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In my short story, Witch of Death, there is a magickal battle at the end that was so much fun to write. I love the paranormal and love action, so when I got to blend both for the climax, I was very excited.
Here are 10 things to consider if you ever write about a
magickal battle:
1. Make
it clear who is in the battle. Is it between two of your characters or two separate
groups? Is one side good and the other bad?
2. Why
does the magickal battle happen? Battles, done with magick or with guns, don’t
just happen for no reason at all. The reason for the magickal battle in your
story should be obvious. In Witch of Death, my heroine fights the witch who has
been murdering people throughout the story.
3. How
does the battle start? Do your characters agreement to meet each other to fight
it out, or does one side surprise attack the other? Who makes the first move?
4. Know
your characters’ strengths. Consider what kind of powers you want to give your
protagonist and antagonist. These are the powers they will be using on each
other during the battle.
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| An artist made for my flash fiction piece, The Summer Bride. |
5. Know
your characters’ weaknesses. If your protagonist is afraid of fire, the antagonist
could use fire to his/her advantage. If your protagonist is in love, his/her
lover could be used as a pawn to emotionally compromise the protagonist. A
weakness can be anything!
6. Describe
your characters’ appearance. In Witch of Death, my heroine’s eyes turn
completely white and luminous when she uses her powers. Your characters’
appearances can change drastically when they call upon their powers. You can
even use the changes to hint at who is good and who is evil.
For example: You can morph the face of
the antagonist to make him/her look sinister.
7. Describe
your characters as they use their powers. Can they wield a power or element
(like fire or water) with their hand? Give your readers details, so they can
picture the whirl of flames in your character’s cupped hand or a stream of
water flowing from his/her palm.
8. What
happens to the surroundings? If your characters are outside, perhaps trees bend
away from them with the force of their powers. If your characters are inside,
objects can explode or even levitate. When magick is involved, anything can
happen.
9. How
does it end? Your protagonist can deliver a magickal blow that kills the
antagonist or even strip the antagonist of his/her powers. Or the antagonist
can win, it’s up to you!
10. See How to
Write Action for additional tips on how to write action scenes. These tips
will help you with writing methods.
Also see Writing
About: A Fight for even more tips that you can use for your magickal
battle.
QUESTION: If you could have any magickal power what would
it be?
I have two major magic battles in my story, one near the middle, and one at the end. I like that you've written about them!
ReplyDeleteI've written a few. They are so much fun! :)
DeleteI love these epic magical battle scenes. I'd love to write one in the future.
ReplyDeleteI love them too. I bet you'd write an amazing magickal battle. :)
DeleteI don't think I've done one persee, but I've used some aspects in other battles
ReplyDeleteThat's good!
DeleteThanks for the tips. They'll come in handy :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Awesome! :)
DeleteThis is an excellent point. I've read books where magical users don't have enough weaknesses of it's not hinted at and then comes as a big shock.
ReplyDeleteThe weakness should be something the reader knows because it adds suspense and makes the reader scared for the characters.
DeleteI've written a few magical battles, years ago (hopefully I'll get back to that series someday). I love the idea of using the character's weakness. It definitely makes things interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt does. We all have weaknesses and enemies always use that to their advantage.
DeleteI've only written about real battles, like the Battle of Tarawa and D-Day. My Magical power would probably be invisibility.
ReplyDeleteInvisibility is an awesome power!
DeleteWhat happens to the surroundings - good question. If fireballs are involved, there's going to be some serious destruction.
ReplyDeleteYup. Canons will cause small craters, fire balls will cause outbreaks of fire, and machine guns will shred apart many objects.
DeleteThose are all great details to consider when you're writing about battles.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteMost of this advice would apply to any action scene, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly can. :)
DeleteThe only battle I can write about is a "Battle with myself and family"
ReplyDeleteGreat post to read.
Haha! But that is a battle.
DeleteOoh! Magical battles! I can do those. :D
ReplyDeleteYou can do them so well! :D
DeleteI don't think I've ever written about a battle of any sort. Well...brief fight scenes but not much. I've written about plenty of verbal battles, though!
ReplyDeleteVerbal fights are fun! ;)
DeleteIf I could have a magical power it would be to change the weather, make a storm start or end. Great tips, Chrys. I'm not sure I could write a magical battle but I know I would love to read it.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a neat power, Lisa.
DeleteGreat tips for writing about battles! I think if I could have a magical power it would be keeping my mouth shut so I wouldn't want to eat as much as I want to eat :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Haha! Funny power. :P
DeleteExcellent tips. I'm not overly good at regular battles, much less the supernatural kind.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay. We all have our strengths. What you write, you write very well!
DeleteThese are great tips. I love writing fight scenes too. My one thing my CPs always get me on is blocking. Where exactly are my characters in relation to things in the setting.
ReplyDeleteFight scenes are so much fun! I love to write thrillers because you can always count on there being at least one fight.
DeleteInteresting tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Deletegreat tips, I've never written one of these scenes, but they sound like fun! I've always wanted to fly (though I don't think that counts as a power haha)
ReplyDeleteThey are fun! And a lot of work too. Whenever I finish writing one, I feel exhausted as if I was actually in the fight/battle.
DeleteGreat tips Chrys. I'm going to bookmark this for future reference. In my wip I have 2 separate battle scenes taking place at the same location, but in different dimensions. Also, out of all types of battle scenes, I love supernatural and sword battles the most.
ReplyDeleteWow...that sounds a lot like that I did with two of my stories. In one story its a quick peek into a battle that happened and in the next story it's the actual battle.
DeleteForgot to also add, that although the battle scenes happen at the same location-different dimensions, they take place at different points of time in the story.
DeleteThat's good. And fascinating. :)
DeleteGreat tips again, dear. You're making it easier for writers to start.
ReplyDeleteThat's my goal, Lux. :)
DeleteMagical battle scenes are so much fun to read too.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are! And exciting!
DeleteThanks for popping by my blog, hope you come back for a look
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Bill! And thank you for stopping by my blog too. :)
DeleteGreat advice there. I have lots of magical battles in the novel I'm working on and there'll be more in the next two novels too.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I hope these tips help. :)
Delete