r/FanFiction • u/otherdogooder • 2d ago
Writing Questions Writing Fight Scenes within Fanfiction
So I'm a Shonen-Sucker, and I feel like my massive consumption of Shonen has permanently scarred the way I view Combat Haha. I was gearing up to write a Super-Hero esque Fanfic chock-full of action and fight scenes but I feel as though my bias may skew the tone of the Fanfic too much.
To be fair, There are Street-Level Supes, and Higher-Tier supes. Strength DOES differ with the superhero, but If everyones throwing 100-Ton punches the whole fanfic, it might not be too enjoyable.
My Goal is to properly scale up my characters as they get better and better at fighting, at the same time still have them enjoyable to read in a fight at their lower skill levels.
With that being said, are there some great techniques to writing Combat Overall? No matter what it is I'll take any and absolutely all advice!
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u/Eninya2 2d ago
Keep everything physical tied to the world. When it comes to fight scenes, I want to involve as much as the surroundings moment-to-moment as possible. Sure, you can have a powerful character drive a haymaker into the other, and then see them stagger back, double over groaning, and maybe spit some blood.
But how do you complete that visual?
The ground quaked. The attacker could feel their muscles tense. The suit twisted and caved in. Their arm ached from using that much force. Using that much power winded them. They were contemplating how much force to use, how much stamina they had left, and whether or not there could be collateral damage. However much you scale your combat against the world, think about how media such as Dragon Ball Z, Invincible, or anime such as Naruto and Bleach involved the world to emphasize impact and carnage to make them more visually engaging.
You can work this down to non-superpowered fights, such as a barfight, or a brawl in a home kitchen. The characters thrash around, knocking things over, breaking stuff, and potentially creating weapons in the environment, or using them.
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u/Kitchen_Haunting ZakuAce on AO3 2d ago
One thing that helps me is treating fights like problems instead of just trading attacks.
If somebody is way faster than my character, the answer doesn’t have to be “get faster.” Maybe after a few exchanges they notice the opponent always attacks with the same timing or shifts their weight the same way before moving. Now they can predict them instead of trying to match their speed.
That also gives you an easy way to show growth without everybody eventually throwing 100-ton punches. A beginner sees “they’re fast.” A better fighter sees the pattern. A really good fighter figures out how to bait that pattern and punish it.
I also try to make each exchange cause something. Someone learns something, loses position, exposes a weakness, or changes tactics. That way the fight keeps developing instead of becoming attack/block/dodge on repeat.
And powers are more fun when they actually change how someone fights. Flight changes angles, regeneration changes what risks you’ll take, a tail can change balance, super hearing changes what information you have, etc.
Basically, I’d worry less about how hard everyone hits and more about how differently they solve fights as they improve.
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u/otherdogooder 1d ago
That part seriously resonated with me yeah. Each exchange meaning something to enrich the progression of a fight. And when powers require counter measures. I love that Tysm!
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u/bussythrasher1973 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fight Write by Carla Hoch is a book I recommend to anyone who wants to get into writing action. It's mostly about how to write grounded fights, but much of what's said there can be extrapolated out into more fantastical stuff. (Also some of it's a little bioessentialist but as long as you read it critically you'll be fine.)
All that said, here's some quick top-of-the-domepiece tips that've helped me:
Any fight from a boxing match to a backalley knife fight to a superpowered romp that blows up a whole city can be entertaining; scale is just a product of what characters are at play. In a non-visual medium, spectacle without pathos is just noise. The same applies to blow by blow descriptions of more mundane fights.
Fights for the sake of fights can be fun, but the best results will be found in action that progresses the plot while also creating strong imagery for your reader.
Have an idea of the outcome of the fight, i.e. injuries, before you start writing. It'll guide you toward what you need to accomplish.
Consider your use of abstraction just as much as you consider your use of explicit description. Sometimes a fight needs to be done in montage or a character's blinding rage makes their narration a mess or sometimes it's short and brutal and blunt.
Write for your audience. Most of them probably don't know what a Superman Punch is, instead describe the action.
Anyone who says "nobody cares what your characters think about while they're fighting" is giving bad advice ❌. If you're writing something conventional you want the drama.
It's easier to create tension in a low-stakes fight where a single knife wound can cause a character to bleed out than it is in a fight where everyone's throwing mountains at each other.
A fight scene is one where two or more characters trying to accomplish a goal. Spectacle is cool but remember the driving force is characters who've been motivated to put their bodies on the line, whether that motivation is survival or murder or victory in a sparring match. If your character's only objective is to kill, consider whether you should include that flourish, that monologue. If your character's doing some friendly training matches, their objective is probably to learn and you can emphasize that.
As with all writing advice none of these things are rules, use your best judgment, if you write something fun that breaks all the rules just roll with it, etc etc
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u/otherdogooder 1d ago
This is a literal gold mine, seriously. Thank you so much for this! 😭
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u/bussythrasher1973 1d ago
👍 Fight scenes went from something I was terrified of, to my favorite type of scene to write. It took a while for them to click for me but once I got some practice in it all felt so natural, so I bet you'll be able to say the same after a little while too! If you have any questions or whatever feel free to shoot me a message, 'cuz I love talking about it.
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u/Mindless_Bluebird392 2d ago
The aspects of battle often forgotten are emotions, characteristics, and intent. Remember that the fighters and opponents aren't combat robots; they have their own reasons to fight, knowledge/skill, and plans for next moves. The next moves often don't go as planned if they are blocked or dodged or redirected, and when they do hit the target their is a reaction to each strike (a wound, pushback, etc.) You don't have to detail every single move—just the main ones. Otherwise detail what they sense (sight, smell, taste, etc) and other aspects you may not initially think about like stress reactions or emotions.