The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great

If you're looking for a book that tells you everything about how to be an author, this is the wrong book for you. This has a hundred tips about how to improve your writing, mostly at the level of scenes, not entire stories. That being said, it does that extremely well.The format of the book is a series of examples and half-page quotes which Donald thought illustrated a point, followed by his commentary.The last couple chapters were amazing. Second to last chapter was entitled "tension everywhere" and I think improved my abilities as a writer:"Micro-tension is the moment-by-moment tension that keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense over what will happen, not in the story but in the next few seconds."And (spoiler) here's the Fire in Fiction, another great concept:"Originality comes not from your genre, setting, plot, characters, voice, or any other element on which you can work. It cannot. It isn't possible. Originality can come only from what you bring of yourself to your story. In other words, originality is not a function of your novel; it is a quality in you."My one complaint is that the writing was a bit loose. Sometimes, he'd write for a paragraph about a book of some kind, only to say, "Ok, now we'll ignore that book and talk about something else that author wrote." By the end of my book, my head was swimming after going through SO MANY examples from SO MANY books.Still, very, very helpful.

Following the exercises recommended by Donald Maass in his book, Fire In Fiction, took my writing to another level. If you write and dream of publishing your words, I definitely recommend reading this book and applying the information learned. Seriously changes the way you look at and communicate your story.

Where was Donald Maas during the first phase of my fiction writing career?This book advances The Breakout Novel by going through the modern genres and updating where they stand today, and exploring in depth what creates prose we want to read.Guess what? It's not many of the things other books tell you.He also gives away a lot of the common cliches writers submit to his agency. Got a thriller about an unearthed archeological artifact? Scenes where the hero ponders what just happened and decides what to do next?If you're on the A list, you probably think you don't need this book -- I won't mention any names, but I can think of some big names who've fallen into bad habits.If you're just beginning, you won't understand it. Get more basic books about plot, point of view and so.For those of us in the huge space between beginner and A List, this book is a blessing.

I am, by trade, a non-fiction author. But like most of my pack, I've often thought about writing fiction. Having already read this author's Writing the Breakout Novel, I wasn't sure I would learn anything new. I was absolutely WRONG.I was grabbed from the opening pages. There, Maass talked about why some books from well-known authors, or authors who've written several books in a series go south. Having experienced that phenomenon as a reader I really wanted to understand how to avoid that problem as a writer.This book is filled with great examples of good writing with explanations of WHY the writing is good. There's also some neat exercises at the end of each chapter that guide a writer in thinking through their own process, as it relates to the chapter's topic, i.e. scenes, character, protagonists, etc.A great read and one I'll go back and read again.

I have yet to read a How-to book by Donald Maass that I didn't devour and learn so much from. From beginners to advanced fiction writers, this one will inspire and get your creative juices flowing like his other books.

This book is loaded with helpful, practical ideas to further your fiction writing. Sometimes when I feel stuck, I look in the book for an exercise that will get me going again, and you don't have to agree with everything he says for it to be helpful. Even Donald Maas doesn't agree with Donald Maas. Somewhere I read some of his comments on Robert Goolrick's "A Reliable Wife." He loves it, but it jumps right into one of the main character's background quite quickly. At the same time, in "The Fire in Fiction," he advises that writers withhold background information until page 50! While I agree, seeing the contradiction is liberating. I don't feel I need to slavishly adhere to his advice (or most anyone's), and neither should you. But he knows his stuff. You'll pick up a lot of good stuff.

This guy is the Simon Cowell of novel writing: "Did your friends tell you that you can sing? You need better friends!" He has a sharp tongue, but his advice is very clear, and I think it's right on the money. Plus, this book is full of examples from recent novels. I'm actually using the novels he cites as my reading list. One more thing: I read Fire in Fiction right after reading another book by Donald Maas called How to Write 21st Century Fiction. Both titles are fantastic, but they are designed to give really precise fine-tuning. If you're just looking for something to motivate you, these are not the books you're looking for.

I've read a quite a few books on writing and some of them were good and insightful. I was warned that this was probably not for beginners and I'd agree. There is so much to chew on that it is impossible to digest all at once.I thought I knew a fair bit about character and conflict but turning points and micro tension were new concepts to me. I recognised them instantly from the examples - a bit of a 'duh' moment for me. However it's the systemised way that you can go through your own novel, editing each different aspect - that's very useful.Endings and beginnings...I knew they were important but now I'll be taking a fresh look at those as well (not just the first and last page).The exercises I have yet to try - you'd think I would be excited and I am in a way...except I know it will also be hard work.There are a lot of exercises.The difficulty is choosing which ones to do first. I know the more effort I put in, the better my book will be.

If you are a serious writer this book is inspirational. I also went on to buy some of the books Donald Maass described. (he gives excerpts from novels) which colour in what he is suggesting to improve a novel.

The author practises what he preaches, making this book fun to read as well as being interesting and informative.

This book won't make you write a bestseller, but it might help. The author shows through example how to create things that will give your stories an extra dimension, such as characters with histories, characters with goals and aims. A simple few lines can transform bland characters into characters that will grab the reader's interest.

Beyond the norm, deep within, lies something more. This book will help you find it, but it's no walk in the park. Yes, it's well paced, a clear line, a deep understanding, but it needs work and dedication. Look to the contents within to find the spark, supply your own kindling ...Yes, I enjoyed this. Very much.