Fight Like a Girl: How I Write a Fight Scene

Despite a lifelong rejection of gender norms and being content to always do things I damn well please regardless of societal expectation, I have always been aware that I have female parts, female problems, and female solutions. Why? Because they're coming from me. If a man comes up with the same thing, they are just as male and common ground is born.

That being said, fight scenes probably have a different sort of appeal to me and I imagine I'm not alone. One thing I love about watching certain brilliantly choreographed fight scenes in movies in the attention to detail, but with every attempt to capture it with the same detail in writing? Tedious to read. Even in the most inspiring fight scenes, there are certain elements that movies are always going to do better, certain things that books/stories/screenplays can shine on if you can wiggle it right.

And a lot of the fantasy-loving guys, they often want the sword types, the logistics, which is fine too, but I find that some books just lose my attention here and I'll skim through, looking for the comedy, the pivotal points, the suspense. When it comes to a fight, I'll often paint my own scenes if you toss me a good brush, so I don't need to be walked through. So what are some things I look for (and do)?

• Spectator Sport!

Sometimes it's a one on one deal and you don't have this option, but let's assume you have someone on the sidelines, someone who either can't fight, would only get in the way, or is spying/being protected/otherwise passive. This is a great opportunity to use their perspective. They can see every grimace, even slash of blood, inject their own anxiety/bloodlust/commentary at this point. Now, I personally try to write in third person and switch the narrative to prioritize their impression, but it's entirely possible to do this in first person if that's your preference. In fact, a lot of female writers even prefer to write in first person, something I oddly don't like to do. Why? You've seen my blogs. And lot of 'I's and 'me's go into them and when it comes time to write books, it feels good to limit that to the conversation, to distant myself from the events and play the spectator.

Utilize that. If you prefer third, you can home in on your spectator without slipping into first. One thing I love about third is that you can change the tone of narration without confusion, be the parrot on the shoulder of whoever you wish. 

The spectator is probably not going to be a martial expert either, but you don't want to sound like an idiot either: "his fist kinda shot forward and popped the other guy on that bone between the shoulder and the neck". Sigh. Unless you're trying to fill a word count for a school paper, this doesn't fly. It's okay if your spectator is a moron, but as narrator, you probably don't want to get THAT into their stupid head. Know basic anatomy and you still don't get to skip over creativity and interest. 

 

"She swung, but it failed to connect, her fist almost awkward as it stopped where his head was. Before his smug smile could reach its height, his eyes snapped back, his head following with a loud crack. Her other fist hadn't missed the connection."

Now the spectator wasn't mentioned here, but you don't always need to include them, especially since they probably prefer the sidelines. You could use them to create suspense or a distraction even. Sometimes they gasp or jump out of the way when the action gets too close to create more urgency. Sometimes they come in with a frying pan and end the fight rather anticlimactically.

• Spare Us the Details

Well, what does a writer do if you're taking the easy way out? A writer's job is still to lead the reader to the story, so there's no 'easy' way to cut a fight into manageable parts either. It still requires you to have that movie magic in your head, but your cutting room floor is going to be a lot messier, a lot more precise to hold people's interest here. Sometimes, you just have to cut the fat. Sometimes a flurry of rage, a wild swinging of weapons or fists, is just not a gloriously described moment. Sometimes an epic battle is actually going to be between David and Goliath (the giant soldier and the beanpole with the slingshot), not two seasoned swordsmen (this includes the swordsmen with no penises-- I don't need 'swordspeople' or 'swordswomen' to get the point across. Humankind always included all of us without fucking with 'hupeople' and 'huwomen'). <--- But, but there was a point in history where women weren't allowed to fight or read! Don't worry; there were men who weren't allowed to do either based on their status too and sometimes were even relieved of their junk altogether. Humans are bastards; you still get the point.

As I was saying, sometimes the battle is just not limited to the battle itself. It's distractions (where did that flock of sheep come from? Lamb chops for the winner, y'all!), it's accidents, but whatever it is, make it interesting for a reader, not just a chance to show off how well you can describe everything with that razor sharp eye of yours. Jump cut to the good parts, generalize the chaos. Utilize readers if you're unsure. Sometimes, they can tell you exactly what they prefer and give you a good redirect.

• Trap Them In!

Sometimes a big open chaotic battlefield isn't flying for you. You just can't find the meat of it, can't get into the groove, can't make it anything that hasn't been done a million times over. One of my favorite fight scenes I've done involved a woman in a cocktail dress and her assailant in an elevator. It involved using the walls to pull some kick flips, pinning, and the annoyance of it stopping at every floor when one good kick sends him into the panel of buttons (and the doors jammed where his body dented them, if I remember right. No exit and an annoying jerking as it stops and takes off again really kills the accuracy).If I didn't end it with her strangling him with her underwear, I should go back and change that....

Sometimes you just have to back that fight from the battlefield to the barn and use the environment, although that is a tip on its own!

• Krav Maga or Go Home

Taking a popular fighting style to the task, you have to use your characters AND environment to the best possible effect. Some people freeze up on fight scenes--how many ways can you actually swing the sword before it gets dull? Parry, parry, thrust-- you already lost me. Use your character's clumsiness or the ballet lessons his mom made him take to throw in a loop. Backed into a suit of armor in a castle? Tell them to catch as they toss the helmet. Lose your sword? Grab the nearest... spoon? Damn it! Now I'm a fan of comedy, but you can keep it as serious as you want and still use the environment and characters to the same effect. The point is the same; a good fight is interesting, intuitive and resolved.

 

• F*ck the PC

You know I don't usually censor my posts, but tongue in cheek back to the days where explicit song/book titles had that complete useless censorship...

 

One thing I really tire of in writing groups are the writers that try to censor other writers. If it's okay for me to write females besting men in battle, it's okay for men to write about men besting women. Oh, but it's a soft spot because (insert your oversharing personal history here, internet stranger). I get it. I'm a woman too. I've gone through some dark shit involving men, but guess what? I've been assaulted by women too. This does not somehow mean I should think that everything is off limits because people are all bastards and everything triggers me.

 

I'll keep this brief-- you're going to offend people. Defend your story. Defend it against agendas, defend your choices in fight scenes or otherwise. If it triggers someone, congratulations-- you probably just made a brilliant go of the brutal reality of that moment. Was that the intent (not to offend but to evoke an emotional response)? Let's get over caring about the extremely conservative or extremely liberal lines of criticism. If you want them to be your audience, then care, I guess. Otherwise, I've got your back on holding your ground. Being afraid to write anything other than a white man being bested by anything other than another white man? Not acceptable. If they want to masturbate to an anti-oppression fantasy, they can write it.

• Woe is me! End it better!

Let's face it-- the fight ending on the villain stabbed and slumping to the floor with a parting shot sputtered out in a burst of blood is done and done and done. That's not to say you can't do that in some sense, but this isn't where you fade to black and put the hero, cape billowing as they stand on a cliff as the closure to their victory. Maybe you do have the villain stabbed, dying, saying last words, fine and dandy, but this is often the perfect place to really pound in a dramatic moment. What is the mood here? Is there a sad or enraged spectator? Maybe they just killed a wizard and their death triggers a spell, a gate that opens to let in the demons they're trying to prevent in the first place. Don't put all of your energy into your perfectly paced fight then dump the potential at the end. A climactic fight can fizzle out if you just have the guy spit on the body and say 'that was for my father' unless you at least make him spit again and say 'and that was for the pisspot wine you served at the banquet. Cheap bastard.' I know, I know-- me and my comedy, but at least load a cliché with more than done and fade to black on a predictable note. 

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Fights really became fun for me when I realized I didn't have to give a play by play of the Lord of the Rings movies. They really don't have to last more than a page or two at most to paint the picture, to solidify its importance in the story. I know I wandered a bit on some strong feelings I tend to have towards what people seem to think they can tell you you can and can't write. What I REALLY don't want anyone to do is see ANY of my 'don't's as hard rules. Unless you're new here, you know that's not the way these work. It is absolutely quite possible you can do the exact opposite and it will work fantastic. I model my tips to reflect what resonates with people struggling with what isn't working for them and nudging them towards what ended up working for me.

In case anyone missed it, I'm just not a fan of the assumption that any idea or method is supremely male or female. I'm not a fan of neutering an idea to make it palatable-- that is often the path to just making it generic. If you're a man that uses any of these methods, all that means is you've got my attention. Men and women have been doing these things for some time, I'm sure. If I write like a girl, it doesn't hurt my feelings. It's a big no-shit and I tip my hat to you.

 

In the attempt to keep my posts organic, I don't pore over list pages and just recycle popular tips with my own blowhard twist. I used my own examples to show how I've kept them interesting for me (and that I've actually used them) and to see if the example holds for you. I don't claim to be original or unique or having some special vagina powers. Okay, this is sounding like the worst disclaimer ever... 

How does your character kick some ass? I know you probably don't want people stealing your best work, but maybe toss out your second best and share what works for you! Have an awesome morning-after blackout memory bar fight? An accidental improbable victory? Add to the tips and any future edits will credit.