The Battle Scene:
Battle scenes can be a monumental task for any writer. There
is much to consider when crafting the battle. Before diving into the melee, you
have to set up the campaign.
Battle Considerations:
Consider these elements before writing your next battle
scene:
- Scale: How large is the conflict? Is this a skirmish between two competing villages? Or, is the conflict a border dispute between established kingdoms? Even larger yet, empires could be at odds for a variety of reasons.
- Cause: There has to be a reason or purpose for the fighting. Such as: resource scarcity, religious motivation, family disputes, ethic or racial disdain, grudges, divine intervention. Whatever the cause—it must be present.
- Environment: The physical environment will dictate much in the battle planning—for you and your characters. Mountains, forests, streams, and fields, will impact the actions and reactions of your characters.
- Duration: Larger campaigns will require more resources i.e. men, supplies (food, weapons, housing). This will impact the surrounding environment.
- Length: The battle preparation may be drawn out but the fight itself will be short by comparison. For example: Think about two men in a tavern. One man has been thinking ill of the other all night. You have spent a great amount of time building up why one man dislikes the other. Then, without prompting, the second man punches the first man—knocking him out. The fight is over.
- Scars: Using the scene above, the first man is going too feel quite a bit of pain. A battle will impact the people and societies involved greatly. There may be a victor in the conflict but there will be many families who will suffer.
- Preparation: The amount of time an army has to prepare and train will impact how it performs. A group of men who have had time to use weapons, train in various environments, and physically fight other people (or creatures), will behave differently than a group of farmers who have a reason to be upset.
- Luck: The unnamed farmer can kill a mighty warrior if something gets in the way.
- Vulnerability: All creatures and men are vulnerable to death in battle.
Writer Considerations:
Now, having set the tone for a conflict of a much larger
scale than a tavern brawl, you as a writer much think tactically to make your
scene have the desired impact.
- Be a General – Draw a map of the battle. Then insert your character(s) into the battle. This will give you a greater ability to think about scene sequence and the much larger picture when you write the smaller scene sequences.
- Think Visually, Then Write– How actions occur will help you describe, in proper sequence, the specific movements of your characters.
- Point of View – A single character will be limited to their own vision and experience. This will provide a much more dramatic and personal experience for your reader. However, a single person cannot relate the details of the entire battle. Think of using a variety of characters to show the size and scale of your battle.
- Make it a Challenge – Your character has to struggle against the odds. The weather has to challenge the army. The environment has to provide a tactical challenge. The opposition has to be trained better and be well rested. These things can make a battle scene more interesting for you and your reader.
- Pace – Description and dialogue can assist you, or hinder you, when creating a scene. Be realistic. There are no long, drawn out speeches when someone is trying to bash your character’s head with a mace. Your character’s thoughts will shorten. The action will be more tense and with greater significance.