Inside the Blogosphere: Battling It Out

John Ottinger's latest Inside the Blogosphere interview column posted yesterday and this time around I'm part of it.

He asks,

What makes a battle or combat scene exciting to read, and what makes it drag on or detract from the narrative?

I answer.

Brevity. My answer to this question is, unfortunately, not going to be littered with nearly as many examples as I would like. I like brevity. Get in, kick some ass, and get out. That's what *helps* to make a fight sequence exciting to read. The longer a fight lasts, the more likely I (and other readers) will lose interest. I don't want to read about every swing of the sword or about every punch. Cover the salient points of the fight, make it feel original even if it is a fairly standard fight, and don't over do it. All I really need to know is what happened in the appropriate number of words.

Of course, after that first statement of brevity I go on, and on, and on a little bit more.

Go take a look.