“Write The Fight Right” By Alan Baxter Reviewed
As fiction writers, some of us find ourselves watching our characters settle their differences, as Eminem once put it, “in the bloodier way”. Some writers have been fortunate enough to go our entire lives without getting into a single fight (their characters always seem happier, too), while others have been in too many. The experiences one has with physical fighting almost always determines how plausible their fight sequences will be, and a poor fight sequence, no matter the medium, can often spoil an otherwise good story.
Alan Baxter, author of RealmShift and MageSign, hopes to make writing fight scenes easier with his companion piece “Write The Fight Right”. In this e-book, Alan, an accomplished martial artist, is good enough to demonstrate the subtle nuances of what makes a good fight while simultaneously warning others of the danger of real-life fighting.
I wish I had this book when I was still a kid, and still thought I was king of the world. Alan’s mastery of fighting is daunting and extremely well-expressed here. Nothing is overlooked, from the importance of descriptive footwork, how to detail character is in trouble, utilizing all five senses, especially the sense of smell. Even writing plausible scenes that involve weapons is included. The detail in each chapter is staggering; Alan simultaneously tells us how to create brutally realistic fight sequences while, on every page, all but screaming at us not to pursue real-life, in-the-street fighting. He’s right.
The book is only about twelve thousand words, but it’s also only $1.99. This is an absolute must-buy for fiction writers who even think they may write a fight sequence. Action and adventure writers will benefit from it as well. At its asking price, you can’t really go wrong.
If you want to learn more about Alan Baxter, or his books, hop on over to his webpage and give him a shout. Purchase Write The Fight Right from Smashwords for only $1.99.
Personal Note: I’ve been studying martial arts for more than twenty years, I only recently began training for the art, rather than the violence. Before that, I used to do a lot of fighting. I got hurt a lot, and I hurt a lot of people. As I get older and understand more the consequences of my actions, Alan Baxter’s “Write The Fight Right” was a humbling reality check. Movie and video game fighting is fun, and safe; real-life fighting is as dangerous as it gets. I think I’d almost rather have a gun put at my head then fight again because my survival odds are better. There’s nothing fun or cool about beating someone into unconsciousness and perhaps crippling them for life. This is especially true for martial artists, who are trained to do this very thing. Avoid a fight if you can; screw the name-calling and your ‘rep’. Just walk away. It’s not even about you living to fight another day, it’s about what you live with if you go too far.
(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Thanks Avery – very kind words.