I
like action in my entertainment. Books, movies, TV shows, even games. I enjoy a
great story to go with it, but I want to see people in peril more than I want
to see them examining their lives in a safe environment. I like the external
forces that cause the true nature of a person to bubble to the surface. I want
to see what people do. As you might guess, I write a lot of action
scenes in my books.
Before
I dive in any further, I think it's important to clarify that today, I'm
talking about action in the traditional "person in peril" way. The
action you think of when you hear "action movie." It's not the
"start with the action" type you hear in writing advice.
Action
can be tough because it's easy to focus too much on the action and not enough
on the character in peril. So long descriptions sneak in and what the character
does takes center stage. What the character thinks and feels often gets
shoved into the background.
And that's bad. Because those emotions are what make or break an action scene.
And that's bad. Because those emotions are what make or break an action scene.
Get
in Their Heads
While I don't have a set rule or anything, I try not to let too many straight descriptive paragraphs go by without hearing from my POV character in some way. A line of dialogue, some internalization, something that puts the reader back inside the POV's head. Readers care about the characters. They want to know how the characters feel about what's happening to them. They want to know what those characters are going to do next. Without that connection, the action is just details on a page.
While I don't have a set rule or anything, I try not to let too many straight descriptive paragraphs go by without hearing from my POV character in some way. A line of dialogue, some internalization, something that puts the reader back inside the POV's head. Readers care about the characters. They want to know how the characters feel about what's happening to them. They want to know what those characters are going to do next. Without that connection, the action is just details on a page.
From
a purely structural standpoint, it also helps break up the text so you can
better control the pacing. Description slows down the narrative. Dialog speeds
up the narrative. Long chunks of text encourages skimming by the reader, especially
if it's an exciting action sequence and they're eager to see how it turns out.
But when readers skim, they stop on the dialog (spoken or internalized),
because that's usually where characters make decisions. So breaking up the
scene visually helps keep the reader reading and not jumping to the next set of
dialog lines.
Make
it Personal
Stakes are critical to an action scene. If the reader doesn't care, there will be no excitement. Think about those summer blockbuster action flicks where there was a ton of action, but you just kinda sat there and waited for it to be over, even though it was cool to see. Was there ever any fear that things wouldn't turn out fine for the hero? Was the outcome ever in doubt? You don't want to do the literary equivalent. Making sure your stakes are high and personal to your protag will help prevent that.
Stakes also help make whatever the problem is larger than life, because it matters to your protag.
Stakes are critical to an action scene. If the reader doesn't care, there will be no excitement. Think about those summer blockbuster action flicks where there was a ton of action, but you just kinda sat there and waited for it to be over, even though it was cool to see. Was there ever any fear that things wouldn't turn out fine for the hero? Was the outcome ever in doubt? You don't want to do the literary equivalent. Making sure your stakes are high and personal to your protag will help prevent that.
Stakes also help make whatever the problem is larger than life, because it matters to your protag.
Add
a Surprise or Revelation
Not every scene is going to lend itself to this, but the thing that keeps readers reading is the desire to know what happens next. If your action scene is one of those where the outcome really isn't in question, but it's a vital scene to the plot (and these are pretty common), add something to it so the reader gets information they weren't expecting. Share a secret, show a talent the character hadn't yet revealed, discover something that affects the plot.Give them an informational reward for watching your action scene. Discovering there are treasures in those scenes will also encourage them to read every word, because they'll never know what vital clue might be found.
Not every scene is going to lend itself to this, but the thing that keeps readers reading is the desire to know what happens next. If your action scene is one of those where the outcome really isn't in question, but it's a vital scene to the plot (and these are pretty common), add something to it so the reader gets information they weren't expecting. Share a secret, show a talent the character hadn't yet revealed, discover something that affects the plot.Give them an informational reward for watching your action scene. Discovering there are treasures in those scenes will also encourage them to read every word, because they'll never know what vital clue might be found.
Pace Yourself
Pacing is almost as critical to action scenes as stakes. The goal is to get the reader caught up in the action, heart beating, breath racing, turning the pages as fast as possible. Short sentences add speed. They create excitement. Long sentences slow things down and lessen the excitement. Action scenes are typically not where you're going to go into long descriptive passages or deep thoughts. (unless you're purposefully giving the reader a breather)
Narrative flow matters more here than probably anywhere else, because if you write something that trips up the reader, you pull them out of the story. You want your text to flow as smoothly as possible so it sucks in the reader and whisks then along like a leaf on the wind. So watch out for choppy sentences, which are common when you write action and are trying to keep this fast-paced. Keep an eye on your sentence structures and the rhythm of your words. Keep them varied, keep them moving.Read the scene out loud. There's no better way to catch bad narrative flow then to hear it spoken.
I started this post by saying this was all about traditional action-movie-style scenes, but honestly, they can also apply to any scene in the book. Because a good scene is all about something unfolding that the reader wants to see the resolution to. If you treat every scene like an action scene, there's a good chance you'll keep a tight hold on your reader and they won't be able to get away.
Pacing is almost as critical to action scenes as stakes. The goal is to get the reader caught up in the action, heart beating, breath racing, turning the pages as fast as possible. Short sentences add speed. They create excitement. Long sentences slow things down and lessen the excitement. Action scenes are typically not where you're going to go into long descriptive passages or deep thoughts. (unless you're purposefully giving the reader a breather)
Narrative flow matters more here than probably anywhere else, because if you write something that trips up the reader, you pull them out of the story. You want your text to flow as smoothly as possible so it sucks in the reader and whisks then along like a leaf on the wind. So watch out for choppy sentences, which are common when you write action and are trying to keep this fast-paced. Keep an eye on your sentence structures and the rhythm of your words. Keep them varied, keep them moving.Read the scene out loud. There's no better way to catch bad narrative flow then to hear it spoken.
I started this post by saying this was all about traditional action-movie-style scenes, but honestly, they can also apply to any scene in the book. Because a good scene is all about something unfolding that the reader wants to see the resolution to. If you treat every scene like an action scene, there's a good chance you'll keep a tight hold on your reader and they won't be able to get away.
Until next time, peace, out.
