How to Write a Fight Scene in a Novel

Fights can be exciting but never include them in a novel for their own sake. Keep the stakes high and the characters involved.

Fight scenes are some of the most difficult sequences to render effectively and convincingly in prose. Since fighting proceeds so quickly, descriptions sometimes fail to capture the tempo of a physical altercation between characters. Fighting is also highly technical, and so fight scenes run the risk of either bogging down in superfluous details or delivering action that feels loose and unrealistic. Follow these steps to avoid some of the most common fight scene problems and pitfalls.

Instructions

1. Integrate your fight scene into the plot of your novel. Fights should never be gratuitous or insignificant. If you find yourself pitting your protagonists against anonymous or faceless antagonists, you may be on the wrong track. Fight scenes should always move the plot forward, either by providing insights about important characters or by creating or resolving real conflict. Artificial conflict against nameless enemies is rarely as satisfying or dramatic as conflict between significant characters is.

2. Visualize your scene in terms of fight choreography. Have a clear picture in your mind of the positions of your fighters and their demeanor. Determine step-by-step the actions each fighter will take. If you do not have a concrete visualization of the fight as it unfolds, then your reader will also be unable to picture it clearly. Remember that inconsistencies, impossibilities and sloppy or imprecise descriptions can quickly ruin your credibility with a reader.

3. Employ the principle of Chekov's gun. Stated simply, this means that your scene should be concerned with actions and their consequences or reactions. If a character throws a punch, it is most satisfying to the reader when you describe how it is countered or the effect it has on the fight when it connects. Fighting, like chess or tennis, is inherently dynamic and reactive. Do not merely describe a static series of punches and kicks, but show how opponents anticipate and react to one another over the course of a fight.

4. Seize the opportunity to contribute to your characters' development over the course of a fight. If you want to show your protagonist as stubborn or strong-willed, for example, you might indicate this by his commitment to a losing cause. If he is crafty or a quick thinker, he might use the environment to his advantage. Consider your fight scene a chance to reinforce the qualities you have attributed to your character, or to bring out unseen psychological or emotional depth.

5. Write your fight scene so that it flows quickly, with the appropriate rhythm and tempo. Favor short, high-energy sentences but vary your sentence structure to avoid repetition. Confine each paragraph to a single action and its consequences or reaction. Battles between characters need not always end decisively, but readers should always feel that every action is contributing to an impending resolution. If your scene moves at a swift pace with significant, dramatic action, your readers will become immersed in your scene, riveted by the struggles, defeats and victories of your characters.

References

• Writing.com; Writing Fight Scenes
• Marilynnbyerly.com; Creating Fight Scenes and Battles; Marilynn Byerly