pandacat42's review against another edition
4.0
I felt like I could use a lot of the advice, but I will not compromise my values and write sex scenes or throw vulgar language in my books just to please readers. Besides, there is a market for clean reading.
ckcombsdotcom's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I read this book at exactly the right time with regard to where I am in revisions to my novel and progression as a writer. Informative and practical. A must have on your writing craft shelf.
shelbycundiff's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.25
This book did not age well! I know it’s 20 years old at this point, but reading it was rough. So many cringe worthy topics and blanket generalizations! I also found this book to just be a really long list of book reviews lightly tied together with the “how to write a book” theme. I’d definitely skip this one!
julieartz's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. Loved hearing Donald Maass teaching the techniques in a workshop setting even more. Great advice on deepening/complicating characters and their situations for maximum impact.
brucelee1255's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, a big thanks to Solmarie for getting this book for me! Second, this book was almost better than having an editor. I've been writing a novel got a while and couldn't figure out quite why it was a little off. It was GOOD, with a good premise, and I liked where it was going, but it still wasn't sitting right. With the help of this book, I think I'll be able to fix it and make it a billion times better.
The only downside is that he poo-poos self publishing, but frankly this book was written in 2000, before breakouts like John Scalzi and Andy Weir. There was no way to predict the success of e-publishing back then, so this book is a little focused on things like getting an agent and getting a publishing deal. Still, though, the advice contained within is mostly relevant to us note, so kudos!
The only downside is that he poo-poos self publishing, but frankly this book was written in 2000, before breakouts like John Scalzi and Andy Weir. There was no way to predict the success of e-publishing back then, so this book is a little focused on things like getting an agent and getting a publishing deal. Still, though, the advice contained within is mostly relevant to us note, so kudos!
twocents's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book as a gift after NaNoWriMo. It's a bit dated, but that didn't antagonize me as much as it clearly bothered some other readers. I liked that he didn't really make a formula, but talked about what worked and gave a lot of examples. Could you figure it out on your own? Yes, maybe eventually. But reading hundreds of stories takes a lot of time, and doesn't give you the depth and breadth of reading that Mr. Maass has a result of being an agent.
Also, I think the fact that he isn't the most well-known novelist in the world is completely irrelevant to his overall points, which is that making the best story you can is the best pitch you can have to convincing other people to read your book. He defines breakout novel, not as being the best selling book to ever exist, but as a marked increase in your success. I found the overall message very encouraging as a wannabe novelist. I look at my current novel in the works and I can see why it's so broken now. But it's fixable, and now that I know why it doesn't work, I can fix it. That's uplifting.
The only downside of this, is that it's become more obvious to me why something doesn't work in a story anymore. So instead of having a small niggling feeling of "something about this story is blah" I find myself going, "ah, they didn't build enough tension, the plot isn't remotely plausible, etc." But critical reading is a generally good thing. If only you learned how to do critical analysis that matters in school, rather than writing essays on why the drapes were blue.
Also, I think the fact that he isn't the most well-known novelist in the world is completely irrelevant to his overall points, which is that making the best story you can is the best pitch you can have to convincing other people to read your book. He defines breakout novel, not as being the best selling book to ever exist, but as a marked increase in your success. I found the overall message very encouraging as a wannabe novelist. I look at my current novel in the works and I can see why it's so broken now. But it's fixable, and now that I know why it doesn't work, I can fix it. That's uplifting.
The only downside of this, is that it's become more obvious to me why something doesn't work in a story anymore. So instead of having a small niggling feeling of "something about this story is blah" I find myself going, "ah, they didn't build enough tension, the plot isn't remotely plausible, etc." But critical reading is a generally good thing. If only you learned how to do critical analysis that matters in school, rather than writing essays on why the drapes were blue.
ajourneyin_books's review against another edition
5.0
"If word of mouth is a kind of magic, readers are wizards."
djinn_n_juice's review against another edition
3.0
This book, unlike a lot of books about writing out there, addresses how to write books that are sellable. As such, it has some good advice about how to start with a strong premise, how to make sure your book "says" what you wanted it to, and some other stuff. But, it has some advice that I took with a grain of salt. Most of this stemmed from the fact that my end goal isn't to sell books as much as it's to satisfy my inner muse. So, his suggestion to write books that would all go on the same shelf at Borders (all "literature," or all "mysteries," for instance) is...umm... kind of sell-outy. Ray Bradbury wrote in a plethora of different styles. Orson Scott Card is writing a whole series of historical fiction books right now. This is advice that takes all the fun out of writing, in my opinion.
However, there were enough useful nuggets in here for me to still be glad I read it.
However, there were enough useful nuggets in here for me to still be glad I read it.
kons's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book is pretty good. Obviously it's a little old, but I do think the info is good, and I do plan on reading it again, shortly.
The only criticism I have is that at times it feels like the examples go on and on. Other than that, I am glad I read it, and look forward to reading it again.
The only criticism I have is that at times it feels like the examples go on and on. Other than that, I am glad I read it, and look forward to reading it again.