I spent last week in Nashville, Tennessee, at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, where I got to commune with dozens of writer buddies, many of whom I had not seen since the pandemic. In case you’re not familiar with how these conferences work, the official program is filled with various speeches and panels, where writers pretend to understand this thing we do, and the evenings are spent in the bar, where all real business is conducted. I had a wonderful time.
One of the panels I served on was called “Shoot to Thrill,” where I had the honor to share the stage with Brad Thor, Andrew Child, Marc Cameron, and Boyd Morrison, with the mission of discussing how to write action scenes. I shared that I find the choreography of fight scenes to be some of the most tedious writing I do, and Andrew Child was on the opposite end of the spectrum, professing to enjoy writing those scenes.
One of the most interesting questions of the session came from an audience member, who brought up the iconic chase scene from the 1968 movie, Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and a Ford Mustang. While a bit dated now–in part because I’ve watched it dozens of times–it’s a riveting sequence, featuring great camera work and lots of squealing tires and exciting engine noise. The questioner asked how one would write that sequence for the page and achieve that same level of excitement.
I had never thought about writing in those terms before, but as I thought through my answer, I realized that I had stumbled on the topic of my blog post for this week.
First, to get yourself oriented to the topic, here’s the sequence I’m talking about.
Notice how little storytelling occurs in that chase scene. Lots of adrenaline pumping camera work plus an outstanding sound track, but not much else. This is where writing for the page trumps writing for the screen.
I’m not going to attempt to write the sequence here, but consider all the opportunities for drama if you were to decide to do so:
- What do those aerial hijinks feel like to the driver’s spine?
- What is he thinking as be blasts through stop signs?
- How intent is he on keeping track of pedestrians and other vehicles as he speeds through the streets of San Francisco?
- What are his intentions if he catches up with the fleeing car?
- What do those downshifts feel like?
- How does he keep control when he loses the back end in a turn?
- What does all that burning rubber smell like?
The list goes on and on. The trick in writing an action scene for the page is to bring the reader into the protagonist’s head and body. Every action has a reaction–Newton’s Third Law of Writing. Focus on those reactions because that’s where the humanity of your character resides.
I wrote above that I find it tedious to write action sequences, and the reason is the delicate choreography of the action and the humanity, while still advancing the plot and not breaking the rhythm of the storytelling. After clearing a room and shooting bad guys, Jonathan Grave may change out a magazine before moving to the next room, even though the mag is half-full because, as he says, you never bring old bullets to a new gunfight. (More bullets are always preferred to fewer bullets.) That mag change would be just a few hand motions on the screen, but that sentence on the page provides an opportunity for characterization that advances the storytelling.
What say you, TKZ family? What’s your secret to writing effective action scenes?
Much food for thought, John. You’ve inspired me to go back to books that kept me riveted during the actions scenes. I want to understand the finer nuances of how those scenes meshed with the overall story. For example, did I race through parts of the book to arrive at the next action sequence, or did it all balance out? Like you, I want to figure out the best of what top writers bring to the table. Thanks!
I watched that movie perhaps 10-15 years ago and while the chase scenes were interesting, the hospital scenes were horrific. I figure that was a movie made without a medical consultant.
I’ll probably get flak for this, but …
On television, I usually tune out car chases and fights. To me, they’re saying “I had five more minutes of screen time, and I can’t think of anything to write so I’ll throw in a car chase. Kind of like a romance writer throwing in another sex scene to fill the space.
Not to say there’s no place for action scenes, but probably, the only one that kept me watching on the edge of my seat was the ‘destroy the death star’ scene in Star Wars.
Not to say that there’s no place for these scenes, only that I need a very good reason for them to be there. And I don’t want the characters to get up and walk away as if there was no damage to their bodies.
A wise writer (I don’t remember the name but probably here at TKZ) said the faster the action, the slower you write the scene. When I visualize an action scene, I slow it down like a movie that advances frame by frame. Then I choose the most significant/vivid frames and home in on the sensory details the character feels at that second. Smell of nervous sweat, taste of blood from biting the tongue, vibration of a door slamming, etc.
John, you also mentioned Newton’s Third Law of action and reaction. What is the POV character’s reaction? Most times it’s very short–often a single word curse. If the character is waiting for something bad s/he knows is going to happen, what are the physical signs of nervous anticipation?
B’con sounds like great fun! Thanks for discussing a topic that’s tough to master.
I think Elaine Viets wrote about car chases here a few years ago. She said the trick was to not make it a Google maps dictation. I noticed on your list of opportunities, where the cars are is not listed, for good reason.
There certainly is an adrenaline rush in a certain type of driving. Here is a clip of what my days on the road are like. I have had a dashcam for about 5 years now.
https://youtu.be/_bzfpdy5uCc?si=c6e0ZnX2ntXXaFpI
Yikes, Alan. Whenever I see that sort of road rage race, I remind myself I’m glad to be behind it. Life is too short to get angry over someone else’s behavior, especially during a risky activity like driving.
I like to keep action scenes short and sharp. I want the action to serve the story, to take over.
Years ago I read the first book in an action black ops series featuring lots of martial arts. All well and good, but one action sequence went on for ten pages. John Carpenter parodied this sort of prolonged fight in his movie “They Live” where our hero Nameless and a friend have a fight that lasts for seven or eight minutes of screen time.
Not me. Robert B. Parker’s western “Appaloosa” is a model of the short and sharp action scene, visceral and tense, and that’s what I shoot for (no pun intended).
I remember Brother Gilstrap and I having this discussion 15 years ago!
“Lots of adrenaline pumping camera work plus an outstanding sound track, but not much else. This is where writing for the page trumps writing for the screen.”
I agree. Writing the chase scenes gives an author the opportunity to build up the tension, describing the sequence in slow motion. I’d like to know what it felt like to slam into the side of the car when taking a turn at 60 mph or going airborne over a hill.
Besides, movie chase scenes can be blunted by a mistake here and there that takes your attention off of the action. Like when they passed the same green Volkswagen four times.
I was on a panel at a science fiction convention about fight/action scenes with a bunch of real military guys who wrote military sf. These guys could take over a small country without working up a sweat. I’m not joking. So, it was a bunch of large guys and the female Hobbit. I’m sure the audience got whiplash from trying to figure out why I was there. (Hint: I taught a course on writing action/violence.) The question to the panel was, “You are walking into an alley facing these opponents. What weapon would you take?” All the guys talked lovingly of various guns. My answer. “I’m not an idiot. I’d take these guys with those weapons.” Sometimes, smart is better than machismo.
The author I always recommend who does action well is Ilona Andrews. Andrews is a husband and wife team who write the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. The husband is former military, and it really shows in the writing. Everything from sword fights to gun fights to huge battles to magic and monsters. All impeccable.
Much to think about, another TKZ rabbit hole to dive down. I love car chases-The French Connection, The Seven Ups-a great story of treachery and betrayal and The Burglars with Omar Sharif and Jean Paul Belmondo. And of course there’s Michael Caine in the original Italian Job.
Any action scene I may write is organic. It comes out of who the characters are and what the particular sequence of events is. I’ve never tried to insert it into a story.
I’ve never taken something like a screen type car chase and tried to get inside Popeye Doyle’s head.
Something to look into.