Wisdom from THE FIRE IN FICTION
Posted by annastan on August 4th, 2010. Filed under: Books, Craft.Last time I was really stuck with a WIP, I picked up Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel. It was amazing. Maass gets right at the heart of what makes books work, and his advice helped me tremendously when thinking about my own writing. So yesterday, as I was trying to figure out which direction to go with a new-ish project, I picked up Maass’s The Fire in Fiction. Here are some tidbits I’ve found especially useful thus far.
Maass starts off by talking about likable characters. There are a few factors he says contribute to making a character likable, but this one stood out to me:
The longing for positive change is a strength we can all understand.
When I read that, it made me think of a character in another WIP I’ve been struggling with. He longs for all sorts of things, but they’re all reactions to the things happening around him. I realized I hadn’t given him a strong enough longing at the start of the story, before things start to fall apart around him.
Maass also talks about not having characters wallow in their own misery:
I not only want to turn away from [characters'] unhappy situations, there’s often little reason to feel they are worth my pity. Anxious to delve into their suffering, their authors forget to give me a reason to wish them free of it.
In the same way that we need to care about characters before we see them in action, we’ll only empathize with their suffering if we feel a connection to them first.
Finally, Maass talks about revision and knowing which scenes to cut:
Scenes work best when they have both outer and inner turning points.
Not only should something in the scene change the direction of the story, but there needs to be a change in the POV character as well. It’s a tall order for every scene to do this, but it’s a great way to keep things moving and to determine if a scene is necessary (especially if it’s a saggy-middle scene).
That’s it for now, but I’m only about a quarter through the book so I’m sure I’ll have more Maass wisdom to share soon. Happy writing!
August 4th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I loved Writing the Breakout Novel, will have to check out Fire in Fiction!
August 4th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Thanks for this, Anna. I found Writing the Breakout Novel so helpful. I’ve been meaning to get this new one—and now you’ve shown me several good reasons why I should read this book, too.
August 4th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I haven’t read those. I’ll have to check them out of the library. Thanks for the tips and suggestions!
August 4th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I’m still reading THE FIRE IN FICTION too (it’s only out of the many craft books I’m got my hands in, LOL).
This is very helpful though. Especially for the protagonist. A longing at the beginning. Hmm…I think this will be of benefit to me during my current revision. My character has a longing but I don’t think it’s coming through yet.
Thanks for the tip!
August 4th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Synchronicity! I’m reading this, too, and consider it as one of the very best books on craft. Maass truly helps you approach your story with new eyes.
I also have a character who longs for change and THE FIRE IN FICTION has helped me reevaluate how to express that longing in a way that makes the reader connect. Powerful stuff.
August 4th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Sarah and Andrea, I’m finding that FIRE is a great followup to BREAKOUT – definitely recommend it so far!
Laura, Maass is great at really breaking down what makes books stand out. His analysis is very in-depth and inspiring.
Karen, of course we’re both reading this! The longing bit really spoke to me too – it seems so obvious but the way he phrases it made me see things in a different way.
Kathryn, how fun that we’re reading this at the same time! I’ve realized just how helpful it is to read a craft book with a specific WIP in mind – it really helps me work out problem areas.
August 4th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Ahhh. I keep telling myself to get this book. But I already have so many books on craft. Do I really need another one? It’s an overload of how to.
… Isn’t it?
August 4th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
When I find myself feeling stale and unsure of my writing, I’ll pull my copy out. It helps get the desire to dig deeper and be more creative the next time I write. The Fire in Fiction is definitely a must have book.
August 5th, 2010 at 7:02 am
I loved that chapter on scenes! I’m now revising my manuscript according to that step. And so far, it’s going to really improve some scenes.
August 5th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Dominique, I know what you mean about overloading on how-to books, but I have to say that I’ve found Maass’s books to be extremely helpful. They’re more advanced than a lot of craft books out there. If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan!
Catherine, I’m sure I’ll be coming back to this one over and over. As I’m reading, it’s making me want to go back over Breakout too!
Laura, it really was such a useful technique. I’m definitely going to keep it in mind as I write/revise from now on.
August 5th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I’m re-reading that book now, and I love it. The introduction (storytellers vs. status-seekers) really helped me through a rough time, and every section has its own little “aha!” moment. I look at it more as a why-to book than a how-to book, though. Maass doesn’t give you the answers (or for that matter, the questions, really), just the tools you need to find them for yourself.
August 5th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
This is a terrific book. I read it several months ago and am keeping it nearby while I revise.
August 6th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Thanks, Anna, definitely have to check out Fire in Fiction!
Wanted to let you know I have a blog award for you on my blog, too.
August 6th, 2010 at 8:18 am
Jinky, that’s an interesting way of looking at it – he does give advice but you’re right that’s in a way that makes you figure things out for yourself. Good stuff!
Marcia, you wouldn’t believe how many post-its my copy already has. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.
Anne, thanks so much! I’m popping over to your blog right now.
September 21st, 2011 at 3:21 am
If I communcitaed I could thank you enough for this, I’d be lying.
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