Writing Action Scenes #writingtips #amwriting

Action scenes don’t necessarily mean huge battles, violence, gunfights or crime. While this might be the case in Hollywood blockbusters, action scenes are important in your fiction – they create drama, interest, allow characters to develop and move your plot forward.

An action scene can involve something as seemingly simple as an unexpected phone call or a surprise visitor. What’s important is to carry your reader along with the action -and to write scenes that move your characters forward, building tension and giving your characters opportunities to develop and grow.

Here are a few tips for writing effective action scenes:

• Have events happen in real time. This helps your reader feel involved in the scene and brings them closer to a character
• Use physical movements but don’t describe every single action in great detail
• Have your character make quick decisions and react quickly to the situation/event
• Minimise dialogue especially if it creates a pause in the action
• Choose the verbs you use carefully for maximum effect
• If you’re having trouble visualising the actions involved in the scene act it out! (It helps if you can get someone else to join in!)
• Read other writers and see how they write successful or unsuccessful action scenes. What didn’t work can be as important as what did work
• Keep it real. Unless you’re writing fantasy where anything is physically possibly, keep the scenes within the bounds of reality (see acting it out above!)

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