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

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Overview

Discover the Difference Between a So-So Manuscript and a Novel Readers Can't Forget

We've all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether?

Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don't ...

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

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More About This Book

Overview

Discover the Difference Between a So-So Manuscript and a Novel Readers Can't Forget

We've all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether?

Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don't grip the imagination, let alone the heart. They merit only a shrug and a polite dismissal by agents and editors.

It doesn't have to be that way. In The Fire in Fiction, successful literary agent and author Donald Maass shows you not only how to infuse your story with deep conviction and fiery passion, but how to do it over and over again. The book features:

  • Techniques for capturing a special time and place, creating characters whose lives matter, nailing multiple-impact plot turns, making the supernatural real, infusing issues into fiction, and more.
  • Story-enriching exercises at the end of every chapter to show you how to apply the practical tools just covered to your own work.
  • Rich examples drawn from contemporary novels as diverse as The Lake House, Water for Elephants, and Jennifer Government to illustrate how various techniques work in actual stories.
Plus, Maass introduces an original technique that any novelist can use any time, in any scene, in any novel, even on the most uninspired day...to take the most powerful experiences from your personal life and turn those experiences directly into powerful fiction.

Tap into The Fire in Fiction, and supercharge your story with originality and spark!

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781582975061
  • Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
  • Publication date: 5/6/2009
  • Pages: 272
  • Sales rank: 194,862
  • Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 8.90 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Meet the Author

Donald Maass is president of the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York, which he founded in 1980. He represents more than 100 fiction writers and sells more than 100 novels per year to top publishers in America and overseas. He is himself the author of fourteen pseudonymous novels and of the books The Career Novelist (Heineman, 1996), Writing the Breakout Novel (Writer's Digest Books, 2001) and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (Writer's Digest Books, 2004). He is a past president of the Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc. (AAR). Don tours the country giving one-day workshops based on his popular book, Writing the Breakout Novel.

www.maassagency.com

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Sort by: Showing 1 – 13 of 12 Customer Reviews

  • Posted April 21, 2010

    An Excellent Guide

    Great book. Shows lots of way to pump up tension in your writing. The exercises are actually helpful. I liked the way it's organized and written. I skimmed some of the excerpts used to illustrate the points, but I also added some books to my nightstand that I hadn't considered before.

    I'm glad I bought this and read it, I think it's improved my writing. I would recommend this to any writer of fiction, published or not.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted June 29, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maas

    As with all of Mr. Maas' books, this is a very informative and helpful book for fiction writers whether novices or folks on the New York Times best seller list. Strong and easily understood ways to add fire to your fiction. A must read for all writers regardless.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted May 30, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Great Book!

    As with his previous non-fiction works on writing fiction, Mr. Maass has superb insight. I got a lot out of this book that helped me as a fiction writer, and so will you. He is insightful and pragmatic--a rare combination. I made a little cheat-sheet with points from his books that help me daily. I ordered this book before it was even available, and was not disappointed. Passion for your fiction, and avoiding the mundane, is at the top of his priorities, as well as a lot of other great reminders and suggestions.

    Thanks, Mr. Maass!
    Lewis Faulkner www.FaulknerFiction.com

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