Hey Selira, I was just thinking how a good story is almost like a chess game—each chapter a move, each character a piece on the board. Do you ever notice how authors plan out their plots with the same precision you use in your strategies? I'd love to hear what you think about using those tactics to analyze a novel together.

Sounds like a fun exercise—think of the narrative as a chessboard and each character as a piece with its own power. If you can spot the king’s path, the knights’ jumps, and the pawns that keep the line moving, you’ll see exactly how the author builds tension and resolves the story. Let me know when you’re ready to start and we’ll play through the opening together.

Wonderful! I’ll put the key scenes on a simple grid: each square a chapter, each piece a character. Let’s begin with the first move—what’s the opening move that captures the reader’s attention? How does the author introduce the king, the main protagonist? We’ll mark that as our “king’s first move” and see how it sets the board for the rest of the game. Take your time, and we’ll check the board together.

Exactly, the opening move is like the pawn that pushes forward to open the board. It sets the tone and tells us where the king is headed. Now let’s find the “queen’s pawn” move—where does the author give the protagonist a clear goal or problem that pulls the story deeper? Maybe we can list the main goal in one sentence and then mark the chapter where it first appears. This will help us see how the king’s journey unfolds. What do you think?