5 Tips for Writing Fight Scenes


1. Research: Know the terminology, stances, or weapons that are imperative to the scene. If magic is involved, worldbuild to find its capabilities and consequences. However, fight scenes should be fast and intense, not technical. Thus, only include what’s necessary to keep the fight scene entertaining and realistic.

2. Pacing: Use fight scenes sparingly, not just to get the reader's attention. This also means there must be a logical reason why the characters are fighting. Furthermore, the scene should be fast enough to excite the reader and still allow them to visualize it.  

3. Stakes: Make the villain formidable and the hero seem like the loser. The more deadly the villain is, the more the protagonist is forced to be clever, making their victory more valuable and intense. Don’t make their victory easy, make it surprising and inevitable.

4. Focus: Ground readers in the scene by using the character’s five senses and by showing not telling. Allow readers to picture the fight but don’t be meticulous with exact motions. Fight scenes in books depend more on emotions than visuals. The protagonist will become emotional based on their goal in the fight, so draw from that. Their goals rather than their skills should drive their actions. Furthermore, readers become worried when the protagonist is in pain, as this will leave them guessing, Will he be okay… or not? So let emotions drive the characters’ actions and don’t downplay the pain they feel.

5. Syntax: Don’t overuse words or sentence structures. Use powerful verbs: crush, slam, dive, dodge, lunge, smack, etc. Leave out metaphors, flowery prose, and passive voice. Be clear and concise with who is where, using quick glances to let readers know what they’re doing.

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