Holiday Fight Scene Helper (FightWrite™)

December 6, 2024

I love that the year ends with giving in mind. If you are in the U.S., the season of giving officially begins in November with a holiday where the giving is that of thanks. Last month, in celebration of thanks, I gave two books to two readers. This month, in the spirit of holiday giving, I’m giving something to all y’all! Yes, you get a present and you get a present and you, yes, you, the caffeine fueled little word goblin typing away in the corner who won’t even pause to look up, you get a present, too! It’s a holiday miracle!

(How to Punch (FightWrite™))

OK, not a miracle. That’s a stretch. But it is a surprise and, bonus, it costs you nothing but a few minutes of reading time. It’s a handy fight scene helper that consists of questions that can help you through your fight scene. The questions are meant to get your creative wheels turning not as any sort of standard by which you should create. There is no one way to create a fight scene, which is part of why it can be challenging. When there’s one million ways to do things, it can be hard to decide any way at all.

That’s where this helper is quite helpful. If you find yourself stuck in the midst of a million options, refer to these questions. Some may lead you to the answer you need simply by giving you a new perspective. This guide, and all the information that can help you make the most of it, is in my book Fight Write, Round Two.

Foundation: Why, Where, Who

Why is the fight happening?

What is at stake?
Does the speed and intensity match the stakes?

Where is the…

Time: Consider the technology, customs and culture
Geographically: Again, consider technology, customs, culture and the weather
Site: Where are the weapons of opportunity and the buffers?

Find weapons of opportunity with a thought map. Draw a circle. Put the name of the location in its center. Draw lines from the circle and connect them to anything that is in the area. Draw a line from each of those items and note if and how they could be useful to the scene.

What sensory details can be added to the scene that show rather than tell about the setting/site? For example, the creak of wood, the squeak of wheels, the smell of horse manure, and seeing the world through a tarp tunnel could be associated with a covered wagon.

Who…

Your Character: Do you have a fighting style or weapon in mind for your character? Does it fit: the time period? The character’s size? The character’s natural ability?
Your Reader: Remember to avoid technical language as much as possible. Include details to which the reader can relate such as weight or feel of the weapon. Lean harder on sensory details than technical movement.

Finding An Injury

Disregarding injury, what HAS to happen in the fight scene to support or compel the story forward?

Does a character need to feel fear? Does an innocent character need to be framed? Does a kingdom need to be in jeopardy? Does a character need to see their own strengths or weakness?
What is the injury goal?
Does that injury goal support what HAS to happen in the scene? Does it need to be a certain injury or certain outcome?
Does it need to be a visible injury?

Yes—consider a wound to the face.

Does a part of the body need to be spared? Does it need create a scar?

Yes—consider a burn, cut or laceration.

Does it need to create lasting physical effects? Will those effects inhibit what the character needs to do later in the story?
Does there need to be dialogue?
Does the injury you want allow for the dialogue you need?
Does a character need to die?
Does the death need to be fast or slow?
Is the manner of death bloody?
Is the manner of death appropriate for the target audience?
Does the speed of death allow for the amount of dialogue that you want?
Does the speed of death allow for whatever other movement that character needs to do in the scene.
Does the injury need to leave evidence?
What type of evidence? Physical? List three options. Circumstantial? List three options.

Blocking

What at the site of the fight that could be used as a weapon or buffer? Consider making a thought map of the area.

What is the character wearing?
Does what they have on inhibit their movement? For example, A robe may not allow kicking. A corset may not allow much of any kind of movement.
Will the character be able to accomplish the injury goal with what they have on
Considering the clothing worn, where is the character physically vulnerable? For example: If they have on armor, they are not vulnerable where there is metal. But they are vulnerable through the breaths in the helmet, under the arms, at the groin and maybe the neck. Which of those places can be reached with the least amount of effort?
Which of those vulnerable places is the easiest to access?
What weapon could access that vulnerable area?
How would a character have to move to access the target area?
Write down three movements that could access the area. Don’t write a chain of movements. Just one such as a punch, grab, push.
Write a single move that would lead to each. For example: A step could lead to any of these. Write a move that could lead to that step. Keep going backward from those movements.
Pick the movement sequence that is easiest to write.
What sensory details could be associated with the fight you’ve chosen?

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Pacing

Jot down the sequence of actions and any other ideas you may have for the scene. Between every two or three pieces of action, place an X to mark where a break in the action can be placed.
What sensory details or dialogue could be placed in those breaks? Put yourself in the scene of the fight and do the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method from Chapter 9. Ask yourself: what five things can I see, four things can I touch, three things can I hear, two things can I smell and one thing can I taste?
Do the sensory details align with the scene point of view?

Parting Thoughts

Remember, the better part of writing is process, not product. Read that again. The final product is not the hard part. The hardest part of writing is all the work that happened before the final draft was even in sight. And different portions of your work may require a different process. Until you find your fight writing style, you may need to be more methodical than you are with the other areas of your work. That’s normal. Embrace it.

Also, find a writer whose fight scenes you love and try to copy that style until it becomes your own. Whenever I learn a new fight technique, I imitate my coach. The more I repeat that technique, the more it becomes my own. Though the principles of the technique will remain, the minor details will be tailored to my body and fighting style. It is the same with writing.

Be flexible. If you are struggling to get your character out of a situation in your fight scene, ask yourself if you are the thing standing in the way. Are you focusing on what you have written more than what must be written? What must be written is what the story needs. What the story needs may not include some really great stuff that you have written. Don’t stress. Just because the events you want to happen can’t happen in this particular scene, they can still be used elsewhere.

(How Fight Scenes Can Reveal Character)

Don’t Worry, It Will Get ~~Easy~~ Easier

The more you write fight scenes, the easier and more streamlined your process will be. That is not to say that it will ever be easy. I was asked recently by a lower belt when jiujitsu became easier. I laughed and told the guy that, unfortunately, never. But that was because, fortunately, he would always be getting better. He would, without realizing it, be challenging himself more in proportion to his growth. And, by default, that also means he would be making more mistakes.

It is the same with writing. The better writer you become, the higher your standard for yourself with be. The higher the standard, the more you will challenge yourself. The more you challenge yourself, the more mistakes you will make. And, because of all that, it may feel like you aren’t getting better when, in truth, you are better than you have ever been.

I hope the fight scene helper does, indeed, help you. I hope it coaches you through the bumps and bruises of writing your fight scene. And I hope it encourages you to just keep going.

Have a wonderful holiday season, writers. See you all next year!