This episode is sponsored by Skillshare.
The first 500 people to use the promo link in the description will get their first 2
months for 99¢
No time for cleverly written intro!
We need an action opening.
Context?
THERE’S NO TIME to get invested in characters or figure out who the good guys are bad guys
are or… have… any idea…
what’s going on at all.
But hey!
At least its better than an info dump.
Writing an action scene is really easy because - NO TIME FOR A WELL WRITTEN SEGUE!
Let’s charge into the breach of writing action scenes!
After the initial burst of action, let things get quiet enough for the main characters to
form a plan!
Because the best time to make calm objective battle plans is in the middle of an adrenal
rush.
It’s not like the enemy will bother to take advantage of our hero’s distraction while
they are holding still and shouting, giving away their position.
What cunning battle plan will our heroes come up with?
Suppressing fire followed by a flanking maneuver?
A slow careful battle of attrition designed to wear down the enemy’s resources?
Ha!
No.
They will exchange of few lines of witty banter before wading into the middle of crossfire
and beating up minions.
Leaving cover and charging through a hail of bullets is totally possible!
With plot armor.
Don’t worry.
Contrary to popular belief, plot armor does not completely protect the heroes.
Plot armor does not protect the shoulder area from bullets nor does it protect the face
from minor scratches too shallow to mar the good looks of the protagonist.
Otherwise, our protagonist can survive nearly anything.
They can jump from one exploding high speed moving vehicle to another exploding, high
speed moving vehicle without even a sprained ankle.
Take that Newton and your stupid inertia!
And explosions are easy to dramatically walk away from!
Speculative fiction writers have it easy since they can just magic or tech their way out
of their protagonist’s story stopping injuries.
Because otherwise our action story becomes a touching tale of physical therapy and slow
recovery after numerous surgeries.
We can’t have our main characters get beat up because that gets in the way of the power
fantasy!
Pure power fantasy is the best way to approach action scenes.
Our heroes should bulldoze all competition with minimal effort along with that pesky
narrative tension.
Especially if they have super powers.
Be sure to avoid using a character’s magic or superpowers in a clever way or tailor each
character’s combat style to reflect their respective personalities.
Having a character use their abilities unconventionally and in distinctive ways to gain an advantage
undercuts how cool our main character is!
We want the fight to show off our protagonist’s relentless strength, not reflect the dynamic
ebb and flow of combat.
Who would want to read about a struggle fought on the razor edge of death, each combatant
only a single tiny mistake away from their demise.
There is no way the audience could handle that much tension.
Also be careful not to cast the protagonist’s death dealing prowess in a negative light.
The heroes’ opponents should be treated like the soulless disposable fodder they are
just like in video games.
Also just like in video games, neither side should consider withdrawing from the fight
after loosing the advantage nor should anyone panic and run away!
Just keep pointlessly shooting at the superhero or monster.
I’m sure it will work eventually.
Writer's should also make sure to completely neglect terrain.
Terrain has nothing to do with action scenes, combat, strategy, or even chase scenes.
It’s not like accounting for terrain will help set the scene or establish the spacial
location between characters.
Instead, we are better off confusing the reader by not keeping proper track of where characters
are.
We want to keep the reader off kilter that way they will just skim the action scene and
miss just how boring and mechanical the prose is.
No need to immerse the reader with concrete descriptions and evocative images that capture
the fear, violence, and excitement of conflict.
In truth, we are just adding an action scene in the middle of the book just to make sure
the reader doesn’t nod off.
Movie script writers are required to insert an action scene mid movie since it is objective
fact that the average movie audience will not be able to sit through a whole film unless
there is at least one explosion every twenty minutes!
We all know that audiences never get tired of endless, repetitive and loud action scenes.
Does the action scene not fit within the context of the story?
Awesome!
A jarring out of place action scene will in no way cause the plot to come to screeching
halt until the action is resolved.
The exciting nature of action scenes means that they will always help pacing and can
never have the opposite effect.
Having the events of the action scene drive the plot forward is entirely unnecessary when
we can instead watch characters chase each other through expensive sets.
I spent a lot of effort creating that elaborate highway chase scene and by God I am going
show it off no matter how much it sidelines the plot.
Besides, if it’s a movie, we already spent millions on the props and stunt work.
Can’t let that go to waste.
Is the story nearing it’s climax?
Better have the final action scene where we blow all of the budget on one final confrontation.
After building up tension for the enviable final battle between the hero and villain,
it’s time to end this.
This epic fight needs to come to a screeching halt mid way through so the villain can monologue
about either how he is going to defeat the main hero, how the protagonist doesn’t stand
a chance, or how the villain is merely a dark reflection of the hero because the symbolism
is so heavy even the characters are aware of it.
Unless it’s anime, in which case our hero and villain will argue pseudo-philosophy during
their final confrontation.
After arguing, we can finally finish up our epic fight.
Nothing is going to derail the pacing of this final action scene because – oh wait!
The LOVE TRIANGLE!
We have to tie up our romantic loose ends.
I’m sure those nuclear warheads counting down to launch from orbital satellites can
wait long enough for the romantic interest's tearful confession and obligatory kiss.
Okay.
Can we finish off the villain now?
Oh, no wait!
We can’t just kill the villain.
We need a one liner to punctuate the hero’s victory before he punctuates the villain!
You can tell the one liner is effective when the audience collectively groans and rolls
their eyes.
Then the hero finishes off the villain for good, or at least until the sequel and the
day has been saved.
Now quick!
End the story before the collateral damage bill ruins the power fantasy!
Want to get better at a skill?
Don’t wait to get better.
Take action with Skillshare.
Skillshare is an online learning community with more than 18,000 classes in writing,
design, video editing, and more.
Premium membership gives you unlimited access to high quality classes from experts that
can help you improve your skills and discover new passions.
Beginner writers might find the classes Storytelling Fundamentals: Character, Conflict, Context,
Craft by Daniel Jose Older, and the Creative Writing Project by Steve Alcorn a useful place
to get started.
Self Publishers with an interest in graphic design should consider checking out Martin
Perhiniak’s (Per hen e ack) InDesign Master Class and learn how to do your own professional
book layout.
Skillshare’s annual subscription is only $10 a month making it very affordable.
In addition, Skillshare is offering the first 500 TWA fans who check out the link skl.sh/twa2
the first 2 months of Skillshare Premium for only 99 cents.
Click on the link in the description to begin.