shapeshifter in a fight scene

[shape_shifter]

I'm no good at writing fight scenes and i was wondering if anyone had some pointers for me?

My main character is a shape shifter and she changes at the drop of a hat and very often. i already wrote one but I'm not sure it's that exciting, or interesting at all really.
Any specific things to look out for when writing a fight scene?

 

[MattyK]

Best way to find out for sure is to post your fight scene in the Critiques section of the forums. People there can tell you where, if you indeed are, going wrong.

 

[shape_shifter]

Okay thank you.

 

[Sapheron]

A piece of look at would help a lot. Besides that there are a few general pointers;

Keep sentences as short as possible to increase the pace and give the impression of speed.

Harsher words give a more brutal feel; softer language makes it more graceful.

Keep away from description.

Be very careful not to lapse into 'he did... she did...'. It can be very easy to distance yourself from the action.

As a personal thing, I prefer not to see too much flashy stuff as well. I don't mind epic (people being sent flying and stuff) but I don't like things that get silly (kicking someone eighteen times while going off a ramp on a motorbike). It could be to do with my own experiences as a martial artist, but I greatly dislike moves that are unneccessarily complex most of the time.

 

[Glitch]

It depends how you write but the way I do this like that is to watch them in my head like a movie and write it down, almost frame by frame. Then read back through it and take out the bits you don't want.

If your character is a shape shifter then you also need to consider any plot points to include. Such as does the person she's fighting know she can shape shift, can she craft weapons etc... Depending where the fight scene occurs in your story you may have covered stuff like that.

But as mentioned, a post in the critique section once written would get you feedback.

 

[ctg]

Shadowrun has an excellent novel on the subject called Striper Assassin. I suggest you find it out either from first ed or from newer prints. The Author was Nyx Smith and the ISBN for the 1993 ed is 0-451-45254-2 and 2003 ed 0-451-45313-1.

However, when it comes to the shape-changer or doubleganger fights, the strenghts are on their side, or at least that is what I believe. The reason is on their changing aspect as it gives them an edge over the normals. And when you pull the change, you'll surprice the other. Nevertheless, it all runs down as Glitch said on how you play the fight.

 

[mygoditsraining]

From a content POV, I always like it when people overcome the advantages of one opponent's physical abilities. Essentially, it's works like this - a technique is only 100% effective when combined with the element of surprise. If someone knows that their opponent can shift/grow claws/whatever, then their strategy will take that into account.

Assuming, of course that you're not talking about trash fights where your character tears through a pack of mooks, mind. You can paint that with a very broad brush and save the taut action scenes for the big climactic moments.

 

[Sapheron]

If I knew someone could morph big claws/whatever it would definitely alter my strategy. It'd go from whatever it was to 'run and hide'.

I'd also dispute your statistic. A technique is 100% effective with the correct quantity of luck. Surprise, skill or whatever can't make up for simply jammy-ness if a person can gather a sufficient quantity of it.

 

[mygoditsraining]

I'd also dispute your statistic. A technique is 100% effective with the correct quantity of luck. Surprise, skill or whatever can't make up for simply jammy-ness if a person can gather a sufficient quantity of it.

It's a trope, not a statistic. I'm talking about imaginary fights that you make up, for which there are no statistics. I was just making the observation that it's generally quite exciting when a character uses foreknowledge of the other person's seemingly insurmountable advantages and whatever else they need (e.g. their surroundings) to make the fight equal.

 

[Sapheron]

That makes a deal of sense. I suppose winning the final almighty battle through luck wouldn't give quite the same effect.

 

[shadowbox]

This is just my opinion but I find that when writing fight scenes you shouldn't stick to what the fighters are doing only, but also how it is effecting the surroundings. The sounds, the vibrations, all that.

 

[mygoditsraining]

That makes a deal of sense. I suppose winning the final almighty battle through luck wouldn't give quite the same effect.

I just had a mental image of Vader standing on a rake mid lightsaber fight and it going *sproing* up into his mask.

 

[Nik]

I think the neatest 'shapeshifter' combat was probably Odo's antics on ST-DS9.

The 'Terminator' equivalent rather lacked humour...

 

[Glitch]

The Terminator fight scene does show some interesting points for shape shifters in combat. Didn't need to turn around when thrown against a wall. When punched in the head, turned head into hands.
But then again it depends on how your shape shifter, shape shifts. In some fantasy the head, hands and feet stay the same but morph, if that makes sense. In which case the T-1000 shifting abilities wouldn't be possible.

 

[Dante]

Among other things, in fight scenes I like to describe the physical stress the fighters experience from both attacking and being attacked. My characters pant, collapse, and feel agony as their willpower is the only thing forcing their ragged bodies to keep fighting. If an attack misses, of course it devastates the land or creates some anomaly in the environment.

Conventions will be different if it's a one-one-one vs. a one-on-many vs. a many-on-many scene. With one-on-one, you have more freedom to be very specific and focus on the fight more blow by blow. When you have many players, I try to balance specific descriptions of the individual confrontations with more general comments, like zooming in and out with a camera.

I think the hardest parts of a fight scene for me are creating/maintaining tension and making the scene easy to visualize. I'm still trying to find answers as to how to address those two concerns.