: Re: What's Essential In A Combat Scene? I've just been reading a bunch of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books. Although they were the most enjoyable read I'd had in ages I always found myself skimming

@Megan928

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In your example, what's wrong is:

Too much detailed description. We don't need to know how Bardolph was standing, and it takes so long to read it that we lose the excitement. You just described 2 seconds in 2 paragraphs.
Not enough feelings. describe how the characters are feeling: fear as they duck a blade, desperation as they lunge, surging confidence as they push their opponent back, etc.

In a book with good fight scenes like Mistborn, the action description is minimal; just enough so you notice what the character notices about the scene. But there are plenty of clues as to how the character is feeling.

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