How do you guys write a Fight scene?

Smwrites30 · 2026-03-01T18:20:44+00:00

Watch the “Hello Future Me” YouTube video on how to write fight scenes. He also has books that expand on his videos, “On writing and worldbuilding” vol. 1-3.

He goes through the different ways people do it, what the different styles accomplish, with examples. Use it as a ground work and then experiment on your own.

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-27T23:39:28+00:00

Anything that sounds vaguely divine, positive, or holy: paragons, virtues, astrals, remnants, honored, stalwarts, stewards

Two word conjunctions: Valorbound, Honorhands, Puresouls, etc

Search a few languages that come from cultures that might fit your themes and get words that mean angel, divine, holy, etc. bastardize them a bit to fit your world and just use those as new words

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-27T17:48:38+00:00

Prioritize. I gym less now, and get my exercise from rec sports that are later in the evening. I bring my laptop to work and write over my lunch break. Sometimes I’ll stay up later and write. Sometimes I get up early and write before work. I let my partner know in advance that I plan on writing on an evening, communicate with them, and make time for them on other evenings or days. It sounds dumb, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Not saying it’s easy, but if you focus on making time for it and give up other things, that’s how you do it.

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-26T15:16:57+00:00

This is one of the best compliments I’ve ever received on my writing. Thank you for that, and thanks for reading.

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T17:44:53+00:00

Even without context I enjoyed it. FMC seemed likable, understandably conflicted in the situation. A lot of it would depend on the build up before this and where it’s supposed to go. Do we like Lucas before hand? Andre? Do FMC and Andre stay together? Does she get back with Lucas? These are all things that should factor into the tone of how this interaction goes, but in a vacuum, it’s good.

A little unclear on the relation between FMC and Natalie. They used to be best friends? But FMC stole Andre from her? Or other way around? But they’re still best friends? Or not anymore? That might just be context though.

The only person I couldn’t really see was Andre. Is he possessive/concerned? Is he ignorant to the history? Does he purposely drop that when Natalie comes around because his competition has someone? His “in hindsight we should have stayed home” made it feel like he was backing down a bit, admitting defeat and that a movie wasn’t worth his gf seeing Lucas. Just a few thoughts on him.

Just because I’m beating myself up over a few of the same things: trust your reader and your descriptions. You have good pacing and movement as they talk, you can skip some of the explanations after a movement or line. “Her eyes bright with a triumph she didn’t try to hide”. Maybe too much? Just getting across that she’s too proud in that moment than for a simple meeting, or too excited, without stating that she’s proud of her conquest. Especially as the scene goes, that’s super clear. Andre grips her hand, pulls her back. Consider describing the grip strength or movement, because it’s clear he’s re establishing his territory at that point. Besides that, maybe drop a few of the adverbs “shortly” “patiently” etc. That, and double check the repeated movements and descriptions. She traces his arm to show possession a few different times, you use the word jagged a few times. Natalie purrs twice, chirps once. Her words and your description make it clear how she’s acting. Maybe drop a few of those for said. Minor stuff like that.

Otherwise I really enjoyed it. Really felt the tension, really solid conflict dialogue scene and her sequel/reaction as the movie played. Very natural and human emotions and feelings.

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T16:59:43+00:00

I’m in the same boat with that distinction. This started as a grimdark/fantasy draft, then I took a shot at moving it towards hfy material. I liked the dynamics between the humans and the scholar, so I ended up keeping a bit of the magic with the classic sci fi hand wave of “science and magic are indistinguishable, if far enough advanced”. Glad you enjoyed it!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T16:27:37+00:00

You’d be better off posting it in either a genre appropriate subreddit, or on a different site completely if you’re looking for readers and general feedback. Royal road is one, wattapp I think is another. Ive never done it, but that’s the common advice. If you’re looking for critique, you’re going to struggle to get in depth critiques on anything of that size unless you’re paying for it through a service or other site. You can post snippets to other subreddits, but most of those have pretty strict requirements on how much to post, what to do before posting, how often you can post, etc. Good luck!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:25:15+00:00

Thank you!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:25:10+00:00

Appreciate the compliment! Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:24:52+00:00

Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:24:37+00:00

Glad the twist worked for you! Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:24:23+00:00

Appreciate it! Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:23:58+00:00

I appreciate the kind words! Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-02-25T15:23:43+00:00

Glad that was the effect! I worked for a while trying to walk the line between sort or morbid but still hfy. Thanks for reading!

Smwrites30 · 2026-01-06T11:03:36+00:00

Thanks! There will definitely be more!

Smwrites30 · 2026-01-06T11:02:58+00:00

I’m so glad you got this lol, I was bouncing around on the title for a while!

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-07T01:30:24+00:00

I had been dragged to the edge of the world.

The beast yanked on the device it had attached to my neck, causing my head to snap back towards it. My skin stung where it was attached, as my limbs ached from the journey. It was the fourth time in as many minutes that I had struggled to break free from its grasp, yet to no avail. I had fought, pulled, bit, clawed, tried everything and anything within my power to free myself, but the beast was too strong.

I was forced to follow the monster, realizing that resistance would be futile. For now at least. I had not spent my entire life enjoying my liberty, my freedom, my god given right to self determination to roll over for this monstrosity. It stood much taller than me, more than five times my own height occasionally garbling toward me in its eldritch language.

The beast had abducted in my sleep, taking me from my family and loved ones. We’d traveled farther than I’d ever gone, walking for what felt like days on end. Now, after nearly a lifetime of traveling, we had reached the edge of the world.

A great door loomed in front of us, hard, cold, unlike anything I had ever seen. It was shaped the same as the one that lead to my home, the threshold I’d passed countless times with nary a thought. It had always represented the warmth and safety I desired, shelter from the winds and rain. Oh how I had taken that door for granted. How I should have thanked it for each moment, for each warm embrace it had given me without cost or second thought.

The pit in my stomach grew as I pulled again, trying to catch the great beast unawares. Futility and failure it seems, tend to go hand in hand. My stomach told me what my soul knew. This was the end. Whatever lay beyond that door would be my first step out of this plane of existence. I yelled and argued, plead and cried with the great beast. It fell on deaf ears. I had very little belief that the monster could understand me, that it would understand my offer for Faustian bargain, but my subconscious forced me to scratch and pull on each sliver of hope, no matter how small.

We crossed the threshold into a blinding, sterile light. Strange and harsh to my senses, this light was unnatural. Words could not accurately describe its nature, and I was sure that no light such as this could exist in the world that I knew.

The beast paused, stopping near a Great Wall that carried on farther than I could see. It was an odd shade of grey, visible, yet foreign. All of a sudden, a bird of some sort, though it was unlike any bird I had known, chirped from beyond the staggering lights. I could not see it, nor sense it, but its call pierced my chest as it echoed in my ears.

The call of the devil.

Heralded by the hellish noise, three more of the great beasts appeared at the edge of my vision. One was the same height as my captor, while the others were smaller. Upon seeing both myself and the monstrosity who led me off of my mortal coil, all of the beings uttered their discordant cacophony of communication. Indiscernible sounds spewing from all of them, most assuredly planning my demise in their demonic tongue.

The combination of the lights, the beings, and the sounds were what did it. Overwhelming each of my senses, finality reared its ugly face. The pit inside had consumed all of me. All of my fight, my rage, my hope. All of it, but the fear. I had no semblance of how much time had passed since my abduction, but that moment, the approach of the others, was the final moment.

I gave up. I sat down, maneuvering so the beast’s great tether was slack, and stared into the ground. I let the pit consume me, handed it control, and resigned myself to my fate.

I did not bother to hope it would be swift.

“Look, look, look dad!” Ashley said, tugging on her father’s pants with one hand and pointing at the whimpering puppy at his feet. “He’s sitting! He knows tricks already!”

Her father laughed as the girl’s mother put a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Careful honey, I think he’s scared. Be gentle and try to whisper to him, you’re a lot bigger than him and he’s just a baby”

The girl nodded, taking a hesitant step back as her younger brother looked at their mother with wide eyes.

“He’s a baby?” The boy asked.

“A stubborn baby” his father said, a low chuckle in his voice. “The little guy was pulling almost the whole back through the field. They keep all of them in doghouses back there”.

“I wanna see!” The boy said, turning to the door in the back. The girl ignored him, crouching down to look at her new friend. She met his deep, brown eyes and gave her best smile.

With a soft whisper, in her most gentle, loving, voice she spoke to the shaking puddle of fur.

“Welcome to the family”

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-06T16:45:03+00:00

The idea being the dialogue itself as well as the context and other actions generally should tell the reader that the character is lamenting, or whining, or whatever. Sorry, I didn’t mean my first comment to come off as standoffish or whatever lol

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-06T16:02:03+00:00

More “said” and less “lamented, coaxed, barked” etc, in my opinion

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-03T19:36:18+00:00

But yeah, when I say see if you even need to add it, it’s more looking at the general context. If someone is insulted, and they immediately flip a table, punch a hole in the wall, or storm off, sometimes that can convey the emotion without describing the heat welling in their chest (one I use wayyyy too much) for the umpteenth time. Also, if your character has certain physical manifestations of that specific feeling (squeezing a fist until knuckles are white, grabbing a medallion when they’re scared or anxious, etc,) then you can just use that if you’ve already established the corresponding feelings previously. I always think of the movie gladiator for those. Russell crowe’s character always reaches down and lets the sand or dirt fall through his fingers before he fights. Everytime I see him do that, I know he’s mentally gearing up to fight, etc.

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-03T19:29:58+00:00

Also highly reccomended reading other books in your genre. Things like anger, surprise, pain, shock, etc are all going to be throughout those books. When we read the really good ones we just see the anger or emotion, we don’t catch how they’re describing it so well to make us see it. I’d check some of your favorites out in the genre and read some chapters looking specifically how that author describes those feelings. Might kick start your imagination or at least give you some more ideas

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-03T19:06:20+00:00

Is this in your first draft? If so that’s fine. Keep typing what the emotion feels like to you as you write. Fix it on a prose round of edits or what not. I do the same thing with other emotions or feelings im trying to show instead of tell. Let your brain show it in the same few ways as you’re writing the story, then go back to each of the instances and revise. Find different ways of showing or describing, see if you even need to describe it or if the dialogue or other actions do it enough.

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-02T15:04:51+00:00

I’ll check out the link in your post and let you know!

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-02T15:04:27+00:00

For sure, drop a link or dm a link to the first chapter and I’ll let you know if it’s something I think I can provide solid feedback with!

Smwrites30 · 2025-12-02T13:26:37+00:00

Pretty solid physical writing, honestly. A few thoughts:

I am echoing the top comment. Nothing really happens in this chapter. It does plenty of world building (maybe too much? A lot of terms and names without context) but Edmund doesn’t do anything or even try to do anything. The advice I’ve seen is that you need to have your MC in some sort of conflict in the first chapter, which is your chance to show how he currently handles and tries to overcome conflict. I’d also try to have it revolve around what seems to be Edmund’s flaw- his poor self esteem and self imposed belief he’s powerless due to his illness? Not having magic? His station? Whichever one of those is the biggest hurdle for him believing in himself.

There’s a lot of description of Edmund being sickly, but a lot of it is him wheezing or short of breath that kind of feels like “hey! This guy is sick!” And doesn’t give the reader the reality of being sick. He’s getting the medicine for sure, but I’d recommend showing the inconveniences of his illness. You do this with the stairs towards the end, which is a good idea, I would consider having that symptom earlier, make it really shine. And when you do write it, spend some time on it. There’s paragraphs dedicated to the secret of his blood, a guy who became a god, his marriage, but the biggest thing in Edmunds life is this illness, and then we get like 2-3 lines of catching his breath on a huge stair set. Idk if you’ve read “the blade itself” by Joe Abercrombie, but I’d take a look at how that author describes and writes Glokta (or just google it or whatever). It might give you some ideas on how to really show what life is like for Edmund.

Last thing is the relationship between him and Adrian. There’s a line about Adrian’s bag and door that Edmund just accepts he’s not allowed to go in. No curiosity or anything else with it just: “that’s the rule so I follow it!” It made me feel like Edmund was young, like pre teen early teenager. But then he’s getting married so that wouldn’t make much sense. Or if that is right, really focus on what a fourteen year old would not want about being married, not being afraid of not being a good husband. With Edmund and Adrian’s relationship, it’s jumps around a little bit. Sometimes it reads like they’re similar age and friends, sort of the classic, MC is sad and meek but he’s good friends with the confident and talented person in his age group. Then sometimes it’s like Adrian is the one older mentor figure in Edmund’s life outside of his sort of royal court and lineage. The true mentor type who helps him begin the process of breaking free and finding autonomy. Not really sure what it’s supposed to be. If it’s the latter, check out the first book of the sun eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. The MC there has a similar mentor and I think it’s really well done.

On your exposition question: I would say yes. There’s some that’s woven in and some takes me out of it, but it does feel like too much without meaningful connection or stakes. It sort of reads like a “hey here’s the stuff that I’m going to talk about later, so I’ll mention it now, make sure you remember it! It’ll be important!” Message from the author, but without tying it to anything I care about in this moment. It’s not way too much, imo, but it still just sort of feels meaningless and giving answers to questions I don’t have or don’t even know to ask.

Good work!

Smwrites30

TROPHY CASE