Comments on: Weapons of Mass Instruction http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/ about the craft and business of fiction Mon, 21 May 2012 13:22:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: S William Shaw http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1545 S William Shaw Fri, 10 Nov 2006 06:56:15 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1545 Great quotes. I like Maass as well. Great quotes. I like Maass as well.

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]]> By: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1538 Therese Walsh Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:58:04 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1538 I'll do a post next week on blooks and mention it, Ray. It'll get lost here in comments. Thanks for the idea, though; I wondered what I'd be saying come Tuesday. ;) I’ll do a post next week on blooks and mention it, Ray. It’ll get lost here in comments. Thanks for the idea, though; I wondered what I’d be saying come Tuesday. ;)

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]]> By: Ray Rhamey http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1536 Ray Rhamey Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:37:42 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1536 I, too, like Maass's work, and I refer to his ideas frequently at Flogging the Quill. I met him at a presentation in Seattle, and he is impressive. I'm working on contributing my own version of instruction: I've a book proposal going out for a book based on my Flogging the Quill posts. The working title is "Jump-start Your Novel with Kitty-cats in Action" with a sub-title that reads "And keep the pages turning with coaching from Flogging the Quill." If I don't succeed with the proposal (it's a tough market out there), I'm seriously considering self-publishing it. I'd appreciate hearing if there's any interest among your readers. Keep up the great work. Ray I, too, like Maass’s work, and I refer to his ideas frequently at Flogging the Quill. I met him at a presentation in Seattle, and he is impressive. I’m working on contributing my own version of instruction: I’ve a book proposal going out for a book based on my Flogging the Quill posts. The working title is “Jump-start Your Novel with Kitty-cats in Action” with a sub-title that reads “And keep the pages turning with coaching from Flogging the Quill.”

If I don’t succeed with the proposal (it’s a tough market out there), I’m seriously considering self-publishing it. I’d appreciate hearing if there’s any interest among your readers.

Keep up the great work.

Ray

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]]> By: Melissa Marsh http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1532 Melissa Marsh Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:28:14 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1532 I just picked up BETWEEN THE LINES: MASTERING THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS OF FICTION WRITING that I cannot wait to dive into. I just picked up BETWEEN THE LINES: MASTERING THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS OF FICTION WRITING that I cannot wait to dive into.

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]]> By: Kathleen Bolton http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1527 Kathleen Bolton Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:18:03 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1527 He has a great workbook too. But I also agree with Elena that caution is warranted; he's a great advocate of layering, but too many layers can squash out the story. Otherwise, it's a kick-butt book for writers. He has a great workbook too. But I also agree with Elena that caution is warranted; he’s a great advocate of layering, but too many layers can squash out the story. Otherwise, it’s a kick-butt book for writers.

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]]> By: Eric http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1525 Eric Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:12:41 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1525 I'm reading this right now, and it's good. I love the whole first few chapters where he destroys all the lies authors have come to believe. "It's the publisher's fault I wrote a lackluster novel!" He doesn't pull any punches and I'm loving the book for that so far. I’m reading this right now, and it’s good. I love the whole first few chapters where he destroys all the lies authors have come to believe.

“It’s the publisher’s fault I wrote a lackluster novel!”

He doesn’t pull any punches and I’m loving the book for that so far.

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]]> By: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1524 Therese Walsh Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:28:19 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1524 Excellent warning and clarification, Elena, and I totally agree. I used Maass to help get a full "map" of where my story might go. In the end, it was still me--my own two legs--deciding where, exactly, to step. Excellent warning and clarification, Elena, and I totally agree. I used Maass to help get a full “map” of where my story might go. In the end, it was still me–my own two legs–deciding where, exactly, to step.

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]]> By: Elena Greene http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1523 Elena Greene Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:20:47 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/11/09/weapons-of-mass-instruction/#comment-1523 I find Maass useful too. Others I use concepts from are Debra Dixon's GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT and Christopher Vogler's THE WRITER'S JOURNEY. I don't see any of them as quite WOMI though. Back to Maass, I think his concepts can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Several other published authors who judge contests were discussing this at a conference I attended recently. We've all seen some manuscripts that appear to suffer from too slavish following of Maass. His exercises force you to stretch. This is the power of his book. The pitfall is that if some story aspect is already working, stretching can create distortion: characters that pass edgy and go straight to unnatural or unsympathetic, conflicts that no longer fit the tone or intent of the story, etc... I made this sort of mistake myself in one of my drafts. Luckily my CPs caught it, I fixed it and eventually my own intuition showed me where I'd strayed. My advice would be to try Maass, do all the exercises, but don't feel you have to incorporate ALL of the results into your work. Though sometimes hard to tap into, the writer's intuition is the only true WOMI. I find Maass useful too. Others I use concepts from are Debra Dixon’s GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT and Christopher Vogler’s THE WRITER’S JOURNEY. I don’t see any of them as quite WOMI though.

Back to Maass, I think his concepts can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Several other published authors who judge contests were discussing this at a conference I attended recently. We’ve all seen some manuscripts that appear to suffer from too slavish following of Maass.

His exercises force you to stretch. This is the power of his book. The pitfall is that if some story aspect is already working, stretching can create distortion: characters that pass edgy and go straight to unnatural or unsympathetic, conflicts that no longer fit the tone or intent of the story, etc…

I made this sort of mistake myself in one of my drafts. Luckily my CPs caught it, I fixed it and eventually my own intuition showed me where I’d strayed.

My advice would be to try Maass, do all the exercises, but don’t feel you have to incorporate ALL of the results into your work. Though sometimes hard to tap into, the writer’s intuition is the only true WOMI.

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