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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A different approach, 24 Jul 2002
By A Customer
I own 20+ books on writing fiction. Some are generic How to Write books (there are several good ones) some focus on revision and editing (I recommend Self Editing for Fiction Writers) some focus on how a drama is built up to a story worth telling (Story by Robert McKee is the best). There are books about plot, dialogue, scenes etc.
This is a book that focuses on what makes a novel stand out, and possibly, break out. You won't find the generic advice on fiction writing here (like don't write 'a dog', but 'a poodle', be specific) so this is not the first book on fiction writing you should get. But if you have a few books already and think that you know the basics and that every new book seems to confirm what you already know, this one could be what you are looking for.
The author tells you how to get past the mundane and bring your story to a new level. In screenwriting it's called high concept, but you might as well call it a method for choosing characters an plots that are fresh and original. He tells you why it's a common mistake to put a everyman into the middle of something BIG or try to create two unreleted plots that merge or have the character mulling over things while driving or drinking coffee. He tells you how to use exposition to deepen dilemma and increase tension, how to build a subplot with all the elements of a real plot (surprises, endings) and not only have character change but big time transformation.
The book is not geared specifically to genre fiction. He doesn't claim to know how to create a bestseller. Instead, he uses the term breakout, wich includes of course bestsellers, but also comprises any fiction that rises over the competition in inventing new genres, or just pushing the limit of the genre instead of conforming to the current trend.
He analyzes what makes novels break out and offers his insights in a manner that is accessible for anyone who knows the basics of novel writing and, most probably, already has tried writing one. I really think that you should have had some experience before you really can grasp all the advice you get here.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the writer that's ready to move on, 28 Jul 2004
By A Customer
If you want to turn a good book into a great book, read this. It is clear that Donald Maass knows what he's talking about. He lets you in on all the secrets. He also clearly assumes that you know the basics, so if that's what you are looking for, shop something else at first. This is for the writer that's been through most and is ready to move on. (This clearly shows in that he gives advice that not all authors should go by. Fx: He says it's okay to go a lot over 100.000 words for a breakout novel - but of course we all know that for a first time author, a 150.000 word novel probably won't sell.) But he writes down-to-earth, an easily understood text and with tips you can take right out and use in your own novel. This is the best book on writing, I've read this year.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful information from a top literary agent, 17 April 2003
To be honest, I don't think many people will be elevated to "breakout" status by reading this book, simply because of the limitations of books - and of humans.Even so, it will be a useful read for anyone seeking to raise their writing game - though I wouldn't recommend it as the first, or only, book to read (I recommend Sol Stein and Orson Scott Card for your actual "craft of writing" shelf). What makes this book really interesting is Maass's status as a New York literary agent. When he says what makes him reject a manuscript out of hand, or the sort of thing that makes him reach for the phone, a writer does well to listen! Some of it seemed a bit padded (personally I get more from direct analysis than from case studies, and he puts a lot of the latter in - and sometimes spends several lines listing example works and authors: not particularly useful unless you're going to look them all up). Elsewhere he excerpts sections from his case study books, which is more usable but, for me, can still be labouring the point. The most useful sections were on plotting and structure. A thread of "conflict! conflict! conflict!" runs through the book, too - a lesson that many writers would do well to take on board (including this one. And that's what I mean about the limitations of books and humans above: it's easy to know that conflict is important, harder to get the conflict on page after page - and yes, there should be conflict on every page, according to Maass). Overall, as a writing book, you'd be better off with Sol Stein. This one comes into its own as a glimpse into the mind of a modern literary agent. Definitely worth reading before you submit to the Donald Maass Agency :-)
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