Action Sequences: Play. Pause. Write.

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.

The next time you need to write an action sequence, take a moment to watch a few videos on the topic and find those little nuances that will lend credibility to your scene.

A Time to Write

Finding time to write is like finding time to exercise. We make up a lot of excuses for why we don’t get around to doing it, but the reality is if it were important enough to us, we’d do it. If you fall into this category, raise your hand high and proud and say, “Hi, my name is [state your name], and I’m an excuse maker.” Now that you’re no longer in denial, it’s time to write.

Like every other aspiring screenwriter, each of us probably has a 40+ hour a week job. We may have kids, a spouse, family, or pets to tend. We might have volunteer work, church callings, or other interests that we devote time to. We all lead busy, full, and rich lives. So where can we find time to write? 

My answer: everywhere.

One of the simplest, yet profound, statements that I once read…and I’m paraphrasing:  A writer writes. Not just when it’s convenient, and not just when they manage to find the time, but every single day. It doesn’t have to be a certain number of pages, and it doesn’t have to be large chunks of time. It just needs to be a habit.

• If you have a long commute, take mass transportation and write.
• If you take a 15 minute break, write.
• If you pick up your kids from school and sit in the parking lot, write.
• If you’re sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, write.
• If you’re at your kid’s baseball game and they’re warming up between innings, write.
• If you’re on an airplane, write.

I refer to these moments as ‘in the cracks.’

One of my best writing times this past year was in my car from 5:45 am to 6:30 am, M-F, while my son was attending Seminary (our church scripture study program). I’d take my laptop with me and enjoy the peace and quiet of those early mornings.

In my work, my travels take me around the States and put me in the path of interesting people and places. I like to make it a game to write a quick description of the things I see and hear. I might even eavesdrop on a few conversations for dialogue ideas or speech patterns. Inspiration comes when we least expect it, so carry a dedicated notebook and jot down those musings when they occur. If you’re in the car, use your mobile phone to record voice notes.

If you need a little push and some accountability, join a writing group. My group meets every other week, and we're only allowed to bring up to 10 pages. My goal is to bring 10 new pages each session. That's less than 1 page a day that I need to develop. A very doable goal. If you really want to push yourself, join a Script Frenzy group for screenwriters, or a NaNoWriMo group [National Novel Writing Month] for novelist.

The bottom line: writers write. So, use ‘the cracks’ to develop your characters, muse about your story arc, write a few lines of dialogue, and proofread your work. Above all, make no excuses.