: 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

I've recently been reading an anthology of Robert E. Howard stories. He's a pulp author from the 30s who is known largely for his action-packed adventures. In fact, pretty much every one of his stories has at least one fight scene, and in my opinion, he writes them very well.

The REH system for fight scenes seems to go something like this:

Start with descriptions of the characters and their emotional states. Are they excited? Scared? Angry? How do they show it?
As they leap into battle, give a few sentences of detailed description. Swords clash, parry and counter, guns are fired, etc.
After the first few sentences, zoom out from the action a bit. Describe how the characters move and fight in a more general way. Character X fights fast and wild, while character Y stays on the defensive, only counterattacking when he sees an opportunity.
Zoom back into detailed description as the fight finishes. What does the killing blow look like? What do the characters feel?

I like this style for a few reasons. The description up front reminds the reader exactly what these characters are fighting for, and it makes the fight emotional as well as physical. The detail at the start of the fight makes it feel visceral. By zooming out in the middle, we avoid having to sit through pages of detailed description without feeling like we missed what happened. Then we zoom back into detail to lend excitement to the finale.

I'd recommend picking up some REH. The anthology I'm reading is The Best of Robert E. Howard, Vol. 1. The stories occasionally feel a bit dated, but they work very well if you look at them as a workshop on crafting fight scenes.

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: You've already read a lot, which is a good thing. I suspect what you're missing at this point is reading to learn: taking something that you love which is well-written, and tearing it apart

@Cugini967

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: Techniques for writing internal monologue I've seen the thoughts of a character written in a few different ways: Example 1: Indirect Ender liked it better, though, when two boys played against

@Cugini967

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: Waiting for response to full MS About three months ago, an agent that I had queried responded with a request for the full manuscript of the novel that I had written to her about. It's now

@Cugini967

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: This depends a lot on the preferences of the individual reader, editor, or teacher. There is nothing inherently wrong with long, elaborate sentences in English, and many of the best writers

: 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

More posts by @Cugini967

: You've already read a lot, which is a good thing. I suspect what you're missing at this point is reading to learn: taking something that you love which is well-written, and tearing it apart

: Techniques for writing internal monologue I've seen the thoughts of a character written in a few different ways: Example 1: Indirect Ender liked it better, though, when two boys played against

: Waiting for response to full MS About three months ago, an agent that I had queried responded with a request for the full manuscript of the novel that I had written to her about. It's now

: This depends a lot on the preferences of the individual reader, editor, or teacher. There is nothing inherently wrong with long, elaborate sentences in English, and many of the best writers

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