[1][2] "Action is the mode [that] fiction writers use to show what is happening at any given moment in the story," states Evan Marshall,[3] who identifies five fiction-writing modes: action, summary, dialogue, feelings/thoughts, and background.
[4] Jessica Page Morrell lists six delivery modes for fiction-writing: action, exposition, description, dialogue, summary, and transition.
[5] Peter Selgin refers to methods, including action, dialogue, thoughts, summary, scene, and description.
When it is done right, weaving dialogue, narrative, and action can create a beautiful tapestry.
[6] A scene top-heavy with action can feel unreal because it is likely that characters doing something—anything at all—would be talking during the activity.