I recently picked up the book, THE FIRE IN FICTION, written by long time agent, Donald Maass. This is a follow-up book to his best-selling book and workbook, HOW TO WRITE THE BREAKOUT NOVEL.
What I really enjoyed about the book is the focus on the small things, the nuances of character and plot that can take a book from good to great. He talks a lot about character, the protagonist, the hero, the villain. At the end of each chapter are some thoughtful questions that you can ask yourself about your own work. I found the questions provocative and made me rethink some of my decisions. One of his practical tools worksheet suggests that the writer pick a scene, identify its outer turning point, the exact minute when things change for the protagonist or the point of view character. Then he suggests winding the clock back ten minutes, and write a paragraph as to how the point of view character sees herself before that turning point. Then wind the clock ahead ten minutes and think about how the character feels now. These kinds of exercises really break down the writing to small details and allow the writer to really craft the story instead of just coasting along and occasionally getting lucky with some great scenes.
He talks a lot about having the passion for the story, which I also think is so important. You can always tell when the writer really believes in the world he/she is creating and those that are just going through the motions.
Maass’s other book is also really good – I must say he analyzes some passages from my novel, SUMMER SECRETS, in his book, HOW TO WRITE A BREAKOUT NOVEL, and I really enjoyed his analysis.
So if you’re looking for a good writing book, I highly recommend this one.
November 10, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I love the Donald Maas books, particularly this last one. I always learn something new or remember something that I’ve forgotten.