I got an ARC of Dan Alatorre’s A is for Action and then promptly forgot to read it. What can I say? Sometimes I drop the ball. Just ask my pup about the vast array of bones and chew toys under the couch. (Do you move your couch every time you vacuum? Uh huh. I didn’t think so.)
Basic Summary (Courtesy of Amazon):
Every new author (and a lot of veteran authors) have the same problem when it comes to action scenes. They have this idea for a big battle scene or car chase – but most don’t know where to start!
I’ll show you.
We’ll lay out classic actions scenes, like a car crash or a massive medieval sword clash between armies, and see how they are done. We will analyze the writing style you use in action scenes that isn’t utilized anywhere else in your story.
Car chase or medieval battle, we can create a process to follow.
While every action scene is different, many have similar foundations.
Learn how to write amazing action scenes and take your stories to new heights!
My thoughts:
Dan meticulously details the battle scene from Braveheart as a way to demonstrate the power of outlining your action as a starting point. (Sadly there were no shots of Mel’s ass.) I found it an intriguing way to explain complicated action scenes for writers. It felt like a beat sheet. Which isn’t a bad thing. Action can be hard to write, especially if you’re an author who visualizes everything in your book in your head before you put it to paper. Dan clearly articulates the steps he’s found useful to get that mental film into the concrete world. Then he covered ways to layer that up, increasing tension for the reader. I look forward to more in the series.
T.A. Henry 