Sword fighting

[Steel Accord 6,660]

So, I'm writing a fanfic and a frequent element of the action will be that my protagonist is a pegasus sword fighter. He uses wing-swords as his primary weapon. Don't worry about the mechanics of that for now.

 

I have something slightly less awkward to work with because the hero's wings or at least somewhat functionally similar to arms in this instance. I also have some novice skill in swordsmanship and quite a bit of academic knowledge on the subject.

 

So how would I best write sword fighting scenes? Should I be technical, describing balance, techniques, and kata? Stylized, going more into The Princess Bride, or Highlander, letting the moves be exaggerated, and the setups for the fight make the scene notable? A mix of both for different scenes perhaps?

 

What's your take on written fight scenes, particularly those that involve close combat weapons?

[SFyr 1,982]

I personally can't claim knowledge on the subject, or familiarity what the references you mentioned.  That said, I think drifting to either extreme would be inadvisable. Too technical and it may read like lesson, too much exaggeration and it may feel too out there--but, I'm sure you'd know when to stop before hitting these points.

Without seeing examples of what you're talking about, I personally would vote on something more approachable and stylized, but with some grounding in legitimate technique know-how.

 

Good luck with it, regardless. 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I personally can't claim knowledge on the subject, or familiarity what the references you mentioned.  That said, I think drifting to either extreme would be inadvisable. Too technical and it may read like lesson, too much exaggeration and it may feel too out there--but, I'm sure you'd know when to stop before hitting these points.

Without seeing examples of what you're talking about, I personally would vote on something more approachable and stylized, but with some grounding in legitimate technique know-how.

 

Good luck with it, regardless. 

 

I see what you mean. For a visual representation of both, take these two scenes.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_GbbXL9E78

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSwy412nttI

 

See what I mean? Both are great for what they are trying to do. It's just trying to translate one or the other to the written word I'm having trouble with.

[SFyr 1,982]

I... think I see what you mean? In this case, I'd side with dominantly the former with elements of the latter to give things a little beneficial flare. Too many of the second's movements and standoffs seem over exaggerated, but then magical pony stories may not be the best place to stick hard to realism. 

 

I hope you manage to figure out what balance you wanna strike, haha.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,303]

Don't get too caught up in the technical stuff.  Ideally, you want someone to become engrossed in an action scene; maybe even read hurriedly in anticipation of its climax.  Action - swordfights being no exception - should be quick and compelling.  Don't focus so much on the anatomy of a weapon or the performance of a maneuever.  Focus, instead, on maintaining momentum and using terminology most anyone can follow.  And don't neglect the emotional reactions of the participants.  Even a confident swordfighter might have a moment of frustration or fear; particularly if a swordblow is unexpectedly repelled or his opponent's blade comes near enough to practically shave his whiskers.  Stuff like that...  I guess lol. ^^;

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

First of all, you have to think of what the scene calls for; is it a dramatic duel or just a quick, dirty fight? Next, choreograph an outline for the fight, drawing strikes, counters, etc. from your knowledge and your characters' styles and jot some brief notes. Once you have a basic idea of what the fight will look like, write it into the story. I would limit technical terms and the like to a degree that someone who isn't familiar could follow the fight and understand what's going on. Describe technique, balance, footwork and the like, but try to keep it to a relevant description; you want to create an image of a fight for a story, it's not about analyzing evey move and discussing it's implications and history.

 

If you feel that technical terminology is important, but a reader who is unfamiliar with the topic wouldn't get it, find a way to sneak an explanation in (training or lessons, something like that)

[Galen 1,354]

If the fanfic involved human swordfighters, getting slightly technical wouldn't hurt, but since this is an MLP fanfic with a pegasus swordfighter, I'd focus a lot more on stylized writing as opposed to technical. My aim would be to make the reader imagine how amazing it is to not just be flying, but swordfighting while flying and to make that image much more enthralling and fantastic than it already is. Making it more technical than stylish would take away from that element of fantasy that is the bread in the bread and butter of mlp.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

If the fanfic involved human swordfighters, getting slightly technical wouldn't hurt, but since this is an MLP fanfic with a pegasus swordfighter, I'd focus a lot more on stylized writing as opposed to technical. My aim would be to make the reader imagine how amazing it is to not just be flying, but swordfighting while flying and to make that image much more enthralling and fantastic than it already is. Making it more technical than stylish would take away from that element of fantasy that is the bread in the bread and butter of mlp.

 

That's actually a great point. Guess I should take a page from Zorro or Errol Flynn. That being said, there are going to be portions where the hero fights human opponents as well.

 

So I guess I should then try to have something like Count Dooku vs. Yoda. One a technical fighter, the other an acrobatic one.

First of all, you have to think of what the scene calls for; is it a dramatic duel or just a quick, dirty fight? Next, choreograph an outline for the fight, drawing strikes, counters, etc. from your knowledge and your characters' styles and jot some brief notes. Once you have a basic idea of what the fight will look like, write it into the story. I would limit technical terms and the like to a degree that someone who isn't familiar could follow the fight and understand what's going on. Describe technique, balance, footwork and the like, but try to keep it to a relevant description; you want to create an image of a fight for a story, it's not about analyzing evey move and discussing it's implications and history.

 

If you feel that technical terminology is important, but a reader who is unfamiliar with the topic wouldn't get it, find a way to sneak an explanation in (training or lessons, something like that)

 

So what you're saying is, write the fight as according to the tone of the scene and story? I get that.

[Galen 1,354]

I wouldn't worry too much about explaining how the wings work like hands either. It's actually a thing after all.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXJnYnJFKQ

Edited May 21, 2014 by Freedan

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I wouldn't worry too much about explaining how the wings work like hands either. It's actually a thing after all.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXJnYnJFKQ

 

Well yeah, but that's not the way I plan on using it. The weapons I'm writing in are more or less sleeved over the wing.

[Kel_Grym 1,917]

R.A. Salvatore is an author lauded for his amazing fight scenes, which are pretty detailed, mixing a bit of both styles which you mentioned, however when he gets technical describing somethings, it gets hard for me to actually imagine what's going on.

 

That's just me. My eyes tend to get lost in an extremely detailed fight scene, so I just make up what's going on in my head with the bits and pieces that I do understand.

[Rainb0wdashie 60]

 

 

 

So how would I best write sword fighting scenes? 

 

 

1

Have competent opponents. It won't be a very enjoyable read if your hero is a far better fighter than his opponents. A respected opponent makes for a good fight. Mindless goons getting mowed down gets boring, fast. Have the opponent pull surprises.

• If the enemy does come in seemingly endless waves, show the effect on the protagonists. Perhaps the constant fighting in wearing them down, or they realize they're low on ammo.

2

Make it real. Real fighters don't stop to make speeches at each other. In real life, while the adrenaline is pumping, people won't have the energy to compose devious and witty lines. Swearing is common, instinctive and often violent. When someone gets kicked in the jaw, or hit with a headbutt, they rarely just shrug it off as though nothing has happened. When your hero gets hit, make sure your readers can "feel" the hit.

 

3

Consider carefully the effect that your words have on the reader when it comes to perceptions.

• Short sentences with little extraneous detail create a faster, more frantic tempo.
• Longer sentences with more detail are good but they slow down the tempo and make everything happen slower.
• Use both types of sentences to help control the tempo of the fight scene exactly how you want it to go.
• The more detail you give the less the reader will use their imagination, the less you give the more they will use it.

4

Develop a style. There are dozens of different ways that you could write a good fight scene and each author needs to come up with one that works for their writing. Here are some ideas of fight styles to consider.

• Realistic.
• Over the top fantasy.
• One on one.
• One on many.
• Epic scale (many on many).

5

Show the effect of the fight once it is over. After the fight, is your hero injured? Is he bleeding? Did he break an arm? If there were any, what about the other combatants? If your fighter walks away afterwards as though nothing has happened, then he is either a robot, or you are missing some detail.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Rainb0wdashie