How I write a Fight Scene

The Podcast is up! Last week I sat in on Scriptcast, a weekly radio show with Script Doctor Eric and his buddy Matt.

Check it out on ITunes under "Scriptcast."

One of the questions Matt asked was how I write fight scenes. I talked about using the terminology and order of the fight to push the story, and I thought it would be helpful to show an example of how I do it.

So here's a scene from Nice Girls Don't Kill where my protagonist has to kill an evil Korean physical therapist while her partner in crime waits in the lobby. The don't realize a hooker is smoking meth down the hall.

Ahem.

WHIRLPOOL ROOM

Park lounges comfortably naked.

Mary Beth puts her gun up against his head.

Park opens his eyes, sees the gun.

At first, his eyes open wide in panic. Then, a smile.

He stands up, dripping whirlpool/sperm water.

PARK

You are here to kill me?

MARY BETH

Yes.

He gets out of the whirlpool and dries off.

He shakes his head as he puts on a pair of speedos.

PARK

You have already failed.

In a quick Hapkido move, Park twirls Mary Beth around and SLAMS her against the wall, forcing the gun out of her hand.

She gasps.

PARK

You didn't shoot.

RECEPTION

Elliot stands up. He inches toward the whirlpool room. He peeks around the corner to see Mary Beth FLY into the hallway between rooms.

Hooker pokes her head out of the bathroom, a meth pipe in her hands. She's high.

She drops the pipe.

HOOKER

The fuck?

Park and Mary Beth fight in the hallway - Mary Beth with her Muay Thai and Park with his Hapkido, both tight between hall walls.

Mary Beth kicks Park in the chest. He catches it and starts to twist her foot.

Mary Beth pushes with her foot, pinning him to the wall while he tries to get a lock in. Balancing on one leg, she hits him with a right hook, follows with a left.

Hooker screams and runs at Mary Beth, arms flailing.

Elliot rushes in and grabs Hooker around the waist, pulls her into the

RECEPTION

And slams her to the floor.

HALLWAY

Park yanks Mary Beth's foot and pulls her in, flipping her onto the floor face down.

He drops to his knees on top of her.

Mary Beth pulls her hand up to her chin just in time to block Park's arm as it wraps around her neck.

RECEPTION

Elliot pins Hooker into a chair, but she squirms and screams in his ear.

Then she BITES his ear.

Elliot yells.

ELLIOT

I do not want to hit a woman but I fucking will if you don't chill the fuck out!

She spits in his face.

ELLIOT

GODDAMMIT!

She kicks at him. One shot hits his kidney. OW.

He sighs, then punches her in the face.

HALLWAY

Mary Beth tries to squirm her way out but she's stuck. The only thing preventing her from being choked out is her hand between Park's arm and her neck.

He digs a knee into her back.

PARK

Tell me, why are you here?

She reaches down into his Speedos with her other hand and WRENCHES the holy hell out of his nuts.

Park yelps and loosens his grip. That's all she needs.

Mary Beth squirms out of his grip and runs for the gun back into the

WHIRLPOOL ROOM

But Park recovers fast. He sends her a flying kick right into her chest.

Mary Beth crashes back into the cabinetry, spilling little therapy aids everywhere.

RECEPTION

Hooker grabs the lamp on the table next to her and CRASHES it into Elliot's head.

Elliot crumples to the floor.

Hooker runs down the

HALLWAY

Where she passes the room where Park strolls up to Mary Beth.

She stops.

HOOKER

That bitch ain't no mermaid!

She throws open the door to the bathroom.

WHIRLPOOL ROOM

Park strolls toward Mary Beth.

Mary Beth grabs a five pound dumbbell, and with all her might POUNDS it into Park's face.

He stops. Blood seeps from the side of his mouth.

Mary Beth's face is bruised.

He smiles.

In the Hall behind him, Hooker shuffles by with her bag.

She's leaving.

PARK

Who sent you?

MARY BETH

Who do you think? The father of the girl you raped, jerk.

RECEPTION

Hooker steps over Elliot's unconscious body and leaves.

WHIRLPOOL ROOM

Park chuckles.

PARK

Aw. It's not rape if you enjoy it, and they all enjoy it. I'll show you before I cut your throat.

Mary Beth grabs him by the arm and trips him with a Judo takedown.

He falls into the whirlpool. SPLASH.

She races to the corner, grabs the gun.

Park begins to pull himself out of the whirlpool.

Mary Beth takes a deep breath.

I'm a big fan of mini slugs in action scenes, especially when switching between two fights or moving from room to room. It makes the pacing faster and the read simpler. I also always try to find interesting locations for the fights. So in this case, I thought at first about an office building, but that's been done to death. So I started to think of other locations.I had been seeing a physical therapist for a wrist injury, so I thought his office woul actually make a pretty good fight location. I almost never go for my first instinct - I always think about how I can up the ante.