The first time I needed to write a fight scene, I was
totally lost. Being an “arts” girl, I had no clue how to pick a fight, let
alone finish one. You will probably experience this situation at some point
in your writing—creating an action sequence for something that you’ve never had
exposure to.
I found YouTube to be one of the best sources of information
for learning about and visualizing an action sequence as it would unfold on
screen. As a n00b to the art of hand-to-hand combat, I watched several extreme
fighting and cage fighting videos until I found one that had the look and feel
I was going for, and that was well matched to my characters. I would play a few
seconds, pause the video, then write what I saw. Play. Pause. Write.
Here’s what I ended up with:
Dirk and Reed give a slight bow to each other, then close in.
They
each throw a series of punches that connect with nothing but air.
Dirk rushes Reed and gives him a left to the jaw.
Reed tackles Dirk to the ground.
Dirk tries to get free, but Reed has him in a strong hold.
Reed lifts up and punches Dirk several times in the face.
Dirk uses his strong legs to propel Reed off of him.
They get to their feet.
Dirk rushes Reed again and throws a high punch.
Reed ducks to miss it, but Dirk grabs his head and tries to
knee him in the face.
Reed grabs Dirk's legs, lifts him up, and drops him to the
ground, knocking the wind out of him.
Reed wipes the side of his mouth with the back of his
hand...first blood.
I also use this technique to familiarize myself with
cultural events, such as the Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City, and Native
American ‘jingle’ and ‘fancy shawl’ dances. Seeing the women in their native
dress, the flowing ribbons on their shawls, and their fancy footwork, is helping me
to understand the culture and to construct a more authentic scene.
No comments:
Post a Comment