slitheringink:

thewritershandbook:

1. Absent-minded – Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s
   immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious,
   forgetful.
2. Abusive – Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.
3. Addict – One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.
4. Aimless – Devoid of direction or purpose.
5. Alcoholic – A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.
6. Anxious – Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
7. Arrogant – Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or
   self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the
   advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.
8. Audacious – Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.
9. Bad Habit – A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.
10. Bigmouth – A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.
11. Bigot – One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
12. Blunt – Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.
13. Bold – In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over
    assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude;
    impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.
14. Callous – They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.
15. Childish – Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.
16. Complex – An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)
17. Cruel – Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.
18. Cursed – A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune,
    placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers
    for it. Damned.
19. Dependent – Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.
20. Deranged – Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.
21. Dishonest – Given to or using fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked, underhanded.
22. Disloyal – Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable
23. Disorder – An ailment that affects the function of mind or body.
    (List the disorders name if they have one.) See the Mental Disorder
    List.
24. Disturbed – Showing some or a few signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused, disordered, neurotic, troubled.
25. Dubious – Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.
26. Dyslexic – Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by
    impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.
27. Egotistical – Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Boastful, pompous.
28. Envious – Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages; covetous, jealous.
29. Erratic – Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion;
    eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.
30. Fanatical – Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by
    excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions
    on some subject.
31. Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable – especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.
32. Fierce – Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.
33. Finicky – Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please;
    fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy,
    critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.
34. Fixated – In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person
    or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy
    and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists
    throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.
35. Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.
36. Gluttonous – Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.
37. Gruff – Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.
38. Gullible – Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.
39. Hard – A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.
40. Hedonistic – Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
41. Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.
42. Humourless – The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.
43. Hypocritical – One who is always contradicting their own beliefs,
    actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for
    others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.
44. Idealist – One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often
    conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and
    impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.
45. Idiotic – Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
46. Ignorant – Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular
    subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or
    knowledge.
47. Illiterate – Unable to read and write.
48. Immature – Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.
49. Impatient – Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.
50. Impious – Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.
51. Impish – Naughtily or annoyingly playful.
52. Incompetent – Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.
53. Indecisive – Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.
54. Indifferent – The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in
    things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack
    of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything;
    languid; spiritless.
55. Infamy – Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or
    strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous
    act that affects how others view them.
56. Intolerant – Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.
57. Judgemental – Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral
    or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards
    others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation,
    occupation, etc.
58. Klutz – Clumsy. Blunderer.
59. Lazy – Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.
60. Lewd – Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or
    lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs;
    salacious.
61. Liar – Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.
62. Lustful – Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.
63. Masochist – The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to
    derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally
    abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or
    trying experiences.
64. Meddlesome – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.
65. Meek – Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or
    compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or
    even cowed submissiveness.
66. Megalomaniac – A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
67. Naïve – Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and
    guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and
    critical judgement.
68. Nervous – Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
69. Non-violent – Abstaining from the use of violence.
70. Nosey – Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.
71. Obsessive – An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.
72. Oppressor – A person of authority who subjects others to undue
    pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.
73. Overambitious – Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.
74. Overconfident – Excessively confident; presumptuous.
75. Overemotional – Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.
76. Overprotective – To protect too much; coddle.
77. Overzealous – Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.
78. Pacifist – Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)
79. Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.
80. Peevish – Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable
    dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious,
    discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.
81. Perfectionist – A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
82. Pessimist – A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.
83. Pest – One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.
84. Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats
85. Practical – Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.
86. Predictable – Easily seen through and assessable, where almost
    anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or
    known them even for a short time.
87. Proud – Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.
88. Rebellious – Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.
89. Reckless – Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.
90. Remorseless – Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.
91. Rigorous – Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.
92. Sadist – The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to
    derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on
    others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from
    cruelty.
93. Sadomasochist – Both sadist and masochist combined.
94. Sarcastic – A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.
95. Sceptic – One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
96. Seducer – To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the
    like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from
    principles, faith, or allegiance.
97. Selfish – Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.
98. Self-Martyr – One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in
    order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and
    always for a selfish cause or reason.
99. Self-righteous – Piously sure of one’s own righteousness;
    moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou,
    sanctimonious.
100. Senile – Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or
     mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of
     old age or disease.
101. Shallow – Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.
102. Smart Ass – Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but
     they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times,
     especially in arguments.
103. Soft-hearted – Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead
     them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They
     cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need,
     and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing
     so.
104. Solemn – Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.
105. Spineless – Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.
106. Spiteful – Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt;
     motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for
     resentment. Vengeful.
107. Spoiled – Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from
     earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money
     management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition
     harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.
108. Squeamish – Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.
109. Stubborn – Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.
110. Superstitious – An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
     from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not
     logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
111. Tactless – Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.
112. Temperamental – Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.
113. Theatrical – Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.
114. Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering
     opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and
     violence.
115. Tongue-tied – Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.
116. Troublemaker – Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.
117. Unlucky – Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
118. Unpredictable – Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are
     so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.
119. Untrustworthy – Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.
120. Vain – Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their
     physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic,
     narcissistic.
121. Weak-willed – Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.
122. Withdrawn – Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.
123. Zealous – A fanatic.

I had an anon asking about how to make their character not so perfect. Well, here’s a great list of some flaws you can try to use to balance out his good traits.

-Morgan

readingwithavengeance:

1. Sticking the landing
   . All this does is jack up joints. Collapse and roll. Hit the ground with the largest surface area possible.
2. Headshots
   . You sound like bragging gamers.
3. “One shot, one kill.”
   Same as above. Aim for center mass and unload until they stop moving.
4. Disabling shots
   . Depending on the time period, you’re either consigning them to a lifetime of nerve damage and pain or a slow death from infection. Also, injured people
   can still fight back.
5. Anything with a flip
   . Telegraphing your moves and taking several extra seconds to get it done just allows the other fighter time to block.
6. Throwing people
   . Unless you’re literally trying to get some space for an escape or a ranged weapon, why did you throw them? It takes a ton of effort and now they’re all
   the way over there.
7. Prolonged fights
   . Most brawls are over in seconds. Seconds. Competition fights last longer because there are safety limits and controls in place.
8. Ignoring backup
   . Congratulations on your ‘does not play well with others’ sticker.
9. Overly complicated weapons
   . Different weapons were developed to take advantage of specific conditions, be they environmental, tactical, or weaknesses in your opponent’s situation.
   Picking the wrong one because it looks cooler just puts you at a steep disadvantage.
10. Basically anything overcomplicated
    . Climbing in top floor windows when you could walk in the service entrance. Fighting through twelve guards when you could poison someone’s dinner.
    Training in eight martial arts styles when a pillow over the face will get them just as dead. It’s not really that impressive to make more work for
    yourself.

fuckingconversations:

saarebitch:

puckish-saint:

chitarra10:

wolfburied:

I think a big part of why I read way more fanfiction than books is that there’s just a hell of a lot less exposition

the first 10 pages of most books are always “these are the main characters and here’s some background on each of them and this is the setting etc etc” and it’s such a fucking hassle getting to the plot sometimes

fanfic is just like “fuck it you know all of this already let’s go”

That’s a really good point.

Same here but there’s actually a point here of well written exposition.
Take AUs for example. Even in the most complicated, as-far-removed-from-canon settings we get at most a single paragraph before the actual fic where the author gives us a quick rundown of the rules for that universe. The rest we are left to figure out on our own and it works.

We’re not spoon fed every trivial detail when all we want is to get to the plot. Everything that’s important is said at the moment it is important, not sooner not later.
Especially in long fics characters often take on such a unique characterisation that you get to know them all over again but the readers do so organically, in the situations that define those characters as they happen.
Same with looks. The fic author generally assumes the readers know what the characters look like and don’t spend paragraphs describing them, and only bring it up when it fits the plot.

I’ve read a few fanfics from fandoms I’ve never been in and surprisingly it still worked out. I had generally a good idea of who these people were, what they did where and why and how they worked together. 

Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot. 

Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.

Bolding this fantastic advice. 

Bolded text is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. 

Most of the time the details and nuances come across via your characters reacting to things, or noticing things. You really don’t need a whole lot of exposition, as long as you’re consistent in your characters knowing about things. 

– Since your characters are already in this world, they’re used to certain things. You can use their casual treatment of certain things, or incredulous confusion at other things to establish what is ‘normal’ and what is not. 

Also, many location-words have a lot of subtext woven into them based on each reader’s experience. “He sat down in the Library” will conjure an image of whatever library the reader is most familiar with. You really don’t need to lay out every single detail of the library, unless it has some greater significance, or you’ll call it out again in a later chapter… like, if the library would later come under seige by water dragons, you can lovingly describe all the super old books and elaborate woodwork, SO you can later describe the horror your character feels at having those old books and woodwork sodden and twisted from water damage. 

Give places, give things, give EVENTS details, but not for detail’s sake. Details are SIGNIFICANCE.  

Source: Worked as a ghostwriter. Basically just made several MLP AU fanfics, and a few variations of the standard Marvel CoffeeShop AU. It’s amazing how few words you can use to describe a scene and the reader’s brain fills in all the details themselves. 

i-see-light:

1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?
2. What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?
3. What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?
4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?
5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?
6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?
7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?
8. Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?
9. Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?
10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?
11. In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?
12. In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?
13. Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?
14. Does your character remember names or faces easier?
15. Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?
16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?
17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?
18. Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?
19. What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?
20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?
21. If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?
22. What does your character like in other people?
23. What does your character dislike in other people?
24. How quick is your character to trust someone else?
25. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?
26. How does your character behave around children?
27. How does your character normally deal with confrontation?
28. How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?
29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?
30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?
31. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.
32. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.
33. In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?
34. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?
35. How does your character behave around people they like?
36. How does your character behave around people they dislike?
37. Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?
38. Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?
39. Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?
40. How does your character treat people in service jobs?
41. Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?
42. Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?
43. Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?
44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?
45. What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

did-you-reboot:

bamonnineties:

khraddict:

ave-aria:

starforgedsteel:

berrybird:

• Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high you’re jumping/falling from. There’s a very good reason free-runners dive and roll. 
• Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. It’s exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, you’re going to tire out really fast. 
• Arrows are very effective and you can’t just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention. 
• Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. You’re giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless you’re trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, don’t throw them. 
• Everyone has something called a “flinch response” when they fight. This is pretty much the brain’s way of telling you “get the fuck out of here or we’re gonna die.” Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently. 
• ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but it’s actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighter’s efficacy – meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesn’t give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponent’s face. 
• Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.
• Fights get messy. There’s blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone. 
• A serious battle also smells horrible. There’s lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the character’s senses when they’re in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way. 
• If your sword is sharpened down to a fine edge, the rest of the blade can’t go through the cut you make. You’ll just end up putting a tiny, shallow scratch in the surface of whatever you strike, and you could probably break your sword. 
• ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when you’re shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means “the amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.” To give you an idea of how that works, here’s a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters.  (CLICK ME)
• If an archer has to use a bow they’re not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until they’ve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability. 
• People bleed. If they get punched in the face, they’ll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, they’ll bleed accordingly. And if they’ve been fighting for a while, they’ve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. They’re going to bleed a lot. 
• Here’s a link to a chart to show you how much blood a person can lose without dying. (CLICK ME) 
• If you want a more in-depth medical chart, try this one. (CLICK ME)

Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything I’ve gotten wrong here. 

How to apply Writing techniques for action scenes:

– Short sentences. Choppy. One action, then another. When there’s a lull in the fight, take a moment, using longer phrases to analyze the situation–then dive back in. Snap, snap, snap.
– Same thing with words – short, simple, and strong in the thick of battle. Save the longer syllables for elsewhere.
– Characters do not dwell on things when they are in the heat of the moment. They will get punched in the face. Focus on actions, not thoughts.
– Go back and cut out as many adverbs as possible.
– No seriously, if there’s ever a time to use the strongest verbs in your vocabulary – Bellow, thrash, heave, shriek, snarl, splinter, bolt, hurtle, crumble, shatter, charge, raze – it’s now.
– Don’t forget your other senses. People might not even be sure what they saw during a fight, but they always know how they felt.
– Taste: Dry mouth, salt from sweat, copper tang from blood, etc
– Smell: OP nailed it
– Touch: Headache, sore muscles, tense muscles, exhaustion, blood pounding. Bruised knuckles/bowstring fingers. Injuries that ache and pulse, sting and flare white hot with pain.
– Pain will stay with a character. Even if it’s minor.
– Sound and sight might blur or sharpen depending on the character and their experience/exhaustion. Colors and quick movements will catch the eye. Loud sounds or noises from behind may serve as a fighter’s only alert before an attack.
– If something unexpected happens, shifting the character’s whole attention to that thing will shift the Audience’s attention, too.
– Aftermath. This is where the details resurface, the characters pick up things they cast aside during the fight, both literally and metaphorically. Fights are chaotic, fast paced, and self-centered. Characters know only their self, their goals, what’s in their way, and the quickest way around those threats. The aftermath is when people can regain their emotions, their relationships, their rationality/introspection, and anything else they couldn’t afford to think or feel while their lives were on the line.

Do everything you can to keep the fight here and now. Maximize the physical, minimize the theoretical. Keep things immediate – no theories or what ifs.

If writing a strategist, who needs to think ahead, try this: keep strategy to before-and-after fights. Lay out plans in calm periods, try to guess what enemies are thinking or what they will do. During combat, however, the character should think about his options, enemies, and terrain in immediate terms; that is, in shapes and direction.
(Large enemy rushing me; dive left, circle around / Scaffolding on fire, pool below me / two foes helping each other, separate them.)

Lastly, after writing, read it aloud. Anyplace your tongue catches up on a fast moving scene, edit. Smooth action scenes rarely come on the first try.

More for martial arts or hand-to-hand in general

What a character’s wearing will affect how they fight.  The more restricting the clothes, the harder it will be.  If they’re wearing a skirt that is loose enough to fight in, modesty will be lost in a life or death situation.

Jewelry can also be very bad.  Necklaces can be grabbed onto.  Bracelets also can be grabbed onto or inhibit movement.  Rings it can depend on the person.

Shoes also matter.  Tennis shoes are good and solid, but if you’re unused to them there’s a chance of accidentally hurting your ankle.  High heels can definitely be a problem.  However, they can also make very good weapons, especially for someone used to balancing on the balls of their feet.  Side kicks and thrusting kicks in soft areas (like the solar plexus) or the feet are good ideas.  They can also (hopefully) be taken off quickly and used as a hand weapon.  Combat boots are great but if someone relies more on speed or aren’t used to them, they can weigh a person down.  Cowboy boots can be surprisingly good.  Spin kicks (if a character is quick enough to use them) are especially nasty in these shoes.

If a character is going to fight barefoot, please keep location in mind.  Concrete can mess up your feet quick.  Lawns, yards, etc often have hidden holes and other obstacles that can mess up a fighter.  Tile floors or waxed wood can be very slippery if you’re not careful or used to them.

Likewise, if it’s outside be aware of how weather will affect the fight.  The sun’s glare can really impede a fighter’s sight.  A wet location, inside or outside, can cause a fighter to slip and fall.  Sweat on the body can cause a fighter to lose a grip on an opponent too.

Pressure points for a trained fighter are great places to aim for in a fight.  The solar plexus is another great place to aim for.  It will knock the wind out of anyone and immediately weaken your opponent. 

It your character is hit in the solar plexus and isn’t trained, they’re going down.  The first time you get hit there you are out of breath and most people double over in confusion and pain.  If a fighter is more used to it, they will stand tall and expand themselves in order to get some breath.  They will likely keep fighting, but until their breath returns to normal, they will be considerably weaker.

Do not be afraid to have your character use obstacles in their environment.  Pillars, boxes, bookshelves, doors, etc.  They put distance between you and an opponent which can allow you to catch your breath. 

Do not be afraid to have your character use objects in their environment.  Someone’s coming at you with a spear, trident, etc, then pick up a chair and get it caught in the legs or use it as a shield.  Bedsheets can make a good distraction and tangle someone up.  Someone’s invading your home and you need to defend yourself?  Throw a lamp.  Anything can be turned into a weapon.

Guns often miss their targets at longer distances, even by those who have trained heavily with them.  They can also be easier to disarm as they only shoot in one direction.  However, depending on the type, grabbing onto the top is a very very bad idea.  There is a good likelihood you WILL get hurt.

Knives are nasty weapons by someone who knows what they’re doing.  Good fighters never hold a knife the way you would when cutting food.  It is best used when held against the forearm.  In defense, this makes a block more effective and in offense, slashing movement from any direction are going to be bad.  If a character is in a fight with a knife or trying to disarm one, they will get hurt. 

Soft areas hit with hard body parts.  Hard areas hit with soft body parts.  The neck, stomach, and other soft areas are best hit with punches, side kicks, elbows, and other hard body parts.  Head and other hard parts are best hit using a knife hand, palm strike, etc.  Spin kicks will be nasty regardless of what you’re aiming for it they land.

Common misconception with round house kicks is that you’re hitting with the top of the foot.  You’re hitting with the ball.  You’re likely to break your foot when hitting with the top.

When punching, the thumb is outside of the fist.  You’ll break something if you’re hitting with the thumb inside, which a lot of inexperienced fighters do. 

Also, punching the face or jaw can hurt. 

It can be hard to grab a punch if you’re not experienced with it despite how easy movies make it seem.  It’s best to dodge or redirect it.

Hitting to the head is not always the best idea.  It can take a bit of training to be able to reach for the head with a kick because of the height.  Flexibility is very much needed.  If there are problems with their hips or they just aren’t very flexible, kicks to the head aren’t happening.

Jump kicks are a good way to hit the head, but an opponent will see it coming if it’s too slow or they are fast/experienced.

A good kick can throw an opponent back or knock them to the ground.  If the person you’ve hit has experience though, they’ll immediately be getting up again.

Even if they’ve trained for years in a martial art, if they haven’t actually hit anything before or gotten hit, it will be slightly stunning for the person.  It does not feel the way you expect it too.

Those yells in martial arts are not just for show.  If done right, they tighten your core making it easier to take a hit in that area.  Also, they can be used to intimidate an opponent.  Yelling or screaming right by their ear can startle someone.  (Generally, KHR fans look at Squalo for yelling)

Biting can also be used if someone’s grabbing you.  Spitting in someone’s eyes can’t hurt.  Also, in a chokehold or if someone is trying to grab your neck in general, PUT YOU CHIN DOWN.  This cuts off access and if they’re grabbing in the front can dig into their hand and hurt.

Wrist grabs and other grabs can be good.  Especially if it’s the first move an opponent makes and the character is trained, there are simple ways to counter that will have a person on their knees in seconds..

Use what your character has to their advantage.  If they’re smaller or have less mass, then they’ll be relying on speed, intelligence, evasion, and other similar tactics.  Larger opponents will be able to take hits better, they’re hits may be slower depending on who it is but will hurt like hell if they land, and size can be intimidating.   Taller people with longer legs will want to rely on kicking and keeping their distance since they have the advantage there.  Shorter people will want to keep the distance closer where it’s easier for them but harder for a taller opponent.  Punching is a good idea.

Using a person’s momentum against them is great.  There’s martial arts that revolve around this whole concept.  They throw a punch?  Grab it and pull them forward and around.  Their momentum will keep them going and knock them off balance. 

Leverage can used in the same way.  If used right, you can flip a person, dislocate a shoulder, throw out a knee, etc.

One note on adrenaline:  All that was said above is true about it.  But, in a fight, it can also make you more aware of what’s going on.  A fight that lasts twenty seconds can feel like a minute because time seems to almost slow down while moving extremely rapidly.  You only have so much time to think about what you’re doing.  You’re taking in information constantly and trying to adjust.  Even in the slow down adrenaline gives you, everything is moving very rapidly. 

Feelings will be your downfall even more so than adrenaline.  Adrenaline can make those feelings more intense, but a good fighter has learned not to listen to those feelings.  A good fighter may feel anger at being knocked down or in some way humiliated – their pride taken down.  Yet they will not act on the anger.  Acting on it makes a fighter more instinctive and many will charge without thinking.  Losing control of anything (adrenaline rush, emotions, technique, etc) can be a terrible thing in a fight.

Just thought I’d add in here.

YES. YES.

Just wanted to add some stuff!

– You don’t clash swords edge-to-edge like they do in movies/anime/whatever. That’s a good way to chip your blade or get your blades stuck together (which admittedly would be cool to see characters deal with). A good swordsperson would block with the flat of the blade.

– Trained fighters, whether empty-handed or with weapons, circle their opponents and move at angles to gain an advantage. Use this! It can make things more dramatic.

– Trying to block a knife with anything but a some sort of shield is a Very Bad Idea. If you’re trained, you can try to redirect it but even then it’s a crapshoot if you’re not trained in knife fighting. To get an idea, try knife sparring with someone (with training knives obvs unless you like to live dangerously). Shit’s hard to block and KNIVES ARE FAST.

– If people are both armed and in a knife fight and there’s no escaping, both WILL get cut unless one is a total moron with a knife. Again, KNIVES ARE FAST.

– Wristlocks are very effective, but if you got two people going at it with all the adrenaline pumping, trying to lock the wrist or arm right off the bat probably won’t fly. These are most effective when done out of a flow, like doing punch combo into a wrist lock or blocking an opponent’s attack and pulling their arm into a lock.

– Dirty fighting! If you got characters fighting for survival, have them go for the eyes! Punch the neck! Grab a fistful of hair to control your opponent’s head! Stomp on feet! Break body parts! GRAHHHHHHH

– Elbows hurt. Don’t forget elbows.

– Also knees.

– And shins. Getting a full-power round kick with a shin is pretty intense.

– Fighting from the ground! Just because a character is on the ground doesn’t mean they can’t still swing their weapon at their standing opponent. It’s a thing we’d train in kali! Also if both fighters are on the ground, they can grapple and do cool shit like leg locks.

– Headbutts are a thing! But don’t have them headbutt with their forehead because owie. Top of the head or top-side-ish of the head is best.

– Grabbing someone’s clothes. It can be very effective in controlling your opponent if you’re trained. Check out BJJ with gi!