Tipster Tuesday (6)

Today's Topic:

Action Scenes

BOOM! KAPOW! SLAM! KUR-SPLOOSH! Okay...I don't know what that last one was supposed to be, but I'm sure you know what's coming. That's right. My favorite thing in the whole universe--ACTION! Yeah, I know. "The small town, fantasy-writing girl from South Carolina is that into action? No way." Well...yes way. So now that you know I love action, you probably won't believe me when I say I dread writing action scenes. Why? Because they're haaaaard!

But after all the strife, they usually end up being my favorite scenes, so it's worth all the trouble in the end. Action scenes are fast-paced and gritty and just all-around awesome.

So, what goes into an epic action scene?

--Short sentences work better
They make the scene feel faster and give the reader a sense of urgency. Long sentences tend to slow things down, and that doesn't work well for an action sequence. And try to stay away from flowery words--it really breaks the pacing and the mood.

--Don't describe anything but the action and what the MC's feeling/thinking
Don't stop to comment on what the sunset looks like over the ocean, or how there's a soft summer breeze, or anything like that. If the MC was really being chased by a gang of armed assassins, would they really have time to think about things like that? I don't think so. Give us enough to be grounded in the scene and then focus on what's going on right in front of them, not the background.

--Don't go over the top
This isn't a Micheal Bay flick, so hold off on the explosions. You don't need any double back flips or nunchuck battles. Your MC hasn't got to jump out of any helicopters into flaming buildings or rip the jaw clean off his enemy (though that would be pretty cool).

--But don't let your character off easy either
Most, if not all, the fun of reading action is the pressure it puts on the MC, so when the writer gives them any easy out, it sucks all the fun out of the action. Nothing is more annoying than coming to what I suspect will be a big action scene, only to find the character had a Get Out of Jail Free card in their pocket. (Okay...getting there and realizing there isn't one at all is worse.) You can't be afraid to make things hard for your characters. I know, I know. I love my characters too, but you've got to believe me when I say, readers can tell when you're letting them off easy and they don't like it.
(Melissa at Through the Looking Glass did a post on this topic. Check it out: Protected Characters Means Decreased Reader Interest.)

--Keep it realistic
So, your MC storms a heavily guarded military compound to take down a man bent on world domination by himself (because he's a lone wolf like that) and when he comes through it all, the only "wound" he has to show is his slightly singed hair (it happened in one of the four explosions). That totally works, right? Eh, no. No, it does not. That might work in crazy, overblown movies, but don't use that in your book. Your character needs to sustain realistic battle damage. And yes, that includes fall damage.

--SPEAK CLEARLY!
You remember earlier when I said no flowery language. Well, here it is again. I can't stress enough how much this annoys me. When I find an action scene that is worded so mysteriously that I can read it five times and still only have a vague idea of what happened, it makes me want to slam my head through my keyboard. Action is no place for pretty words. Be blunt and get straight to the point.

--Action doesn't necessarily involve a knife fight
So your story doesn't involve any alien invasions or secret agent chase scenes, that doesn't mean you don't have any action! Emotional turmoil and heated conflict between characters/inside the MC's head can be considered action. Heck, let's say your character is going through a lot so they decide to go for a long drive to sort their thoughts. But they start to drive faster and faster, contemplating speeding headfirst into a tree. With the right words and pacing, that scene could be full of action!

For those of you who skipped to the end:

*Short sentences makes things seem more urgent.
*Don't stop to describe the breeze/sunset/forest/whatever.
*Don't go all out and add five explosions, but don't leave us hanging either.
*Your MC can't take down twenty armed men by himself, no matter how awesome he is.
*Leave your pretty words at home.
*Just because your character don't shoot any rocket-powered grenades doesn't mean you don't have any action.


What makes for a good action scene?
What makes for a bad action scene?
Do you like action as much as me?


HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!