Writing a fight scene isn't the most difficult thing in the world, but it can be challenging, especially if you've never done it before. Because your character is fighting, new factors come into play. Before, when you wrote about your character's surroundings, you were doing so in a passive voice. You talked about the "look" of things and the "feel" of things. Now, in a fight scene, you have to use that space. Your character's surroundings can become a limitation. They can also be utilized to describe action or become tools for your character to use. If your character is the resourceful type, he/she can use anything laying around to fight with.
Ex: Danny broke a board sticking out from the wall and hit his opponent over the head. His opponent stumbled and fell.
Easy right?
Now, the next part is being mindful of any physical limitations that your character already has (if your character has only one eye, one hand, or a lame leg), as well as any that may occur during the fight. Think about how serious these injuries are. The range of mobility for a character who has been shot in the arm would be different than the range of mobility for a character that was punched in the face. Different reactions occur. You need to research what some of the side effects can be for such injuries. Can your character be injured somewhere without it being fatal? If your character attempts to cause a potentially fatal blow to his/her opponent, would it atomically be fatal? How much leeway can be had if technology has been adapted, such as environments or medicines in science fiction?
Next, you need to think about how interacting with the physical environment might affect someone who has been injured, versus someone who has not. Can a character who got shot in the arm actually pick up that wooden beam and use it? Probably not. Would he have to compensate for the injury and put more strain on his other arm? Absolutely. If a character was punched in the face and couldn't open an eye either due to swelling or pain, then would she be able to see an attack coming from the side of the injury? Maybe. Maybe not. But even if she did see it, her reaction time would be substantially shortened. Keep track of the injuries. If your character receives multiple blows, that character may become weaker than his/her opponent. Is your character bleeding? Is your character disoriented?
Another thing to consider when writing a fight scene is what may temporarily stun your character or opponent without actually injuring them. Things like explosions at a slight distance, flash grenades, smoke bombs, or anesthetic gases cause characters to lose temporary use of some senses. Sometimes, depending on how intelligent your character is, or how fast they react, this loss can be prevented. However, if the character cannot avoid the loss of the sense, as the writer, you have to be aware of what that loss entails. If your character doesn't get physically injured from an explosion (including possible loss of eye sight), in extreme cases, your character can still have temporary hearing loss. Since hearing is linked to balance, your character might have trouble standing, aiming, or even sitting upright. Flash grenades may blind your character, which may open opportunities for injury. Smoke bombs limit mobility and range of sight. They may also hinder breathing. Anesthetic gases may be vented into a room, knocking out the character/characters, opening up possibilities for capture, torture, injury, or death.
Next are the psychological effects from a physical injury. Adrenaline can be a temporary painkiller in a fight, but sooner or later (and depending on the severity of the injury), that adrenaline isn't going to be enough to stop the pain receptacles from signaling to the brain that you're injured. This occurs either when the injury is too great or when the adrenaline wears off. Be aware of the pain tolerance your character has, because it doesn't equal infinity. Also be mindful of what is on your character's mind should that pain become intolerable. When you injure yourself in a normal setting, you likely think about nothing but the injury. In a fight, you're attempting to put that large thought and make it a secondary concern. For your character, that may open up possibilities for impaired judgement, impaired movement, or being unable to aim or wield a weapon in the proper fashion.
Still, writing a fight scene isn't only about surroundings and characters. It's about the story. What is your character trying to achieve? Are they skilled enough to achieve it? Are they mature enough to handle the circumstances? Fights aren't always about winning. Sometimes, the best fight scene happen when your character is the one losing. It's the effort put in by the character to attempt to achieve the goal that makes it great. Whether they do achieve their goal is totally up to you...
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