Action Sequences – Part 1
So, the motive behind this post involves those out there still
logging on 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.
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 when it happens.
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 at what you've written 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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