Earlier this week, I was at the place where I went wrong with the novel in progress in the first place. There is a fight in the very first scene and I didn’t want to write it. But I came to the realization I can’t avoid it. I am realizing now this is an early point where I could take the novel in a couple different directions. So early, I didn’t even recognize it as such a point.
Thing is, his job involves a fair amount of fighting. Plus, he practices mixed martial arts. (A childhood passion, which he refined and polished in adulthood.) So I shouldn’t be especially surprised if a fight shows up on the first page (or the third page as it were). I didn’t want to write it because I am not good with fight scenes.
I grew up admiring Drizzt Do’urden’s fight scenes, but I have no idea how to even begin writing scenes like those. Not that I could anyway; my guy isn’t really good with swords. I don’t know much about any kind of martial arts, either, though I have some idea of which ones he does.
But still – the fight was necessary and I set to it. And you know what? That fight, the one I’d built up so much in my head and avoided entirely in my first try? It turned out to be all of one paragraph. One paragraph! Less than a hundred words. It’s not even a proper fight scene. I don’t know whether to relieved or disappointed. I mean, I was all set to write a real fight scene.
My fight scene almost disappeared because the guy panics and runs and trips. I’d envisioned more of a Bruce Lee fight, with lots of punches and kicks and cool gymnastics. Instead, I get a handhold. The panic makes sense, though, and so does the tripping.
The real villain hasn’t showed up yet. So I could have a real fight scene in the future!!!
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