Constant Action

I think what you might have heard is something more along the lines of there must be story action, not physical action. There should always been something happening in the story or with the characterizations to keep it moving foward. For example, I critted a writer who spent ten page simply describing the trees and woods ... and then again in the next chapter while nothing happened.

Physical action scenes should be paced so they have peaks and valleys. Too much sustained action for too long actually becomes quite boring even though there may be a lot of action going on. One of the things I do before a big action scene is I slow the story down--a "valley"--and then ramp it up as I get near the action scene. It's actually more exciting that way because it gives the reader a break in the tension.

Plus, all action and nothing else doesn't allow opportunities for development of other parts of the story. It's awfully hard to describe a character or setting or talk about a friendship or backstory when you're racing through a chase scene--too disruptive to the scene. But all of that kind of stuff can be story action and still move the story forward, just at a different pace.

A last note: Take a lot of time to come up with a good reason why the characters are doing this. Co-writer and I spent a lot of time spinning our wheels on our project because we did not have a high enough stake up front--we had to do a massive rewrite to fix all the problems that caused. Make sure that whatever stakes the characters have merit the amount of action in the story.

Tomorrow or in the next few days I believe Vision will post up my article on writing action scenes (talk about timing)--might be worth a look. http://lazette.net/vision/

Action

Characters, and readers, need a chance to catch their breaths, to laugh, to rest. Over the course of a novel, constant action of any sort gets just as boring as no action at all. A good read is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, peaks and valleys, not a plunge off a sheer cliff.

Jamesaritchie said:

Characters, and readers, need a chance to catch their breaths, to laugh, to rest. Over the course of a novel, constant action of any sort gets just as boring as no action at all. A good read is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, peaks and valleys, not a plunge off a sheer cliff.

Click to expand...

I agree completely. And did you say "plunge?" Can you skewer off a cliff?

I picked up a book by Clive Cussler, whom I'd never read before, just to see what his writing was like. (I think that was the author.) Anyway, I was reading along, and this self-employed prospector in Colorado stumbled on an ancient room buried deep in a mountain. Ancient writing on the walls, etc. Called in an expert in ancient inscriptions. She gets there, and is taken to the site by a local professor or something. When they get in the room,

There's a cave-in.

Then there's an explosion.

Then icy water starts to rise, threatening to drown them.

Then a diver from a nearby cave (!) comes to rescue them.

Then he doesn't have enough air to rescue more than one at a time.

Bear in mind, I'm only a few pages into the book, which is all the farther I ever got. My BS detector overloaded and I found something else to read. It just struck me as too much climax too quick and too contrived, and I think it was precisely the result of trying too hard to achieve "constant action." It just didn't work for me. Of course, Clive Cussler appears to be a big seller, so what do I know, but I thought the story was made of tin.

I concur with what everyone said (except the Clive Cussler comments ). Constant action wears everyone out and you need to take a nap. A good thrilling story should have peaks and valleys.


I remember reading a book like that (can't recall the author, a fairly well-known horror/thriller writer) and this guy was on the run from the government. Story was non-stop black helicopters, guys in dark sedans and dark suits, all chasing him until the climax. I was exhausted when the story was over. As you can see the story left quite an impact on me. I can't even remember the author's name.

Akuma said:

I once heard that it was best to write with constant action, something is always happening, bim-bam-boom!
While I agree that the reader should never be left bored, I also wonder if the readers--or the characters themselves--ever nseed to take a breath.

Click to expand...

You just answered your own question.

caw.

MarkN said:

Bear in mind, I'm only a few pages into the book, which is all the farther I ever got. My BS detector overloaded and I found something else to read. It just struck me as too much climax too quick and too contrived, and I think it was precisely the result of trying too hard to achieve "constant action." It just didn't work for me. Of course, Clive Cussler appears to be a big seller, so what do I know, but I thought the story was made of tin.

Click to expand...

The key to enjoying a Clive Cussler novel is to keep your BS detector turned off at all times. Think of it as the written equivalent of a mindless action movie.

MarkN said:

I picked up a book by Clive Cussler, whom I'd never read before, just to see what his writing was like. (I think that was the author.) Anyway, I was reading along, and this self-employed prospector in Colorado stumbled on an ancient room buried deep in a mountain. Ancient writing on the walls, etc. Called in an expert in ancient inscriptions. She gets there, and is taken to the site by a local professor or something. When they get in the room,

There's a cave-in.

Then there's an explosion.

Then icy water starts to rise, threatening to drown them.

Then a diver from a nearby cave (!) comes to rescue them.

Then he doesn't have enough air to rescue more than one at a time.

Bear in mind, I'm only a few pages into the book, which is all the farther I ever got. My BS detector overloaded and I found something else to read. It just struck me as too much climax too quick and too contrived, and I think it was precisely the result of trying too hard to achieve "constant action." It just didn't work for me. Of course, Clive Cussler appears to be a big seller, so what do I know, but I thought the story was made of tin.

Click to expand...

You should finish the book. Cussler starts off with slam bang action, but he, too, has peaks and valleys.

But, yeah, a BS detector and a Cussler novel probably are natural enemies. Still, I've grown fond of some of his novels.

Sage said:

I remember when I was in high school & our english class read MacBeth, & our teacher pointed out that one of the things that made the horror aspects of the play so horrific were the moments of humor in between. At time I was like, "Well, you would think that non-stop horror would be scarier than getting an occasional laugh in there," but as I grew up, I realized that he was absolutely right. The less intense moments in your novel give the audience a chance to relax & let down their guard a little for when you throw the next intense situation at them.

Click to expand...

Yep, yep. This is a bit of a digression, but a friend told me of a new band called Vengence Sevenfold (I believe that's the name) and insisted I listen to their current track that's playing on the radio. It was busy. The song kept a solid, frenzied pace that never let up. Understand, I like my music loud and hard like old Metallica or Pantera, but they altered their pace, picked up the tempo then settled back. Changing the pace works. Stretch out the important parts, drawing the readers attention to the little details that matter. Then, hit them hard and fast. Every time you switch gears, you'll signify a shift in pace, scene, emotions, or POV. It's also important to make those shifts where they're most effetcive and necessary, not just down shifting in the middle of the freeway.

Jamesaritchie said:

But, yeah, a BS detector and a Cussler novel probably are natural enemies. Still, I've grown fond of some of his novels.

Click to expand...

About the only master of nonstop action that I can handle reading is Jeffrey Deaver (known especially for the Lincoln Rhyme novels). And I have to pick the right day (when I don't give a damn about character development).