Writing the Breakout Novel

By Donald Maass

I wanted to take the opportunity this posting to share another craft book which I found useful: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donal Maass. Once again, I caution that this review and recommendation are not meant as an end-all be-all. This is to share a book which I found useful in hopes that it might be useful to someone else. If it doesn’t help you, I hope you find something else that works for you.

What’s initially interesting about this book is that it’s a craft book written from the perspective of a literary agent. But instead of what you’d expect—the kind of plastic advice pushing for some kind of sensationalized work—Maass’s advice is anything but. He offers a no-nonsense look at the world of publishing with brutal honesty in the beginning, only to open it up to insightful writing advice about constructing fiction which has a plethora of layers and artistic skill. Maass shows his readers not only the cold reality of publishing but why it’s so important to give every novel and every sentence your all.

Breakout fiction, he explains, is the novel which not only launches a career; it’s the novel that leaves a lasting impression with readers. It’s the kind of book every writer strives to write but not all are successful in crafting. Breakout fiction, Maass explains, is the kind of layered and deep text that is so tightly tied together that it works.

He takes his readers through each element of what makes up breakout fiction and explains in detail how it works. Inspiring the reader with different ways these elements might be imagined and layered as well as explaining how they interlock to enhance a text. What I found most interesting about this book was that it’s all about pieces of novel which we already see in our favorite works. It just highlights them, reminding us why those favorites are our favorites in the first place.

I wound up taking a lot of notes throughout my reading of this book, and at times, I still consult them to better imagine how I’d like my own work to be shaped. From the overall premise to the functionality of theme, this book examines a wide range of how we look at taking the next step in fiction. I find it useful especially for editing, as it helps me better recognize my weaknesses when preparing something for publication. Currently, I’m applying a few of the techniques as I edit and develop my first novel.

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass is the kind of honest look at writing and publishing I welcome. And my hope is that by featuring it here it might be useful to someone else. He has another craft book which I’m looking forward to reading; I already have a feeling that one I’ll find useful too.