Block a Fight Scene Tip

In this post, we are going to look at a little tip to you help you block a fight scene.

 writing the action in your fight scene

I am a believer in blocking a fight scene out on paper. Yes, paper. I like to go over the actions start to finish then go back and highlight some of those actions. Those are the actions that I will actually use in the scene. Which actions are they? Well, I am so glad you asked! block a fight scene

Some of my favorites resources for fight scene blocking are comic books and graphic novels. Yep. Really. This video explains why. If you aren’t able to watch but are still dying for the info, I have a summary after the video. BUT, the video is better. Promise. If you watch it…SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel.

Look to the Comics!

When you look at fight scenes in comic books and graphic novels, every single movement is not illustrated. Only the most important moves are drawn into the panels. (The squares in the comic books are panels.) The most important moves tend to be large ones. Small movements only get real estate on the page if they are pivotal to the fight. In the video, I show examples from comic books and read an excerpt from Fight Club, all of which illustrate the point.

So, write all you want to write in your fight scene. Put a million actions in there, it’s fine. Then, go back through and highlight what would be illustrated in a comic book. How many panels do you get? Mmmmm, let’s say you get four panels. At most. Then give the reader a break. Step away from the action in some way. You can stay in the scene, just step back from the action.

Leave it to the Reader

What about all the other actions? They can be assumed. Promise. We do that all the time when we write. How many books have you read that told you about the characters going number two? Yes, I said it. Number two! Now, a BM is a normal function of the human body and a darn important one! Any character we write that eats will have to have an “evacuation” of some nature or they will die. Do we write about it? Probably not. But, what if while they were on the potty something huge happens to them that changes the story? What if we are writing about Elvis Presley’s death? We would HAVE to write the potty scene! The “King” died on the “throne!” Then, yes, in that situation, you might want to write about your character and ALL their bodily functions.

That’s actually kind of a good example on what to block in your fight scene. Elvis Presley dying on the toilet is something you would have to write in a scene about his death. Would you need to tell every gory detail of him trying to expel several pounds of impacted fecal matter? Nope. The reader knows about BMs and probably constipation. You don’t have to write every single grunt. You only need to write the big movements. Give more attention to the sensory experience. If it’s 1st person, the pain, obviously, as well as the effort, the sweating, the exhaustion, the fear. Third person? Describe his red face, the veins bulging on his forehead, the sound of him hitting the floor and his death rattle as his reign comes to an end. block a fight scene

Okeedoke. In our last post we will cover when to put breaks in the action. I hint at it in this post but we will give it more attention in the last post of this series. AND HEY! While you’re here, SUBSCRIBE! You will get a handy reference sheet for stages of death and MORE. Plus, I will be providing you with a discount code for my class with Writer’s Digest University.

 

Until the next round at FightWrite.net, get blood on your pages.