ACADEMY: Lessons 21: Planning and Writing Action Scenes

[Legacy]

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay. Here is the Academy's 21st lesson, written by AetherX and Flaze. Feel free to discuss or ask the authors questions.

Hey everyone! Aether here. I teamed up with Flaze to write this action-packed lesson on packing things with action. I did the beginning and end and Flaze did the meaty middle bits (mmmm meat).

Enjoy!

Planning Action Scenes

Planning is arguably more important for action scenes than any other kind of scene. If you’re writing a conversation between friends or an internal monologue, it’s not that big of a deal if you meander about and just let the words flow. You can draw purely from your own experience and thoughts and no one will bat an eye. Not so for action scenes.

How do you want to structure the scene? How is it going to flow? Action scenes are all about grabbing your reader by the seat of their pants and shaking the lunch money out of their pockets. You have to grab their attention and not let it go. You have to maintain the flow of the scene, and not let immersion slip. A key part of doing this is the most important part of planning: research!

Yep, that's a link to a wonderful lesson on researching by our very own Rediamond. Read it if you haven't. If you don't, you might as well give up on writing right now, you sad sack of tears and imagination

Ahem.

Your ability to succinctly and accurately describe the actions of your characters depends heavily on your own knowledge of and experience with those actions. I’m not saying you have to go skydiving before you can write your epic aerial Pokémon battle, but looking in to dogfighting maneuvers wouldn’t be a bad idea. This is especially true of hand to hand fighting. Most people may be totally cool with whatever you write, but you don’t want the one person who’s taken some martial arts classes to be shaking their head in dismay.

Researching for action scenes is actually surprisingly easy, even if you take it beyond a couple hours of skimming Wikipedia articles. Try actually doing the action yourself as best as you can and see what happens. Take throwing a punch for example. How do you naturally punch something in front of you? What does your other hand do? What are you doing with your feet? After punching a few more times, what muscles are getting tired? You can use all of these observations to your advantage to make the scene much more realistic, and you may even come up with a couple ideas for how to make your action scene more exciting.

(Note: The authors of this article claim no responsibility for injuries sustained in overzealous action scene research).

I tend to ask a lot of questions when giving advice, and the reason for this is that it helps immensely with planning. If you go through this article and write down the answer to every question I ask… BOOM you’ve got a plan. Imagine you’re an actor and you’re being asked to play the part of a character in this action scene. What would you want to know? Come up with the kinds of questions you would ask, and you’re halfway to a plan. The other half is simply answering those questions.

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Thank you for that wonderful introduction, AetherX.

Anyways, since we’ve got the basics of planning Action scenes down we should probably step into the next step.


Structuring an Action Scene

See, planning and structuring go pretty much hand in hand in a way. Once you know what you want to do you have to prepare how you’re going to do it. Since this is a Pokémon forum I’ll use battles as a specific example (this applies to everything though).

When structuring a battle you have to decide what you’re going to do, in the case of Pokémon you have to decide the Pokémon and attacks that they’ll be using, this is important because depending on what you choose it’ll help you divide the way in which the action scene escalates.

This is when we get to the heart of structuring itself. You have to decide how each action comes off from the last. This is where you have to take everything you planned and order the events and actions properly, I mean you can’t just start an action scene by having the people involve just go at each other (I mean you could but let’s imagine you can’t right now) you have to start with something, whether it’d be a simple basic move (kick, punch, head-butts, slaps, yo mama jokes) and then go from there.

Taking the personality and backgrounds of the characters involved is a good way to go about structuring the fight too since everyone has their own fighting style, this will help you get a clearer gasp of what actions you could do at which point.

During action scenes you also have to take into account how you’ll represent each character, while focusing on the scene and just the scene is good focusing on the characters and how they react both externally and internally can be good too. So basically you have to keep in mind what they’re going to say or think and see where you can fit it into what you’re planning to do.

Oh another important part of structuring is what mainly sets it out from the planning phase and that’s taking the words you’ll use into account. When writing an action scene you have to make sure to use verbs and words that’ll get the action across and raise the tension.

Using an example from Writing Action Scenes -- Tips on Writing Action Scenes

"Footsteps thumped behind me and Sweeney streaked past, running like a rugby player and already pulling out his handcuffs. He grabbed Rosalind by the shoulder, spun her around and slammed her against the wall."

Here there’s the use of active verbs such as streaked or thump. They’re words that are specific to what they mean but at the same time they’re ones that raise the tension precisely because they have specific meanings and because they’re full of energy themselves.

Words like these can be used for the overall description but also for the dialogue between characters, what they say to each other during the action scene in question is also important in making it all work.

In essence look at this as if you were building a castle made out of Legos. Every action, reaction and event is a block on top of another, each one of them is supposed to fit in perfectly with what came before it not just during the scene itself but the story. The dialogue, the movement, the tension, it’s all supposed to escalate and pile up until they finally take a concrete shape.

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Pacing of an Action Scene

So you’ve got your beautiful action scene planned and you’ve finally decided exactly how you’re going to make it all work. Now what’s left is to execute it correctly and this could be the hardest part of it all.

I take pride in the fact that I can write action scenes well but I also know that these are hard to write. Even if you have the most powerful and awesome scene in your head, something that can make even Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger cry at how amazing it is it could all still be for naught if it’s not executed to its utmost best.

This is something that can happen due to pacing and the worst part is that it all falls on how you write the scene. You have to follow the scene as you’ve set it out but that means that you also have to give each part a specific amount of time. A lot of people tend to drag on certain parts of action scenes to try and make it stand out more and others rush to it in order to get it done and go back to the main story.

The problem is that this doesn’t just affect the scene itself but what comes after it too, just as an action scene can get a reader’s blood pumping if it’s done right if it’s done wrong it could cause them to be thrown off and then what comes after it will be affected just as much.

When it comes to writing out an action scene make sure to keep it going, your writing style must be quick, witty and full of energy in order to get the reader strung a lot but it also shouldn’t go too fast and shouldn’t have too many things happening so fast because it could also overwhelm them. Think of an action scene as a feast for the eyes, if you go too slow you’ll become tired of it but if you go too fast you might not be able to take it all in.

One advice I would give is to imagine the scene in your head and to put yourself in your reader’s shoes. If you were the person reading it would you think this would be a good scene? Do you feel like you’ve immersed yourself in it and can follow track of it or do you find it hard to really get into or like everything is going too fast for you.

Another thing you have to take into account when writing out the scene is the dialogue. Like I’ve said before, your dialogue is also important to it. Your characters can’t talk too much during the scene because it could break the flow, so dialogue during these scenes should also be quick and should follow along with what’s going on (this is the reason why a lot of action movies use the same clichéd lines during action scenes, they’re easier to do) of course some thought has to go into what they say but just make sure to make it quick and engaging enough and to not focus too much on it.

On that note the “telling vs showing” rule tends to vary with action scenes. Description is important, it helps the reader get a good view of what’s going on, but too much description during an action scene can also break the pace of things since it requires all the more reading and thinking. Leaning more towards telling would go better in this case (but do keep the fact that you can’t speed through it in mind).

And lastly one of the most important things that could make or break your scene is… to not think about it too much. Like any other aspect of writing if you think about a specific scene too much it could actually affect the way you write it once you get to it. Think of it as watching your favorite episode of a TV show over and over and over, eventually it’s going to just become another episode you’ve seen hundreds of times. The same can happen with writing, especially action scenes, if you think about the scene too much there’s going to be a point where it’ll become plain and when you write it it’ll lose a lot of the emotion it once had.

So my advice for this is to try and think of the basics for the scene (who will participate, the stakes and what will happen) early on and then work out the kinks of the scene itself once you arrive at that point, though do keep in mind things you’ll want to do.

Of course even after writing out the scene there’s still something very important, going back to the feast example I gave before, if the action scene is the banquet then what comes after it is the desert and even if the feast is great if the desert can’t deliver then it’ll be just as bad.

So, take it home AetherX.

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Context (or: Everything Around the Action Scene)

Alright, now you’ve planned and written your badass action scene. It’s all very exciting with plenty of explosions and giant robots and ends with your protagonist riding a flaming dragon down into a bottomless abyss, ending the laser shark invasion once and for all. Neato. But you’re not done. Why aren’t you done? Because the story’s not over!

Take The Expendables for example. That movie and its sequels are arguably the epitome of action movies (at least as far as action goes), but they still end and begin with scenes that are not action-packed. I mentioned grabbing your reader by the seat of their pants before. That’s not entirely about immersion, it’s also about impact and suspense. The key to that impact and suspense is context.

As Flaze mentioned, a good way to start thinking about this is to decide what the stakes of the action scene are. This could be as simple as “the protagonist could die” or something more character based like “the protagonist could either regain his confidence, or lose all hope.” What are the goals of the characters in the scene? Why are they here? What is on the line? Use the answers to these questions to build up to the action scene. The scenes preceding the action should set up these stakes and let the reader know why they should be involved. Just be careful to not go too heavy-handed on the foreshadowing. Nothing ruins a good action sequence like knowing how it’s going to turn out.

Sometimes setting up impactful stakes can be difficult. One example that comes to mind is when your story is first person. If a story is in third person then a skilled writer can easily convince the reader that the threat of a main character dying is very real. But in a first person story, it becomes much harder. Not a lot of authors have the balls to kill off a first person point of view character in a scene where they have the point of view. I think Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files do a wonderful job of circumventing this. We all know that the main character isn’t going to die (if only because there are a bajillion sequels), so Butcher will throw a supporting character into the scene. The action scene of the protagonist fighting off a demon becomes much more high stakes when his helpless girlfriend is there with him. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s how the damsel-in-distress archetype became so common. It’s actually a useful literary tool…

Okay, so you’ve built up to your action scene, detailing the laser shark invasion and why and how it must be stopped. What next? What comes after a good action scene?

To start, think about the stakes that were established and how they were resolved. Did your protagonist’s traitorous friend finally give in and reveal his deceitful ways? Did Old Man Mentor die? Did your protagonist’s magical powers surface just in time to save the day? Did he get the girl? Once again, answer these questions and use them to wind down from the action scene. If a character dies, they need to be mourned, or your reader won’t feel the impact. This is vital to the effect of the scene you just wrote.

Let me hearken back to what I said about research. Draw from personal experience. What is the most stressful, intense thing you have ever done? Chances are it’s not as stressful as what you just put your characters through (unless you lead a very exciting life and/or a very boring story), but you can still draw from that for inspiration. What did you do afterwards? Chances are that you sat still, adrenaline racing madly, and eagerly discussed what just happened with everyone and anyone possible. This is a very human reaction, and your characters should do it too. Your characters reacting to an action-packed scene will strengthen the impact of the scene by subtly telling the reader what they should be feeling. Is it relief? Is it sadness? One way or another, it’s important to acknowledge what just happened and make it feel significant.

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And that’s it! Go forth and blow things up with your mind (in a way).

SIMILAR ARTICLES WRITTEN BY PEOPLE MUCH BETTER AT THIS WRITING THING THAN WE ARE:
Writing Action Scenes -- Tips on Writing Action Scenes
Fight Scenes and Battles
Jim Butcher on Climaxes (I know it's not necessarily the same thing, but it's a great article that you should read)

 

[CrystaI]

A great thank you to AetherX and Flaze for this great academy article. Though, it is a bit too much in uninformative literature theories and emotional preaching.

The action scene, is a package where physical movements of the character(s) is the main focus. When planning an action scene, try to imagine the scene in the manner of a movie director. This is because movie director is responsible in supervising the scene such that actors are able to play the scene in an aesthetic manner, such that tension, excitement, and the impact can be maximize in the eyes of the audience. If you are unable to imagine the scene in an interesting fascinating way, it is impossible for you to write an interesting fascinating scene.

Though, imagination is only the first part. Even you are able to imagine the action scene in the Hollywood movie manner, it is meaningless if you as a fic writer is unable to retell such excitement using literal words. And there, is where one's writing skills shine.

When writing action scene, there are several things need to be careful:
1.) The length of your sentences and paragraph: In most cases actions are speedy. In order to create the "speediness" in the readers' eye, keep your sentences short, minimize all the unnecessary descriptions, and focus only on the minimal necessity for the scene to play out.
2.) The wordings for descriptions: Because sentence need to be short, very often adverb for the verb is omitted, rather using an alternative verb where description of the verb is also included. E.g. Do not just "punch" your opponent, use other words like "clout", "smack", "spank", "whack", "batter","hammer", "thrash", "pommel", etc. Each of these words suggest a different manner of punching. One should try utilize the thesaurus for more descriptive words.
3.) The situation description: It is not necessary to have a lengthy paragraph to describe something that is not part of the action. When two trainers engage in a Pokemon battle, don't suddenly throw in a paragraph telling the two also battled like this in the past, the Pokemon used such strategy also in another situation, and give a lengthy remark for such history in the past...... This will just break the pacing of the current action scene. Only concentrate what happened in the present.
4.) The plot of the overall scene: Please do not forget your action scene is part of your story. Do not just throw the character(s) into action for the sake of action, and do not elongate the action scene for the sake of "coolness". Though, this should be part of the action scene planning, but not in writing.



And then for me personally, I want to deny two things in here relating to action scene, which is the dialogues and context.

When it come to "action scene", the first thing many people come up in their head is the martial art fighting scene in Kung-Fu movie, or exchange of gunfire in gangster movie, or swordplay/magic battle in fantasy movie, or Pokemon battle in Pokemon works.
There need to be a clarification in here, is that "action scene" =/= "battle". Although battle is one kind of action scene, but action scene is not necessarily battle scene. Action scene is more correctly speaking the scenes where physical action of character(s) is the main focus, where it can include things like battling, fleeing/escaping from danger, adventuring though a place, sneak/break into a building, or even the actual game match of whatever sport/athletic activities.

And hence, I like to deny the saying of long dialogue between characters will break the flow of the scene, this is rather depending on what kind of action scene you are writing. It is true that during actions, human tend to not chat meanderingly nor talking meaningless gossip during such time. But, it is not that dialogue should then keep short. More correctly speaking, dialogues during action scene should keep only to what is necessary for the action to play out, and keep it to minimal for plot to proceed. But, how much is that "minimal" depends on the plot of your story.
I also wanted to say, it is possible to have both conversation and action at the same time. It happens a lot during the battle scenes where the villain forcefully thrust his/her belief onto the hero, and the hero denies it. So it is not only a battle between their physical bodies, but a battle between their morals happens at the same time. Though I do admit it is rather difficult to have both the conversation and action being written out smoothly at the same time, but it is not impossible.


And then for the part about planning the context of the action scene, especially battle scenes. Because the main focus of action scenes are physical movements of the characters, all those "external effects" like flashy explosions, shining effects, rainbow color beam from a normal laser gun, etc et cetera, are merely extra icing on the cake. When the meat of the scene which is the physical movements of characters are not acting out nicely, all those decorations are just meaningless.

The very examples I like to borrow will be many of the battles in the Pokemon anime, especially those starting from AG series. When a Pokemon use a move, the part of their body will glow. Even Slash where in the past it was just a simple slicing attack now is with all the glowing light effects. And then for many of the special attacks, when they collide it is now obviously explosions. Even the attacks that is not possible for explosion from common sense is now given explosion effects when hit, even missing the opponent and hit the ground.
However, in my eyes as an audience, I really don't like all these unnecessary shining effects and explosions, especially when the movement of Pokemon themselves are not as intense as in OS. Pokemon now tends to pause too long between each moves, and tends to graphically stand still than moving, there is no speediness and no graphical impact. From graphical standpoint, I personally prefer the battles in OS more than the current Pokemon anime, because although there is not too much icing on the cake, the milk in the coconut is there. The battles in AG and DP is just glowing and explosions, there is no graphic impactful movement from the Pokemon themselves.

The same principles applies to planning whatever action scenes in the writer's head as well. Before you imagine all those unnecessary decoration graphical effects, first thinking about the physical movements of the characters. When those are finely executed, one can then try to make the actions vivider by adding these extras.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I like the article, very informative and very helpful. I am in the middle of planning and writing the second half of a gym battle at the moment, and I was wondering what your thoughts and advice are @AetherX and @Flazeon dialogue during action scenes? I have actually hit a bit of a speed bump with this, as I need to balance some revelations and arguments during the course of the battle, and it is going to be rather difficult slipping them in.