Donald Maass

Read this review on my blog: http://cathykeatonwrites.blogspot.com/2012/09/book-review-writing-breakout-novel...

When I finally got around to reading this book after buying it, I was at a point in my writing self-education where I wanted to become a better storyteller, not just a better writer. I had already smoothed out my technical writing skills well enough and found my fiction still lacking quite a bit. What did I need to do to write a compelling narrative? There was something still show more missing because when I wrote fiction, it continued to fall flat on the page. It was my story that was failing, or so I had discovered when I cracked open this gem of a book.

The first thing Maass teaches is the foundation of a story—the premise. Don't pursue just any old premise right out of the gate. It needs to be developed into a premise that is strong enough to withhold the structure build on top of it that is your actual written story. For that, it should have one of four elements: plausibility, inherent conflict, originality and gut emotional appeal. Once my premises could pass this litmus test, I found I could fix any flaws in my manuscripts without having to rewrite them.

Second, raise the stakes of the story, meaning make the characters lose things that are valuable to them, or threaten to. In order to do that, Maass has you ask, “How could things get worse?” Make the danger immediate and put your characters on the chopping block. Otherwise, your reader won't care enough. He also talks about time and place, which could be considered less important in writing breakout fiction. But, if you can capture the psychology of time and place by describing how setting makes characters feel, it can have deeper impact and won't be used solely for visual imagery.

The chapter on 'Characters' could be the most illuminating. Engrossing characters are larger-than-life and they say what we can't say and change in ways we can't. They have inner conflicts of conscience and are celebrated by readers because of their strengths. Your main character should be the one who changes the most by the events of the story. After all, a story is about events that cause a character to transform, at least internally.

Maass delves into plot and different contemporary uses for plot, how to handle multiple viewpoints, subplots, pace, voice and endings. He also devotes a chapter to advanced plot structures showing how authors of various genres, like science fiction and category romance, can enhance their plotting to catch the eye of the gatekeepers in the biz.

Lastly, is the chapter on theme. Maass believes all novels are moral and shows you how to build a theme for a novel step by step. Thankfully, he shows how to avoid becoming preachy and how to let the characters do all the talking, or acting for that matter. Their job is to convey theme through their words and deeds, a powerful combination that drives the story's message home to your readers much more effectively than an author on a soapbox.

As much as I'm interested in writing a breakout novel, I didn't read this book strictly for that reason. I read it because I wanted help taking my fiction to “the next level.” I don't want anymore false starts on my manuscripts that have to be shelved because the premise is too weak, or I don't have a well-developed enough character goal. I'm not saying this book is the final word on story craft. But, it could open your eyes to concepts you simply never knew before and lay the groundwork for more advanced story-writing education. show less

Imagine going into an editorial meeting with a literary agent or publisher and discovering that the person across the table is J. Jonah Jameson, the cigar-toting, belligerent, crewcut who made Peter Parker’s life a misery as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. JJ thrusts his clenched cigar at you and shouts, “High Impact!” It doesn’t really matter what advice you are about to receive. If you are doing X, do Y; if you are writing W, write Z; find your character’s key flaw, show more repeat it three times and then explode it; yes, explode it! Because what is wanted is high impact fiction.

Of course I have no idea what Donald Maass looks like or sounds like. I’m probably not the writer he is shouting at. (I don’t respond well to shouting.) But if you do see yourself as that writer, then this book will give you everything you are hoping for.

Not recommended for writers (or readers) like me. show less

While this might not have been my absolute favorite book on writing, it ranks up there with some of the best. I especially appreciated the passion he espoused for simply writing a damn good book above and beyond any other consideration. Sounds simple, no? Well the advice is taken across a wide board of problem areas, be it agents, editors, publishing platforms, and best of all, every writer's worst enemy: themselves. Never get complacent. Don't aim for status. Aim for great storytelling and show more the rest will follow suit.

Simplicity itself. So if I've given away everything that makes this book so valuable, then why should anyone else read it? Because it's pretty damn exhaustive on the big points that make any novel a great novel, and enjoins us to partake of some pretty decent workbook exercises that focus more on connections and character development than things like plot. It was quite useful, and the rest was, for the most part, positive and uplifting if you're trying to be an author that doesn't mind staring the hard facts in the face.

Few punches were pulled.

For this, I was greatly amused. show less

God, this book was irritating. Every time I read a "this is how you write" book by a non-writer I swear I'll never do it again. Then I end up doing it again because someone will swear "oh this one is different." Nope. Not different. Exactly the same, actually. 260 pages of selling (in this case he's selling the phrase "breakout novel") and about 1 or 2 useful ideas. Nothing new, mind you, just useful to be reminded of them. I suppose actually reading a good novel could have reminded me of show more those ideas too. In fact, you know what? The time I spent reading this really annoying guy would have been much better spent reading a good novel.

Don't buy this book. If you really want to learn something about story crafting and you really, really think you can gain something more than you would from just reading and writing and sharing your work, at least read a "this is how you write" book written by a writer who's work you respect. show less