I’ve never tried to (write) fantasy, read the crap out of it, but for the life of me, I just can’t seem to be able to describe a damn sword fight.
Here’s the thing about choreographing a fight scene in fantasy, there are multiple ways to do it, and sometimes less is more. When I first started writing, I went blow for blow. I did fencing in high school, so I used that knowledge to help me. Problem is, as the years went on, I began to realize while the blow for blow was sorta fun, it did not always make for a good read.
Let’s look at some of the top Fantasy authors and how they do it. There’s the Robert Jordan school of tell you it’s happening and show you nothing. I love Jordan, but he was lazy when it came to combat descriptions. He totally copped out by telling you how a fight was proceeding through the name of the stance…that was pretty much it. Some times, like with Mat, he’d give you a little more, but Jordan did not do fighting. Then you have guys like Terry Goodkind who give you the action, but no details on weapon techniques. So with him you are seeing the results and feeling the action, but you are not being privy to the nuts and bolts of the weapon swings.
In the past few years I’ve reshaped my own combat choreography to a middle ground between these two. I’ve fully embraced the show don’t tell concept of combat choreography. I have massively dialed back my blow for blow style, choosing instead to paint a portrait of the combat. Yet if it is an intense fight, ie. an important one and not simply heroes cutting down redshirt mobs, I’ll dip in and out of the blow for blow so readers can feel the intensity of the combatants’ skill. I love weapons. I’ve been a sword freak my whole life, so I love a good duel. To me, duels (with or without swords) are a staple of good high fantasy.
Fight scenes are an art form, and with all kinds of art there are different ways to do it. You have to both find what works for you, yet also find a form you are comfortable with that makes for a good read.
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