Books on Writing Part 4

This week's book on writing comes from current literary agent Donald Maass. It gives a unique look at writing from a commercial aspect. Donald Maass is still a working literary agent (who is also seeking clients at his agency, Donald Maass Literary Agency).

Today, I'm talking specifically about one of his many books, The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass.

The Fire in Fiction talks about writing specifically for publication. So, if you're not looking to be commercially published, this may not be the book for you. Donald Maass offers a unique agent perspective that is coveted by writers racking up rejections. He delves deeply into many issues including character, tension, voice and the story world. What I really loved about this book was Maass' ability to talk about all aspects of an issue. For example, he doesn't merely bottle character into a single quote of knowledge, he gives the writer options like Special Characters (ex. Superman), Ordinary Characters (ex. Average Joe), and the Antagonist (ex. inner antagonist, or outter do-badder). Maass is also the master of offering examples. He uses excerpts  from many different novels to show his concepts.

Some sections from The Fire in Fiction:

"Exposition is an opportunity not to enhance the dangers of the plot (exposition doesn't do that) but to put your characters' hearts and minds in peril. Remember, though, that true tension in exposition comes not from circular worry or repetitive turmoil; it springs from emotions in conflict and ideas at war."

"Does it matter what is the last line of your scene, or the first? Apparently, many authors do not think it does. Most last and first lines in manuscript scenes are quite forgettable. That's a shame. Like a handshake, an opening and closing line can create impressions and expectations. They can set a tone. They can signal where we're going, or what we've done, or serve any number of other useful story purposes."

"Even worse [than cardboard villains] can be stories in which there is no villain as such. Literary fiction, women's fiction, romances, and coming-of-age tales are just a few types of story that do not necessarily call for a classic wrongdoer. In such manuscripts, even so, those who oppose the protagonist are often poorly developed and inactive. Lacking strong resistance, one wonders why the protagonist is having a hard time. It is possible to build conflict out of interal obstacles, of course, but over the long haul it's wearisome and hard to maintain readers' interest that way."

You'll enjoy this book if: you learn best through examples, you are seeking an agent and don't know why you can't get one, you write many stories with different types of characters, styles, or voices.

I'm currently reading Donald Maass' other book Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, which is less instructional and has more examples and worksheets. It's nice if you've finished a few drafts and are working on serious revision.

One final note on The Fire in Fiction: as I perused the book (I read it last a little over two years ago), I found that I had earmarked nearly every exercise at the end of each chapter. So not only does Maass offer the exercises, but they are truly good, and they might even work!