The Art of War (and Chess and Fiction Writing)

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." — Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Sun Tzu gives us two states for success:

  1. Know thyself
  2. Know thy enemy

But in chess, this is not enough.

You also need to know your openings, know your principles, and know the game you’re playing (a one-minute bullet match online is a different game than a 3 hour classical over-the-board tournament).

Which together might be something like:

  1. Know the players (psychology)
  2. Know your point (plan)
  3. Know ideas (principles)
  4. Know the parameters (sport)

Fiction writing is like chess, in that knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and the challenge of getting published before you, is not enough.

You also need to know your characters, your genre, and the audience you’re writing for.

Which together might be something like:

  1. Authorial truth (what you want to happen)
  2. Genre truth (what the conventions expect to happen)
  3. Character truth (what feels true to those experiencing the story)
  4. Audience truth (what needs to be true for the reader)

The strategy of chess is the interplay between what you know about yourself, what time control you’re playing, what opening you’re in, and which chess principles apply right now.

The strategy of fiction writing is the interplay between the story you want to tell, the story your publisher wants to promote, the story your audience wants to read, and the story that does the characters justice.

From that perspective, strategy is, indeed, an art.