Published: Sep. 11, 2011
Words: 40,125 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781466034181

Short description

Learn step-by-step how to create fictional fights which leave the reader breathless with excitement.

Extended description

This book will help you to write a fight scene which is entertaining as well as realistic, and leaves the reader breathless with excitement.

The book suggests a six-part structure to use as blueprint for your scene, and reveals tricks how to combine fighting with dialogue, which senses to use when and how, and how to stir the reader's emotions. You'll decide how much violence your scene needs, what's the best location, how your heroine can get out of trouble with self-defence and how to adapt your writing style to the fast pace of the action.

There are sections on female fighters, male fighters, animals and weres, psychological obstacles, battles, duels, brawls, riots and final showdowns.

For the requirements of your genre, there is even advice on how to build erotic tension in a fight scene, how magicians fight, how pirates capture ships and much more.

You will learn about different types of weapons, how to use them in fiction, and how to avoid embarrassing blunders.

The bo.. (Read more) This book will help you to write a fight scene which is entertaining as well as realistic, and leaves the reader breathless with excitement.

The book suggests a six-part structure to use as blueprint for your scene, and reveals tricks how to combine fighting with dialogue, which senses to use when and how, and how to stir the reader's emotions. You'll decide how much violence your scene needs, what's the best location, how your heroine can get out of trouble with self-defence and how to adapt your writing style to the fast pace of the action.

There are sections on female fighters, male fighters, animals and weres, psychological obstacles, battles, duels, brawls, riots and final showdowns.

For the requirements of your genre, there is even advice on how to build erotic tension in a fight scene, how magicians fight, how pirates capture ships and much more.

You will learn about different types of weapons, how to use them in fiction, and how to avoid embarrassing blunders.

The book uses British spellings.
(Less)

Tags

writing, scenes, creative writing, sword fights, fights, characters, characters fiction writing, fight scenes, battle scenes

Available ebook reading formats

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Reviews

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Review by: Herb Reed on Nov. 07, 2012 : (no rating)
I found a long time ago that one book can't tell the whole story or give all of the ideas that are required to do whatever you want to achieve. Saying that, I found Writing Fight Scenes was a good start for me in understanding the differences in fight scene writing. In fight scenes, writing everything in one book would be a huge volume or a long series of books. I say that Rayne Hall did a very good job in opening one's mind to think along the fight scene writing spectrum and therefore making us think for ourselves on how we will write our own scenes.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Elin Gregory on Oct. 02, 2012 :
Superb advice on how to make action scenes really zing! Whether a writer is penning historical, contemporary or futuristic mayhem carried out by a strapping man or a delicate girl [or vice versa] the reader can find suggestions to suit their plot.

Details abound - how the ground texture can affect the footingand thus give an advantage to or hamper the hero - the realisitic odds against a small untrained woman prevailing in any kind of physical contest against a man.

The writing is snappy and entertaining as well as educational. I plan to keep the book by me for future forays. The author has written other titles covering different aspects of the writer's craft- well worth investigating, I believe.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: S.C. Barrus on Sep. 20, 2012 :
Great book on making fights feel real no matter what kind of fight it is. Do you want to write something more entertaining and adventurous or something real and gritty? What kind of emotional impact does one weapon have on another?

The book was surprisingly in depth and detailed, especially for a $5 ebook. Very impressed. IF you want your fight scenes to work well, then read this book today!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Clare Davidson on May 28, 2012 :
I don't know about you, but I feel pretty clueless when it comes to writing fights scenes. I've never been in a fight, I've only dabbled in martial arts and I'm not sure that live role-playing could really be classed as "sword-fighting experience". Despite my lack of experience, I tend to include fight scenes in everything I write.
No matter what genre you write, creating a good fight scene isn't just about personal experience, it's also about tension, pacing and conflict.

Enter 'Writing Fight Scenes' by Rayne Hall. This is a comprehensive guide to all sorts of fight scenes, suitable for writers of any genre. More than just a how-to guide, this book provides examples from stories, novels and films to help writers to create fight scenes that have the reader on the edge of their seats.

The book starts with a summary of the difference between gritty and entertaining fight scenes, which is an essential read. After all, you can't write your scene before you know what feel you're going for, can you?

The next two sections cover location and structure. Again, both of these sections are invaluable. I'd never thought so much about how to use location within my fight scenes to provide obstacles and help for my heroes.

The remaining sections cover just about anything you would ever need to know about writing fight scenes. Looking to write a fight scene where a heroine is using swords against someone with magical weapons? Look no further. There's sections on improvised weaponry, unarmed combat, self-defence, animals and weres, armour, nautical fights and group fighting to name but a few; just choose the topics that are relevant to your writing.

My only reservation is that the menu is very limiting. For a book that revolves around dipping in and out of sections, rather than being read from cover to cover, it would be nice if the menu links actually allowed you to go to each section. This would make the book far easier to navigate quickly when you're writing.

That really is my only niggle with this excellent book. This book really is a one stop tool kit for writers who need help improving their fight scenes. Written in a friendly, accessible style, this book will be useful no matter what genre you're writing.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Debbie Christiana on April 27, 2012 :
I've had the pleasure of taking online writing classes with Rayne, including the class that this book is based on. I have to admit I don't usually read or enjoy how-to books. I find I learn better and take more away from a class and the participation that is involved.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I purchased this book. There are more chapters (lessons) than were in the class and I loved the examples or 'blunders to avoid' at the end of each chapter. It is well written and easy to follow. Plus there are plenty of links to YouTube videos if you are more of a visual person. I recently used it on the current story I'm working on.

This is a must have if you're a writer who enjoys adding realistic action to their stories. Whether it's an entertaining fight scene or a more intense realistic battle scene, this book has it all.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Celia Breslin on March 10, 2012 :
I’ve taken a couple of excellent online classes with Rayne on magic and editing and was pleased to read this invaluable resource encapsulating her fight scenes workshop. The book provides a basic overview of weaponry, various fight situations, gender differences in conflict, etc. and also offers the writer practical tips on word choices for optimal pacing, mood setting, and realistic dialogue. Visual examples of various fight scenarios are also provided via You Tube URLs. My one wish for the e-book: a full table of contents allowing the reader to jump to each chapter (my version stopped at Chapter 2). Bottom line: a worthwhile read and handy resource. If Rayne ever writes a magic reference book, I’d definitely read that, too.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Bill Sharpe on Jan. 10, 2012 :
Writing fight scenes by Rayne Hall is an excellent text for writers to use when individuals are fighting hand to hand. Also, it is formative and just down right entertaing. I'm sure I'll make other purchases from her in the future.
Bill Sharpe
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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