Step 5: Against The Odds
So far, all we've talked about has been with a view to writing a one on one fight, and while that works for some fandoms, for others, it doesn't begin to scratch the surface. Many times on shows like Buffy or Power Rangers or Queen of Swords, you have one character facing off against at least two opponents, and while this might sound like it's vastly harder to do than one on one, it isn't.
For two (or more) on one fights, you still need to go through your location details as you would for a one on one fight, bearing in mind that if the location is relatively small or enclosed, the more opponents your hero has, the easier it actually is for the hero. (Why? Because the opponents have only one target and are likely to get in each other's way in trying to get to that one target, giving your hero a better than even chance of getting them first.)
You also need to go through your weaponry options as you would for a one on one fight. Certain weapons become nearly useless at close quarters (cross bows, for example) while others are awkward to use (swords) though not impossible.
Before you move onto the word choice and the actual writing, though, there is one other aspect that you need to have firmly fixed in your mind. The number of opponents your hero is facing. The fewer you're dealing with, the more important it becomes. It's extremely unlikely that anyone will notice if you forget about one out of a crowd of thirty bad guys, but if you've got three and you only deal with two, people will notice.
While we mention the crowd of bad guys possibility, we would point out that unless your character is some sort of empowered being (for example, a Power Ranger, Buffy, Wolverine or another superhero type) the plausibility level for them surviving those kind of odds is low, and even for those with special powers, it's not great. We aren't saying never have those kind of odds – far from it, we are aware that there are times when that is precisely the kind of fight you need for your story – just urging you to keep it believable.
On, then, to word choice. For two (or more) on one, it's almost more important to keep your sentences short and snappy than it is for one on one; this is because not only have you got the speed of the action to cope with, but you also need to create a sense of urgency. The last thing you want to do is write the equivalent of a 1960s Batman episode where the flunkies could be seen literally queuing up to be hit by Batman!
Tips:
- When it comes to keeping a count of how many opponents you've dealt with, keep a scrap of paper handy as you write so that you can literally keep a tally count of them.
- Relax. Really, we do mean this. We know that there are more variables to keep track of in a many-on-one fight, but it's still not something to come out in a cold sweat over.