Action

I'm more familiar with action on-screen than in writing. I was wondering if anyone could recommened any authors who pull off action - physical fights, etc. - rather well.

With films like "The Matrix" pushing the envelope for movies to have such big action sequences, much is that what I envision in my brain. However, that's not what I'm looking for in the novel. Just small fights here and there, and I am looking at the structures of some forms of fighting - karate, boxing - but I was interested to see how other authors accomplished this in the written form.

Thanks!

As a writer (and fan) of modern American private detective fiction, I'm well aware of action sequences. This includes both gunfights and unarmed fights.

If you have any specific questions related for firearms, I may be able to answer them. I'm pretty well versed in modern non-military weapons, some police procedures, and similar.

If you're looking for realistic descriptions of modern "fighting", let me recommend the "Spenser" private detective novels by Robert Parker. They are not fanciful and are quite realistic. One particular book I suggest is "Pale Kings and Princes", available in paperback.

Hope this helps.

Getting too specific in fight scenes when dealing with the martial arts "karate" can lead to unforeseen problems as there is no "one" karate. There are a hundred or more schools out there each teaching different things -- Teaching different names for the same thing -- Giving the same name to different things.

So a kick is called a spinning roundhouse in one school, a flying side kick in another and a third will claim it is worthless and won't use it at all.

The two best ways I know to get around it is to either claim the character is a student of a specific martial art and then stick to that art, or not refer to an art at all, just say, "He swung his foot at my head. I ducked."

My preferred method is that my MC does not know anything about martial arts at all. If anyone knows it it is the dishonorable opposition.

Unlike movies, descriptive fight scenes will not only slow down the pace of the novel, they are difficult to describe accurately and can easily confuse the reader with too much detail.

I think it is best to go for a broad description of the scene and focus on the characters internal reaction to the fight -- something the movies cannot do as well.

It's been awhile since I read this, but if I remember correctly, this Louis L'amour novel had a really good fight between the Sheriff and the main villain:

www.amazon.com/exec/obido...ce&s=books

- Anatole

Thanks for the book suggestions. Like I said, I don't want a specific throw-by-throw fight. I agree, it'll slow down the pace. In regards to the karate and such, it's not for my characters. They don't know the art. But I figured it's a good way for me to learn something about fighting. Pick up some basic moves (which won't be described by specific name in the novel).

I don't read many "action" books, and I'm not a fan of that genre, but "First Blood" by David Morrell is one of the best I've ever read. Best books period, simply because the action never lets up.

I read it back when Rambo II came out because I used to be a Stallone fan back then. Don't let the mostly stupid Rambo series fool you though. Morrell's book was written ten years before the movie and I've read about ten more of his books since then. None of his others ever matched "First Blood" though.

First Blood is indeed excellent. No real fist fights, but lots of tension and suspense. Morrell's Brotherhood of the Rose is very good for hand-to-hand combat.

There's also a good fist fight in Chapter 9 of Shane which is worth checking out.

And for swordplay, there's many authors who do it well, including Janny Wurtz, whose work I found by accident while browsing.

She's studied swordplay, and you can tell in this excerpt, which has an extended duel. Scroll down a little past halfway.

home.paravia.com/JannyWur...cerpt.html

She also gives writing tips, and her interviews (listed under Bio), are well worth checking out.

fight scenes will not only slow down the pace ...etc

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This is very good advice. Don't try to coreograph a fight. Just describe it in general terms and let it go.

I think that depends on your viewpoint. If, say, your viewpoint character is trained in martial arts, he's likely to observe the fight in a very detailed, analytic fashion, so you could say things like:

Steve circled around, looking for an opening. John lunged at him, but Steve parried the blow easily and, turning around, brought his foot up for a kick. But John had already recovered and backed out of range.

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Or whatever. A less experienced fighter will take less of that in, though. The one thing to bear in mind, though, is that if you're doing this, you want to keep the fight _short_. Long fights are boring to read if they're described in detail.

My favourite fight sequence that's described blow-by-blow like this is a sword duel from one of David Weber's Honor Harrington novels (SPOILER FOLLOWS). The fight builds up with a description of how the fighters take their guard stances and watch each other and then... one strike and it's over.