How to write firefights

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File: 1448242432838.jpg (93.68 KB, 904x678, 4:3, 1396237734947.jpg)

How to write firefights Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 01:33:52 No.7626

So the novel I am writing has a lot of shoot-outs in it, in a mix of heroic and realistic. As in, the characters are able to take on enemies and survive, but its by taking cover, using suppressive fire, flanking, etc..

I am curious how you would write such a combat sequence. Should I describe it blow by blow? How do I describe "he shoots at the enemy soldiers" without it getting repetitive as fuck?

Describing the sounds of the guns? I've tried using words like "barking" and "chattering" to describe the gunfire. But it's hard to insert it between lines of dialogue without feeling samey.

I dunno, anyone got any examples of well-written shootout scenes? My novel is probably a really lame story but I at least want it to be well-written lame story.

Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 02:12:14 No.7628

Starship Troopers had good combat scenes iirc, try starting there?

Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 05:03:56 No.7629

>>7628

Haven't read that in a while, but yeah I'll try that. Hadn't paid much attention to the combat scenes, dunno if that's good or bad… thanks for the suggestion though

Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 08:08:25 No.7630

File: 1448266105746.jpg (493.2 KB, 1200x947, 1200:947, sights.jpg)

>>7626

Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 08:10:23 No.7631

>>7630

i know it's a visual medium…

just felt it was somewhat relevant…

btw have you asked /k/?

Anonymous 11/23/15 (Mon) 11:47:56 No.7633

File: 1448279277557.jpg (792.84 KB, 1200x3000, 2:5, k vs Somali pirates.jpg)

That's a big question. Think of all the shoot-outs in Stalker alone. The fight to, inside, and from the NPP was about making do with what you can find for a long time. The service tunnel to Pripyat was about protecting your team against enemies coming out of the dark. Passing through Red Forest, anything can come at you from any direction.

Making a good shoot-out must have something to do with whatever makes it special.

Anonymous 12/02/15 (Wed) 17:23:59 No.7741

>>7631

Havent asked /k/ yet, but maybe I'll x-post this to them and see what they think. Why not.

Anonymous 12/25/15 (Fri) 05:31:43 No.8136

cormac mccarthy does it pretty well imo. the key is to write it in a manner that meshes tonally with the rest of the book.

>without it getting repetitive as fuck?

at a certain point you can take an affordance with what the audience already knows. if you've established gunfire is happening, you don't have to keep reminding them.