are out of breath and most people double over in confusion and pain. If a fighter is more used to it, they will stand tall and expand themselves in order to get some breath. They will likely keep fighting, but until their breath returns to normal, they will be considerably weaker.
Do not be afraid to have your character use obstacles in their environment. Pillars, boxes, bookshelves, doors, etc. They put distance between you and an opponent which can allow you to catch your breath.Â
Do not be afraid to have your character use objects in their environment. Someoneâs coming at you with a spear, trident, etc, then pick up a chair and get it caught in the legs or use it as a shield. Bedsheets can make a good distraction and tangle someone up. Someoneâs invading your home and you need to defend yourself? Throw a lamp. Anything can be turned into a weapon.
Guns often miss their targets at longer distances, even by those who have trained heavily with them. They can also be easier to disarm as they only shoot in one direction. However, depending on the type, grabbing onto the top is a very very bad idea. There is a good likelihood you WILL get hurt.
Knives are nasty weapons by someone who knows what theyâre doing. Good fighters never hold a knife the way you would when cutting food. It is best used when held against the forearm. In defense, this makes a block more effective and in offense, slashing movement from any direction are going to be bad. If a character is in a fight with a knife or trying to disarm one, they will get hurt.Â
Soft areas hit with hard body parts. Hard areas hit with soft body parts. The neck, stomach, and other soft areas are best hit with punches, side kicks, elbows, and other hard body parts. Head and other hard parts are best hit using a knife hand, palm strike, etc. Spin kicks will be nasty regardless of what youâre aiming for it they land.
Common misconception with round house kicks is that youâre hitting with the top of the foot. Youâre hitting with the ball. Youâre likely to break your foot when hitting with the top.
When punching, the thumb is outside of the fist. Youâll break something if youâre hitting with the thumb inside, which a lot of inexperienced fighters do.Â
Also, punching the face or jaw can hurt.Â
It can be hard to grab a punch if youâre not experienced with it despite how easy movies make it seem. Itâs best to dodge or redirect it.
Hitting to the head is not always the best idea. It can take a bit of training to be able to reach for the head with a kick because of the height. Flexibility is very much needed. If there are problems with their hips or they just arenât very flexible, kicks to the head arenât happening.
Jump kicks are a good way to hit the head, but an opponent will see it coming if itâs too slow or they are fast/experienced.
A good kick can throw an opponent back or knock them to the ground. If the person youâve hit has experience though, theyâll immediately be getting up again.
Even if theyâve trained for years in a martial art, if they havenât actually hit anything before or gotten hit, it will be slightly stunning for the person. It does not feel the way you expect it too.
Those yells in martial arts are not just for show. If done right, they tighten your core making it easier to take a hit in that area. Also, they can be used to intimidate an opponent. Yelling or screaming right by their ear can startle someone. (Generally, KHR fans look at Squalo for yelling)
Biting can also be used if someoneâs grabbing you. Spitting in someoneâs eyes canât hurt. Also, in a chokehold or if someone is trying to grab your neck in general, PUT YOU CHIN DOWN. This cuts off access and if theyâre grabbing in the front can dig into their hand and hurt.
Wrist grabs and other grabs can be good. Especially if itâs the first move an opponent makes and the character is trained, there are simple ways to counter that will have a person on their knees in seconds..
Use what your character has to their advantage. If theyâre smaller or have less mass, then theyâll be relying on speed, intelligence, evasion, and other similar tactics. Larger opponents will be able to take hits better, theyâre hits may be slower depending on who it is but will hurt like hell if they land, and size can be intimidating.  Taller people with longer legs will want to rely on kicking and keeping their distance since they have the advantage there. Shorter people will want to keep the distance closer where itâs easier for them but harder for a taller opponent. Punching is a good idea.
Using a personâs momentum against them is great. Thereâs martial arts that revolve around this whole concept. They throw a punch? Grab it and pull them forward and around. Their momentum will keep them going and knock them off balance.Â
Leverage can used in the same way. If used right, you can flip a person, dislocate a shoulder, throw out a knee, etc.
One note on adrenaline: All that was said above is true about it. But, in a fight, it can also make you more aware of whatâs going on. A fight that lasts twenty seconds can feel like a minute because time seems to almost slow down while moving extremely rapidly. You only have so much time to think about what youâre doing. Youâre taking in information constantly and trying to adjust. Even in the slow down adrenaline gives you, everything is moving very rapidly.Â
Feelings will be your downfall even more so than adrenaline. Adrenaline can make those feelings more intense, but a good fighter has learned not to listen to those feelings. A good fighter may feel anger at being knocked down or in some way humiliated - their pride taken down. Yet they will not act on the anger. Acting on it makes a fighter more instinctive and many will charge without thinking. Losing control of anything (adrenaline rush, emotions, technique, etc) can be a terrible thing in a fight.
Just thought Iâd add in here.
YES. YES.
Such good writing tips! @myebi
@jmlascar youâve probably seen this already, but in case you havenât, itâs got some good info on fight scenes :)
Pretty important for the scenes Iâm focusing on right now. Thanks for the writing tips!!
This has crossed my dash before, but I forgot to reblog it.
Oof this is super helpful, thanks for the tips!
