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

I felt this book really delivered what it promised. Donald Maas cuts to the heart of what makes good fiction compelling. I found especially helpful the books he cites to illustrate a point: It gave me a great reading list! I was able to immerse myself in really good fiction that helpmed me understand the point he was making and how it affected the reading experience.

I highly recommend it, not just for novelists, but for screenwriters and writers of other genres as well.

I have taken a few workshops with Dom Maass and have been impressed with the way he teaches the art of storytelling, which is a whole different skill than the craft of writing. Don has studied in detail some of the most popular works of fiction and has broken down for the aspiring storyteller, the key to why these stories work. In FIRE IN FICTION, Don shares the insights he has gathered and the principles he teaches in his workshops. It is not magic and it is not some God-given talent. He has created a book of tools and techniques that anyone can use to make a WIP a vastly improved product.

This book is an absolute must have for anyone writing fiction. The advice is clear and the exercises make it really easy to hone the techniques.

I have found this book extrememly helpful as a learning tool, with the exercises in the book plus the information.

I gave it to my writing class instructor and she has gotten several ideas for the fall classes she teaches. She was highly impressed with the text and exercises.

Donald Maass is one of the best advisors a fiction writer could have. This book is another example of the brilliant, sensible, practical advice this great literary agent and author gives to other writers. Also check out his WRITING THE BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL, especially if you have a completed novel that needs an overhaul.