How to Write a Good Fight Scene: Tips for Crafting Action in Your Story

Have you ever grappled with constructing a riveting fight scene that not only grips your reader but also propels your narrative forward? Writing an effective fight scene is a crucial aspect of storytelling—especially in genres like fantasy, action, thriller, or even historical fiction. In today’s post, we’ll tackle the pivotal question: how do you craft a fight scene that’s both exciting and meaningful?

The answer goes beyond detailing punches and sword clashes. A great fight scene is driven by character, shaped by stakes, and charged with emotional energy. With some practical tips, we’ll guide you through crafting fight scenes that elevate your story and keep readers turning the page.

Tips for writing fight scenes

A purposeful fight scene serves more than just adrenaline! It deepens character, raises stakes, and moves the plot forward. Whether it’s a brief brawl or a sweeping battle sequence, the best fight scenes are woven into the emotional and narrative fabric of your story. Readers aren’t just here for the blood and bruises. They want to care about who’s fighting, why they’re fighting, and what happens if they lose.

Determine the size of your fight

Before you start writing, ask yourself: what kind of fight is this?

Is it an intimate one-on-one scuffle? A barroom brawl? A climactic, army-vs-army battle? The scale of the fight will determine your level of detail, pacing, and focus. A close-quarters fight lets you zoom in on emotional beats, inner thoughts, and physical sensations. A large-scale battle may require a broader lens, emphasizing strategic movement and shifting momentum.

For instance, in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss’s skirmishes are intensely personal. The fights are emotionally charged and deeply connected to her survival and motivations. In contrast, the sweeping battles in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien focus more on the fate of nations, weaving between multiple characters and vantage points.

Your fight’s scale becomes your narrative compass. Use it to guide what you show, what you skip, and how close you let the reader get to the action.

Establish clear stakes and character motivations

What’s at stake? If readers don’t know what your characters stand to gain—or lose—the fight scene loses tension. Stakes can be as high as life and death, or as personal as honor, freedom, or protecting someone they love.

Take The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Locke isn’t the most physically imposing fighter, but when he’s backed into a corner, his cleverness and desperation shine through. We root for him not because he’s invincible, but because the stakes are crystal clear—survival, vengeance, and preserving his crew.

Motivations also reveal character. Why does your protagonist fight? Is it out of fear? Duty? Revenge? These emotional undercurrents elevate the fight beyond a flurry of fists. 

And don’t forget: the outcome of a fight should shift the story. Whether it ends in victory, defeat, or a draw, it should trigger change—forcing your character to adapt, regroup, or reflect.

Fight scene pacing

When crafting a fight scene, pacing is everything. You want the reader to feel the urgency, chaos, and intensity without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.

Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more reflective ones. This ebb and flow mimics how a fight feels: moments of lightning-quick action followed by brief pauses for breath, strategy, or pain. Use vivid verbs and strong sensory language. Instead of, “He hit him,” try “He slammed his fist into the man’s jaw with a crack that echoed through the alley.”

In The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, fights are visceral and fast-paced, but never at the expense of clarity. The language is sharp and kinetic, drawing the reader in without over-explaining each movement.

Conveying sensory details

Fights are chaotic, but they’re also full of sensation. To make your scene immersive and capture the reader's imagination, go beyond what’s seen. Describe the metallic tang of blood, the slickness of sweat, the jarring ring in someone’s ears after a hit, the numbness creeping up a bruised arm.

Auditory and tactile details, like the grunt of effort, the scrape of boots on gravel, and the snap of bone, help ground the reader in the moment.

Don’t worry if your first draft feels overwritten. Write the scene as fully as possible, then tighten it during revision. Keep what heightens emotion, reveals character, or reinforces stakes, and cut what bogs the scene down.

Reveal information about the fighter

The best fight scenes double as character studies. Think about how your characters fight: do they go for the kill, or hold back? Do they fight dirty or follow a code? Are they strategic, or driven by emotion? What does their fighting style tell us about the character's soul?

In A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Feyre’s fights often reflect her emotional state—gritty, unrefined, and raw with desperation. Her fighting style evolves with her journey, just as your character’s combat behavior should evolve with the story.

Show who they are through how they fight. Do they fight with calculated precision or wild desperation? Are they skilled and confident in confrontations or clumsy but determined? Do they show mercy when they win the fight or strike with vengeance? Use the altercation to deepen your protagonist's characterization.

Use the environment

Don’t let your fight scenes take place in a vacuum. The setting can build tension as well as add complexity and realism to your action. Whether your characters are battling in a crowded tavern, a snowy forest, or the crumbling rooftop of a skyscraper, the environment should influence how the fight plays out. Let your characters trip over loose cobblestones, crash into tables, or hurl a fistful of sand into an enemy’s eyes.

In The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, the terrain and weather conditions during battles shape the outcome. The environment isn’t just backdrop—it becomes a weapon, an obstacle, and a source of tension.

Environmental interaction keeps the action fresh and unpredictable while grounding the reader in the scene. It can also help differentiate your fight scenes so they don’t start feeling repetitive. Set the fight somewhere that matters, and let the environment shape what’s possible.

Avoid over-choreographing 

While it’s tempting to describe every punch, kick, and dodge, too much detail can actually slow the pace and tire the reader. Fight scenes with too much choreography feel mechanical, like watching a step-by-step reenactment rather than a gripping, high-stakes moment. Focus instead on key movements, emotional beats, and turning points that shift the power dynamic in the fight.

Let the scene's rhythm flow naturally, guiding the reader through moments of intensity, surprise, and consequence. It’s more important to capture the feeling of the fight—fear, anger, pain, adrenaline—than to track every move like a script. Think of the fight scene as a storytelling moment, not a blow-by-blow breakdown.

Ready to write a fight scene that feels real?

Crafting a compelling fight scene isn’t just about physical blows. It’s about emotional impact, narrative consequence, and character evolution. Know your fight’s scale, establish strong stakes, keep the pacing tight, and use sensory details and environment to immerse the reader. Whether your character is a street brawler, a reluctant hero, or a trained assassin, the best action scenes reveal something new about them and push the story forward. So sharpen your metaphorical blade, channel the adrenaline, and write a fight scene that keeps the reader enthralled!