Young Writers Society

Hey, I'm writing a book where the characters are wolves suffering experiments and are trying to escape to the outside world.

In one of the chapters, while escaping, they encounter a bunch of humans who try to get them back to their containment. I've barely ever written a fight scene, and certainly not with two wolves and a handful of humans.

How should I go about this?

So first of all: it should involve biting, obviously, probably the people yelling a lot. You shouldn't make it too involved, just pretty short maybe.

Howdy hey! I found a clip from a movie called The Call of the Wild that has a dog and a wolf fighting. (There’s no blood, dont worry). Maybe it’ll help you describe the scene:

https://youtu.be/JwH0_rseW2U

I don't have much experience with fight scenes either, but here are some questions that might be good to think about:

Do the humans have weapons? What kind?
What are your characters' reactions to the humans? Have they seen humans before? You can sprinkle some of their thoughts in! And emotions. Emotions are great.
Do the wolves try to escape first, or is fighting their first instinct?
What are the surroundings like? Is it the forest? If so, maybe the humans are hindered a little by roots and brambles and things? Basically, try to flesh out the environment and see how it would affect the fight.
If you make each human have a defining characteristic, you can have the wolves refer to them like that. Like, "Cheese Smell," or "Tall One." Idk, but I think it sounds a lot better than "human 1" and "human 2." xD

Good luck with the scene!! ^^

So in my experience writing fight scenes, the actual action part is probably going to be quick. In your particular case, it sounds like they are running away. They might occasionally encounter obstacles which involve fighting. You describe the fighting as it comes up, but don't get so engrossed with the fighting that you forget the main purpose: your characters are trying to run away and escape. When they fight, they need to get back to their mission quickly, otherwise they are going to be overwhelmed and possibly destroyed. So, describe the action and then get back to the main purpose! It'll give the scene urgency.

Speaking of urgency, fight scenes are relatively short and fast-paced, but they do need to be set up properly. Before the characters begin to fight, make sure that you get a clear sense of the stakes. They want to escape! That is their goal. What happens if they can't escape? What are they afraid of happening? (If their fear is of the Unknown, then this is totally valid too.) So before you write the actual fight, get into your characters' heads and let us readers know what is going on up there.

Then, when you finish the scene, make your character kind of stop and reflect on what just happened. They might be injured. They might have had someone close to them injured. They might have had some sort of Important Moment happen to them. They might just need to breathe. Whatever it is, stop and let the characters reflect on the fight at least a little. That will help make it more important to the reader too!

Good luck!

Sounds like an interesting book! Writing a fight scene can be challenging, especially when it involves animals. One tip is to focus on the emotions and instincts of the wolves during the fight, and try to convey their perspective to the reader. Also, make sure to describe the action in a clear and concise way, and use sensory details to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Good luck!