Fight Scenes

[gatordave96]

I've been using John Clements' "Medieval Swordsmanship - Illustrated Methods and Techniques" as my "go to" guide for writing fight scenes, but wondered if any of the other writers out there have any good sources that they use and would be willing to share.  I'd prefer to find something with illustrations since I learn more visually.  Any help would be welcome.

Also, do you have a feel for how many major fight scenes you like to see in the average novel?  Some of the worst crap that I've ever read seems to have some sort of fight scene every other chapter.

[Aminar]

I go out and fight...  Simulated combat isn't too hard to find(Between Boffer and Paintball) and even a few hours of fighting helps teach the basic mentalities that go into fighting.  Spend a day a week at it for a year and you'll know most of what you need to.  As long as you're writing from a soldiers perspective at least.  You'll need something separate for real fear, but otherwise the exercise is great and your action scenes will get eighty times better.

[LizW65]

Blocking out a fight as you would a dance or other theatrical performance can also be a great help in terms of where you want all the participants to be at the start, where they move/end up, and so on.

[Aminar]

Blocking out a fight as you would a dance or other theatrical performance can also be a great help in terms of where you want all the participants to be at the start, where they move/end up, and so on.

Just remember that fights aren't pretty or coordinated.  Fighters can be.  Duels can be.  Battles aren't.  Battles are messy and confusing and terrifying and when you die its probably to someone you didn't know was there.

[Quantus]

I guy I know wrote this which is at least illustrated.  Some of it isn't exactly practical per say (like the handstand board break that his wife is so proud of).  But it does offer an accurate view of the mechanics involved.

Edit: Fixed link

[Aminar]

Which Hapkido one?

[Quantus]

Sorry, wrong link

http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Martial-Arts-Illustrated-Muscles/dp/1569757879/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345653876&sr=1-7&keywords=norman+link

[Snowleopard]

Just remember that fights aren't pretty or coordinated.  Fighters can be.  Duels can be.  Battles aren't.  Battles are messy and confusing and terrifying and when you die its probably to someone you didn't know was there.

Mercedes Lackey actually in one of her books had one character explain to another just what a real battle is like.  Pretty damn good explaination of the mess, confusion, and what the other side is truly trying to do to you.

[MClark]

Mercedes Lackey actually in one of her books had one character explain to another just what a real battle is like.  Pretty damn good explaination of the mess, confusion, and what the other side is truly trying to do to you.

War and Peace by Tolstoy has a similar scene. A character is at the headquarters unit, watching couriers come and tell the general what's going on and then departing with new orders. He realizes by the time the courier gets back to that part of the battle, the situation would probably have changed and the orders would be useless.  Its an excellent scene well worth reading.

[Aminar]

War and Peace by Tolstoy has a similar scene. A character is at the headquarters unit, watching couriers come and tell the general what's going on and then departing with new orders. He realizes by the time the courier gets back to that part of the battle, the situation would probably have changed and the orders would be useless.  Its an excellent scene well worth reading.

Walky talkies changed warfare forever.  Don't forget it.(Seriously think about it...  The changes are nuts.)

[meg_evonne]

Cool book, Quantus! Thank you!

[Quantus]

Cool book, Quantus! Thank you!

Any time The author is someone one Ive known him my whole life, and probably one of the stranger individuals Ive ever seen or heard of.  7th dan Hapkido master, Electrical engineer working as a senior scientist for a space/defense contractor (playing with the kind of high power toys I dream about, terawatt stuff), massive trecky, and every year his family christmas picture includes some new dinosaur bone for his collection.  And his tiny asian wife (5th dan) is probably one of the scariest people Ive ever met... Tiny but Fierce indeed! 

[gatordave96]

Ordered the book over Amazon.  Many thanks, Quantus.

Glad to know that unlike Fight Club, the folks here will talk about fighting. 

[MClark]

Walky talkies changed warfare forever.  Don't forget it.(Seriously think about it...  The changes are nuts.)

I was thinking of folks writing various sword and horses type stories - or any story where the armies don't have wireless or similar tech/magic.

Sort of related to this: I was watching the old show Tour of Duty and on the first episode the sergeant wants to call in an artillery strike. He begins to scramble over obstacles and through trenches and such.  I was thinking why doesn't he just use his walkie? He eventually reaches the corpse of a radioman and the radio and it hits me that he doesn't have a walkie. I was so used to watching SG:1 and 24, where every one  has some sort of wireless, that I didn't realize they weren't in common use in Vietnam. (Or at least that's what that episode of Tour of Duty showed.)

[Wordmaker]

One of the first things to decide before you go looking for research material is the kinds of fight scenes you want to write. Do you want harsh and bloody with lots of realism? A focus on the mental processes and emotion? Or epic heroism with nearly impossible feats of physical prowess?

Then find books which have those scenes and read the hell out of them. When I was younger, my dad handed me a copy of Conan the Freebooter and read a passage that featured Conan riding through a battlefield. In just a single paragraph, Conan's skill was shown, his fighting style, his vast knowledge of various weapons, and his demeanor on the battlefield.

Make sure there's more to your fight scene than just the thrusts and parries, that it tells a story the same way a choreographed dance piece does, and you'll do fine.