Hellooo, everybody!
Today we're talking about action! Of the violent variety, not the sexual variety.
I've made videos about fight scenes in the past, but action scenes cover way more
than that. Sure, physical fighting is action, but action can also be chases, it can be gunfights,
it could be torture, it could be explosions. Really, action is anything that puts people
in fight or flight mode, regardless of the threat. Action scenes require a special kind
of finesse. People think that you just envision the chaos in your mind, and then write it down.
They're wrong. There's an art to writing action. There's a skill set to delivering pandemonium in a
way that is clear, digestible, and entertaining to readers. That's where I come in. The three
areas where I get the most praise regarding my writing is: romance, dialogue, and action.
Three wildly different things, which is weird, but I digress. I'm breaking down my ten tried and true
tips for writing action scenes. Not just any action scenes, action that captivates readers.
Action that's easy to follow, but gets you amped up and excited. Action makes you want to read more.
Let me know which tip is your favorite in the comments below. I cannot wait to see
the action scenes that you cook up. Let's get to it.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Before we get started a few quick announcements. First of all, you may already know that for
the entire month of March all of my merch store profits are going directly to United Help Ukraine.
If you're looking at the calendar, you may realize oh shit, March is almost over. So if you haven't
ordered any writerly goodies, get on it now. We have hoodies, T-shirts, tank tops, posters, mugs,
water bottles, face masks—all kinds of stuff. And 100% of the profits are going to Ukraine.
I've got the link listed below. Please, please, please participate and help support an amazing
cause. Second, in honor of The Savior's Champion’s book birthday, I am hosting a massive sale. This
Savior’s Champion was released in April just a few years ago. Since then, it has become a number
one Amazon and Audible best seller in multiple categories, and it was voted one of the best
books of all time by Book Depository! An award I will cherish until my grave, and even probably
after that, let's be real. So if you haven't picked up this dark fantasy romance yet, now is
the time to do it because it is on sale for just 99 cents. The sale is available internationally,
but it's only going down for a limited time. So pick up your copy now. I've got it linked below,
get in on the action and see why so many people are calling Tobleila their OTP. Onto the video!
Today's topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon, Dianna. Dianna wanted to know
all about writing action scenes. How to make them suspenseful, how to set the scene. And that's what
we're talking about today. It's all for you, girl. It's also for literally anyone else who's watching
today's video but hey, it's the thought that counts. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel.
I post new videos on Wednesdays. And if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell.
Now I am breaking down my ten tips for writing top notch action scenes, so you can bring the energy
and the violence, and keep your readers on the edge of their seats. Number One (1): Pick up the
pace. Action scenes are fast paced, fists are flying, bullets are flying and thus,
text must be flying. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to utilize
shorter sentences. I'm not saying every single sentence should be short because when you do that,
the scene reads as robotic. “He punched the man. Then he ran away. His feet hit the gravel. He
grabbed his gun.” There's no nuance, there's no suspense or intrigue, you're putting your
readers to sleep. The idea is to vary your sentence structure while still primarily
relying on sentences that are on the shorter side. You should have a mix of sentence lengths,
but a bulk of them should be medium or short, with a hefty one thrown in every once in a while. This
goes a long way in picking up the pace, while increasing the momentum and action. Number
Two (2): Chop it up. This is not only a great way to pick up the pace, but also prevent readers
from getting confused. A lot of newbie writers make the mistake of writing their action scenes
in this giant wall of text. After all, you don't start a new paragraph unless the subject changes,
and the action is all one subject, right? Wrong! Break up your action into shorter paragraphs.
Punctuate the moment with natural breaks like a loud noise, an explosion, or a scream.
Even something as simple as a character rounding a corner and seeing something new could be a great
way to mix up the content and change the subject. And don't forget just because it's an action scene
doesn't mean you can't utilize dialogue. Obviously you don't want lengthy conversations,
especially if your characters are, say, fighting for their lives. But it's also highly unlikely
that they're completely silent. Maybe they're barking orders or bad mouthing the enemy.
Maybe they just yell ‘fuck’ because they got shot. I mean, if I got shot, I definitely yell fuck. I'm
just saying. The point is, avoid a wall of text. Keep the scene moving and break it up with small
paragraphs and dialogue. Number Three (3): No when to tell. As writers we're constantly told to show
not tell, and that's true, to a point. In faster paced scenes, sometimes it's a better
idea to just shut the fuck up and tell readers what's going on. In action scenes specifically,
the best time to tell is when you're in a transition, or you're explaining a not so intense,
not so important action. You could say ‘He pointed the muzzle away. Put on the safety,
and open to the action, making sure the chamber and barrel were clear. He loaded the ammunition
into the chamber and close to the action, turning his safety off as he returned to fight.’ Wow, that
was boring as fuck. Instead, you could just say ‘He loaded his gun.’ It's clear and to the point
which is important in fight scenes. Plus, it's got a lot fewer words which as we already covered,
helps to quicken the pace. And since it's not the most riveting piece of information, it's okay to
just tell the reader and move on. Which brings us to Number Four (4): Know when to show. Know when
to show, and know when to grow. Showing definitely has its place in action scenes. There are certain
moments where it shines. First up is damage: showing an injury explosion, or demolition,
is going to be way more powerful than telling. You could tell the readers ‘She hit him with her
car.’ Or you could show them the moment. ‘She stomped on the gas, slamming her car into him,
and launching him over her hood.’ This sentence is longer than the first one, but it's not that long,
and it's way more interesting. The second place is to show your readers how your character is
feeling both emotionally and physically. If your character is afraid, driven or angry,
simply stating that doesn't leave an impact. Showing it is going to pack way more of a punch.
And speaking of punching, how are they feeling physically? Are they in a ton of pain from getting
their ass beat? Are they sweating because the building is on fire? Are they suffocating because
they're surrounded by smoke? These are perfect opportunities to show the character’s situation,
which will help transport the reader and make them feel much more connected to the moment.
On a similar note, Number Five (5): Get inside your body. This is the easiest way
to express both physical feelings, as well as emotion. If your character is injured,
get inside your body and try to imagine how that pain feels. Is it a stab, a twinge,
or a throbbing ache? If your character is panicking, how does that feel inside their body?
When I'm panicking I usually get hot all over, and I can hear my heartbeat pounding behind my ears.
If your character is doing any kind of physical labor, their heart is probably racing, and they're
probably breathing really heavily. You don't want to stay inside your character's body forever,
after all this is an action scene. But adding these details from time to time will add to the
realism and immersion. It reminds readers: this isn't just cool explosions and awesome fighting,
your character's life is on the line. You're supposed to give a shit about them, remember! And
you make them give a shit by getting inside your body. Number Six (6): Powerful verbs. I’ve talked
about this in my fight scene video, and it rings just as true to action scenes as a whole. You're
not writing super long sentences and sometimes you're telling rather than showing, which means
you have limited words at your disposal. Make ‘em count by utilizing powerful verbs. Words like hit,
move, run or go may be accurate, but they're kinda boring, don't you think? Why not try: slam, crash,
barrel, hurdle, collide, pound, careen, crunch, shoot, bolt, blast, charge—you see what I mean?
With one word you can provide an accurate visual, while also creating a visceral reaction.
She didn't step on the brakes, she slammed on the brakes. He didn't run into the building,
he bolted into the building. They didn't throw the grenade, they hurled the grenade. Powerful
verbs provide power to whatever you're writing, you're eliciting impacts simply by improving
your word choice. It's an easy way to take your action scenes to the next level with little to
no effort at all. Number Seven (7): Ditch the introspection. This should go without saying,
but if you're pausing your action scene to give your main character a page of internal monologue,
you're done fucked up. It's an action scene. They're fighting their way through a burning
building or they're trapped in a car sinking into a lake, they don't have time to reflect on their
life choices or analyze the villains appearance and maneuvers. The one exception to this rule
is if your character is having a near death experience, the whole ‘life flashing before your
eyes’ thing is kinda real, so it's okay to slow down the moment for this particular experience.
But it doesn't have to be a full page, let them have their regrets and move on. While it's
important to get inside your character's body. You don't need to build a nest in their mind.
Yeah, a thought here or there are probably relevant, but keep them focused on the task
at hand. If they're in the middle of a gunfight and they're reflecting solely on their childhood,
maybe a slower steak story is better suited for your skill set. Number Eight (8): Avoid info
dumping. A big problem writers have with action scenes is info dumping. They wanna set the scene,
they wanna describe the weapons, they wanna describe what everyone's wearing, the color
of their eyes. No one gives a fuck. Yes, you need to set the scene, but this can be accomplished in
a few sentences or even one. If the setting is an abandoned warehouse we don't need the square
footage or the number of cobwebs. As it is, the words ‘abandoned warehouse’ create a pretty clear
picture on their own. As for weapons, sometimes it's as simple as saying a broad sword, a rifle,
or an axe. And for God's sake, who notices the color of someone's eyes when they're in a
life or death situation? Now of course there are exceptions. If you're at the beginning of
an action scene, but the action hasn't yet begun, this might be a good time to slowly set the scene.
It gives you an opportunity to build suspense. If the weapon is especially unique, or has magical
qualities, then describing it might help. And if a facet of a character's appearance is vital
to the plot, for example the main character is looking for a villain with heterochromia,
then mentioning this appearance is going to be important. But again, even if you do need
to describe important things, you should never ever infodump in the middle of an action scene.
Or really any scene, please I beg you. Number Nine (9): Believability matters. If
you're writing about weapons, research them first. If you're writing about explosions,
might be a good idea to brush up on how explosions work. If you're writing about injuries, talk to
a doctor or nurse. Because readers can suspend disbelief, but only to a certain point. I'm not
saying you can't utilize far fetched plot points, especially if you're writing speculative fiction,
it just has to be believable. Otherwise readers are going to be pulled from the scene.
For example, say your character is engaged in an action scene and they break their ribs.
If your characters have superpowers or magic on their side, like healing magic or super strength,
then it might be believable for them to get up and continue fighting. But if they're a
regular huaman, that's game over. This person is barely gonna be able to move,
let alone save the planet. Broken ribs are painful as fuck. These are the sorts of things you need
to think about and approach realistically when crafting your action scene, and unfortunately
not enough people take these things into consideration when they're writing action
scenes, especially in regard to regular human characters. And as my final note number Ten (10):
Ease off the power fantasy. Action scenes are fun to write because they're action,
we get to indulge in badass fantasies that we'll probably, hopefully, never experience in real
life. But there's a line back when crossed, starts to read a self-indulgence. When your character is
invincible, this reads as a power fantasy. Fine if they win. I mean they're the main character,
they're probably gonna survive, but they need to struggle along the way, otherwise, it's not
believable, or entertaining in the slightest. If your character is unwaveringly confident,
this also reads the power fantasy. Action is scary, these are life and death situations
we're talking about. Even if your character is an accomplished soldier, they should be feeling
something other than supreme confidence and ease. You can make your character a hero without making
it look like you're living vicariously through them. Bang them up a little, give ‘em the scars
and bruises, let them be weak and vulnerable. Readers prefer it this way over the alternative,
I promise. So that's all I got for you today. A huge thank you to Dianna for requesting today's
topic. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons
of other rewards, check me out on Patreon. We have early access to videos. We have a monthly
livestream. We have an exclusive writing group, as well as signed books. I have it linked below.
Definitely check it out. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays,
and if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell. The Savior's Champion is on sale
right now for just 99 cents. So if you haven't checked out my number one, best selling, award
winning dark fantasy romance, now is the time to do it. This is the cheapest it's ever been listed.
Pick up a copy today, it's linked below. And be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on
Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and BookBub. And of course you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Lighthearted Female Voice) It's me, Pippa! Have you subscribed to Jenna’s channel yet?
Oh, you must! It's so much fun! She talks about writing and heroism and romance…and sometimes
she says very naughty words, But I rather enjoy it! Subscribe to her channel, and ring the bell!