How To Write a Fist Fight Scene

Ok, so I will simply say, this is the kind of scene that is going to show EXACTLY how your character(s) act under the influence of desperation/failure/success/etc.. This means, as I will always tell you, KNOW YOUR CHARACTER(S)!!!!

Now that that’s settled, we can move on…

SO, one thing you should know is that fist fights don’t start too quickly when its guys fighting. The first part of these kinds of fights goes with intimidation (mockery/provoking is usually leading up to this, especially with bullying. This means KNOW WHO IS IN THE FIGHT), then it goes onto pushing/shoving, then onto the actual throws.

Ok, let’s review that…

Guy Fight Scene Stages:

1. (optional) Mockery/Provoking (Bullying, in a sense)
2. Intimidation (The weird chest puff out thing/Chin higher than their jawline/trying to be taller)
3. Shoving/Pushing
4. Fists are finally involved

Like I’ve said, this is just a typical guy fight. How someone fights really depends on their personality, but this is the, in the term ‘masculine’ way of fighting that I’ve observed. An Example of this would be: Shy personalities will typically not fight and will try and peace-make here, which will probably boost the other one’s ego.

Generally, the type of fights I’ve described above can be stopped easily. How? Simple, the breaking of eye contact (someone backs down or someone gets in the way).

Now, onto, what I suppose I’ll call, girl/feminine/catfights. If you haven’t seen one, I recommend looking one up. Those things are freaking brutal. In these fights, it’s going straight for the neck. Heck, I don’t even think half of the time there’s even any intimidation, they just start clawing and tackling each other.

(NOTE: These kinds of fighters are typically emotional fighters. This means they rush into the fight mostly due to anger or fear, so like I’ve said… KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS)

Factors in Girl Fights:

• They go straight for the kill, most of the time without any prior steps leading up to it.
• Any hit they can land, with whatever limb, they will aim for
• Clawing/scratching
• Biting
• Tackling
• These fights are usually pretty sloppy, but they’re brutal. period.

Still following? good.
(NOTE: Masculine fights are typically started by an offense to their pride. Feminine fights are usually started by wrath/envy. KNOW YOUR CHARACTER SO YOU KNOW THEIR OFFENCE or EMOTION. IT HELPS, I SWEAR.)

Now there are a few factors I would like to go over when it comes to fights, especially when it comes to a character’s first fist fight. Some of these can also be applied to weapon fighting, so keep that in mind as we go along.

Factors That Should be Remembered When Writing Your Character’s First Fight:

1. Sloppy:Your Character isn’t going to AMAZING their first fight. They will throw crappy, sloppy punches and it’s all going to be confusing for them.
   (NOTE: this, however, doesn’t mean they can’t get at least ONE good hit or two in)
   
   
2. Slow:
   As stated, they aren’t going to be amazing, and more than likely, they’re going to be slow with their offense and defense, due to lack of practice in fights.
   This also means they’re going to be slow mentally. What does this mean for the fight? 
   ~Terrible Dodging
   ~Not Seeing Some of The Throws The Other Person is Throwing
   ~Probably Not Even Throwing Hits Themselves
   (NOTE: they’re going to have intense fear and anxiety throughout the fight, and that WOULD help them if it wasn’t for their confusion. Confusion=slow)
   
   
   
   
3. Adrenaline:
   They are going to have a LOT of this, I guarantee. This is what’s going to typically make them confused yet ‘sparky’. This means they’re typically going to be breathing excessively heavy and uneven, sweating a lot, and sometimes this will affect their vision.
   (NOTE: this will typically affect their memory as well, generally making them only focus on the fight and NOT ON WHY THEY GOT INTO THE FIGHT)

Hope this was helpful! :3

~Rey Brooks

How To Write The Mentor In Your Story

This is where we will be talking about that Gandalf/Dumbledore/Obi-won type of character in your story. These characters have all died at least once now that I look at that list… Ok, so apparently the trend here is also to kill this character off, even though you really don’t have to. 

I suppose we’ll start this off with a definition:

Mentor:

an experienced and trusted adviser.

OK, you see that right there? THIS IS A CHARACTER WHO PROBABLY KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT OR HAVE A GENERAL IDEA. This character has a story to tell, maybe some war stories, inner battles, or anything they’ve gone through that’s of some use. 

Keep in mind, however, that this character probably shouldn’t be too involved. You see what I’m saying? This is why those other characters were pretty much all killed off (though I think Gandalf was well done in this aspect, so do observe and admire). This character has already had their story (or not, in a sense, similar to Gandalf,), and needs to let the next set of heroes/villains/grey characters take over (retirement man, unless your Gandalf, then people keep screwing up and need you).

Generally, This type of character is in the beginning, to show the character the starting path and usually leaves/dies/whatevers and the character they showed the way begins their own story, and so on.

These characters, if they stick around in your story, also ARE A CHARACTER AND NEED FLAWS ASWELL AS EVERY OTHER CHARACTER. This is a character as well, as prior mentioned, so make an entire character who knows what on earth they’re talking about but aren’t Jesus (unless your character is Jesus?). This also means that this character has helpful traits, endearing traits, bad/good habits, a personality, a sense of humor, etc. so MAKE THIS CHARACTER LIVE!!! 

Another thing to take note of with these types of characters is in the same sense of the word CHARACTERS (That plural). What I mean by this is a simple fact that there doesn’t have to be just one. There can be mentors all along a character’s story, and they can talk to all of them and learn from all of them.

I hope this was of some help :3

~Rey Brooks

(NOTE: Generally, you can learn SOMETHING from ANY type of character)
(NOTE: This character can’t take over completely either…)
(NOTE: I also don’t own any characters mentioned)

How To Write an OCD Character

First of all, personally, I think that it’s always important to read the definition of something before you actually start writing it. By doing this, you are showing some potential and commitment in researching for your story.  So keep in mind, it is appreciated when the author does some actual looking into the facts to know what they’re talking about.

For now, however, I’ll be showing you my research results.

Obsessive-Compulsion Disorder:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations (obsessions) and engage in behaviors or mental acts in response to these thoughts or obsessions.

Often the person carries out the behaviors to reduce the impact or get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only brings temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety.

 A person’s level of OCD can be anywhere from mild to severe, but if left untreated, it can limit his or her ability to function at work or school or even to lead a comfortable existence at home or around others.

~psychologytoday.com(Their Post On Anxiety)

One thing you should understand about this definition is the fact that this disorder IS caused BY ANXIETY. What does this mean? Well, this means that the character you’re giving this disorder too, you are also giving them anxiety, because OCD doesn’t come just by itself.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety, or extreme apprehension and worry, is a normal reaction to stressful situations. But in some cases, it becomes excessive and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations.

~PsychologyToday.com

(Their Post on Anxiety)

Ok, so we have the definitions of OCD and Anxiety. I will write up a post some other time going through how to write anxiety, but for now, we’re all here for OCD character traits and things of the sort, so we’ll continue with the discussion of OCD.

Well, the first thing to kick this off would be to list out things OCDs typically do.

OCD behaviors and habits:

• Double Checking things are in order
• Re-doing tasks
• Bacterial fear
• Cleaning
• Hoarding
• Symmetrical needs
• Arrangement needs (colors need to be the same, something is out of place and needs to be fixed, etc.)
• Severe Anxiety (as stated and will be repeated)
• Overthinking
• Worry (A LOT)
• Putting themselves back into the loop of obsessive thinking due to the anxiety of not doing it right
• Loss of behavior and thinking habits
• Overthinking

(NOTE: all of the behaviors of OCDs is to lessen all of the anxiety they feel. So cleaning, hoarding, bacterial fear, re-doing tasks, double checking, symmetrical needs, arrangement needs, etc., are all for them to feel safer in a world they feel like they have no control over. This means that your character is typically going to feel helpless most of the time and will begin to be triggered by things and begin doing some of the things listed above)

Still following? Good. This is a lot of information, so keep up the attention span! :3

Ok, another thing you should know is that your character doesn’t have to have all of the previously mentioned symptoms. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone even has OCD or anxiety because of how well they hide it or how less severe they have it compared to others. needless to say, moreover, is the fact remains the same. Your character still has it.

Remember, this character also has anxiety, hopelessness, and other issues, so not having this so severe isn’t a bad thing. Just keep in mind when you’re writing them, they have what you gave them.

Also, getting help, admitting they have a problem, etc. can also be apart of your character’s CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Of course, this also includes that your character could develop this along with the course of your story, so it depends on how you go about it all.

Hope this helped!!! :3

~Rey Brooks

Five Ways You SHOULDN'T Be Starting Your Story

I. Can. Not. Stress. Enough. How. Important. The. Beginning. Chapter. Is. Especially. A. Character's. First Chapter. And. The. Story's. First. Chapter. SO. PAY. ATTENTION!!!!!!!








RULE ONE: DO NOT START WITH WEATHER!!!!



THIS WILL KILL YOU. YOU'LL HATE HOW IT LOOKS, AND TRUST ME, SO WILL EVERYONE ELSE. THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST WAYS YOU COULD EVER BEGIN.


Keep in mind, we've all done it at one point or the other. The story isn't about how the day went, save that for your diary, no, the story is about a character, an action, and chaos. What does this mean? Simple, Start with one of those, not the weather, we get enough of that on the weather channel. 









RULE TWO: DO NOT START WITH DREAMS!!!!




Ok, this one needs a little explaining...


Basically, don't start with a nightmare/dream and then 'surprise' the reader with the character finding out it was a dream. When you do that, trust me, your reader will roll their eyes and probably pick up a new book. 


If you do, however, wish to start this way, don't have it as some 'plot twist'. Have your character know it's a dream. Your reader likes to feel included, not confused and rudely surprised. 


Heck, don't even do this in any chapter unless your reader and character know it's a dream.






RULE THREE: NO DUMPING INFO


This is a story, not a paper... Just don't even describe their daily life and you'll be fine. Don't even describe the world, let the reader find all this out throughout the story. Remember, it's your job to show them around the world in an entertaining way while introducing them to your characters and having your readers get to know them. 








RULE FOUR: NO BACKSTORIES



No flash backs, No backstories, NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THEIR PAST UNLESS IT IS RELEVANT TO THEIR CURRENT SITUATION. 

That is all I have to say about that matter. 







RULE FIVE: NO BEGINNINGS!!


No. Just. No. 

Don't start at the beginning of the day when they wake up.

Don't start at the beginning of anything.

THROW YOUR READER INTO THE STORY.







~Rey Brooks

How To Write a Shy Character

It should be noted before we begin that everyone is shy in some form or fashion. This means that while you are coming up with any character, you should ask yourself what embarrasses them and what makes them uncomfortable. So what cute little quirk does your character possess that they’re shy about? Is it something about how they look? Something they can do? Are they terrible/amazing at something completely random and yet helpful?

Important questions people.Start answering.

So this subject is actually pretty easy once you understand it. These kinds of characters are typically the more reserved, quiet types of people who just generally either observe or do their own thing. They can like music, they can not. They could have friends or not, and they could want them or not. This is an important aspect when deciding on your character’s personality and traits.

So let me point out important facts to be put into consideration against the stereotype:

~Some want friends or don’t
~Some like people and some don’t
~Some are exceedingly kind, others aren’t
~Some are just too nice and some aren’t
~Some have friends and some don’t
~Some stutter and some don’t (some only do it in certain situations)
~Some get embarrassed easily and some don’t
~They can all like different kinds of things, don’t cliche your character
~They can all like any kind of music or all music genres.
~They have opinions and some will and some won’t speak out about them
~They have people they hate and people they like
~They can be just like any other character and just get’s shy
~They can be a completely normal character but get’s shy when put in a situation that embarrasses them

(I know a lot of shy people I adore, and these are some things I wanted to make clear)

Someone’s shyness is mostly the fear of a negative response to something about them. This means that your character could possibly hold a lot of anxiety, so keep that in mind. These types of characters will usually not admit when something is bothering them medical/emotional/mentally so that’s a scene prompt for you.

There isn’t anything wrong with shyness, but your character breaking out of their shell can be a character development. Talking more, going places more, and other things along those lines are included with character development. 

Just remember, though some people do go fully extroverted when they burst open their shell, not everyone does. Introversion isn’t really a bad character trait, and it doesn’t need to be a character development for a character, so keep that in mind as well.

Some of these types of characters I’ve noticed in movies, books, people I know, actually have a struggle liking themselves, and that’s partial to the reason they have shyness. So your character learning to love themselves would be considered good character development.

I hope some of this was useful, if not, I hope this google definition helps:

Shy:
being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people

~Rey Brooks
(NOTE: These types of people also tend to either do well with just one person or more than one person to carry conversation)
(NOTE NOTE: It's also really cute when these types of characters open up to certain people)

How to NOT bringing back a dead character

This subject is a very tricky talent that few very special people possess. I do not claim to have this talent, but I do know what I hate seeing about characters who come back to life in stories. To sum up, I've done my research and looked into the bringing back of characters that I liked, and have written up some ideal guidelines that you can follow if you wish to. 




RULE ONE: it's OK to keep a character in the grave!


This makes your story a little more realistic and relatable. Make sure you really do want to bring back a character and that it won't affect the story in a bad way before you actually do. If you bring back a character, it should advance the plot, just like everything else. 

You don't need to bring back a character for the sake of having a happy ending. This isn't a great way to show your readers how to deal with grief and loss, instead, have your characters accept that someone they cared about is gone and that everything will be ok for them eventually. 






RULE TWO: DON'T CLICHE IT!!!


This is a pretty hard concept, and there are very few ways to not cliche it. There seem to be so many ways to bring back a dead character now that everything feels like it's already been done. My advice is to just think about how to do it your own way, and make sure everything is in character when it happens.

(NOTE: IF YOU DO BRING BACK A CHARACTER, THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR OTHER CHARACTERS!!!)






RULE THREE: DON'T LET SOMEONE FROM ONE OF YOUR CHARACTER'S PAST TO COME BACK TO RUIN THEIR CHARACTER BUILD!!!


THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE ON THIS LIST!!!  I cannot stress this enough with a lot of people! If you bring back a character that died and the character(s) who cared about them grew as a person (or people) and changed for the better or worse, DON'T BRING BACK THE DEAD CHARACTER! 

If you bring back a dead character whose death changed other characters' lives in any way, then you shouldn't bring them back just to ruin the other character's backstory. When you do this, especially if you end up not using that character again, you can't use any of those characters anymore without them being OOC, which isn't any fun.

ESPECIALLY DON'T PULL THIS STUNT FOR A REDEMPTION ARC!!!







RULE FOUR: Don't bring back someone because you're out of ideas


This is just sloppy and uncalled for... If you need to, take a break from writing and work on something else for a while until you come up with something else. You eventually won't know what to do with that character you brought back for randomly, and that isn't something all too great about your story.






in any form or fashion, you choose to bring back a character, I wish you the best of luck.




~Rey Brooks

Four Rules of Cliffhangers

Cliffhangers are known to make readers go crazy (and slightly pissed off)! This is probably one of the most effective ways of keeping your readers interested and around! Since this is such an important part of story writing I decided to blog about it!


SO LET'S BEGIN!



RULE ONE: Leave A LOT of Unanswered Questions.


Despite what a lot of people think, you really don't have to tell the reader everything. This leaves more for you to write about later, or you can leave it all to their imagination, either way, readers both adore and despise it.



RULE TWO: Have One BIG Question Unanswered.


This is the one your reader will mostly be focusing on, but the others are important too. Keep in mind that this 'big question' should have something to do with either the plot or the characters, and in some cases both.




RULE THREE: Don't Make It Obvious


This means you might have to do some rethinking. If you thought of it, trust me when I say, 'THEY PROBABLY DID TOO', got it? It should be something completely unexpected, hence 'plot twist', so completely change the story with one!



RULE FOUR: Don't Hold The Answers For Too Long!


Your readers can get excruciatingly bored if all you do is dangle the dollar in front of their faces your entire story! It isn't much fun if you do it at EVERY corner. This means to keep in mind, there are boundaries that shouldn't be crossed with your readers. RESPECT THAT.




Having some emotional readers can really help along your way, and they can tell you what they expect and you can choose how to surprise them. If they think of it, remember, they're your reader, so do the opposite.






~Rey Brooks

Character Deaths Done Right (Prime+side+villain)

We all know that as horrid as character deaths are to our hearts, they really do add to the story extensively. Every good story is set up for a well-done character death that will kill its readers. I've come up with some helpful hints, or rules, as to how to have your characters death be so great and adding to the story, as well as tear your readers apart.
(Please take note of the fact that I kinda found a lot of this on Tumblr, so credits to the people I got the advice from)


RULE ONE: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BRING BACK AN IRRELEVANT CHARACTER IN YOUR STORY!!!

People may have liked the character, but if you kill someone off, they need to stay dead. This comes with exceptions, of course, but as for irrelevant characters, they need to stay dead. Otherwise, it will look like you brought the character back for the crowds to enjoy and not to add to the plot or anything.




RULE TWO: DO NOT JUST KILL OFF A CHARACTER FOR A REACTION!!!


You should only kill off a character to progress the story or to make the point of one of your other characters are willing to kill. If you are killing off a character due to them being irrelevant, then they shouldn't be in the story in the first place, so DELETE THEM FROM THE STORYLINE :3


RULE THREE: YOUR READER NEEDS TO KNOW THE CHARACTER YOU'RE KILLING OFF

Before you kill off a character, make sure your reader gets to know them. They, your readers, need to feel like they've just lost an old or new friend, which requires giving your character a personality, habits, and emotions. This can be hard for some people, but trust me, the end results are worth it.


RULE FOUR: MAKE IT HORRIBLE

Killing off a character when they have dreams, ambitions, and plans makes everything worse. If they never accomplished something they clearly desired, it will leave a gaping hole where your reader's heart used to be.


Dying from old age isn't a great way to go out either (unless they're all alone and forgotten [BONUS IF EVERYONE THEY CARED ABOUT IS DEAD!]). This particular way of death isn't that dramatic and certainly isn't much motivation for a still alive character, so kill them off painfully and probably sacrificing themselves for the main character(s).
(An example of this is Yoda's death vs. Obi-wans death in StarWars)


Another way of death is to have your character really fight for their life, aka, GIVE THEM A HUGE WILL TO LIVE. Sometimes when doing this, you need to have them live for someone or something, or not at all, that works too.


They should get weaker and weaker the longer the battle goes on, maybe add some crying in when they know they're going to lose and be killed (TRY NOT TO HAVE TOO MANY FLASHBACKS AT THIS POINT).
(NOTE: This method of killing can also make your characters hate the killer(s))

Along with this method, you can make it impossible for them to call for help, have whoever their calling betray them or not understand that character is in danger, or have whoever they're calling for unable to help. This will frustrate the reader, as the character had absolutely no hope or a chance at ever fulfilling their dreams.


LAST IMPORTANT NOTE: HAVE YOUR CHARACTER FEAR DEATH.


The after effects of a character's death is just as important as how you kill the character and makes room for character building in the still alive characters, so keep that in mind.




~Rey Brooks

How to Write Character Building

This is one of the most important things to ANY story, and one of the several things readers notice about your characters, AND LOVE ABOUT THEM. This is a subject that takes a lot of effort to perfect, and I kid you not, IT IS WORTH IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.





ONE: IMPERFECTION:


First of all, you need to have a character you can work with. Your character should have flaws, emotions towards things that could change, and pretty much, as a general, something they can improve on throughout your story.




TWO: CHARACTER BREAKING:

Another thing to take into account is that breaking a character is another thing you can do and if you want you can rebuild them differently throughout the story. Have things that happen change them, for better or worse. Doing this makes your characters seem human, and your readers can relate to that.







THREE: SAD CHARACTER BUILD:

An example of a sad character build is that someone could start out as a klutz but after the war, they now had one of the steadiest of hands due to being a sniper. They had missed before and lost close friends, so they learned that missing their target meant losing the ones they loved.





FOUR: HAPPY CHARACTER BUILD:

An example of a happy character build could be someone finally being able to feel happy again after overcoming depression. They could be content with life, they could start building their life, and things like that.




FIVE: HALF AND HALF:
An example of a half sad, half happy character build could be that if you killed someone off and they had someone close to them you kept alive throughout the story, that person could co-op with the character you killed off's death.





SIX: SMALL CHARACTER BUILDS


Small character builds are also important for your characters, and many readers notice these. What I mean by small character builds, your character(s) develop different habits, see the world differently, react differently, have a new fighting style, and things like that.


Readers really love when they can see the characters grow (or fall apart) with the story. This provides the readers with the sense of getting to know them through their hardships, blessings, and everything in between.




Remember, character growth can also help the story move along. With this in mind, make sure that whatever you change about your character(s), you remember. That means don't write their old selves, write their new ones.




As always, best of luck to you :3
~Rey Brooks