If it's your character going solo and fighting NPCs that you control, then yes, I agree with the advice about reading other action scenes. Use active verbs, don't do long drawn out descriptions about how cool this flip is, etc.
But if it's a fight scene with another player's character, these are the golden rules:
1. DECIDE THE OUTCOME IN ADVANCE. "I just want to play it by ear" is actually code for "I want my character to win but it sounds rude if I just come out and say it." Decide who wins or loses, or if it ends with a draw or interruption, otherwise it will turn into a dick-measuring contest of which character is more powerful/awesome.
2. Don't write the outcome of your actions. For example, "He throws a punch at Joe's face" is preferred to "He slams his fist into Joe's jaw, shattering it instantly and knocking him to the ground. Then he picks Joe up and swings him around by the ankle like a mighty helicopter." That's godmodding, and if you do it, you're an asshole.
*2a. If you're afraid this will make your tag too short, ask the other player OOCly if it's okay for you to do X. That way you won't embarrass yourself if what your character would have tried would never have been able to happen (i.e. Joe's jaw was actually made of solid titanium because of an accident when he was a child that replaced all of his bones with an indestructible metal frame).
3. Take some hits. Dodging now and again is fine and dandy, but if your character is constantly dodging attacks and not suffering any repercussions, that's a different form of godmodding, and you're still an asshole. Even if your character is the one slated to win the fight, at least give the other player the satisfaction of feeling like their character wasn't completely and hopelessly wrecked for the sake of your ego.
Hope that helps! Fight scenes are tough to write, but they're a lot of fun too.
no subject
But if it's a fight scene with another player's character, these are the golden rules:
1. DECIDE THE OUTCOME IN ADVANCE. "I just want to play it by ear" is actually code for "I want my character to win but it sounds rude if I just come out and say it." Decide who wins or loses, or if it ends with a draw or interruption, otherwise it will turn into a dick-measuring contest of which character is more powerful/awesome.
2. Don't write the outcome of your actions. For example, "He throws a punch at Joe's face" is preferred to "He slams his fist into Joe's jaw, shattering it instantly and knocking him to the ground. Then he picks Joe up and swings him around by the ankle like a mighty helicopter." That's godmodding, and if you do it, you're an asshole.
*2a. If you're afraid this will make your tag too short, ask the other player OOCly if it's okay for you to do X. That way you won't embarrass yourself if what your character would have tried would never have been able to happen (i.e. Joe's jaw was actually made of solid titanium because of an accident when he was a child that replaced all of his bones with an indestructible metal frame).
3. Take some hits. Dodging now and again is fine and dandy, but if your character is constantly dodging attacks and not suffering any repercussions, that's a different form of godmodding, and you're still an asshole. Even if your character is the one slated to win the fight, at least give the other player the satisfaction of feeling like their character wasn't completely and hopelessly wrecked for the sake of your ego.
Hope that helps! Fight scenes are tough to write, but they're a lot of fun too.