Kyrie, oh this sounds dreadful and completely skim-worthy! It’s awful when that sort of scene is the ending, after all the time we’ve put into something. If you’ve never read Maggie Stiefvater’s THE SCORPIO RACES, I can’t think of a more fitting book to redeem the one you didn’t care for. Stiefvater brilliantly pits two protagonists (who are also love interests) against one another, and though they both want/need to win the race, only one can. She imbues them with massively heartfelt motivations, and so as the reader, you’re torn completely down the middle wanting both to win. Since you know only one can achieve victory, the need to see that race through, moment by moment, is perhaps my favorite example of how a strong action scene should look. Thank you for adding to this topic!

Hi Kate, haha, yes! I always like to ask my clients, what’s on the other side of that chase? Why does the character need to get away? It’s one thing if the character is being pursued by an angry driver over getting cut off. It’s an entirely different thing if your character is trying to deliver the last vial in town of a life-saving drug and someone else is chasing them because they want it, too! So glad you stopped by!

Hi Karen,
Isn’t it hard to really nail down when we’re reading or watching something? But we do somehow just know–for the most part–that the character isn’t going to die. The other thing is that mentally, I think it’s very hard for us to grasp the character dying as stakes because it’s both nebulous and if they die, they’re not there to lose anything, if that makes sense? Thanks so much for adding to the discussion!

It was a romance so I knew both female and male leads must win/live. They were already married with a child at that point, and the child was safety send away, so zero tension on the romance/homefront. Other than their physical safety, little was at stake in that loooooooong battle.

I skimmed the ending despite the fantastic firsy half to that novel. Oh well.

Brenda, you make terrific points! I’m with you–my poor husband knows I won’t be persuaded to sit down to watch one of those types of movies because I just can’t understand why those types of scenes are so alluring. One of my favorite exceptions have been some very intense Game of Thrones episodes–one of which was an entire hour of battle (Battle of the Bastards is the episode title). Despite an entire hour of intense fighting, I was glued to my seat needing to know the turnout because many, many internal stakes had been established prior to the battle. The writers did a fantastic job making us root for the victory of one character just as much as we needed to see the nasty antagonist of the episode go down, making it especially amazing. And yes, making us care is truly what it’s all about! Thank you for chiming in!

Thank you, Angela! It’s so true. I tend to get very bored with high-action movies because they can oftentimes lose sight of character and meaningful stakes. One exception I always come back to are the Jason Bourne movies, and I have enjoyed pondering why those worked for me. It always goes back to character and that *thing* they actually need beyond the battle. A huge thank you for having me on!

Thank you for the kind words, V.M.! I find I always need to cycle through writing advice to stay on top of it all. We hear so many tips, and it can be hard to keep them all in the forefronts of our minds as we try to let the muse create. Thank you again!

As for beginning hooks, I sometimes think we get too hung up on them but it’s also expected these days. It’s nice to get to know the character, care about them, before we see them hanging by their fingernails over a lava lake.

Thanks for the reminder.