Fights and Emotional Context

I'm still alive, somehow. I've finally got at least SOME asthma medication that does me some good, and the insanity at both work and school is clearing up(this is in part due to missing three days thanks to my breathing sounding like Darth Vader... without the aide of a $50 toy). So, I figured I might as well return to my audience of none. =p

A recent topic on another writing forum was that of fights, and the best way to make them work in a story. More often than not, battles in both written word and film come off as dull, at least in my opinion. This in spite of an overwhelming array of new tricks and techinques and the introduction of fighting styles from around the world.

Here's a comparison for you from a film that, for my money, failed miserably in a lot of ways: Matrix Revolutions. The end fight between Agent Smith and Neo should have been a real highlight, especially given the strength of previous face-offs(their Matrix work was outstanding, in my opinion, and while the Burly Brawl was rife with effects enhanced moments, it was still fun). What we're treated to instead is, in essence, a Dragonball Z fight scene. I swear, if Neo's hair had suddenly stood straight up and gone blond, I wouldn't have been surprised. It was dull. In the extreme.

Compare with the breath-taking "Stand for Zion" sequence earlier in the film. What makes the Zion scene work and the Smith-Neo scene fail to click? I think emotional involvement is the key.

I'm going to borrow a concept from pro wrestling here: Ring psychology. Why do some guys pull off the most amazing moves in the world, moves that look as though they shouldn't be physically possible, and get no reaction, while other guys can drop the most fake, hideous looking moves in the profession and get a HUGE reaction? The answer lies in psychology, or the art of telling a story with a match. A lot of wrestlers, unfamiliar with psychology, will go for their biggest moves early on, going for a quick reaction. Those who know the art of psychology, on the other hand, will save those big moves, for a time when there is more emotion behind them. The crowd is drawn in, they react more and, in theory, buy more tickets.

This works in written works as well, perhaps even more so... the fight is part of the larger story, and shouldn't happen just because your writing instructor or screenwriting book or beta readers say a fight should happen on page thirty-seven. Likewise, you shouldn't have your characters throwing in every nice techinque you saw in a Jackie Chan movie or in the latest Street Fighter game.

I can't believe I'm citing this as an example, but think of the Karate Kid movies. When did Daniel break out the big moves? At the end of the fight, yes, but after a point when we, the audience, NEEDED to see him use them. How many of you have read a book or seen a movie where you're just thinking, repeatedly, "Deck the son of a bitch!" Nine times out of ten, that simple punch can elicit more of a reaction from an audience than three consecutive bicycle kicks.

Another thing, and this is more common in "amateur" writing, like fan fiction, but it still sneaks into professional work as well... you may know the detailed names for moves, but your audience probably won't, unless you're speaking to a very specialized group. One of my tricks is, in the first draft, use technical names and such so I can see the fight in my mind and get it down on paper. Come the second draft, however, I visualize how it might look, and find ways to describe techniques that work. One of the prouder moments I've had in recent memory was a friend who is very serious about martial arts read a segment of my story, and recognized the techniques, simply from their description. It's almost like an Easter egg, and from my admittedly limited experience, it's quite rewarding for both you and your readers.