I'm a little excited, because I have workshop ideas the next many weeks! No more last-minute scrambling! Nyahaha... Since evidently everyone seems to think I'm good with writing action, I guess I'll spend time talking about that - specifically, combat. This shall be the first of many...
Writing Combat: Theory and Philosophy:
A good fight scene will always stick into the minds of a reader; a bad one will seem jumbled, confusing, and ultimately boring. As such, we should always aim for the former when writing fight scenes (Hehe, I are Captain Obvious!). So first off, let's cover some basic theory which you can take into any and all forms of written combat, from fists to assault rifles to Force Lightning(TM).
It's Not Just Button-Mashing...:
"A fight needs to tell a story," Nick Gillard - fight choreographer of the newer Star Wars movies - once said. You can actually learn a lot about people's personalities and characterisations through a fight, and even to a degree what's going through their minds as they duel someone else. Now on screen, this is usually hidden underneath the action as most people are initially completely sucked into the on-screen spectacle of it all.
Well, the written medium doesn't have on-screen action to catch people's eyes. We only have words. However, even though we can't quite as easily describe a blow-by-blow account of a fight (though we most certainly still can), we have the benefit of going directly into the heart of the fighters themselves and getting into their tactical/strategic mindsets.
That confusing anybody yet? Alright, I'll give an example from Homer's Odyssey, and I'll bold all the parts I'm talking about:
Amphinomus rushed the king in all his glory,
charging him face-to-face, a slashing sword drawn--
if only he could force him clear of the doorway, now,
but Telemachus--too quick--stabbed the man from behind,
plunging his bronze spear between the suitor's shoulders
and straight on through his chest the point came jutting out--
down he went with a thud, his forehead slammed the ground.
Telemachus swerved aside, leaving his long spearshaft
lodged in Amphinomus--fearing some suitor just might
lunge in from behind as he tugged the shaft,
impale him with a sword or hack him down,
crouching over the corpse.
Amphinomus is hoping to take down the bow-armed Odysseus in a rush since Odysseus' position in the doorway is giving him unprecedented firing position over everyone in the dining hall without fear of back-attacks or anything; if the suitors want a chance to survive, they need to get him out of the doorway. However, Odysseus' son Telemachus has his dad's back and takes the guy down, spearing him hard enough through the back to get his spear stuck in the guy's corpse.
Now remember last week when I was talking about fight geography? Since the suitor was charging Odysseus as he got stabbed, he fell forwards "slamming his forehead" towards Odysseus. As such, since Telemachus was spearing Amphinomus, Telemachus was also facing Odysseus (and as a result had his back facing the rest of the suitors!). Knowing this, Telemachus chooses not to take time to pull out his spear (a moment where someone could spear him in the back in a similar manner as he did to Amphinomus) but instead just hauls ass away from the suitors and towards his father and eventually gets around him to grab their weapons and armour.
So what does this kind of writing do? For one, it gives the action a sense of urgency; people have to follow through with their actions or else something undesirable is likely to happen, and now we know that that something is (whether it be arrows through the throats or spears through the backs). Through that, the action is far more exciting than just "Odysseus shot someone from a doorway, Amphinomus ran to attack him in the doorway, but then Telemachus stabbed him in the back and then he ran to his dad."
Writing allows you to stretch time for thoughts if you need it; don't be afraid to use it.
This Time, It's Personal...:
By now, you've probably spent some decent time with your characters and have a fairly good sense for their personalities, their drives, and their limits. If they need to fight - for their lives or otherwise - this is just another excellent opportunity to show off those personalities!
On a more basic level, everyone has a style or philosophy that suits them. For myself as a martial artist, I'm fairly small and not especially quick or agile as others. I am, however, very good at generating power through technique and physics-related stuff. As such, I tend to really like bigger, heavier weapons; things I can hold with both hands. They suit my strengths and I just like the feel of them.
This is going to be the case for all your characters. They'll all have certain movements they prefer, certain doctrines they agree with. These sorts of things tend to be consistent with their methods and ideals in their daily lives as well, and serve as just another means to show just what kind of people they are.
Is your character very goal-oriented, efficient, doesn't waste time on trivial things? Have his fighting style sharp, direct, and devastating right to his enemy's core (The shortest distance between two points is a straight line). Is your character the risk-taker who's willing to go for the big hit as soon as possible no matter the cost? Have him fight a little recklessly, show little fear, and let his enemies tremble in his presence as their leader falls to his hand (kill the head and the body dies). How about a patient character with a cool head and an eye for detail? Have her always just outside her opponent's reach, darting in to attack pressure points, joints, tendons and other weak points (a chain is only as strong as its weakest link). Maybe he's the aggressive, determined kind of guy who will just shower his opponent with attacks until something gets through (the best defense is a strong offense).
Not only does this kind of stuff make your characters all the more interesting and to showcase their many levels of awesome, it also helps to differentiate people; and like always, any chance to differentiate individuals in anything is always a good way to keep people from getting confused!
Final Thoughts:
Remember Nick Gillard's words: a good fight scene should tell a story. In professional wrestling, they call it "ring psychology". If the wrestler's finishing move is some sort of leg-lock, you can expect to see him "softening up" his opponent's legs earlier in the match; if two wrestlers have had a long feud and know each other inside and out, perhaps one will be smart enough to get the heck out of the way if his opponent is setting him up for his finishing move. There should be a reason for everything when you're writing any kind of action. Literary combat is no exception.
Next week we'll cover swordplay and other kinds of cold steel. Any questions so far?
