Crafting engaging and immersive fight scenes requires a delicate balance between action, emotion, and description. As a superhero romance author and former martial artist, fight scenes are critical to my writing—and I know can be major plot points for my fellow science fiction and fantasy authors. If you’re struggling with your fight scenes, try these tips to help for your next writing session.
Consider Your Characters’ Abilities
In science fiction and fantasy, characters often possess unique and otherworldly abilities. Before diving into a fight scene, familiarize yourself with your characters’ strengths, weaknesses, and combat styles. Readers must be able to envision how each character’s abilities contribute to the ebb and flow of the battle.
For example: in my superhero romance series, I have a villain with ice powers (think Evil Elsa). I also have a fire manipulator. The fire manipulator tends to fight more long-distance so he can use his flames and create distance between himself and the hero, whereas my ice-wielder excels in close combat so she can freeze her opponent’s body.
This doesn’t just apply to superpowered characters, either. Even your human characters should have their own unique fighting style. In this instance, consider their background:
- Are they more street-smart or book-smart?
- Are they trained or self-taught?
- Who trained them: an amateur, a professional, or a friend or family member?
- How long have they been fighting or training?
- Why did they start training?
- If they have superpowers, how long have they had them? If not very long, they might be more accident-prone.
Factor in how that would impact their fighting style.
Watch Fights Based On The Style of Choice
If you haven’t taken a boxing or martial arts class and have the ability to do so, I highly recommend this. The saying “write what you know” comes in handy here. If you can’t physically join a class, ask an instructor to just sit in and take notes, or find some videos on YouTube. Make sure you’re watching videos from professionals, not just influencers.
Remember: while most of your readership probably won’t be trained in the specific fight style you choose, there might be an expert or two reading. As a former martial artist, I always cringe when I see bad form in a karate movie from a character who is supposed to be an expert. And as a professionally-trained boxer, my husband always develops an eye twitch whenever we’re watching a movie where there’s bad boxing form. The same holds true for books.
Before writing a boxing scene in one of my stories, I watched my husband train with a friend of ours he was teaching, and even had him start teaching me. This gave me better insights into how the body works to make sure my characters were fighting with proper form. He trained under Dave Lewter, a Hall of Fame boxer whose YouTube channel I highly recommend if you don’t have access to watch someone IRL.
It’s a little detail that you don’t want to spend too much time writing on so you don’t slow the pacing down, but it is still important to factor in when writing the fight—especially so your fight can feel plausible, even when superpowers or magic are at play. The last thing you want is to break a reader’s suspension of disbelief.
Get Emotional
While the action is a crucial aspect of fight scenes, the character’s emotional journey elevates the fight. I’ve once read that writing a good fight scene is comparable to writing a good sex or horror scene—it has to be emotionally charged and about more than just the physical actions to sell it. I find that this couldn’t be more true!
Showcasing fear, determination, and vulnerability adds depth to the characters and makes the audience more invested in the outcome of the fight. Don’t forget to show, not tell how they’re feeling. If your character is nervous, do they get sloppy when they fight? Do they lose their footing? If they’re confident, are they taunting their opponent or smirking, even when they get hit?
Employ Dialogue and Inner Thoughts
Dialogue can inject tension and character development into fight scenes. Witty banter, battle cries, or exchanges of taunts can add authenticity. In a boxing ring, it’s not uncommon for fighters to taunt each other in an attempt to rile their opponent up and thus get them to create an opening.
Revealing the characters’ inner thoughts and doubts during combat also allows readers to connect more deeply with their struggles and aspirations. Consider the emotional stakes, internal conflicts, and personal growth your characters experience during combat. After all, they’re fighting for a reason, aren’t they?
Listen to a Great Playlist
If you don’t like to write in silence, I recommend either finding or creating a playlist filled with music that sets the mood for your battle. This will help you slip into the right headspace and get in the zone.
Not sure where to start? For superhero fight scenes, if I don’t have a specific song in mind, I’ll listen to soundtracks from Marvel movies and shows. I listened to a lot of the Daredevil soundtrack from the Netflix show when writing my superhero romance novels.
If you write sci-fi, try music from your favorite sci-fi movies or video games. Some that come to mind include:
- Halo
- Mass Effect
- Star Wars
- Star Trek
- BioShock
- Dead Space
For fantasy, there are tons of great options—and the soundtracks from games like Fire Emblem and The Legend of Zelda are favorites of mine since they’re jam-packed with battle music. Other options to check out include:
- The Lord of the Rings
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Game of Thrones
- The Witcher
- The Chronicles of Narnia
Balance Detail and Pace
Fight scenes can be intense and fast-paced, but it’s essential to balance vivid description and a smooth flow of action. Overloading readers with minute details of every movement can be overwhelming and slow down the pacing, and not describing enough can make the fight feel too fast. To find a good balance, focus on key moments, unique techniques, and the emotions driving the combatants.
Utilize Sensory Imagery
If you struggle with your fight scenes feeling too fast, engage the reader’s senses. Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations experienced during the battle.
Whether it’s the crackling of magical energies, the smell of fire, or the taste of iron from blood in the combatant’s mouth, sensory details enhance the readers’ immersion in the scene.
To avoid slowing the pacing down with sensory details, highlight the senses that are most important to the scene. For example, it probably doesn’t matter if your character hears or sees a car driving by… unless that car crashes into your character mid-fight, prematurely ending the battle.
Use the Environment to Your Advantage
In science fiction and fantasy settings, the battleground can be just as dynamic and influential as the fighters. Consider how the environment might shape the course of the fight.
Whether it’s a collapsing castle, a forest infused with ancient magic, a high-tech spaceship, or even just a back alley in a Gotham-esque city, the surroundings can present both opportunities and challenges for the combatants.
You can use this environment to highlight sensory details without slowing your pacing down too much, too. If they’re on a spaceship, do they grab any high-tech weapons or pieces of the ship to use against their opponent? If they’re in the forest, can they hear where their opponent ran to hide from the sound of crunching leaves? If they’re in an alley and get smashed against the brick, how does it feel?
Don’t Forget the Aftermath
The consequences of a fight can be just as significant as the fight itself. Address the physical and emotional aftermath, showcasing the toll the battle takes on the characters and their relationships. How do they cope with victory or defeat? What scars will they carry, both visible and hidden, into the next phase of the story?
In A Nutshell
Writing captivating fight scenes in science fiction and fantasy requires a delicate blend of imagination, technical prowess, and emotional depth. By understanding your characters, balancing detail and pacing, utilizing sensory imagery, leveraging the environment, and incorporating dialogue and inner thoughts, you can craft fight scenes that resonate with readers long after the book is closed. Remember that a well-written fight scene is more than just action – it’s a powerful vehicle for character development and plot progression in the fantastical worlds you create.
