Writing Fight Scenes: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors

Writer's Craft #1

by Rayne Hall

This book will help you to write a fight scene which is entertaining as well as realistic, and leaves the reader breathless with excitement.

The book suggests a six-part structure to use as blueprint for your scene, and reveals tricks how to combine fighting with dialogue, which senses to use when and how, and how to stir the reader's emotions. You'll decide how much violence your scene needs, what's the best location, how your heroine can get out of trouble with self-defence and how to adapt your writing style to the fast pace of the action.

There are sections on female fighters, male fighters, animals and weres, psychological obstacles, battles, duels, brawls, riots and final showdowns.

For the requirements of your genre, there is even advice on how to build erotic tension in a fight scene, how magicians fight, how pirates capture ships and much more.

You will learn about different types of weapons, how to use them in fiction, and how to avoid embarrassing blunders.

The book uses British spellings.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Research, Crafts, Guides, Self Help

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Rayne Hall writes fantasy and horror fiction, some of it quirky, most of it dark. She is the author of over sixty books in different genres and under different pen names, published by twelve publishers in six countries, translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in magazines, e-zines and anthologies.

After living in Germany, China, Mongolia and Nepal, she has settled in a small Victorian seaside town in southern England. Rayne holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing. Over three decades, she has worked in the publishing industry as a trainee, investigative journalist, feature writer, magazine editor, production editor, page designer, concept editor for non-fiction book series, anthology editor, editorial consultant and more. Outside publishing, she worked as a museum guide, apple
picker, tarot reader, adult education teacher, trade fair hostess, translator and belly dancer.

Currently, Rayne Hall writes fantasy and horror fiction and tries to regain the rights to her out-of-print books so she can republish them as e-books.

Her books on the writing craft (Writing Fight Scenes, Writing Scary Scenes, The Word-Loss Diet, Writing Dark Stories, Writing About Villains, Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novel, Writing About Magic, Twitter for Writers) are bestsellers.


Rayne Hall is the editor of the Ten Tales anthologies:
"Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires"
"Scared: Ten Tales of Horror"
"Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts"
"Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates"
"Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft"
"Spells: Ten Tales of Magic"
"Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies"
"Seers: Ten Tales of Clairvoyance"
"Dragon: Ten Tales of Fiery Beasts"
"Cogwheels: Ten Tales of Steampunk"
with more titles coming soon.


The stories in her Six Scary Tales series and the Thirty Scary Tales collection are subtle horror: suspenseful, creepy atmospheric, unsettling. Although they contain little violence and gore, they may not be suitable for young readers. Many of these stories have been previously published in other books or magazines.

British English: All Rayne Hall's books use British words, spellings, grammar and punctuation. If you're allergic to British English, avoid them. ;-)

Mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/boqJzD

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/raynehal...

YouTube "Ten Random Facts about Rayne Hall" (2 minute video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXR4T...

Contact Rayne Hall on Twitter
@RayneHall follows back writers and readers. http://twitter.com/RayneHall

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Women shriek and get hysterical before fighting. Men trade terse insults like “Bastard.” Just one of many gems from this one. Also, when opposite sex police officers fight together, the woman finishes off the fight, while the man is there to help her so “others won’t see her cry.”

[Rachelle Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete encyclopedia on writing fight scenes.

This book is an excellent resources for writers of every genre, from sweet and soft romance to horror. Before reading this book, I had no idea of the difference between what Rayne calls an entertaining fight scene and a gritty one.

Rayne not only goes into detail about the steps of a fight scene, but also the stylistic elements that would suit different genres. For example, a scene in a romance would be shorter, maybe more hysterical, with no splashing blood or gore, and injuries that allow the hero and heroine the opportunity to get closer, like bandaging up the wounds or tender looks.

Meanwhile, thrillers and horror are the grittiest, involving drawn out suspense and maximum carnage.

My current work in progress is a romance that doesn't involve any fight scenes, but I can see how this book would help with the future romantic suspenses and historicals I have in mind.

The book is so rich and full of information that it is best used as a reference. It goes into weapons, locations, types of fighters, the differences between men and women, level of training, military fighting, and even animals and paranormal creatures.

Each chapter ends with a list of blunders to avoid. Very useful to not look ridiculous. For example: sword maidens in belly-baring "come and gut me" costumes.

If you're writing any type of book with tension and conflict in the plot, then you owe it to yourself to download "Writing Fight Scenes", both to brainstorm fight ideas and to check that you haven't made a laughable mistake.

Now that I know how comprehensive and valuable Rayne Hall's writing books are, I'm going to buy another one. Rayne also holds online workshops for writers. You can find out more by going to Writing Workshops with Rayne

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a martial artist with moderate proficiency in three separate weapons (four if you include guns), and also a LARPer who LARPS in costume with weapons, I didn't think there would be a whole lot more this book would add to my existing knowledge, but I found it to be a succinct, straightforward guide to planning out a fight scene for YOUR type of novel (contemporary, fantasy, thriller, historical, etc.) and it covered a ton of things I had never considered before outside the context of my own genre.

This book appears to be deliberately set up to work well as a reference manual to go back to after you have read it to apply to whatever work-in-progress you may have. Do you need a fight scene between a non-skilled, female protagonist in a magical, historical-style setting? Against a larger opponent? A male? Perhaps simply a cad ... or is he out to kill her? What weapons would such characters use? This book is set up so you can easily go to the table of contents, find the information in the sub-headings, refresh your memory, and select your dream-dirk for your heroine to pull out of her leather bodice. Will her clothing help her or get in her way? What problems would such a lass encounter in a fight? It's all here. With no extra wordiness.

If I was to mention any detractor for the book, it's that there are no written examples of fight scenes themselves. I would deduct half- to a full-star for that, but then this book had links to numerous YouTube videos with live-action fight sequences, so I would ADD an extra half- or full-star for those alone, so I will be still averaging this out to a five-star review.

[Kristen Stieffel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book. Highly recommended for any novelist who needs to incorporate fighting into their work. Hall offers a vast array of weapons, fighting techniques, and settings to pique your creativity. She includes large numbers of links to external sources, especially YouTube videos, which are very helpful, and she also has an extensive list of further reading recommendations. I give four stars instead of five mainly because the number of typos in the book exceeded by shrugging-off threshold, and because the book winds up being an overview instead of an authoritative guide. It is nevertheless a valuable starting point for anyone writing fiction with these kinds of elements.

[Noura Noman · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, this books seems to be basic, but as you progress you find that it gets more and more specific about POVs, gender perspective, setting, as well as choice of words which work to serve different functions (spookiness, foreboding, triumph, etc.)

What I regret is not having read it before writing my second book. Not too late, as I will need it more for my third one. Thank you Rayne Hall.

[Alberta Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this an excellent book - I am not a fighter, not trained in any form of violence, but there comes a time in writing when violence needs to be addressed - Rayne Hall is honest about her limitations - she has learnt some fighting skills but this is a book about writing fight scenes not about learning fighting skills.

I have read it through fairly swiftly to see what there is that will aid me. A lot:) the second read will be to take in the nitty gritty details, watch the video links,and references, she generously includes throughout.

She includes examples of good and bad description and dialogue. Very helpful. Points out the common pitfalls, esp in the historical genre. There is mention of dozens of weapons, forms of fighting. Points of importance for instance the ground beneath the fighters, the lack of planning or weapon to hand, the difference in reactions between the trained and untrained. So much to take it.

If anyone is planning to include fights in their books and want to know how to write a convincing scene put this one alongside those others written by professions/ex professionals with their expertise in weaponry and tactics. The two kinds of research books will sit well together.

[Nada Sobhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Success in a fight depends on three factors: Strength, Strategy, Skill. To win a fight, your protagonist needs at least one of them. Otherwise, a good outcome is implausible."

Writing Fight Scenes by Rayne Hall is an encyclopedia of writing tips, tricks, and knowledge about the writing fight scenes regardless of the genre you have in mind. It's truly a gem and an excellent reference.

Hall even provides a scene from her medieval-set dark epic fantasy novel Storm Dancer and challenges the reader of Writing Fight Scenes to pick out what they have learnt from reading the book in the sample.

Before Writing Fight Scenes begins, Hall notes that she alternates the hero between male and female in order to give examples for both. The book is also filled with story ideas and prompts, making it a writing resource at all levels.

"If your heroine defends herself with a garden hose, a toilet brush or a curling iron, the readers will root for her and enjoy the fight. This works especially well in 'entertaining' fight scenes."

Comprised of 34 chapters on anything and everything you can think of, the book handles topics from male and female fighting techniques to nautical and animal warfare (each has a separate chapter).

Hall begins from the beginning, what type of scene is the author interested in writing? "Gritty or Entertaining" marks the first chapter, followed by the selection of "Setting", "Structure" then moves on to weapons with chapter dedicated to "Swords", "Knives and Daggers", "Staffs, Spears and Polearms" to "Improvised Weapons" and more on the topic.

"If the thought of brutal violence makes you sick, and if you can't stand the sight of blood, don't attempt to write a gritty scene."

One of the things I truly enjoyed is Hall's "Blunders to Avoid" at the end of each chapter which as the name says are items to be avoided while writing and which act as a summary to the chapter.

Chapters in Writing Fight Scenes are fairly short, making the leaning process easy and enjoyable. While the book handles quite a massive amount of content and information, Hall ensures that you get the gist of the trade without getting bored.

"To create additional suspense immediately before the fight, describe some of the noises of the location: the croaking of a bird, the slamming of a door, the roar of a lorry on the nearby road."

Two of the most important chapters – for me – in the book were "Make the Reader Care" and "The Final Showdown". An important aspect I personally might have overlooked when writing. Another is the "Genres" chapter in which Hall mentions almost every popular genre and how fight scenes are handled in them.

Other important chapters were those on "Pacing" and "Euphonics"; the latter involves creating a sense of foreboding, fear, victory or defeat in your writing.

Hall also provides YouTube links to videos to help writers navigate what she's saying and see some 'live' samples.

Overall, Writing Fight Scenes by Rayne Hall is a highly recommended read. For me, it will remain an important reference to go back to whenever I want to write a fight scene or whenever I need inspiration for such a scene.

"If a novel contains several fight scenes, then the last one (the climactic showdown between hero and villain) is probably the longest."

Writing Fight Scenes is also the first book in the Writer's Craft series by Rayne Hall.

Overall rating: 10 stars

Other book reviews by Rayne Hall and reviewed by me

The Colour of Dishonour (short story collection set in the Storm Dancer world)
Writing about Magic (Writer's Craft series Book 7)
Thirty Scary Tales

[Shelley Stanaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayne Hall writes well and offers links to various YouTube videos for you to see the various styles and weapons in use. She explains things with her usual care and gives plenty of examples. As she puts it, she gives you enough research to bluff your way through a fight scene on many different styles, weapons, and the two main types of fight scenes. (Entertaining and gritty) She also gives a short list at the end of each chapter of blunders to avoid. In my opinion, this is an excellent reference book to have on hand when writing fight scenes.

[Sue Lilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever with Rayne Hall’s guides, this book is packed with useful information. Who knew there were so many variations! I doubt I’ll use most of it but it will be a useful reference book to refer back to.

[Therena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this insight into fighting scenes and looking forward to applying what I learned.

[Ricardo Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este livro é uma leitura rápida, que pode ser feita em poucas horas. A primeira metade é para iniciantes. Escritores que decidiram escrever cenas de luta mais convincentes e não têm nenhum conhecimento prévio do assunto. Gente que já pesquisa e pensa a respeito pode achar que os primeiros quatorze capítulos não trazem muita novidade. Para quem está começando do zero, é interessante porque reúne abordagens e dicas espalhadas por aí, em outros manuais e pela internet.

A autora fala sobre todo tipo de luta, com armas variadas e artes marciais, em diversos gêneros literários. Mostra poucos exemplos de textos e sem muita inspiração, só para o leitor entender, na prática, o que foi argumentado anteriormente. Também são utilizadas cenas de lutas em filmes e vídeos em que especialistas demonstram determinadas técnicas. Os links no livro levam diretamente aos vídeos no Youtube.

Quem tem algum conhecimento sobre lutas de espada em ficção sabe que filmes e séries são geralmente péssimos exemplos. Qualquer especialista dirá que as melhores cenas desse tipo são, no máximo, bem coreografadas, são ótimo divertimento, mas estão longe do combate de lutadores reais e de registros na História. No caso da literatura, mesmo na fantasia, as cenas podem ser mais verossímeis do que em filmes e séries. No papel, exigimos mais empenho do autor e dos personagens. As melhores fontes de pesquisa são contos e romances de autores mais experientes ou consagrados, manuais de escrita e vídeos de especialistas em armas. Nem todos os vídeos mostrados no livro são interessantes. Existem canais melhores no Youtube, como Schola Gladiatoria e Skallagrim.

O livro fica bom mesmo a partir do capítulo 15, em que a autora fala sobre lutadoras femininas. Aliás, essa é a melhor parte, mostrando, principalmente para homens que escrevem, como mulheres geralmente se comportam em cenas de luta. Cada vez mais, elas têm ganhado espaço também na ficção científica e na fantasia. São personagens fora dos padrões anteriores, mais ativas e presentes em momentos decisivos, inclusive, na hora da porrada. Mas mulheres lutam de maneira diferente dos homens e a autora explica por que e como.

A segunda metade do livro é mais rica em informações relevantes, com bons toques sobre a dinâmica da luta. Durante o embate, deve haver diálogo ou não? Como mostrar um lutador enfrentando múltiplos oponentes sem parecer forçado? Como utilizar as limitações do cenário para criar tensão? Como ajustar o ritmo do texto com a agilidade do que está sendo narrado?

Não sei se foi intenção da autora, mas a obra se torna mais interessante para quem procura melhorar a escrita de cenas envolvendo espadas, facas, adagas, armaduras, lanças, arco e flecha e armas afins. Ou seja, voltada mais para fantasia heroica, épica, aventuras de piratas e tramas históricas militares. As melhores dicas são nesse sentido.

Ao final, a autora mostra que entende do que está falando. Lemos duas cenas de luta de um romance e de um conto, publicados por ela. Nada excepcional, mas são cenas vívidas e envolventes.

Recomendo o livro porque o peguei no sistema de empréstimo da Amazon e foi uma leitura rápida. Se eu tivesse pago o valor para compra do e-book, quase R$20, ou do livro físico, quase R$50, e se fosse mais volumoso, eu ficaria bem chateado. Na verdade, eu ficaria puto.

[Noor Jahangir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knowing how to write a good fight scene for a fantasy author is the equivalent of knowing how to write a love scene for a romance writer. We are constantly told to write what we know about, and yet most of us have never really been in a fight or had some kind of self-defence training. This book sets out to help you fake it.

Hall breaks down fight scenes into two broad categories; gritty and entertaining, highlights the importance of location and then sets out a six part blueprint. Then she proceeds to give an overview of every kind of weapon (real and made-up), sets out what the advantages and disadvantages are of each group of weapons, and suggests vocabulary and gives warning of common blunders. There are also chapters on unarmed combat, strategy and tactics and even tips on planning out battles. There is even a chapter on euphonics and language.

One of the nicer touches in the book is the inclusion of links to online videos that either demonstrates a fighting style or the use of particular weapons. What isn’t so cool is that at times the book feels rushed, with not enough care taken in the editing of it, leading to an occasional misspelt word or bungled sentence.

This book will probably will be most useful to new writers, however having some background in martial arts will give you a better understanding of the mechanics of combat. Hall herself is an experienced martial artist and has clearly done lots of research on weapon types, historic usage of said tools and found video content to match each section. Some more established writers may sniff in disdain, but I think it’s a good desk reference for any writer, and an excellent starting point for research (there is a bibliography in the book that will help broaden a writer’s knowledge of weapons and fighting). I can see myself referring back to this book to help me out when I get bogged down in a fight scene, and even as a starting point to help me develop a character’s fighting style.

Whilst I won’t stretch as far as saying that this is an essential reference, I would say that it is worth exploring especially if you are new to writing fight scenes.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a mixed bag. Although there is some solid advice on structuring fight scenes overall, I was irritated at the book's reliance on simply linking to youtube links of popular movie fights, rather than taking much time to properly illustrate the individual elements. This is not helpful on an e-reader without internet capability, plus it's lazy. It's like renting a self-help DVD on home repair and being told the names of books to read. Show, don't bibliograph.

This could have been boiled down to more concise bullet points or expanded with real-world examples (FROM FICTION), but in its current form, it struck me as somehow both bloated and skimpy.

[Joseph Kristyak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is worthy of purchase due to the information it offers about a wide range of weaponry. It can help to give your work a touch of authenticity. I, however, found little value in this title beyond the weapon data, and further, I offer a warning to those considering a purchase. Do not have high expectations of this title because of its review scores. The author offers a choice of free books in exchange for emailing her a link to a published reader review of this title. A very shady practice in my opinion. It certainly brings the reliability of reader reviews into question.

[Carolann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Not only was it filled with excellent advice and url's for video examples, this book covered many things one might overlook--the difference between a ship and a boat for example. Common mistakes, proper wording for attacks, difference between men and women fighting, and many other fantastic references are included as well. Highly recommended.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas and observations. Far too many "go look at this video" or "go see this website for an image" links. Seemed more like lecture notes than a book. Nice read, but regret paying money for it.

[Carol Kean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no! Reviewers, SAVE COPIES of everything. I often forget to copy/paste reviews from Amazon to Goodreads. NetGalley, thank you, offers auto-copy to Goodreads. My review of this book is now gone (Amazon purged every single review I'd posted since 2002 of everything from ARCs to mousetraps).

My Kindle notes, however, are still up here at Goodreads (thank you Goodreads!).

E.g.
BLUNDERS TO AVOID
--Implausible acrobatic feats in an otherwise realistic novel
--Loads of disgusting gore in a genre whose readers want gentle escapism
--Starting the scene too early. (Hero gets out of bed, dresses, brushes his teeth, saddles his horse, rides to the site, dismounts...)

YES to this:
--Readers love resourceful characters, and improvised weapons show resourcefulness.

Things I never think about but should:
--A male fist smashing into a female face can cause serious devastation, whereas if a woman slugs a man’s jaw, she may break her own fingers.

This book is filled with good tips from the martial arts and ways of fighting, body parts to target, and more.

It's been a while since I read this, but I remember thinking it's a quick, easy read with good advice. Yes, there are a gazillion other How-to-Write books out there, many of which include fight scenes, but I like the simplicity of this one.

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was purchased by me for my own use, with no expectations of a review to be given.

Writing Fight Scenes is one of Rayne Hall’s many super-specialised writingcraft books. As the name suggests, this one covers the myriad aspects of constructing fight scenes. There are several chapters with topics ranging from types of fight scenes, weapons, armour, male vs female responses and behaviour, the use of euphonics to enhance scenes, army construction, battles, and siege warfare among others. Each chapter contains useful video and book suggestions to further your learning, and ends with a short recap of blunders to avoid.

I have all of this writingcraft series, and it is a staple go-to for me for detailed specifics. I even put the information in this book to use straightaway, with my own 'work in progress’. I especially found the male vs female curves of arousal for fighting useful because I had no idea they were so different. In retrospect, it makes sense. My main character is female, and this elicited some changes to certain scenes.

📚📚📚📚 Highly recommended

[Aubrey Lakeside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book immensely helpful! I especially enjoyed all the links to relevant videos on YouTube. I always get lost in the YouTube research rabbit hole, and it was nice to have a specific video to reference to see exactly what the author was talking about in her example.
Many of the chapters gave me little lightbulb moments about how to tweak and improve the fight scenes in the work I am currently revising and rewriting, which was exciting.
I also appreciated the wide range of examples for both contemporary and fantasy works, and the distinction between male and female thought process during different situations. I of course know men and women tend to be wired differently, but having it explained with the examples helped it all really click together.
I can see myself continuing to reference this book in the future!

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a series of books by Rayne Hall on different writing tips. This one is on fight scenes. I read this book as an experiment with Kindle Unlimited, and I'm quite impressed so far.

This book was really useful. There is information about weapons and fighting styles, and plenty of links to outside resources such as YouTube (great fighting and weapons demonstrations). I learnt a lot about some weapons I had never thought about using in my fight scenes before, such as halberds and axes, and it actually made me go through my WIP and change up some weapons.

I really liked the six act structure for constructing fight scenes. Though it doesn't make sense to follow to the letter all of the time, it is definitely nice to have a framework to hang the scene from.

BRB, reading all of the other books in the series now.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very useful little book covering just about everything you can think of relating to writing fight scenes. It even included sections of naval and siege warfare. There were plenty of examples and links to YouTube videos that show the weapons and techniques in action. Although these work better when reading on a tablet rather than the print version I had, typing all the letters and numbers into an address bar can be a little annoying. There is also a further reading section towards the rear of the book which I think is great. Many authors when they write a 'how to' book want to put their own work forward as the be all and end all of how to do whatever they are writing about. That isn't the case here, which was refreshing. I highly recommend.

[Koen Wellens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayne Hall wrote this book to help you at some of the more difficult scenes in your book. How is the protagonist supposed to feel? What is he supposed to see? What is he using to fight? How much detail do you need? Hall mentions all these topics.

Everything I had hoped to get out of this book, was there. There are links to youtube for scenes that illustrate what the author is talking about. There are tips, tricks and lists of do’s and don’ts for almost every topic described.

Read the full review at my blog.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and easy to read, this “how to” ebook is rather comprehensive and full of common sense, but doesn’t bring much to the subject that I hadn’t already figured out. However, it’s true that many of the blunders the author points out do litter the pages of less accomplished novels, and they irritate the hell out of me. It’s also true that having knowledge and applying it are two separate things, as the extracts of the author’s own novels by way of examples show: despite having all the elements discussed, those scenes are a little lifeless. Being annoyed at poorly written scenes does not make one a writer of better ones. There’s still lots for me to learn.

[Thibaldo Manrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding writing craft book

I read some of the one star reviews and have to strongly disagree with them. This is a general book n how to write fight scenes. Whilst, yes, you could probably get the information of the web, it would take a long time and you would have to know which questions to ask to begin with.

The examples are excellent, on point and illustrative.

Easy to read and, although clearly the author writes mostly female MCs, it is an excellent book to motivate writers to write better, giving us more and effective tools to do so.

In general highly recommended.

There are a couple of editing/proofreading mistakes, but par for the course.

Very useful.

[Luna☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the book's nature I haven't read it cover to cover but, the author is really great at guiding and inspiring with solid advice for improvement and stimulating suggestions overall. Easily segmented into chapters on specific weapons and furthermore insight into introducing psychological and physical strengths and weaknesses. There's even a fascinating section on considering the sounds of words used to create atmosphere for the reader which can carry over as a concept to various scenes. Fun stuff.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A combination of useful information and guidance with a few restrictive guidelines and pieces of advice that I think there would be room to avoid/work around/tweak. Also, some sections veer into sexism quite regularly and some advice relies on stereotypes and outdated societal perceptions of the gender binary. To give one example: more than one reference to women becoming "weepy" after fighting but no such reference to the same ever happening with men. Men get angry instead.

[Cassie Swindon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rayne Hall writes in a clear, concise, helpful way so writers of all levels can easily implement suggestions to improve their writing. She gives concrete examples and ideas that can be utilized immediately. I have even included some of her ideas to be incorporated in every outline for future writing like specific tactics for All is Lost scenes or Climax scenes. I recommend this book to any writer in thriller, suspense, fantasy, etc type of genres.

[Margaretha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on writing fight scenes but I felt that it could have been a lot bigger. I would love a sequel. I also think that drawings and photos would be great! The book includes webpages as reference but I think it would be nice to include some of that info in the book, instead of as an external resource. Still worth the read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful book.

It covers fighting technique, weapons, mood-setting, fight structure and a multitude more. It's a how-to book, yes, but the questions it asks prompted ideas specific to my story. I read it with a pen and notebook in hand, and I learned a lot.

I have no doubt that my fight scenes will be better because of this book.

[billy bucci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Theres better books elsewhere

It's not informative. It seems like there alot of author bias on what weapons should be used by what characters. If your looking to try and write a fantasy novel, googling weapons would be a better bet. If your writing a historical fiction novel I feel like you know more about weapons and their uses than the author.