How to Use Action Writing in Your Story

How to Use Action Writing in Your StoryHow to Use Action Writing in Your StoryAction writing has been around since the beginning of fiction writingsimplybecause people (whatever their age or their income) want to be entertained. Action writing is like going to the moviesallyou have to do is sit back, eat your popcorn and let someone else do the work for you. And, in this case, work-motion. This means that the writing should speed up along with your characters. Action writing doesnt call for long descriptions of setting or character. Everything you write should pertain to the action. Example of Action Writing John LeCarre is the master of action writing. Lets binnensee how Le Carre handles the final action scene in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold Leamus was blinded, he turned his head away, wrenching wildly at Lizs arm. Now she was swinging free he thought she had slipped and he called frantically, still drawing her upwards. He could see nothing only a mad confusion of color da ncing in his eyes. Then came the hysterical wail of sirens, orders frantically shouted. Half kneeling astride the wall he grasped both her arms in his, and began dragging her to him inch by inch, himself on the verge of falling. Notice how Le Carr allows us to see both what Alec is doing and what he sees. parte of what builds the tension of the scene is the fact that he adheres to Alecs point of view. It also makes it easier to describe if youre telling the story from third person limited. This way you dont have to worry about describing everything thats happening in a scene only your protagonists slice of it. How to Write a Snappy Opening Heres a template for grabbing the reader right from the get-go When introducing acharacter, dont start by describing what he looks like. Instead, make sure the character is doing something from the very moment you introduce him.Open with dialogue. An engaging line of dialogue is a perfect way to launch your writing.Start with a bang Dont blow up a car but make something happen.Dont fret the opening. If you cant come up with a killer opening, let it go. As the piece unfolds the opening will become apparent. Careers in Action Writing We cant all be John Le Carre or Stephen King but we can study their work (i.e., read their novels) to perfect our craft and then, once weve done our homework, look for jobs that make use of action writing. Surprisingly there are many avenues you can pursue. If you dont have the skill set or interest to be a novelist or screenwriter then consider a career as a blogger, a magazine writer, or a marketing communications writer in the corporate world. Even politicians need help with their Twitter, Facebook andother social media feedsbecause much of what they deutsche post ag is a call to action.