*This book was purchased by me for my own use, with no expectations of a review to be given.

Writing Fight Scenes is one of Rayne Hall’s many super-specialised writingcraft books. As the name suggests, this one covers the myriad aspects of constructing fight scenes. There are several chapters with topics ranging from types of fight scenes, weapons, armour, male vs female responses and behaviour, the use of euphonics to enhance scenes, army construction, battles, and siege warfare among others. Each chapter contains useful video and book suggestions to further your learning, and ends with a short recap of blunders to avoid.

I have all of this writingcraft series, and it is a staple go-to for me for detailed specifics. I even put the information in this book to use straightaway, with my own 'work in progress’. I especially found the male vs female curves of arousal for fighting useful because I had no idea they were so different. In retrospect, it makes sense. My main character is female, and this elicited some changes to certain scenes.

📚📚📚📚 Highly recommended ( )

I had really been struggling in my current WIP with how to progress in the scene I was working on, I just couldn't make it work. My heroine was stuck in an awkward situation and I didn't know who to realistically get her out. This book helped me a lot. I can see it being one I go again and again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I had really been struggling in my current WIP with how to progress in the scene I was working on, I just couldn't make it work. My heroine was stuck in an awkward situation and I didn't know who to realistically get her out. This book helped me a lot. I can see it being one I go again and again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I had really been struggling in my current WIP with how to progress in the scene I was working on, I just couldn't make it work. My heroine was stuck in an awkward situation and I didn't know who to realistically get her out. This book helped me a lot. I can see it being one I go again and again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

As a martial artist with moderate proficiency in three separate weapons (four if you include guns), and also a LARPer who LARPS in costume with weapons, I didn't think there would be a whole lot more this book would add to my existing knowledge, but I found it to be a succinct, straightforward guide to planning out a fight scene for YOUR type of novel (contemporary, fantasy, thriller, historical, etc.) and it covered a ton of things I had never considered before outside the context of my own genre.

This book appears to be deliberately set up to work well as a reference manual to go back to after you have read it to apply to whatever work-in-progress you may have. Do you need a fight scene between a non-skilled, female protagonist in a magical, historical-style setting? Against a larger opponent? A male? Perhaps simply a cad ... or is he out to kill her? What weapons would such characters use? This book is set up so you can easily go to the table of contents, find the information in the sub-headings, refresh your memory, and select your dream-dirk for your heroine to pull out of her leather bodice. Will her clothing help her or get in her way? What problems would such a lass encounter in a fight? It's all here. With no extra wordiness.

If I was to mention any detractor for the book, it's that there are no written examples of fight scenes themselves. I would deduct half- to a full-star for that, but then this book had links to numerous YouTube videos with live-action fight sequences, so I would ADD an extra half- or full-star for those alone, so I will be still averaging this out to a five-star review. ( )