Everything You Need to Know About Novel Writing for a Living

Jun 5, 2011
Paym Bergson

Everything You Need to Write Successfully - cover courtesy of FSB Associates

From starting on first words, to mastering basics and breakouts, to the pitfalls to avoid and the real truth about writing and publishing, and the future.

Want to write as a living? Fantasizing about that first novel that will set you up for life as a writer? Want to know the real truth?

The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers by Donald Maass is your guide on this ride! Like a personal writing coach in a box, this book guides both novice and experienced writers to achieve the greatness they feel within but have trouble getting out. With over 30 years experience in working with professional novelists, Maass has discovered what works and what doesn't, and how to get the best out of your writing. The main point? Good writers don't go it alone; they avail themselves of critiques, agents, editors. They teach, mentor, volunteer - they keep open to opportunities.

Personal Coach in a Box

But anyone can get stuck - and this book becomes the 'on-call' support at the exact moment it's needed. From the realization that it's believable characters and a plot that provides action of the mind (not necessarily moving action, but words that grip you and compel you to keep turning the page); to the reality of getting published in an industry that is constantly changing; the book provides a step-by-step approach that can be incorporated into any style of writing, or method of writing.

There are three sections: Mastering Breakout Basics, Achieving Breakout Greatness, and Building a Breakout Career. The first two deal with the mechanics of writing, the how-to create, how to get the stories to breathe. You'll find the usual suspects here - character, plot, subplot, endings, pace, tension, practical tools, etc.

Important Information on Contracts

The last section is an eye-opener on the monetary aspect - the work is finished, now how to get paid, or published. This is a no-holds, all truth section. And the times have changed, and continue to change especially with ebooks, consolidation of publishing houses, etc. Online has provided 'print-on-demand', meaning a publisher can retain the rights to your work even without selling a single copy. Google impinges on author's copyrights by scanning books to make them available for searches - the intention is to create an online library with advertising on the web pages you view. (p. 301)

The information on agents is priceless and timeless; the truth on editors supports what many readers have already suspected. Damage control, not improvement. But the up side is that where once only the editor was the support team, the writer now has a team that can help - from agent to critiquers, and the best source is yourself.

Keep the Guide Handy Throughout Writing Cycle

The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers is filled with writing samples, some short anecdotes, and information geared to anyone trying to make a living through writing. It's the book to keep at your writing area, for a quick cup of help or to allay some anxiety of the next stages.

Book courtesy of FSB Associates.