Any Authors or English language students?

Question

Hi!
I'm study english, and ofetn take part in creative writting to help me, and cos i enjoy it. my next assignment is going to be about achillies, usually i do stories that are more psychological and descriptive, but with this one i want to incorperated allot of action

so what i'm trying t say is how do i "write" action in a story? do i just describe what happens as best i can or are there any hints?

thanks allot

ps what does Dav gemmel do in his work

Answer 1

You do describe what happens best, but there are ways to make it as exciting as possible.

One is to use "active" verbs. Try to use "to be" verbs as little as possible, like "Joe was scared" or "The armies were on the run." Instead use active verbs, like "Terror shuddered through Joe" or "The armies raced away." Also avoid passive voice, like "The horse was shot." Instead, use active voice, such as, "Joe shot the horse."

A second technique is to use very short sentences and very short paragraphs. They mimic the pounding heartbeat of someone in an action scene. Consider which is more exciting:

A) As I crept down the alley, I was surprised when the sound of a shot rang through the night, chilling me to the core.

B) I crept down the alley.
A shot split the night.
I spun, shivering.

Thid, make sure you reference sensory details--not in long descriptions, but enough to give your reader a sense of being there:

"I crept down the alley. It smelled like vomit, and felt sticky under my shoes. Suddenly, a shot split the night! I spun. My cry of surprise echoed back at me off the bricks."

Happy writing!