Not Slow The Pace

In movies and especially in real life, fights go by quickly. But in literature, fight scenes can slow the pace. That's because you have to write all of the details and the reader has to reconstruct the scene in their mind.

This is the reason why many people simply skip over fight scenes in novels. There are only so many kicks and punches you can read before yawning.

However, if you employ certain literary devices in your narrative, you can actually create a great fight scene. Here are some tips:

Keep the fight short. Fights should never go on for pages (unless you're discussing an epic battle between armies, and not individuals).

Write in shorter sentences. Shorter sentences are easier to digest. It also speeds up the pace of a story.

Avoid a blow-by-blow description of each character's action, as this will feel too technical and dry. The scene should feel chaotic, much like a real fight. Keep the character's actions simple, clear, and to the point.

Mix action with dialogue. Don't just write long descriptions of what's happening. Also, share the verbal exchange between your characters. Use dialogue to alter the pace of the scene. Give the fight scene a sense of urgency by including dialogue between characters around the fight itself. This will help move the scene forward and lead into the actual fight in the scene. Use short bursts of dialogue, and avoid using too many dialogue tags, as this can slow down the action.

Don't focus too much on what's going on inside the character's mind. Introspection happens before and after a fight, not during. However, you can show interior character thoughts to give your reader context for the fight and to show the character's mindset during the fight, depending if the fight has deeper mental ramifications. It can also give the fight a clear perspective and make it easier for the reader to follow the action. Thoughts move faster than actions 90% of the time, so even if things are moving quickly, you can still take the time to describe what people are thinking and feeling in between strikes and blows.

It is a delicate balance since it can become too tiresome if there is too much thinking, especially if there are a lot of fights in the fanfic. Yet, it can also be vital for the said fight. Make what you will of this paradoxical duality.

Continuing where we left off, make turning points in who has the advantage, such as: Is there an emotional trigger to increase the ferocity of one of the fighters? Do additional enemies or allies arrive? Has one of the fighters been hiding their true strength? (I am not left-handed! LOL).

Use of trump cards, signature moves, and special attacks.

Know whose head you are in and what they will and will not be aware of (POVS).

Occasionally you can have a bystander explaining the action to another character, like a commentator.

Fight scenes with multiple protagonists, with one group taking another, become more difficult to show every move made by every participant. In that case, you can zoom out for an overview of the action, especially if the fight scene is not particularly important.

Show the aftermath of the fight. In the aftermath of a real fight, you bruise, you ache, and you hurt. Consider how your characters will feel after the fight. Give your character a realistic recovery period, and think about how the adrenaline rush of the fight will help them recover or get away from the scene of the fight.