Book Review: The Art of War (for Writers)

Recently, I read a great little book called The Art of War for Writers, by James Scott Bell. It's written in the style of, obviously, Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese battle tactician and author of the original Art of War. Split into three parts, Bell's how-to-write novel isn't like most of it's genre; it doesn't teach basic writing principals, it doesn't give tedious examples of "good writing", it doesn't ask the question "What is writing?' and it certainly doesn't give impractical, fantastic examples of successful writing. It tells only what you need to know, nothing more, nothing less, while giving witty- and often thought provoking- quotes along the way.
The first section, Reconnaissance, teaches the basics that any writer looking to publish needs. What's out there. Doing research, according to Bell, is one of the best things any author can do. Knowing what books are being published- and by whom- what publishers are looking for new authors- and which ones aren't- are the main focus of this portion.

The second section, Tactics, gets into the nitty-gritty work of actual writing. Bell begins rather broadly, instructing the reader to make a page or word quota they must meet every week, or some other type of rigid schedule to keep them motivated. He urges authors to write fast and passionately, forgoing editing until they have burned out their creativity for the moment. He then delves to more specific topics; pacing, character progression and back-story being the highlights. He also explains various cliches that, while... well cliche, give a story an added familiarity, thus helping the reader to relate to it. This section strives for technical excellence and complex tactic, rather than the "write what you feel" theory that so many other how-to-write books advocate.

The third and final section, Strategy, is perhaps the most useful, and difficult, concept within the book. It gives a step-by-step explanation of the publishing process, as wells as tips and guidelines on meeting with agents and publishers, promoting your novel, and taking- and exploiting- criticism. Bell stresses one issue over all else in this section, quality. Although many publishers publish absolute drek, to get published by a prestigious company, one that may actually get you money and notoriety, quality is key. Without it, your novel becomes nothing more than an expanded and overdrawn children's book, full of simple, bland characters and struggling scenes. (I do realize that many children's books aren't like this, but most are).

Overall, any writer who's truly interested in becoming a writer. Whether they write fantasy, as the book seems geared towards, sci-fi, romance, or even non-fiction, The Art of War for Writers offers valuable lessons and advice. Even successful authors might want to give this book a try. If nothing else, they'll walk away from it with some great quotes.