Action/Adventure: April 06, 2016 Issue [#7574] |
Action/Adventure
This week: The Final Battle Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline More Newsletters By This Editor
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The moment has arrived - it is time for the final battle. Your characters are ready, your readers are ready - now what?
This week's Action/Adventure Newsletter is all about getting through the final face-down.
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline |
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You've written about 90 percent of your epic Action/Adventure novel. It's time for the final battle. The warriors are gathered, or your hero is standing face-to-face with your villain. They are ready. Your readers are ready. You can picture the scene in your mind – you can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it... so now what? How can you possibly put into words what everyone has been waiting for? How can you make the pay-off one that's truly worthwhile?
A lot has been written about action scenes, and how difficult they are to write. Do you detail every move? How do you follow around several different characters in the heat of a battle? How can you make your readers feel present at a scene involving thousands, possibly tens of thousands participants? How can you get across the fear, the destruction, the despair, the triumphs?
If your scene involves two characters – your hero and your villain – it's more straightforward. You can use a combination of detailed action and dialogue, to help set the mood and heighten the dramatic impact. That said, you might want to stay clear of the cliché of the villain explaining his or her full motives/plans at the end – make the scene fresh. Make it yours.
Don't make the scene too drawn out. Not many readers will have the patience to sit through, say, ten pages of a single battle between two characters. They will want a resolution. Does the hero win? Will he or she live? Does the villain live? Does he or she get away? What will happen now?
Try to add feeling to the scene, rather than go for a mere technical description of each move. What is your hero experiencing? Are they angry? Frightened? Sad? Perhaps they feel a mixture of emotions. And what about the villain? Do they show any emotion?
What is going on around them? Are they alone? Are there witnesses? How do they impact on the battle?
I mentioned above that you might feel as though you can hear, feel, smell, taste the scene. Let your readers in on this, too.
A battle scene with multiple characters is less straightforward. As with a scene between two characters, adding emotion, and adding the senses is a good idea. A dry blow-by-blow account would make for a boring read.
An epic battle involving multiple characters who your readers are invested in can last for longer than a fight between just the two characters. You can switch perspectives, allowing the reader to know what is happening to their favourite(s). When switching perspectives, your battle can keep on evolving – for example, we might witness the fight of character A for the first few minutes/the first part, and follow character B for the next few minutes/the next part.
Your characters, or a couple of them, might team up for a scene. Here, again, you can add dialogue and interactions to help set the mood and raise the dramatic impact.
An epic battle might have breaks, where the armies regather. This can offer relief for both characters and your readers. You can account for your characters – are all still alive? Are any of them injured? How are they feeling? What do they expect will happen next?
At the final stage, the arch-nemesis might need to be faced by your main character or characters. This is not dissimilar to describing a scene between hero and villain – don't make that battle too drawn out. By this point, your readers will want a resolution. They deserve it, just as your characters deserve it. You deserve it, too. Writing battle scenes is hard work.
Good luck!
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline
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Here are some of the latest additions to the Action/Adventure genre:
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Action/Adventure Newsletter Team |
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