I write mysteries and romances, but don’t think Agatha Christie and tea parties when you read that. I’m a pretty active gal, so most of my books contain a fair amount of action scenes, and I get more compliments on those pages than on any others, so I must be doing something right. Since I have learned so much from other generous authors on the web, I thought I’d pass along these four basic tips.

To write gripping action scenes that will keep the reader glued to the pages:

1. Write in tight point of view. That means getting into your character’s head and simply inserting her or his thoughts instead of including “she thought” or “he wondered.”

Here’s an example from Endangered, the first in my Summer Westin mystery series:

The spiraling current was fierce. Her knee banged against some underwater obstacle. Where was Zack? The water was murky; she was trying to see through mud.

2. As the pace increases, use shorter sentences. This is how we all think. When we get excited at an athletic event, for example, we yell “Go! Go!” not “Run as hard as you can; you can do it!”

Here’s an example from Call of the Jaguar, my romantic adventure novella. Note how the sentences get shorter and we move more into Rachel’s thoughts (tight POV):

The plane’s landing gear connected with the roof of the hut and ripped through the thatch, dipping the plane’s nose down. The seatbelt cut into Rachel’s chest. Furrows of plowed earth loomed large through the windshield. Her knapsack leapt off the floor and hurtled toward her face. The hell with self-control. She screamed.

3. Choose the right verb. Take the time to find exactly the right word to express the action you envision. Which has more impact: “He ran quickly across the field” or “He raced across the field”?4. Finally, think of each scene as it would look in a movie, and make sure you’re describing all the necessary elements so the reader can picture it.Here’s a scene from my mystery, The Only Witness – can you see it in your mind’s eye?

A low grunt sounded from the woods behind her and Brittany stopped and pivoted to look back. Nothing but trees, as far as she could see. She walked another fifty steps before she heard another sound…”
Do you hear that?” she asked Grace.
The noise was a rhythmic rumbling wheeze, like a racehorse running for the finish line. Something big, running hard. Getting louder. Coming their way.