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I was wondering do you have any tips or something to help you write fight scenes. Mine are ok but they seem kind of bland and basic. I really want to spruce them up a bit. Thank you!

I apologize for the late reply, hon! Don’t ever think I have ignored your message (or anyone else unless I did not receive it!). As for your question, there are a few things I do, but every writer is different, so I will tag a few people at the end and see if they can add to the list so they may also help you with your writing, okay?

1. References

For action scenes, I do recommend you watch different types of media and genres. There is action in sad movies, comedy, sometimes romance. Sometimes the fighting in some movies, TV shows, anime, dramas, etc. can help you see how emotions build within characters whether it be in body language or facial expressions. Sometimes that says more than the words themselves. Pick a few on Netflix, Crunchyroll, or any other site where you can watch media to study it. Or simple just enjoy it and then make notes of it in your head.

For example, watching Black Panther helped me in creating more dramatic scenes, especially when it came to the emotional fighting ones. Go study other media, hon! It helps a lot! And not only for fighting scenes, but also other types of genre to help other parts of the story you are writing!

2. Music

Now this is another thing that helps me with fighting scenes: music. I listen to different soundtracks from movies/anime, different genres of music, and so on to help me with action scenes. I have found it helpful when it comes to really big fighting/action scenes as I get pumped myself ha-ha. Think about it, how many fighting scenes have you watched where background music is added? It really helps!

Some of my favorite soundtracks/music for fighting scenes:

3. Write it out with purpose

Writing it out as it is may seem silly, but really, describe what you want to tell and then come back to it to polish it. Most times, details are not added until much later. Get the idea out (or even the dialogue) and then write the fighting scenes. Now what I mean about purpose is, actions scenes can be cool, but don’t add them just because. Actually most fighting scenes are powerful and affect the audience because there is an emotional tie or something else important behind the fight. Make sure you know why you are writing the action scene and build it up through dialogue, silence, body language, small movements, anything really before they explode into a big fight. Basically build up the tension with different things before the actual fighting.

Some of my favorite actions scenes/movies/anime I use and I use as inspiration:

These are just a few of my favorites, but please feel free to ask more questions! Also from these people!

@masquerabe, @yoursalwaysfics, @bunny-wk-fanfic

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