Ah, fight scenes. I'm not the greatest at writing them. I'm typically confused when watching them. But I love them with a passion for some reason and have many looming before me in the tens of thousands of words ahead. However, I'm learning how to sword fight at school. Wild, right? Before you get to thinking that I've been transported back in time, or that I attend a super prestigious and medieval private school, I'm learning this is Theater Class. (Choreographed violence/stage fights, you know?) Now, I haven't written a swordfight since learning, but I think now that I know how it'll be a little easier and—no offense, Leah—better than before. Does anybody else have fight scenes in their WIP? How would you rate your skill when it comes to writing them?
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Yep, loads of them (as is usual when 'revolution' is your theme). I'm okayish at writing them. Leah, you've read them, they're... I dunno. Oh! I'll just add one to this comment so you can see for yourselves.
All at once, chaos erupted. Guards came at me just as the witches, wizards and fay rushed the enforcers. Shouts and screams echoed in my ears as my mom, apparently not unconscious, jumped up and stood guarding my back as the guards rushed toward us. I kicked out a guard hurtling towards me from the left, knocking him down as my mom spun backwards, using her bound fists to hit an enforcer right in the stomach. Another guard came from the right, sword swinging through the air. I stepping inside his strike and rammed my shoulder into his hard steel armor. Pain shot up my neck and down my arm as he toppled over, off the dais right into a pair of witches, who threw him at the enforcers.
“COME ON!” I yelled at my mom, and we plowed through two more guards as we made a break for the edge of the dais. There were four more guard standing between us and the platform. They ran forward, two of them wielding swords—our swords. My mom and I rushed them. I kicked one down, but another grabbed me by the shoulder, and I cried out in pain.
“AZRA!” My mom knocked down one of the men, who fell on top of the guard using my sword—unfortunately, he didn’t impale himself on the blade. She slammed into the guard trying to detain me. He let go of me and grabbed her by the wrists. She screamed, collapsing to the ground as he pressed the iron into her skin, weakening her.
“NO!” I roared. I lunged forward, but an enforcer knocked me down. I fell to the floor, but suddenly a fireball streaked through the air right into his helmet. He screamed as his face caught fire, and rolled off the dais.
“TAKE THAT, YOU MISERABLE MAGGOT!” a girl’s voice shouted in triumph. I whirled around to find a young witch and wizard standing behind me. They were both tall and thin, with red hair and fair, freckled skin. The girl spun and shot flame seemingly out of her bare hands at the guard restraining my mother. He leapt out of the way, but another guard rushed to restrain her. The wizard boy ran to her aid, shoving the guard away.
I jumped as the girl came up behind me. “Hold still,” she commanded, and undid my iron bonds. Strength surged through me again. I spun to find my mom being dragged to the palace by five guards, and the wizard on laying on the ground.
“MOM!” I shrieked, just as the girl screamed, “CORVUS!”
I started towards my mother, but an guard caught me and threw me to the ground. The girl, who had been battling another two guards to get to her companion, broke free and sent an arc of flame at the guard towering over me, and he flew off the dais into a crowd of fay. I jumped up and started running towards my mother, two enforcers hot on my heels. The wizard boy, Corvus, scrambled to his feet and shoved an enforcer into the crowd of captives.
I vaguely noticed him shouting, “PHOENIX!” and the girl responding, “WE HAVE TO GO!” as she fended off three enforcers with a streak of fire.
Aaaaannd the way it ends seems kinda disjointed because that's only like half of the scene but didn't want to give you too much to read. Enjoy!
I’m currently writing a super hero like fan fiction and there is a fight scene in there that’s pretty long and complicated. I’d say I’ve gotten some practice over the years( I’m not the best at it) but a few tips of mine would be one, put it in your character’s perspective. If they pick up a sword and they don’t know what proper fencing terms are, don’t put them unless they know. Also, for the reader who doesn’t know those moves it would be beneficial to introduce them a little if you’re doing a sword fight. Also fight scenes are messy and chaotic, so a mess of anxious thoughts and adrenaline, intense feelings doesn’t leave room for much reflection. Make the sentences short and fast paced. Have the character try to keep their objective before them even if they get distracted occasionally. It’s also important to know what your opponent’s goal is, whether to kill your character or simply injure them and even make a plan for the bad guy( I like making the bad guys plan first so I can see what the hero needs to react to). That was a lot. I hope this all makes sense. Also using taste, touch, smell, and all the senses really brings life to the fight scene.