FightWrite

How to Make a Dangerous Character

FightWrite — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:15:51 +0000

What makes a character scary? Why does the circling shark make the men onboard the Orca tremble? Why does the hound roaming Dartmoor warrant a call to Sherlock Holmes? Why does a writer’s number one fan fill every cockadoodie reader with dread? The answer is simple. Each of these characters poses a physical threat. Why do they pose that threat? The answer to that isn’t quite so plain. In today’s post with FightWrite® on the WD blog, we are going to look at what makes a character dangerous, the framework behind judging the credibility of a threat and how we …

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Strikes Other Than Punches or Kicks

FightWrite — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:15:23 +0000

In fighting, a strike is a direct, percussive blow delivered with any part of the body. Punches and kicks are both examples of strikes and what many people think of when strikes are mentioned in relation to fights. While both punches and kicks are incredibly productive in fights on and off the page, they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to striking. In this post, we are going to look at some strikes, other than punches and kicks, that can pack a wallop in your fight scene. All these strikes will be looked at in the …

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Writing Advice that Gave Me Goosebumps

FightWrite — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:29:38 +0000

This past year I had the pleasure of teaching at some wonderful conferences, to include Writer Digest’s. I absolutely love writer’s conferences. You form professional connections and forge personal bonds. You learn from some of the industry’s best in-person which reminds you that they are, in fact, a person, just like you. You leave tired to the bone yet energized to your soul. And, if you’re especially blessed, you learn things that go far beyond the world of writing. This year, I was just that blessed. I got some advice so good that it gave me goosebumps. Two Bobs I …

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Broken Noses

FightWrite — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 06:39:27 +0000

I recently posted on the Writer’s Digest Blog about broken noses and how they can be used in our work. I mentioned several pictures but didn’t post them to that blog because they are, well, icky. Here is that post and those pics. Helping writers write fight scenes is what I do, but it’s not all I do. I also help writers understand and create the injuries that occur in those scenes. In this post, we are going to zero in on an often overlooked on the page, but all too common in real life, injury: the broken nose. We …

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Carrying the Sword on the Back

FightWrite — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:47:38 +0000

In the last post, we looked at writing characters who wield two swords. At the end of the post, I wrote that if your character carries a sword on their back like Deadpool or Michonne from The Walking Dead, you should stop writing. In this post, we will look at wear to carry any weapon, considerations for carrying a sword on the back, and what Deadpool and Michonne are doing wrong. Lastly, will look at why in movies we see so many characters with swords on their backs. I have written about this previously on the blog. This is just …

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Using Two Swords

FightWrite — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 17:36:05 +0000

I’ve just returned from the Writer’s Digest Conference and what a conference it was. There were great speakers, informative sessions and more food than you could shake a stick at. For my part, I had two successful classes with students who asked great questions. I will talk about one of those questions today. For this month’s FightWrite post on the WD blog, we will be looking at the two-sword fighting style. I have written on this previously but from a fighting perspective more than writing perspective. Is the Two-Sword Style a Thing? I am asked about the two-sword style at …

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Fight Write, Round Two Index

FightWrite — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:00:02 +0000

In the process of formatting Fight Write, Round Two, some pages shifted automatically. As a result, some page numbers in the index are off. Here is the corrected index. Any books sold after June 20 should reflect that change. For everyone else, here is the corrected index. My apologies. And thank you so much for being so kind about it. You complete me. I will make it a link as well as just post it here. Fight Write, Round Two Edited Index Fight Write, Round Two – Edited Index Adrenaline Impact on Injuries …20, 21, 22, 105, …

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Criminal Sketch Art

FightWrite — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:26:30 +0000

If your character has witnessed or been a victim of a crime, you might write them meeting with a criminal sketch artist. In this post with FightWrite®, we are going to look at what your character might encounter with a criminal sketch artist. And, it just so happens that I have the inside side scoop on this one. My son is training to be a forensic artist, also known as a composite or police artist. Not only is he training to sketch from witness accounts, but he often reconstructs photos of unidentified deceased persons so that they may be identified. …

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The Truth About the Polygraph Test

FightWrite — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:20:46 +0000

A character is murdered. All fingers point toward the hero who, in an effort to prove their innocence, quickly submits to a lie detector test. And why wouldn’t they? They are telling the truth; they are not guilty. The polygraph will prove that fact. Right? Not exactly. Unfortunately, despite its moniker, the lie detector test doesn’t actually test for lies or prove guilt and it may not even be allowed as evidence in criminal court. In this FightWrite® post, we will take a very honest look at the polygraph. We will look at what it does and doesn’t do and …

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Psychopath/Sociopath – Organized/Disorganized

FightWrite — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:08:11 +0000

If you are trying to decide whether the killer in your manuscript is a psychopath or sociopath, this post will make your writing life easier. Your character is both a psychopath and sociopath. And, neither one is a diagnosis. Psychopath and Sociopath The terms psychopath and sociopath are interchangeable. The term psychopath first appeared in the late 1800s. It was replaced by the term sociopath in the 1930s. The two were used interchangeably by clinicians with some favoring the latter as psychopathy was often confused with psychosis by laymen[1]. In 1980, the DSM-3, the third edition of the Diagnostic and …

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