Breakouts and blockbusters redux?

[a_sharp]

Thirteen years ago Al Zuckerman wrote "Writing the Blockbuster Novel" and in 2000 Donald Maass wrote "Writing the Breakout Novel."

My question if you've read either or both is, do you think what they said then about high concept, big characters, complex plot structures, themes, still applies?

[RG570]

I have Maass' book and while I don't agree with some of it, I think it does still apply. Most of it is pretty basic, I think, and probably will never change.

[Scrawler]

I liked both books and learned quite a bit. I agree with RG- most of it is pretty basic.
Donald Maass said to develop larger-than-life characters, sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish, and weave sub-plots into the main action. Makes sense to me.
Al Zuckerman stresses the importance of character relationships, plotting, and revision, and puts an emphasis on outlining. Good advice.

[GerriB]

Absolutely their advice applies. Stories need stakes, tension, themes (although some would disagree with me here), bigger than life characters, and all the other stuff.

The nifty thing about Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel and Al Zuckerman's Writing the Blockbuster Novel is that Maass is the theorist and Zuckerman is the nuts-n-bolts man. Obviously they didn't plan it that way since Zuckerman's book came out long before Maass'. But what I love about Zuckerman's book is that he shows a working outline that builds on things like stakes, tension, characterization, and such. Maass just points to published examples. Not that Maass doesn't have important things to say. He does. But combined together, these books are a powerful one-two punch on how to make Story more powerful.

Highly recommended.

Good luck!

[Moon Daughter]

I have "Writing the Breakout Novel" and really ACTUALLY enjoyed reading it. I, too, didn't agree with every single thing, but it's really great to get inside the agent's mind and see what it is that they want to see in a novel.

[DeleyanLee]

I've read them both and enjoyed the comparison. Being close to a decade apart, it was interesting to see how the market expectations had subtly, but noticeably, changed. There really is more of a demand for character-driven fiction now, if that's to be believed.

Seeing as, for the most part, the two are in agreement, I'd say what they contain is a good measure to hold a book against.

[Jamesaritchie]

Thirteen years ago Al Zuckerman wrote "Writing the Blockbuster Novel" and in 2000 Donald Maass wrote "Writing the Breakout Novel."

My question if you've read either or both is, do you think what they said then about high concept, big characters, complex plot structures, themes, still applies?

There's some good advice in both books, but if you look at the bestseller list you will always find novels, many of them, that go against every bit of this advice.

If anyone had a clue why novels become bestsellers, writers would only write bestsellers, and publishers would only buy bestsellers.

[Judg]

If anyone had a clue why novels become bestsellers, writers would only write bestsellers, and publishers would only buy bestsellers.

James, you are so deliciously contrarian. And in this case, spot on.

Although I still refuse to concede the who/that point... :tongue

[wayndom]

I read Writing the Blockbuster Novel, and I consider it one of the two most useful books on writing I've seen (the other one being Sol Stein's On Writing, which I've probably cited in too many posts already).

Blockbuster is really a course on writing -- to get the most from it, you have to read three novels; The Godfather, The Man From St. Petersburg, and a bestseller by Zuckerman's wife, Eileen Gouge (the title escapes me).

The book also makes extensive use of Ken Follett's many outlines for St. Petersburg, showing how he and Zuckerman developed his original idea into the finished, bestselling novel.

There's nothing I can think of in the book that would or could get dated (do people still watch Shakespeare's plays?). I may just pull it off my shelf and read it again...

[Jamesaritchie]

Although I still refuse to concede the who/that point... :tongue

Good. You shouldn't concede it. That's what it's all about.

[Jamesaritchie]

I read Writing the Blockbuster Novel, and I consider it one of the two most useful books on writing I've seen (the other one being Sol Stein's On Writing, which I've probably cited in too many posts already).

Blockbuster is really a course on writing -- to get the most from it, you have to read three novels; The Godfather, The Man From St. Petersburg, and a bestseller by Zuckerman's wife, Eileen Gouge (the title escapes me).

The book also makes extensive use of Ken Follett's many outlines for St. Petersburg, showing how he and Zuckerman developed his original idea into the finished, bestselling novel.

There's nothing I can think of in the book that would or could get dated (do people still watch Shakespeare's plays?). I may just pull it off my shelf and read it again...


The only thing I have against the book is that what it suggests seems so cookie cutter formulaic to me, and I know a great many bestsellers go against every bit of the advice in the book.

Blockbuster is one way of writing one kind of novel that might or might not be a bestseller. It's useful, but writing a book according to what it says does not guarantee the book will sell at all, and not following it does not mean you can't write a mega-bestseller.

[ChaosTitan]

Blockbuster is really a course on writing -- to get the most from it, you have to read three novels; The Godfather, The Man From St. Petersburg, and a bestseller by Zuckerman's wife, Eileen Gouge (the title escapes me).


Sounds like Blockbuster isn't for me, then. I tried reading The Godfather, I really did. I don't think I made it past page seventy.