Very useful for fiction writers

I was very close to returning this at the beginning - it felt like one of those annoying self-help type novels with its checklists at the end of every chapter and almost too-positive tone (think, 'this is a tool that will help you write a book to sell millions of copies with a movie deal!'). At first, a lot of the advice also seems pretty obvious - create likeable characters, brilliant. However, I was patient with it and my mind has been changed. I do think this is a really useful book for anyone looking to write fiction.

A few chapters in I realised that the advice and examples were actually really really useful. Although the over-emphasis on emotion as this 'silver bullet of fiction' is cheesy and over-the-top, after listening to the whole thing and thinking about it when I read other fiction I've realised that there are some really key insights here. There were a lot of things I had never considered (when should you 'show' versus 'tell' your reader your character's emotion?) but even some of the seemingly obvious tips (give characters emotional stakes) were really helpful. You think about them in a more deeply. There are a LOT of examples from other fiction used here, I found these the most helpful. I went back and actually read books from a lot of the examples cited here and find that they were good inspiration to draw from. These insights are not only really important for writing good fiction (I agree with this author that without incorporating good emotion it's impossible to write a story people will care about) but also the kinds of things I haven't really read in other books about writing.

In summary, if you think it's sounding a little cheesy and silly - I'm with you here. However, I genuinely think there are some really helpful insights in chapters throughout this book that you can take away from this and I do recommend it for anyone looking to write good fiction.

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1 person found this helpful

Pretty good, but has some unnecessary weight

The tips were pretty good, but sometimes too many and too long examples were quoted.
A good chunk of the could have been cut in my oppinion.

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better than the print version

I bought this as a paperback, then used the audiobook as a refresher. It seems to flow better as an audiobook although that may be just because I had already had the benefit of the written version.
Still, a good listen and let's face it, who wouldn't take the advice of such a respected agent as Donald Maass

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6 people found this helpful

Great purchase!

This book was so helpful. A little long-winded sometimes but am really glad I got it. I have a much better understanding of how to write emotions well now!

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3 people found this helpful

a deeper pevel of engagement

strong points, sometimes lenghty but never overwrought. narration a bit quiet, but on point.

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