Writing the Breakout Novel - Donald Maass

This is probably my favorite book on writing, though I am also very fond of Stephen King's On Writing and Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. The first two books are both inspirational and informative. Strunk and White has a straight forward approach with no fluff, however I have recently come across a blog, Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, that is not so enamored with the book. I still like Strunk and White. One must remember that it is a style guide and that rules are made to be broken.

The  premise of Writing the Breakout Novel is that a writer has control of his or her career merely by writing the absolute best novel possible. Less encouraging is his suggestion that the mid-list is dead and that it is harder to stay published than get published. He provides expiring examples of writers who had been successful, floundered, and seemingly at the end of their careers, and became even more successful by writing their breakout novel.

This book is a  must-read. I used to read from WTBN for thirty minutes just to get inspired before writing; this practice really worked.

GO TO: Donald Mass Literary Agency to learn more about his books.