Books by Donald Maass to Help Me Along

It's not often that I purchase books on writing craft. Gasp! I know, every writer should study to improve her craft. I'm just one of those practice makes perfect kinds of people. I would rather do it than read about it.

I mentioned in My Journey to Publication - Part 2 post that when I first started out, I purchased several books on the craft of writing, most of which remain unread. So, how can I justify buying more books--especially to my poor hubby who told me it was okay to stay home and fulfill my dreams?

Well, here's how I am justifying it to myself. I've heard a lot about Donald Maass over the years. While I was searching for potential agents to submit my first novel manuscript to, he was at the top of the list. This manuscript sits in a drawer of my filing cabinet right now (a story for a whole different post). I also have several writing friends who have read his book, Writing the Breakout Novel, and at least one friend who is making her way through his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook.



Since I had already decided to order both of those, I opted to pick up a copy of his book, The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great.

I figure that even if it takes me years to work up the courage to pitch a manuscript to the Donald Maass Literary Agency, it's a good idea to understand his philosophy and his approach to writing.

Now I just need to carve out the time to read these in between the other books I have to review. Wish me luck!