If you have ever written an action or crime novel, then you realise the importance of writing realistic acts of violence. Knowing the key ingredients needed, you can create violence that the reader can empathise with and relate to. It is vital that when you are writing a violent scene, you also remember your characters are human, and so they must feel the results of the violence. This will build a connection between the character and the reader. Showing your character suffering will give your story a realistic and gritty edge.

Imagine you are reading a book and your protagonist becomes embroiled in a serious fight with a bunch of attackers, but he regains his composure and walks away uninjured, and the attack is never mentioned again. Would you feel cheated somehow as a reader? If one of your characters is attacked and kicked to the floor in your story, they should be limping the next time you read about them. If there are no consequences to the violence, then the violence has no purpose. Also, if the violent act does not move the story forward, then you know you will have to do a rewrite, to ensure it does.

While ferocious gun battles and so forth can be exciting, the majority of us cannot sympathise with someone who has been shot because we have no personal experience of it. However, violence between the good and bad guys can be a great tool within the story, to show the protagonist's heroic nature and the evil side of the antagonist. I feel this is accomplished much better with a brutality that results in everyday injuries.

Basic wounds are those which the normal person would have had a decent shot of experiencing during their life, or possibly know about somebody who has suffered something similar. Broken bones are a perfect example. Anyone who has broken a bone, seen somebody break a bone, or even simply known somebody who has broken a bone will remember the sound of that sickening snap as soon as they read about it. The reader will understand exactly what the character is going through.

One important point to make is that the consequence of violence is always better in the form of dialogue from your characters. If you have created a strong backstory for your main characters, then you will know how they will act and speak. Will they run for cover or will they seek revenge? Stephen King is the master of writing dark, violent novels. He manages to balance the horror of the violent event, but with an optimism that the hero is not completely defeated.

I hope you now see how violence is best used in a way that is as easy as possible to relate to. If you get the reader involved and you make them care about what will happen to your characters, then you are a good way to creating an excellent book. If you can follow this blueprint for the rest of the novel, then you will surely find an interested publisher.