Action scenes can get boring very quickly if done wrong, particularly when all is uniform. One way to keep things spicy, and add some realism while you're at it, is to vary the fighting styles of your characters.
The form that a character studied is part of this--someone who studied Tai Chi in college is going to be very different from a small-time Krav Maga master and a scrapper from the streets with ten years under their belt. Tai Chi prizes fluid movements and the practice of avoiding violence and redirecting energy, while Krav Maga focuses on brutal efficiency, completely neutralizing the threat as quickly as possible. Someone who learned to fight on the streets, on the other hand, is probably going to fight dirty, and while they'll try to end a fight as fast as they can, they probably won't be as quick or efficient in their attempts.
Take a look at your characters--what kind of fighting experience do they have? Were they formally trained, or self-taught? How they were trained is going to be a huge influence on how they approach real-world fights.
This goes beyond just the range of the actual techniques--what kind of relationship did they have with their teacher? If they disliked her, they may ignore her advice out of spite, but if they loved him and treasured his opinion they'll be more likely to do as he would've liked them to.
Was their trainer a pacifist that taught these techniques only to stem the flow of violence, or were they the kind of bloodthirsty warmonger that encouraged their students to get their swords bloody whenever they got the chance? Do they prize mercy or revenge? And what did mercy mean to them? Letting an enemy live, or dispatching them as quickly as possible?
If your character is self-taught, how did they teach themselves? Did they read books and look up internet tutorials? If so, which ones? Who did they see as their "mentor?" What did they take away from the advice?
Or did they learn solely through experience, throwing themselves into fistfights and sword duels with reckless abandon and learning by trial and error? What fights taught them the most, and why? Did they learn the most by winning or by losing? (Hint: you usually learn more from losing and then figuring out where you went wrong) How did these attempts, wins, and losses effect them?
Also, consider your character's personality; are they aggressive or more passive? Are they friendly or stand-offish? Cowardly or brave? Are they more likely to leap into battle head-first or slide into battle only when their back's against the wall and they have no other choice?
A character that's head-strong and aggressive is more likely to strike first. They'll always be on the offense and avoid defense whenever they can, trying to be the first to draw blood. This can be advantageous, since history teaches us that the offensive side is almost always the triumphant one, but can also leave the offensive party open to counter-attacks they may not be expecting,
On the other hand, a character that's more timid and less sure of their skill may depend almost completely on defensive tactics. These characters are focused more on surviving than on winning, and it's a dangerous game they're playing, since without striking out there's almost no way to disarm or eliminate the enemy, though by luring the opponent into a state of false safety and confidence, Mr. Defensive may be able to land a killer gut-punch at a key moment that Mr. Offense doesn't expect.
Most of the time, your characters are going to be a mish-mash of offensive and defensive, but based on training level and personality, decide which way your characters lean; very few are going to be exactly in the middle of the spectrum.
Characters may even find creative juxtapositions of training and personality; in my current work-in-progress, Sará, a half-demon half-angel princess, was trained in swordplay mostly as a defensive measure, since it was never expected that she would really have to fight anyone. But Sará is a haughty, aggressive eighteen-year-old, demanding authority and fear even when she looks like a dirty little ten-year-old human girl. Her training is defense but her personality is offense, so she uses defensive tactics in an offensive manner, which leads to more diverse fight scenes.
You can also ask yourself what your character's range of environmental awareness is--someone with tunnel-vision will be less easily distracted and more concentrated in their fury, but can be easily attacked from the rear. Someone that's constantly on the lookout for what's going on around them, however, is more easily distracted, which can lead to more injuries and even death, but is also less likely to be fooled by an attack from their flanks and will be able to use the environment to their advantage, perhaps by luring the enemy off of cliffs or snaring them in bramble patches.
Take out a few of your main characters and look them over. Ask yourself some of the questions from above. Now assign each a different style of fighting, and think--how often to they thrust or slash? Do they punch more or kick more? How does their height or weight affect the way they attack or defend? Are they a statue when they fight, staying in one place, or are they constantly on the move? Forward or backward or side-to-side, or do they dodge and weave like the famed and acclaimed Basil Staghare?
Do they all have a different fighting style now? It's okay if traits overlap, but chances are good that no two characters will ever fight exactly alike.
Okay. Now using those styles as a guideline, go back and edit your fight scene to reflect your character's style. Doesn't that inject so much more life and variety? Does it open up new passageways and opportunities? Great! Now do that with all your fight scenes--remembering of course that as your story progresses, your character's fighting style may change to reflect the trials they've weathered.
If you have any of your own tips on how to assign a character's fighting style, or want to share how your characters fight, drop a comment in the section below! I'd love to hear from you!
No comments:
Post a Comment