Writing a realistic fight scene is harder to write than a good sex scene. Sure you can summarize, but maybe the story begs to raise its stakes for its most incendiary plot shift or conclusion. I’ll talk about when and where in your story a fight will resonate best, what the reader needs to know before it explodes, the advantages (and combinations) of various points-of-view, characters and their fighting styles, pacing, and what each specific battle event means for the overall outcome. Fight scenes are also a lot like narrating a party: a lot of moving parts. Writing a fight scene is a lot harder than getting it fed to you visually, and it’s a skill that’s useful in psychological tussles as well as hand-to-hand. How close is the protagonist when he trashes your beef bourguignon? Attendees can look forward to a spirited discussion about assigned reading materials, and two guided writing exercises. 

Native of Ogallala, Terese Svoboda published her second memoir and 24th book, Hitler and My Mother-in-Law last December.  PW gave it a star, and the NYTBR gave  Roxy and Coco, her eighth novel, and The Long Swim, her third story collection a full page in 2024. Theatrix: Poetry Plays, her eighth book of poetry, appeared in 2021.