If you want to write better action scenes, the key isn’t just what you include—it’s what you leave out. Nothing kills momentum faster than a poorly timed info dump or an overstuffed description that stops the action in its tracks. Pacing is everything, and knowing how to control it can mean the difference between a […]
November 1, 2021 by 52 Comments CharactersHumanizing the Bad Guy (or, Some Thoughts on Violence in Fiction)
Our sense of story is almost like an extrasensory organ. It enables us to pick up on subtle signals in tone and intent and this allows us to interpret how we should respond when we encounter violence in fiction. These signals are more important than the actual act we are reading about or viewing. This […]
July 4, 2016 by 46 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 52: Stagnant Story Conflict
What’s so hard about story conflict? You throw your protagonist and your antagonist onto the page–insta-conflict! Right? Actually, not so fast. Turns out creating a fascinating story world in which dwells a fascinating hero and an evil villain is not enough, in itself, to create integral and interesting story conflict. I’ve read quite a few unfortunate […]
June 24, 2016 by 74 Comments Plotting Your NovelHow (Not) to Write Satisfying Action Scenes
Part 2 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel Imagine this. You sit down to write the biggest action scenes in your entire story. They’re gonna be epic. Giants will collide. Empires will topple. The conflict will be definitively decided once and for all–and readers will be glued to the page. This is, no doubt, exactly what the folks […]
January 27, 2016 by 70 Comments NarrativeHow to Write Realistic Fight Scenes
Writing realistic fight scenes can feel like being in one. Then again, being in a fight involves reaction, quick thinking, and intuition. A lot of times writing the scene takes the opposite: careful choreography, thinking, and re-thinking–and more. When I started writing fight scenes, I did it by feel. I had an advantage: I’m a […]
July 22, 2015 by 9 Comments NarrativeThe Key to Writing Good Action Scenes (Hint: It’s Not Just the Action)
This week’s video shows you how you can mimic Jurassic Park in streamlining your narrative and keeping your action scenes tight. Video Transcript: Two admissions to start off with today. First, I admit the title is slightly misleading. The key to writing good action scenes isn’t action? What’s up with that? Because if action is the […]
