So, the motive behind this post involves those out there still logging and reading one of my ye olde posts (uploaded to Blogger.com many, many moons ago). Thank you for reading; it concerns Action Sequences. That post is in need of sprucing-up and an update, because I’m a little more experienced now. I’ve delivered 45 writing workshops to a wonderful company in Bromley, so, I’ll humbly impart some (hopefully) useful tips for creating believable action scenes. I’m no expert, but like a lot of writers, I continue to work on it.
Here goes. These things have helped me craft the action over the years. This is part 1. I’ll upload part 2 in a couple of weeks.
No.1: Lay a sound foundation for the action.
Summat’s brewing.
It’s in the air… inevitable… and it’s so near, you can taste it. Seriously, it’s all about to go down, and those concentric lines of fate are narrowing towards the target. For both the reader & writer, carefully building the context and the tension before the action (and especially any form of ‘emotional investment’ as to why this needs to happen), is as important as writing the scene itself. Jeopardy can frequently appear out of nowhere, but if you’ve laid a compelling platform beforehand (with that ‘no way out’ kind of disquiet/dread), it’s far more enticing. With good, relatable characters, the action sequence matters far more to the reader because they’re wholly invested in both the process and the outcome. Really soak yourself in developing a foundation that propels the action in a way that feeds the reader’s eyes and throttles fireworks through their mind.
No. 2: Think: real time.
I try to write the initial action sequence very, very quickly, giving it a ‘real time’ feel. And when I say quickly… I mean Q.u.i.c.k.l.y! Sure, there’s absolutely tonnes of punctuation and grammar errors, and you do feel like a chef speedily dicing an onion as you thunder-tap your keyboard, but I find it increases authenticity, and believability. It reads at the speed the action should play out in real life. With action sequences in particular, take time away, and look back a few days later. This way, you can see if it marinaded in the way intended, and/or shave off anything that clogs, snags, slows the action… or just sounds plain weird.
No. 3: Use smart language.
If there’s banter, it’s not going to be, ‘Tally-ho! Toodle-pip! Time I gave this uncouth rotter a darn good thwick-thwacking!’
I mean… (shrugs)??
If it’s a tense scene, use smart, pointed language that’s targeted and dripping with intent, so you can actually feel the palpable atmosphere that your characters are experiencing. Don’t over-elaborate. If it’s an adrenalin-surged, hell-for-leather scene, your characters won’t have time for much discourse because they’re trying to breathe! Any language here will be short, sweet and smart. It’s life, death, and the fine line between, so the language will reflect the immediacy of the danger and the underlying jeopardy.
No. 4: Use oblique language (and trust that the reader will infer).
We’re all guilty of spelling out too much when we’re writing, but oblique conversations in an action scene are a must. By oblique, I mean if one character is urgently trying to convey something, the other wouldn’t access verbatim mode – responding in a “dot the i’s, cross the t’s” manner – because it’s unnatural. Oblique means a slight angle in the call-and-response that doesn’t quite match with the previous character’s statement, but imparts so much more through inference. If the dialogue is urgent – and we are dealing with commands, aggression and apprehension – then reduce the amount of chatter, and trust the reader to infer. This isn’t about spelling thing’s out; it’s about your reader being able to bridge-the-gap and instantly accessing “between the lines” for the subtle, yet powerful meanings. I believe, particularly for us dry-humoured Brits, we enjoy using the whole nine yards of inference (metaphors, euphemisms, similes, etc) and we trust we’ve left enough hanging for the reader to first access, and then infer the gaps in the dialogue. Takes some practise, but well worth it!
Hope that helps. Like I say, I’m always learning, too. If it does… and you fancy leaving a comment (even if it’s literally: “Cheers, man. That’s helpful.”), then please do.
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