This week: Action Scenes Edited by: Annette  
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| Sword fights, free running, car chases and more are ingredients of action. How to include them into a story? |
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Action Scenes
The most important factor in writing an action scene is to ensure it grabs the reader's imagination and keeps their attention. Action scenes in a story or book are not the same as in a movie. Where a viewer can relax and sit back, a reader has to believe that reading through the action sequence has a payoff. Obviously, the main character will come out on the other side, so the main character's peril is diminished from the beginning. Crafting action scenes that turn pages takes effort, but it's absolutely possible.
 Research: Whatever happens in your action scene, be sure to use the correct words for the correct items. If you want to write a sword fight, learn the names for the swords that you envision in the fight. It's not "name dropping." It's respectful of the readers who are knowledgeable about swords and it's informative for those who aren't.
Consequences: There can't be any action scene without plot involvement. Leave that to movies. In stories, the action has to tie back to the drama at hand. The chase, the escape, the fight - they have to mean something for the character that is beyond the scene itself.
Show don't tell  (do we really need to discuss the need for this in an action scene?): An action sequence definitely needs vivid language, action verbs, colors, feelings, smells, and sounds. Out of all times, this is really not the time for passive voice.
Details: Paint the full picture. Give all the details. Backdrop. Body positions. Racing thoughts. What is on the ground? Is it day time or night time? Who is there with them?
Emotions: An action scene has to be an emotional event for the character. The cool, calm, and collected operative has a certain charm, but is unrealistic in most situations. If the character doesn't feel anything, why are we even here?
The Hand of God, aka, Deus Ex Machina: Overused, this trope can make the story feel weak. Placed in at the right moment, it forces suspension of disbelief, which is the bread and butter of fiction.
The bottom line of action scenes is to make them vivid, full of detail, and be certain that they are relevant to the storyline. When reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' fourth John Carter of Mars book, I got desperate for some story. John and his companion kept stumbling from action scene to action scene. It made me never pick up another Burroughs book.
Have you ever felt an action scene in a book or story was useless? |
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| | | Eternal Feud I (E)
The feud between two brothers locked in a battle for honor with two means of obtaining it.
#2305304 by BiteTheDuck  |
| | | We of Volition (E)
Walking through a forest, a wolf appears. What happens next? An entry for a contest.
#2304561 by Sunder |
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Replies to my last Action/Adventure newsletter "DNA Evidence" that asked: Would you like to be able to trace your family's roots to Neolithic times?
Quick-Quill  wrote: No, but what blew my mind was an article about people who receive bone marrow transplants. They will eventually have the DNA of the donor. That means when a future relative looks for them, they won't appear on the family DNA tree, but will appear on the donor's tree.
Monty  wrote: No I doubt it, might not like the result.
HollyMerry  wrote: A fascinating read about the Neolithic. I’ve been doing ancestry research and traced one branch of my family to the 2nd century AD, so I’m getting about as close to the Neolithic as it comes for ancestry!
And a reply to an older newsletter "The Companion" by Elfin Dragon-finally published : With regards to the companion: I've been watching a foreign film where the companion became obsessed with protecting the main character from harm (as well as not letting the main character know about what harm was being done to him).
This led to the main character not knowing his own strength. And thus now he is working out the problems arising from it.
And another reply to another newsletter "The Warrior Woman" by Elfin Dragon-finally published : I grew up watching "Voltron" (lion version), "He-Man", "Thundercats", "Justice League", "Bionic Woman", and "Wonder Woman".
All these, whether animated or real, had strong women characters. Even now, the shows I watch often have strong women characters who can stand on their own. However, they're still not afraid to ask for help if they need it. That's also the same with the male characters though.
And another reply to another newsletter "The Rogue" by Elfin Dragon-finally published : I see the Rogue as generally a neutral character, being neither good nor evil. They certainly could go either way for sure. But I think it depends upon which main character they drift towards when they do show up in the story. |
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Action/Adventure: November 15, 2023 Issue [#12259]
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