Writing Action Scenes Revisited

by Caro Dee

I have to write a fight scene that's pivotal to a story I'm working on and I just don't want to! I've been procrastinating and doing challenge fics (Hi, Peja! Thanks for distracting me. <g>) instead.

Still I've got to do it. So... I'm going to think out loud here and then follow my own advice. And if anybody else has got stuff to add, all I can say is...

PLEEEEEEAZZZZZE???!!!

Okay, Action. We see a lot of action on TV and the movies, so we know what's expected and exciting. Okay...

Step #1. Run it through your head to get a basic idea of what's happening. Write a quick paragraph describing it. Quick sigh of relief.

Step #2. Analyze paragraph. Does it have what you need to get the story to the next phase? Adjust if necessary.

Step #3. Take each sentence and think about expanding it. (Don't write yet.) What's each character's POV? What are their motives and emotions? What do they think about being in the middle of this? Think about how it looks (like on camera). If one character has to aim a gun, how is he standing? What is he feeling? Does he miss the first time? He hits the guy. What does the guy feel? Is he wounded or dead? How does his body look as it's falling. What does the shooter feel? Etc.

Step #4. Grit your teeth and just write the scene from beginning to end. Write the physical facts only, if that's all you've got. "He stood up and confronted the villain, who laughed. He got angry and yelled. Villain taunted. Hero struck villain. V gct scared and ran off. H chased V through warehouse in the dark." It's like a play rehearsal. You're just making sure that everybody knows where they're supposed to be.

Step #5. Go away for a day. Let your brain relax so you can look at your scene with some objectivity.

Step #6. Take all the work you did in Step #3 and apply it to each sentence and expand them. Then toss it at your betareader and run, because she's gonna point out all the things you didn't think of and you don't want her to see you cry.

Sigh... I really don't want to do this, do I?

Well, I'm going to go try this myself and see how it works. Good luck to you, Growly.

Anybody else got anything to help desperate non-action-writing writers?

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