Fisticuffs

Mith

Mith

Confused
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
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Mordor (Oldham)
Quick question really. If you're not proficient in boxing or the martial arts, and you very, very rarely find yourself in those positions outside the pub on a Friday/Saturday night where violence seems to be an inevitable thing, then how do you write a believable yet exciting fight scene? Are there any secrets or tips to know?

Thanks in advance.
 
YouTube!

Otherwise, skip over the specifics, and emphasize the emotions. You can give the reader a surprisingly visceral experience without worrying about the specific blow-by-blows, so long as they know what path the fight takes the character emotionally. Beta readers can also help eliminate anything obviously wonky in your descriptions.
 
OK, first, that's not a quick question. A quick question is: what have I got in my pocket?

Second, what Zmunkz the Unpronounceable said.
 
A lot of what I learned of writing fight scenes came from reading other people's fight scenes, and also first hand accounts. Brandon Sanderson also has a very good piece on this in the book "Writing Fantasy Heroes" which is worth reading if you can find.

What zmunkz said about the emotions though is about the best single piece of advice you'll find. They're the easiest thing to follow and the hardest hitting thing and that's why even the medieval weaponry instructors talk about the emotions as much as anything.
 
A whole ago @Brian G Turner recommended this book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1481921460/?tag=id2100-20
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1481921460/?tag=brite-21
:it might not be exactly what you are looking for; however it's an eyeopener for a number of tips about physical violence and up close conflict.

Also i noticed along with that one this one::
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1507891407/?tag=id2100-20
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1507891407/?tag=brite-21
::I have not read this one so I only have amazon's word that it might be helpful.
 
I've read a few stories where the characters are performing all kinds of fancy swordwork and the author goes to great lengths to describe it. And it goes right over my head.

The proper language, description, move names and stances are going to be totally alien to most readers; plus trying to visualise a complex fight described as such can be hard for many to mentally put together. Simpler language that gets the point across, interspaced with a few specific descriptive terms and words to give the scene flavour (eg a few martial arts words and the reader has some idea that its martial arts whilst fisticuffs is going to suggest your classic boxing in a very general term). You can even use the term then describe the action the term dictates right after so that readers who don't know the meaning will be kept up and its neat way to info-dump what the term means and thus lets you use it more often without having to back it up with the description.
 
Fight scenes in film: awesome
Fight scenes in books: boring

I’d keep it very simple if it’s one-to-one. Of course if it’s a massive Helms Deep or space type battle obviously you have to explore it more, but I’d restrict it to the character experience and what is strictly relevant.

pH
 
zmunkz said:
You can give the reader a surprisingly visceral experience without worrying about the specific blow-by-blows, so long as they know what path the fight takes the character emotionally.
Click to expand...

Overread said:
I've read a few stories where the characters are performing all kinds of fancy swordwork and the author goes to great lengths to describe it. And it goes right over my head.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what everyone else said. Keep it to the overall feel and just add a dash of specifics here and there for flavor. And then, if you can, get someone who does know their stuff to revise your scenes. That's what I do with my sword fight scenes - give them to my former sword instructor to give them a once-over (since I am very much a beginner). :)
 
If you are writing 1st or close 3rd POV, describe the emotion as people have said, but also from my expereince (reenactment, etc) fights are pure chaos. Even in "structured" big fights like shieldwall vs shieldwall, pike blocks, etc, you'll often find yourself turned around, facing the wrong direction, overwhelmed by noise, etc. I've wound up on the wrong side of a shieldwall, both deliberately and accidently. In smaller fights, like a few people skirmish, its so easy to lose track of what's going on and where your allies are. Fights are very dynamic, and most authors I read don't capture that feel - they grant their protagonists far too much oversight as to what's happening. Add in guns, explosions, magic, etc and things get exponentially more crazy.
 
I just don't enjoy writing battle scenes.

So why do most of my stories include battle scenes?

:confused:
 
I love a good fight scene, but it has to be good. It depends on what era you are setting things in, but if you are going modern or sci fi I'd recommend some military memoirs. Black Hawk Down is a great place to start to understand the frenetic intensity of a firefight. The fact that for a lot of the time the troops on the ground just have no idea wha the hell is going on gives you a sense of chaos. The better, more recent (like last decade or so) of military first hand accounts put you into the emotional, experiential seat of the action.
 
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