Fight Club: Writing Effective Fight Scenes

[WildBoots]

Whether you write in the world of PMD, trainer-centric fic, or a niche all your own ... pokefic tends to have a lot of battles. Like, sometimes even more than fantasy and sci-fi! And they can be tricky to write. We've got so many details to consider, from type matchups to character beats to rhythm--and so much more.

I thought it would be nice to have a space to discuss in depth what makes a good fight scene, whether it's sharing an example you like, troubleshooting a passage you're working on, or discussing writing strategies.

When adding to this thread, be sure to specify whether you're looking for feedback, sharing an example, or sharing a strategy you find helpful.
⭐ For feedback: please try to keep it to 500 words or less. Feel free to describe what effect you're going for, which parts you're unsure about, or any other context you think we'd need to help you.
⭐ For examples, be sure to say where it comes from (and add links when it's a fic). Be considerate of spoilers! Use spoiler blocks and in-line spoilers where relevant. Feel free to gush about why you think it works well! (This is a really helpful way to build your own skills!)
⭐ Strategies can be any number of things! Do you have a process for drafting your scenes? Do you have a favorite place to look for action words? Do you have a guiding principle for fights in your fic? Let us know!

Keep fighting the good fight and happy writing to you all!

 

[WildBoots]

Sharing some examples today!

I don't have these books in front of me, unfortunately, so I don't have quotes, just links and some general observations.

1) The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

One thing that stood out to me is that his fights feel intense and fast, but his sentences are actually pretty long and so are the fights themselves. He's good at splitting the party to make new combinations of characters have to interact--and rely on each other in a tense situation. So even when a fight takes a chapter or two to finish, it feels snappy because every moment is driven by character interactions, and we bounce between character groups often so it feels like we never get a moment to breathe. He's also got an interesting blend of both M-rated blood and guts and also very silly, sometimes crude, humor. Like, someone might throw a punch accidentally by slipping on a banana peel but the impact of the hit might be realistically stomach-turning.

2) This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman

This one is much more light-hearted with lots of silly asides and pumpkin carriages getting pulverized into goo that's stuck to the bottom of our princess's shoe for the rest of the fight. I think the author's biggest strength is writing with clarity. I was never, ever confused about what was happening in the fight or where characters were. The fights here felt especially relevant to pokefic for me because there's a squad of 12 identical "huntsmen" who each have different abilities we have to keep track of--they could just as easily be pokemon! Even though they all look alike, the author does a great job helping us parse who's who and where they all are--and why we should be worried about that.

(I borrowed both from my local library. You might be able to, too!)