(P.S.A. Before We Begin: While the above GIF is from Captain America: Civil War, I won’t be including any superhero factors in this post. I just really love the movie and this scene specifically :P Enjoy!)
Hello friends, Abby here with another writing post! I’ve noticed that the concept of war tends to play a large role in many of the novels I’ve read in the past. Due to this and the fact that my own series (Smoke Shadows) will include its own war of sorts, I was inspired to make this post. Without further ado, let’s get started!
There are, of course, many causes that can lead to a war, and it would probably be a little strange if one occurred in your story for a single reason. Let’s go through a couple of general causes that have played major roles, starting with the M.A.I.N.:
Militarism. Some countries take excessive pride in their militaries and continue building and displaying them, even during peacetime. Often nations that would perceive an action like this as a threat find these acts of militarism unsettling; this can worsen relations between the two nations or can lead the threatened nation to make a preemptive strike of sorts.
Alliances. These can be dangerous, especially secret alliances. A small country might have made secret alliances with several larger nations in secret; someone picks a fight with them and suddenly there are six other nations on their case about it. Alliances made like these are the ones that can and probably will lead to conflicts involving more countries.
Imperialism. Simply put, imperialism is the process of “stronger” nations taking over “weaker” ones for control of some sort, and usually without the consent of the country they’re taking over. (Imperialistic nations don’t seem to care much about that last part, though.) Imperialism could lead to conflict in the form of a “turf war” of sorts between imperialistic nations or to a fight for independence by the nation that’s been taken over.
Nationalism. This one is dangerous, because it often comes from a feeling of unity in a nation. This pride can range anywhere from slight to intense and can be created in whatever way you want, but a historically proven way to use this method is through things like propaganda and yellow journalism.
At least one of these four reasons play some sort of role in the starting of a war, though of course there are many other causes you could choose from. Some of these possibilities can include completely unprecedented attacks, economic/territorial gain, religion, revenge of some sort, and (intense) internal disagreements.
Wars are usually won not through brute force alone, but by strategy. You’ll want to keep this in mind when you think of how your war plays out; whoever is the better strategies will have a higher chance of coming out of this whole thing victorious. It will probably help tremendously for you to draw a map of your world and include every place that will be affected, then get some different colored markers to represent the different sides.
It’s especially helpful if you can make two maps, or one that you can edit easily. On one you’ll want to create a plan for each side. If you were planning out something like this, what would you plan for? Include things like:
Attack points and any (possibly) ensured victories
Key areas that this side will need to win
Other people that will be travelling with the troops
Amount of troops sent to each place
Methods of communication and transportation
Any rules going on (ex. don’t go after civilians, leave injured soldiers to be healed since they are no longer a threat, etc.)
There are, of course, other things to consider, but if you’re just looking for the basic information then all this should be a good starting point for you. Next up comes the results, where you take the time to figure out how each battle/conflict/whatever you’d like to call it turned out. Think of things like:
Prisoners of war or any M.I.A.s
Damage done to the surrounding area
Whether each group should completely invade, draw back, or stay where they are
Essentially, whether the conflict was a victory, defeat, or stalemate for each side
From there, you’ll want to figure out how each side will adapt to this result. The best strategizers respond to the events of this conflict will often assess their side and the other side, and change their plans a little to try and help their side regain (or keep) the advantage.
Rinse and repeat until you’ve created a war.
What is everyone doing at home to help this effort, if anything at all? How are people responding to the war? Consider things like governmental actions and the civilian response, and what people at home might be asked to do to aid the cause. From a governmental perspective, think of things like:
The possibility of a draft
How they would get their funding
How much control (if any) it would take over everyday life
Any new laws that might be passed
The changing of alliances
Deciding on whether or not to declare war (additionally, admitting defeat or making an attempt to find peace)
The need to prevent something like an economic depression afterwards
Trading with countries they’re not actively fighting against
You’ll also want to consider things like propaganda. It’s often a “strategy” used to increase morale at home and to help unify the nation during wartime. This can be used for a lot of purposes, but it’s often to 1) encourage those who would be able to enlist to do so or 2) encourage those who can’t enlist to still find ways to help the country.
Some other things that might change in the home life include:
Work and education standards
Anything that goes into and out of a person’s bank account (or the equivalent); things like taxes and pay grades might change
The possibility of rationing, if needed
People spending more free time helping out in the effort
How people would react to family being sent away to fight (and the possibility of bad news being brought back)
The demand for different jobs and how this demand might be met
Any major changes in priority for the people as a whole
And finally, we’ve made it to the end! One way or another, things are going to come to a close on this conflict. It might have been a month, a year, or a decade since the initial declaration of war, but we’ve made it. What comes with the end of a war can vary in essentially every way you can imagine. You’ll want to consider things like:
Treaties (including things like alliances that might have been formed or come to an end, war reparations, punishments, etc.)
Any measures meant to prevent another war of this nature
Things being done to help any countries on which the war was fought, if anything at all
Lasting feelings that might lead to future conflicts or developments
And that’s all I’ve got for today, I hope this helped! If there’s anything you want to see me write about in my next post, please don’t hesitate to leave a message in my ask. Until next time, much love! <333
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