Every month of every year, publishers pop out more creative writing books than any creative writer could possibly read. Many of these offerings are solid, providing sound, useful advice; others are rehashed versions of old information; and a few too many are simply drivel. But on this Great Stuff for Writers Friday, I’m recommending two new titles that stand head and shoulders above most works on the writing process. Each of these books looks at creative writing from a different angle. Both offer unique and surprising insights.
Writing 21st Century Fiction: High-Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling by Donald Maass (Writer’s Digest Books).
“The 21st century is a counter-intuitive, brain-twisting time for novelists,” writes Maass in this fascinating book about what makes a bestseller. And he should know: he is director of a major literary agency with a stellar reputation.
One of Maass’s first objectives in Writing 21st Century Fiction is to break down what many writers mistakenly see as a “great divide” between literary fiction and blockbuster novels, the former seen as thoughtful, beautifully written, and neglected; the latter as bestselling crap. The difference doesn’t exist, Maass insists—not in the way it once did—and he has some pretty sound evidence to prove his point.
He goes on to talk about how to create a bestselling book—not just by tapping into readers’ desires for a thrilling ride, but through the simple power of authentic emotion, motivated characters, and beautiful language. The phrase high-impact in the title is well chosen: Maass’s focus is on ways to give your audience an unforgettable reading experience.
Reflections: On the Magic of Writing by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow Books).
Any serious reader of fantasy fiction is familiar with the name of Diana Wynne Jones. When Jones died last year at the age of 77, the world lost a prolific author of works laced with magical worlds, alternate universes, charming characters, startling plot twists, and humor, including Howl’s Moving Castle, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and the seven novels of the Chrestomanci series—to name only a few of Wynne’s more than forty books.
Reflections is a posthumously published collection of Wynne’s essays about the writing process. From the reflective to the critical to the informative, this collection is a goldmine of ideas not just about fantasy writing, but about the meaning of writing in all its many forms. I don’t like the phrase “a must-read,” but this one is good enough to almost get me to use it.