Quick Tips for Action Scenes
When in doubt, remember the BARE basics
Blocking and Setting:
Who does what and in what order?
Have a vague idea of what your character has around them.
How do they fight - at a distance or up close and personal?
But also remember that battles are big and confusing.
Achilles’ Heel:
Adrenaline is your enemy
it might help you move through pain but it also triggers flat-out fight/flight/freeze
A good fighter will know how to work through and with that
but nobody is invincible.
Invincible = boring.
Know their weakness.
Resourcefulness:
Who says that a sword is just for stabbing?
Find other ways to use it in a battle. A good whack with the pommel will knock em flat.
Not got a weapon? Go back to your blocking and figure out what your character has around them.
A standard toaster can act like a garotte or a mace, or even give a hefty electric shock if you add water.
Weaponising mundane items makes for a very engaging action scene
and when you’re struggling, remember the good old “tip over a basket of fruit and run” idea.
Everyone can be a winner:
Whoever says that victory belongs to the strong is talking out their arse
because it belongs to whoever can utilise all of the above in some way.
Sometimes your character survives to become a winner by getting knocked out or accidentally finding a magical ring, and stumbling from one problem to the next.
And others become victorious through years of learning to use their great power and pay a price along the way.
So remember this:
your strongest character might survive the battle, but it’ll be the ones who are least like to win a war that come out on top.
