The first action scene I wrote was not good. Plain and simple. It was supposed to be a calm opening, that built tension up as one character searched for another in a museum, which led to a fisticuffs ending. Yeah, that’s not what actually happened. I remember re-reading it and thinking, oh, wow, this is not what I had in my head the first time. My characters were stick figures moving through space, taking swings at each other. The biggest issue I had was spatial awareness for the reader. Where is everyone in relation to each other and objects in the space? How are they moving while this action is happening? What is the space? After asking some logistical questions, and busting out the tape measure to actually get a sense of how far thirty feet is, I re-wrote the entire scene. I even mapped it out on paper, and researched images and videos I could find of the area to add some texture and senses to the scene. Three drafts later, I had a much better action sequence. One that made sense spatially, and had purpose.
Action scenes are a slightly different animal, since placement of characters and objects tend to be in focus, depending on how the action plays out. Noting a lamp is in the room early, might make it feel less as a thin air object when it’s used to bash someone with. But most important, was making sure my characters reactions made sense to what was happening. Are they super bad-ass? Then, yes, a highly choreographed scene will be more fitting and expected. What if they’re a regular person pushed into action? How would they handle surviving in a situation that calls for it? Probably won’t be smooth, and they’ll probably get hurt and feel terrible afterwards. Making sure that came through and the impact on characters mental state after a fight or flight moment, for me, was the key to making the scene more dynamic. Anyways, Tim and I chat about writing action and where we failed (and improved!) in our latest Writer Syndrome episode. Check it out!
