The second panel I went to at Norwescon last weekend was called “Smack My Protagonist.” From the program guide:
Whether it’s a spirited pie fight or buckles that need swashing, violence is a tool for the writer’s toolbox. We’ll discuss how to write believable and purposeful scenes of violence, and use them to advance a story, develop character, and provide comic relief.
Maquel A. Jacob (M), D.L. Solum, Shweta Adhyam, Carol Berg, Frank Morin
Levels and Consequences
The first thing the panelists mentioned was levels of violence. Consider how much is necessary for the story. And what it’s there to accomplish. Like sex, violence is action and should be there for a reason. Why are these people fighting? What are the stakes? What’s their relationship to each other? Who else is going to be affected? What are the likely consequences, and what are they doing about them? (If anything. It’s perfectly reasonable for them to not be worried about the consequences when their lives are at stake, and only deal with them later.)
Speaking of consequences, maybe there aren’t any. Part of the fantasy could be that they get away with it.
I’ve done it both ways. In my first novel, Yellow Tape and Coffee, which is set in our modern world, violence is something horrific, and always has consequences. In the fight scenes, I focus on emotional resonance, how committing violence affects the characters involved, and what both the short-term and long-term consequences of it are. But in Yagmar the Barbarian, which takes place in a Conan-inspired fantasy world, violence is fun, exciting, and once it’s over, there (mostly) aren’t long-term consequences, other than wounds that can be magically treated.
One of my favorite writers, J. Michael Straczynski, talks a lot about showing the consequences of violence more than the act itself. It can be good, exciting, action, but the consequences are where you really get that emotional hit which is the essence of a good story. You see this a lot in Babylon 5, especially in the episode GROPOS.
About Accuracy
It was recommended that you learn something of the form you’re depicting before writing about it. Read up a bit (or even better, practice it yourself!) to learn how swords really work, or open-handed martial arts. If you’re going to be giving any details about a gun, learn something of firearms first. Don’t have your protagonist slam a new clip into her revolver, or a lot of people will be pulled out of the story and you’ll break suspension of disbelief. And yes, it is funny that they’ll be perfectly happy with the protagonist loading silver bullets into her revolver to shoot a werewolf, but not if you describe the loading process wrong. It’s also true, so don’t do it.
When writing scenes of violence, don’t do a blow-by-blow. Focus on the important aspects. Emotional response is good. Are they delighted to be pummeling someone who deserves it? Are they scared they’re going to get hurt? Are they good at violence? If not, don’t have them easily win every fight.
Who To Read?
Who’s good at writing violence? Matthew Reilly and Larry Correia were mentioned as examples. Also, the book Violence for Writers by Rory Miller was recommended. I have read it myself and can highly recommend it for any writer who plans on incorporating a lot of violence into their novels. If you can find it, his book Meditations on Violence is quite good, too, and there’s a lot of overlap between the two.
Another recommendation was the “Conflict & Tension” episode of the podcast Writing Excuses. I couldn’t find an episode by that name there while I was writing this up, though they do seem to be frequent topics there, as evidenced by this search: https://writingexcuses.com/?s=conflict+and+tension
Pacing?
Pacing is especially important. Short, staccato sentences can make it seem things are happening faster and are more chaotic. Also, don’t be too granular. Details can bog down the scene. Consider “He swung with this left hand” vs. “He swung.”
It’s Not Always Serious
Violence can also be comical. For example, the sword fight in Princess Bride. “I am not left handed!” Other examples include Danny Kaye in the Court Jester, and every role Jackie Chan has ever played.
If you want to write a comedic fight scene, a great exercise would be to watch a Jackie Chan movie, then try to describe what he’s doing.
Who? And Why?
Again, we were reminded to keep in mind to goal of a fight. Is it to establish dominance? To kill the other? To end a threat? To escape? The participants in a fight may have differing goals, too. In Yellow Tape and Coffee, when they first met and fought each other, Peter’s goal was to kill Gordon as efficiently and quietly as possible. Gordon’s only goal was to not be killed by Peter and get away, so he wasn’t concerned with noise during the fight.
Keep in mind the consequences, especially the emotional ones, though there will also be physical consequences. Unless it’s a fantasy thriller (or you have werewolves) nobody’s walking away from a gunshot wound. Even if it just “hits a shoulder” you’re looking at an extended hospital stay. This varies, of course, by how much realism you’re interested in.
What about weapons? How much should you tell the reader?
It varies a lot. Part of it depends on how much you can expect them to know. If you mention a katana, most readers will immediately know what that is just by the name. But if you have a character using a manriki-gusari, you may need to describe it a bit more. Also, keep your audience in mind. If you expect your audience to know a lot about firearms, you can describe them in more detail, or name individual weapons.
It’s also not just about appealing to gun nuts. In Yellow Tape and Coffee, I mention that Michael has two weapons, a Glock and a .45 revolver. I don’t go into details, but occasionally mention their designation just so that readers can tell them apart, since one is loaded with silver bullets and the other is not.