Fight Scenes

A writer has to be careful that the action is not hastily added in or used as a patch between talking head scenes. This cheats the reader and the writer of great opportunity to explore how the characters react in stressful situations and the chance to inform the readers of some facts about the charecters. Where did the character learn to do a certain move, or what about the fighting style of the bad guy triggers a memory from our heroine’s past?

Fights, like dramatic styles, come in a variety of flavors, each suited to the overall tone of the story.

A grim, down and dirty knife fight might be fine for a thriller, but wrong for a romantic comedy.

So how does it break down—what makes a fight funny or scary or realistic?

Since the fight has to serve the purpose of the story you have to use the same criteria as any journalistic or dramatic story. Ask yourself, ‘is this fight necessary?’ If it is then you can use the old six questions: Why, Who, How, Where, What and When? (my arbitrary order, here, folks, don’t write me letters)

Why?

Why is this fight the solution to this moment of the story, instead of a dialogue scene?

Who?

Who is involved in the action; the principal? A secondary character? If so, what is their stake in the confrontation (their why).

How?

How did the fight come about? How does it end? And in what state are the participants when it is all over? Will there be lingering effects? And will the effects be physical or mental or both?

Where?

Where does the action take place? Is it an interesting enough place, i.e. a kitchen, a garage, a spaceship port? What makes that place of particular interest? Does it add color to the story, or is it just a drab background, a diorama in front of which the action takes place?

What?

What is involved, physically in the fight? A sword fight; if so, what style? Or styles. Do they use the objects at hand or did they bring the ‘death dealers’ with them. (Jackie Chan movies are especially good at finding clever things to do with found objects in action scenes—you don’t have to be ‘clever’ funny but you should clever smart.).

When?

When is it appropriate to have a fight instead of a non-physical solution? I know I keep stressing this, but that cuts to the heart of the situation of many literature snobs who will not deal with any ‘action’ because they feel it cheapens the purpose of a story.

When you have answered all these questions for yourself, you are ready to get down and dirty and start that fight.

Teel James Glenn is a professional fight choreographer, actor and stuntman. He is also the author of Death at Dragonthroat, Tales of a Warrior Priest and Knight Errant: Death and Life at the Faire from Epress-Online.com. He has also written a forthcoming nonfiction about how to write fight scenes called Them’s Fightin' Words also from epress.