What’s your ideal fight scene?

[RainingFish]

I’m curious what makes a fight scene good for you? Do you love epic, chapter-long battles with every punch described, or quick, intense clashes? Are you into gritty swordfights, dazzling ‘magic’, or maybe a mix of both?

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I prefer fast fights that are over quickly because I'm not a fan of long fights. I've skipped plenty of fights before in novels.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Personal I feel for a fight to be interesting and tense there needs to be three reversals. A moment when one side unveils a new strength that shifts the balance.

Of course this isn’t how to write every fight, sometimes you want one side to totally dominate the other. I just think these fights are the most interesting.

 

[Empress_Omnii]

Honestly I will read most combat scenes and rarely mind. But things like dragon ball are not fun, I don't want to read or watch fights that never end... I normally want story over combat

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I like fights that fit the genre. If it's a martial arts slugfest, then you need detailed maneuvers, blocks, parries, multiple opponents waiting for openings, etc.
If it's a superhero story, then you need about half the details of a martial arts story but they should include goofy powers and (often ham-fisted) attempts at clever dialogue.
If its anything else, prefer short and sweet battles.

 

[JayMark]

I'm extremely open minded. I like all of the above depending on context and circumstances and defining each would take too long toexplain and bore everybody when they could just go read a good fight scene.

 

[Pulpitt]

As long as they're easy to follow, I enjoy fight scenes that are around 1,000 to 1,500 words. Some are packed with onomatopoeias, which I find kind of silly and annoying.