#writinganactionscenewhenyousuckatwritingaction

#writinganactionscenewhenyousuckatwritingaction

Advice for people who are better at writing dialogue than action

As someone who has always been able to spit out witty quotes but couldn’t write a fight scene to save my life, here are some tips that have helped me that I would like to share.

1.) Go bit by bit.

Let’s get the hard one out of the way first. I’m going to use ‘fight scene’ for this example, but it can apply to just about any action scene. Have a starting point and an ending point, then just start writing. So let’s say two characters threaten each other. Okay. One takes a swing. Alright. What next? Maybe another one swings back. What next? First one kicks. Is it appropriate for character 1 to stab character 2 yet? Probably not. What can I do instead? Just work it out one action at a time. If it doesn’t come out the best on paper, who cares? You have a baseline. This isn’t easy and maybe not the best way to do it, but it’s a method I’ve used and it’s better than just saying “They fought until character 2 was stabbed.”

2.) Mix in Dialogue

Just use what you’re good at, fam’. Direct the action with dialogue. If you’re like me and your characters have an affinity for arguing with each other, sometimes their conversation will give you a better idea of what’s going on anyway. I mean, I essentially have a chase scene where one character gets shot and the conversation goes as follows.

*H shoots D*

C: Ooh, bad shot.

J: that’s what you have to say to that?

That’s not a great example, but this is also from a scene I’ve rewritten like ten times.

I mean, also, what about the “turn around slowly” scenes in horror movies?

I also use this sometimes to informally describe how a rock looks like the middle finger or something because the characters think it’s funny. It helps me, at the very least.

Point being, use your characters’ thoughts to give the reader a deeper idea of what’s going on if it’s hard for you to explain it outright.

3.) Write Dialogue First

First go in and write whatever the characters are discussing before going in and filling in the action. Do what you like and feel comfortable doing first, then perfect it later on. If it’s a fight scene, maybe the characters are sharing insults. Write the insults and then conduct the action to fit the rising tension accompanying the verbal insults. Don’t get writers block over the action; save it for when you have the energy.

4.) Just Keep It Simple

As a perfectionist with anxiety, I try to make my first drafts perfect. Spoiler alert: YOUR FIRST DRAFT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. Life is too short to get upset over your weak action scenes. Write simple sentences and get the basis down. Who cares? Certainly not me at this point. When you go back and edit, then you can flip them around, add color and flavor, and make them come to life. But in the first draft? It’s perfectly okay if your action scene is “He ran towards her. He hugged her. She hugged him. They went home.” Later, you can go in and add things like “They embraced each other, tears in their eyes, never expecting to let go.” It’s okay if you’re not there. One step at a time, fam’.

If anyone else has any suggestions or tips for people who struggle with dialogue, feel free to add! These are just what has helped me through the years.