Friday, April 4, 2014

D is for Donald Maass

 

So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


D is for Donald Maass

I have found the books written by Donald Maass to be extremely inspiring and resourceful as a writer. I refer back to his books time and time again. Two of my favorites:



 
 
According to his website (click here for more info) "Donald Maass founded the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York in 1980. His agency sells more than 150 novels every year to major publishers in the U.S. and overseas.  He is the author of The Career Novelist (1996),Writing the Breakout Novel (2001), Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook(2004), The Fire in Fiction (2009) and The Breakout Novelist (2011).  He is a past president of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc."

What about you? Have you read any of his books? What did you think of them?
Labels: , , , , ,

11 comments:

  1. TrishaApril 4, 2014 at 5:40 AM

    I hadn't added his books to my TBR yet. Thanks for the tip - got them on there now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan bloggerApril 4, 2014 at 5:51 AM

    Hi Margo, I've not read any of his books, unfortunately.
    Good to see you in the A-Z challenge!

    Teaching English with Mr. Duncan
    A-Z of hotels

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michelle WallaceApril 4, 2014 at 6:47 AM

    I've heard SO MUCH about the man. Really need to get my hands on one of his books.
    Writer In Transit

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tara TylerApril 4, 2014 at 9:13 AM

    i wanted to attend a conf where Donald Maass was speaking and i couldn't. i was very disappointed. lots of knowledge to be gained from him, but i do have writing the breakout novel, at least!

    happy d day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michael Di GesuApril 4, 2014 at 9:27 AM

    I have a few.... But I never got a chance to read them! Bad, Michael. LOL..
    I really think I should!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 4, 2014 at 9:49 AM

    I haven't heard of Donald before, but I'm definitely a believer in the wisdom of agents, just because they've seen so many of the mistakes writers have made!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Melanie StanfordApril 4, 2014 at 10:16 AM

    I haven't read any of Donald Maass' books but I've heard that Writing the Breakout Novel is a great one! I'll have to add that to my craft book TBR.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownApril 4, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    I absolutely love Donalad Mass' books! Writing The Breakout Novel (or something like that, there's 21st in the title somewhere) is my favorite. There's a whole lot of worksheets in it that are great to ask yourself about your story and your characters.

    ReplyDelete
  9. mooderinoApril 4, 2014 at 12:47 PM

    I've read a couple, some good ideas and strategies. Like most writing advice you have to pick and choose what works for you.

    mood
    Moody Writing

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gail M Baugniet - AuthorApril 7, 2014 at 10:49 PM

    I use The Fire In Fiction as a reference book. Every time I reread the book, I learn something new. I doubt I'll ever complete all his practical tool assignments.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lily WhalenApril 10, 2014 at 10:16 AM

    I had the opportunity to attend a Donald Maas workshop. It was awesome! Unfortunately, I haven't had time to read any of his books yet. I think it would help to reinforce the ideas he shared at his speaking engagement.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)