Tip #327: Battle & fight scenes

There are many different reasons for a good battle scene. Am I trying to give a proper end to a beloved character? Am I trying to resolve the grudge, or to determine who, in the end, is better? Am I using a fight to leave a cliff-hanger...? Am I writing a personal fight between two enemies, or a grand-scale battle which can determine the fate of a city? Or am I simply trying to wake up the readers after a long pause in the action? I do that. I admit it openly. There are times when I just want a reader to get his or her pulse pounding.

http://blog.shelfari.com/my_weblog/2011/08/ra-salvatore-on-how-to-write-a-damn-good-fight-scene.html

Keep in mind that the injuries sustained during a fight will linger... Even if a person is never touched, and inflicts all the damage, there can be an emotional toll that character will walk away with

http://www.maxwellalexanderdrake.com/ClassHandouts/Old%20Handouts/Handout%20for%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Fight%20Scene%20Pt1%20by%20Maxwell%20Alexander%20Drake.pdf

Tip #275: The writer's metaphorical camera lens

how close you are to the action, what you allow your reader to see vs. what is left out, what you linger on narratively, the speed through which you move through the action. . .

This all affects the reader's perception and mood.

If you’re just getting to know a narrative world you’re creating, think of yourself as a camera moving through the action, and try to write down as much of what you see as you can. Then, after some time has passed, look at that piece of writing again, and edit down the details so that they serve the primary story you want to tell and ideas you want to convey.

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/second-sight-an-interview-with-executive-editor-cheryl-klein/

Tip #154: The best first line

is... your first line... A distinctive, specific first line that can only be the first line to your book and no other?

http://kidlit.com/2011/07/25/first-lines-part-1/

Tip #40: Character Voice

[Character v]oice is...a consistent way of expressing him or herself through actions, dialogue, internal thoughts, etc...  attitude. Without one, your character is going to read like a newspaper article

http://www.mywritingblog.com/2011/01/does-your-character-have-character.html

Tip #32: If it's awesome...

If it is awesome, and your readers like it, write it.

http://johndbrown.com/2010/05/excellent-advice-from-author-larry-correia/

Tip #20: How to "Show" (not "Tell")

{Put} the reader right in the middle of the action and {describe} the events{*} as they occur, in real time, along with the characters’ reactions, feelings, and actual words.

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/12/show-dont-tell-guest-post-to-be-used.html

* the events = everything (important) that happens.