"Squirtle, use thunder!
- Thread starter Ice1
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I feel like I suck at doing action scenes, because I try to describe all the most subtle of actions instead of just the important stuff.
I do like to keep my amount actions scenes low though, they feel much more anticipated then. Build up and pacing matter, I hate when action is too constant or too little
I do like to keep my amount actions scenes low though, they feel much more anticipated then. Build up and pacing matter, I hate when action is too constant or too little
Sweet Dreams
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I've only written a few action scenes, and I don't think I'm too good at it yet. ^^' *has just joined a battle RP*
I feel really clumsy when describing action, and I feel like my sentences slip into a bit of a "he did this, and then she did that, and then he went like this" formula that is really boring to read... the exact opposite of what I want!
As for how I write action: generally I end up writing a lot of introspection when RPing normally, a habit I'm trying to cut back on. My narration is also a little bit omniscient in that I might mention something my character isn't aware of. During action scenes, however, I try to focus on sensory information like the sound of battle or smell of blood for immersion, and I strictly don't mention anything that my character can't see or sense in some way. So if somebody else strikes my character from behind, then I won't mention it until my character actually feels the blow.
I feel really clumsy when describing action, and I feel like my sentences slip into a bit of a "he did this, and then she did that, and then he went like this" formula that is really boring to read... the exact opposite of what I want!
As for how I write action: generally I end up writing a lot of introspection when RPing normally, a habit I'm trying to cut back on. My narration is also a little bit omniscient in that I might mention something my character isn't aware of. During action scenes, however, I try to focus on sensory information like the sound of battle or smell of blood for immersion, and I strictly don't mention anything that my character can't see or sense in some way. So if somebody else strikes my character from behind, then I won't mention it until my character actually feels the blow.
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I think most of us do that, at least at first. I've found that a good way to break that chain of descriptors is by adding dialogue. Either throw in some banter on the battlefield or show your character's thoughts. Even something as simple as "This is more fun than I expected!", or "He's strong. Have to be careful..." helps the reader empathize with your character, which helps them get invested and raises suspense.
Of course, I grew up watching a lot of shonen anime, or reading comic books, so my fight scenes tend to be rather talkative.
Actually, that works too! Imagine a fight scene in a movie or cartoon, and write like you're giving the play-by-play to a friend. If nothing else, it's good practice.
Winter
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Descriptive writing is my forte and action scene writing falls under that umbrella. Pokemon battling is easy for me to write, given that my visualizations are very anime-styled. I'm not a fan of trainers screaming out commands though. Magic battles are also quite fun though not as easy to write, as there's a complexity apart from "A used this, B used this".
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Yeeeeeeeeeeeesss...
I know this is what no one wanted, but I have a spoiler containing 1x1 battle between two characters (one an NPC and the other a PC). Shak can ignore this since this is from my RP we're continuing (from my signature).
But, because I believe I understand emotions well enough, that's something I tend to describe, even in action scenes. I describe why they performed an attack or maneuver (but in no more than a sentence, if not in the same sentence).
With something like Pokemon, it's important to know how the maneuver looks, but it's equally important to understand how that Pokemon would perform the maneuver. Because each Pokemon is different, each would produce a Light Screen differently. They could vary in color/size/shape/state/etc.
In other kinds of combat (open-hand, weapons, magic, etc.) it's important to understand the weapon your character is using. This requires study and even personal experience/practice. You need to understand that a character can't do a backflip when they just jumped into the air and have to dodge something while in the air. But you also have to understand how physics play a factor in the particular world you are in. Can they fly/disappear/become liquid/etc.?
As for Collabs (Collaborations (which you lot call "JPs" xP), I find them much easier than separate posts during an interaction between PCs. When interacting between posts, it's confusing for everyone for a character to ask more than one question or give more than one response (unless one was intended to be an interruption) and keep it chronologically understandable. So if I have ideas of questions I know my character would ask, I would write them in a pad, but then the other Player could respond immediately after the question was stated instead of creating a break between writers so that it's more understandable. This also opens the opportunity to take detours through dialogue you weren't intending on making because someone said or did something unexpected, which is what RPing is all about, right? ^^ :D
Spoiler: