Writing Action/Fighting Scenes

[Serena_Charlotte]

I’m quite a ways into my novel, but I’m currently stuck at an impasse. It’s really difficult for me to write an action scene when everything is happening really fast and I have to take account for individual body parts... Anyway, I am very confused and would like some help wading into this new territory.

[KS Crooks]

First know what you want outcome to be for each character and for the overall story arc. One way to go about the battle is to write the scene separately for each character. Once they're all done place them together in the order you think works best.

[Whippet]

You just have to write through it, I've found. Once you're past the scene and onto its consequences, you'll be able to return to it later and fix it up. Give it time and look at it with fresh eyes. This will help you prune the scene so it moves more swiftly. But to start, write through it, with all the details you see in your mind's eye, everything you think you need to communicate. A lot of it will probably get cut but I think it's important that you have a clear vision of such action as you progress the story. Good luck!

[DustinPBrown]

Don't focus so much on the details. A fight scene is a flurry of motion over a very short amount of time (most one-to-one fights should last like a minute tops, if either of them is any good) so don't stress about telling the reader every single minute detail. The most important thing is that you successfully express to the reader how the characters are feeling, ie, what hurts? are they upset about having to fight right now? exhilirated? are they worried they'll lose? If you focus on the character, then I think the scene will be easier to write.

[WingTaken]

What helped me best when I was writing fight scenes was a) to understand the environment and how different characters would try to use it in a combat situation (it really does depend on the character and you can do some research by watching action film behind-the-scenes stuff, for example, Sebastian Stan once explained how Bucky Barnes would just go for anything to throw or hit with and you can also see that when the character is in action. yes, he has a metal arm, but he doesn't solely rely on it to be his only weapon.) and then you find new ways to describe the scene - because glass shatters and suddenly, characters have to be careful where they step, or wood splinters everywhere and forces a character to use their weaker hand etc. Suddenly, you get options you didn't have before. You can describe sounds, or materials, which are details that anchor the scene in reality.
And b) don't explain what moves the characters do in specific. You should describe general movement but focus more on why certain things matter and how characters feel about it. An example could be a fight scene in which Arya Stark is involved and it's written from her perspective and the moves matter because she recalls how her "dance teacher" taught her those moves when she came to King's Landing the first time. And it makes her angry because he was killed and she really loved him. (Or, different, her enemy uses the exact same moves and she realizes that her enemy is either related to her beloved dance teacher or from the same area and suddenly, the move matters in a different way.)

Hope this helped.