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I can't believe I actually got paid to draw mydei I was just joking

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1. Pacing

A fight scene should be fast-paced and intense. Unless it's a final battle with numerous parties, a fight scene that's too long tends to take away suspense. To speed up your pacing, use active voice to describe movement and don't overdescribe your characters' thoughts. Excessive inner monologue will be unrealistic, as people usually have no room to think during intense combats.

2. Character mannerisms

Here's a point that people often overlook, but is actually super important. Through fight scenes, you should be able to reveal your characters' contrasting mannerisms and personality. A cunning character would play dirty - fighting less and making use of their opponent's weakness more. A violent character would aim to kill. A softer one would only target to disarm their enemies, using weakened attacks. A short-minded character would only rely on force and attack without thinking. This will help readers understand your characters more and decide who to root for.

3. Making use of surroundings

Not only the characters, you also need to consider the setting of your fight scene and use it to your advantage. Is it suitable for fighting, or are there dangerous slopes that make it risky? Are there scattered items that can help your characters fight (e.g. nails, shards of glass, ropes, wooden boards, or cutlery)? Is it a public place where people can easily spot the fight and call the authorities, or is it a private spot where they can fight to the death?

4. Description

The main things that you need to describe in a fight scene are :

• Characters involved in the fight

• How they initiate and dodge attacks

• Fighting styles and any weapons used

• The injuries caused

Be careful to not drag out the description for too long, because it slows down the pace.

5. Raise the stakes

By raising the stakes of the fight, your readers will be more invested in it. Just when they think it's over, introduce another worse conflict that will keep the scene going. Think of your characters' goals and motivations as well. Maybe if the MC didn't win, the world would end! Or maybe, one person in the fight is going all-out, while the other is going easy because they used to be close :"D

6. Injuries

Fights are bound to be dirty and resulting in injuries, so don't let your character walk away unscathed - show the effect of their injuries. For example, someone who had been punched in the jaw has a good chance of passing out, and someone who had been stabbed won't just remove the knife and walk away without any problem. To portray realistic injuries, research well.

7. Drive the plot forward

You don't write fight scenes only to make your characters look cool - every fight needs to have a purpose and drive the plot forward. Maybe they have to fight to improve their fighting skills or escape from somewhere alive. Maybe they need to defeat the enemy in order to obtain an object or retrieve someone who had been kidnapped. The point is, every single fight scene should bring the characters one step closer (or further :D) to the climax.

8. Words to use

• Hand to hand combat :

Crush, smash, lunge, beat, punch, leap, slap, scratch, batter, pummel, whack, slam, dodge, clobber, box, shove, bruise, knock, flick, push, choke, charge, impact

• With weapon :

Here are some signs that you might need to work a little more on your protagonist! Go through the checklist and make sure you can answer all of these with as much certainty as possible!

Are you unsure about the strength of your protagonist? Here are some signs that you may need to work on them more.

Do you know their development?

You should know exactly what misbelief, flaw or conflict you want your character to resolve, overcome or become aware of by the end of the story.

Do you know why their personality is the way you set it up?

This is to do with your character’s backstory! You should know exactly why they are the way they are when we meet them, and where their flaws, virtues and influences come from.

Do you know why this is the most important story of their life?

We write books not for everyday occurrences, but for those pivotal moments in our characters’ lives where everything changes for them. You should know why this story is their pivotal moment. How is it going to change the course of their life?

Do you know what goal they are chasing and why it matters to them?

An inciting incident of a story should prompt an external goal for your character to chase, but do you know why they’re chasing it? This goal should be so irresistible that there is no other way forward for them.

Do you know what their personal stake in the story is?

You should be able to say with certainty that your character couldn’t go on unless they proceeded on the path of this story, and you should know why that is. What is at stake for them? What do they lose if this doesn’t go the way they planned?

PS. Saving the world is great and all, but the more personal you get with their stake, the more your readers will care for them. So who’s the one person they want to save the world for?

Did you know I have a whole workbook with customisable templates that takes you through crafting strong character every time?

You can pick it up on its own or as part of my Writer's Toolboox!

Here’s why you should stop focusing so much on your vocabulary when writing and instead look to other language skills that can increase your proficiency and skill as a writer.

You don’t need to use fancy words in your book in order to be considered a good writer. Here’s why →

Value clarity

So many good ideas can be completely lost in a sea of descriptors or big fancy vocabulary that a reader may feel lost after a single paragraph.

There is a line in being creative with your descriptions that can easily be crossed by giving too much detail and confusing the reader with what you actually want them to visualise.

Develop your authentic voice

Focusing on your own narrative voice creates a much stronger presence in your book than trying to work with big words that just don’t match your tone or your own way of speaking.

Find your strengths and lean into those.

Remain efficient

If you can find a very simple and clear way to convey a point you’re trying to make, it’s going to be ten times more effective than explaining it in a roundabout way. It also implies that you can do it smartly and that you know what you are trying to say.

Language is a skill and you should be learning how to manipulate it in a smart, effective way, that doesn’t require inventing new words or impressing readers with the size of your vocabulary.

Instead of focusing so much on vocabulary, focus instead on →

sentence structure

sentence rhythm

literary tools, such as metaphors, personifications, similes…

immersive imagery

symbolism

purpose behind your prose

Pre-Order my book through the [link here] or below!