Hello
As I wrote in my last post I was getting closer and closer to the final battle of the story I started to write for NaNoWriMo. I started by writing out how the battle would go by bullet pointing the key thingshappenings within it. I’ve read numerous times that this is a good way of planning your chapters, big scenes, whole books etc but I always prefer doing this for the climax of my stories.
I tried it once for a whole story but I ended up only using the first few points and the last few. All the ones in the middle got either moved around or changed or deleted. I’m not saying it’s a bad way to go about these things but it’s not my chosen way. Anyway…
I’ve started writing the battle scene.
To set the battle…scene our heroes, the searchers who search and kill the demons, have throughout the story been fighting against four different types of demon. The Calculating demon, the Cautious- Calm demon, the Catcher demon and the Rambunctious or ‘Ripper’ demon. The Ripper has shown itself to be the more dominant one with the guidance help of their intelligent and strong in all ways leader. After he had lost the last battle against the searchers he has committed himself to getting revenge. He has pulled together an army of ripper’s intent on taking back what he believes to be rightfully theirs. Earth. The searchers have now come together from all over the world to try and defend it.
I’m being slightly biased but I think this sounds well good. I was slightly giddy when I came up with this about half way through(ish, possibly) writing the story. As I’ve said before I’ve been looking forward to writing this for a while.
I did agonise a little bit about how to start but I just thought I’d go for it and take care of any inconsistencies or moments of rubbishness in the editing process. I’m happy I did this as I’m enjoying writing it so far. I’m going to go and write some more now I think.
I’ve decided to write the first chapter (of three) for the battle from the view points of each of the main characters, the police and the villain. I’m liking it so far but I’m not sure if it’s the best way to write a battle scene. So, I ask you this?
How would you write an epic battle scene?
Cheers
johnrsermon 
Different viewpoints give you the option of different things happening, perhaps you can segue from one to the other by having X catch his breath and glance over to Y who seemed to be hard beleaguered. New para, Y snarled and flicked his sword swiftly in and out of the melee… yada yada
I think the key to an epic battlescene for a reader is, have some detail about individual combat, but don’t get bogged down in a blow by blow account for everyone. Have someone’s viewpoint that can be a narrator as it were and give a bit of an overview, perhaps from some coign of vantage. Imply the horror of the demonic combat rather than have too much gruesome detail, or use the reaction of a character to grue and pass over it. Z blenched at the mephitic odour of the demon’s guts spilling out onto the churned mud of the battleplain, slippery and obscene.