Writing the Breakout Novel | Donald Maass | Very good advice for writers

Writing the Breakout Novel | Donald Maass | Pull out your Highlighters--You're going to need them

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Writing the Breako...

	Writing the Breakout Novel Donald Maass Writers Digest Books, 2002 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 57 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A breakout novel is one that rises out of its category - such as romance, mystery or thriller - and hits the bestseller lists. All aspiring novelists dream of achieving this success as do many published novelists who remain stuck in what author Donald Maass calls "midlist hell." In Writing the Breakout Novel, Maass explains the elements that all breakout novels share and shows readers how to use these elements to write a novel that has a good chance of succeeding within the crowded marketplace. From creating a high-stakes premise to building larger-than-life characters to sustaining a high degree of conflict and tension, Maass covers all the key ingredients of this type of novel. Using several of his clients, including best-selling novelist Anne Perry, as case studies, Maass provides real-life, insider examples to show how this type of novel can generate agent and publisher interest, creating or enhancing a novelist's career.

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Very good advice for writers

I'm now reading through Donal Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel for the 2nd or 3rd time, and each time it's very helpful in writing my own fiction. His insights and analyses of what makes a book 'break out' into bestsellerdom or into critical acclaim make one stop to look more critically at one's own writing.
Really, really helpful. Very practical advice.

Pull out your Highlighters--You're going to need them

My rating of course is a dead giveaway that I liked this book, immensely. It deserves high praise indeed for Maass's in depth, yet succinct and clear writing style. His many years of writing experience shine through. And as president of his own Literary Agency, he knows what the industry looks for and he knows how to showcase the important, and indispensable devices you need to master--if you really want to get published. All the chapters conveniently end with a Breakout Checklist, which is a nice way to summarize what you've just read. (Similar to a workbook, which he also offers and is worth getting, especially if you're working on a first draft.) Packed with all the stuff you really need to know; this book, like a great novel, is hard to put down. Believe me, you're going to learn something. If you've read dozens of books on writing, it might be something you've already heard before, or maybe not, but Maass expresses it in a very digestible form. And that makes a big difference. (Comes in handy when you don't get much sleep.)

All right, so here's the big question on everyone's mind. Would buying this book help me write a breakout novel of my own? Answer: YES, it will help you write a much better novel. And quite possibly your breakout novel at that. That's up to you. No particular book is going to hand you the magical keys to literary fame and fortune. But, let me say that of all the books I've read on writing novels, this has been the best.

Now for my only pet peeve. (For your benefit Mr. Maass) What's with the Brand-X cover? As a graphic designer, I understand about white space and simplicity, but honestly, when I first came across this cover I wanted to pass on this book. It's not a bad design; I just think its contents deserve a different representation. Like the cover on your workbook; very nice. (We should be grateful for chapter previews.) Maybe it's just me; who knows if everyone judges a book by its cover. Cheap-looking cover--questionable contents. That's my take. Thankfully, with this book, its contents are the antithesis of its (hideous) cover.

And so, thank you Donald Maass for your insight and expertise. It is well received, and I'm applying what I've learned to my first novel, "A Death for Beauty", which I'm happy to say, is not so far off the mark. I'll query you after one more polish. Hopefully, you'll let me down gently, with even more good advice. Then again, I might soon be on your roster of best-selling authors. Who knows. Ahh, dreaming is such a blessed thing. I think I need a nap.

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Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

this is hands down the best 'how to' book for writers and aspiring writers that I've read. It has valuable hints and tips on every page. This man knows the writing craft! Buy it - your writing will get better.

Storytelling vs. Writing

Maass maintains that good storytelling (plot) is more important than good writing (dialogue, characterization, turns of phrase, etc.). With the examples that he holds up--Grisham, Crichton--it's hard not to disagree with him. Why do so many midlist and literary writers fail to "break out"? Low-stakes plots. True, not every reader wants to read about the world in peril...but many readers do, and upping the ante is one of Maass's techniques to be commercially successful. He also provides excellent advice for handling agents, editors, advances, promotion, etc. that will be sobering for many beginning authors.

Maass loses credibility when he moves away from tried-and-true book analysis into more esoteric (and religious) areas. Take, for example, the subsection titled "God at Work in the World": "God works in little ways as well as big ones...Have you ever felt that something that happened to you was fated?" The most egregious religious reference, however, is his citation of Tim F. LaHaye's "Left Behind" series as a breakout work due to its authors' special ability to "make the apocalypse feel real." Huh?

As an author, Maass has written either 14 novels (according to the text) or 17 novels (according to the book jacket) under pseudonyms. Since none of them are mentioned by name, I'm going to assume that he's still struggling as a midlist author. Why he doesn't use his own techniques to write his own "breakout" novel? That's a good question, and one that goes unanswered.

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Great book..... But

The book was very helpful, answer many of my questions and if you follow his suggestion I beleive, I think it will improve your writing and (hopefully) your chances of being published. Now for the "but." There are lots of good and even great writers not getting a chance. There are too many agents and publishers that are looking for "types or formats" not great stories or books. As a reader and hopefully a writer, I am looking for something a little different...The book is well worth a read and it will help the writer understand the process of the New York agents.

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