Writers on Writing: Donald Maass
As well as writing novels, Donald Maass is a successful literary agent so it's not surprising that his books for writers are full of useful suggestions and insights.
I love writing about writing because it’s my favourite subject, and I love reading other people’s books about it too. Donald Maass first came onto my radar when I mentioned this at a Scattered Authors’ retreat many years ago, and Linda Newbery, asked me if I’d read his Writing the Breakout Novel.
The premise of the book is that what can make a good novel into a bestseller is a strong universal theme, such as ‘the fight for justice’ or ‘unrequited love.’ This might explain in part why genre fiction such as crime and romance sell so well.
Maass acknowledges that universal themes and archetypes inevitably run through every story on an unconscious level, but he suggests we try writing with them front and centre and feel what a difference that makes.
In The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface, Maass does something similar, inviting us to look at plotting, not in terms of the action or sequence of events, but starting from the deepest psychological needs of the main characters – their inner journey.
Again, this isn’t something writers don’t already know about, it just comes at things from a different angle – we think in terms of both action and psychological plotlines in fiction, but normally we start by planning the action, and Maass suggests approaching it from the other direction, focusing first on the inner journey and letting the action follow on from that.
I find that thinking along these lines does help me decide what action needs to be in the story and what doesn’t contribute enough emotionally, so if your plot is getting muddled or bogged down, try not just looking at what happens but making sure that everything that happens matters.
Leading with universal themes so the reader knows immediately what the book is about, and focusing on the psychological journey of the characters so they know why it’s important can help you get a killer opening and deliver a satisfying ending too.
I love books like these two by Donald Maass that offer fresh perspectives and make us think differently about our writing process. That’s what I reach for when I am writing for writers too.
