THE ICE PICK

Writing the Breakout Novel and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, by Donald Maass. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books. $19.99 each. Text includes: chapter checklists & index. Workbook includes: exercises & index. ISBN: 0-89879-995-3; Wkbk 1-58297-263-x.

When I saw these two books, I thought of Evan Marshall’s Marshall Plan for Novel Writing with its workbook (reviewed April 2004) and wondered if this was the newest way for agents to make a little money on the side.

But where Marshall’s books are aimed at the beginner or the author who is stuck and needs help to get going again, Maass’s are for the more advanced writer who has already completed a manuscript and wants to improve it.

"When novelists whose previous work merely has been admired suddenly have books vault onto the best-seller lists or even achieve a large jump in sales, publishing people say they have ‘broken out.’ The book in question is a ‘breakout novel.’" Breakout novels can be in any genre, though Maass says they are generally complex, highly detailed, and often long.

Because, according to Maass, "readers love a layered, high-stakes story about sympathetic characters who have problems with which anyone can identify," for a breakout novel you need to add layers to your plot and depth to your characters, complicate matters in unpredictable ways while keeping the plot plausible, and escalate the stakes to compound your characters’ problems. "Being nice" to characters "does not engender drama."

More than description, worldbuilding in a breakout novel is "bringing people alive in a place and time that are alive." You need "milieu, period, fashion, ideas, human outlook, historical moment, spiritual mood and more." And Maass explains how each of these impacts your setting, plot, and characters.

"It is a common fault of beginning thriller writers to slam an Everyman, your average Joe, into the middle of something big and terrible. Such stories usually feel lackluster because the main character is lackluster." Maass discusses how you can build a cast of characters that are dynamic and memorable.

In the chapters on plot, he explains how to use the five basic plot elements to make your "conflict deeper, richer, more layered, more unavoidable and more inescapably true." And he discusses the contemporary trends toward narrowing viewpoint, nonlinear narrative, character-driven novels, self-discovery journeys, and the need to invest every page with tension, as well as the difficulties in using multiple viewpoint, building subplots, improving pacing, and finding your distinctive voice.

Writing a breakout novel "demands an adventurous spirit . . . willing to experiment, reverse direction, throw out large chunks of manuscript, add length . . . do whatever it takes to wrestle the many interwoven elements of a large-scale novel into shape. . . . In midmanuscript a breakout novelist can feel lost, overwhelmed by possible scenes and the challenge of tying up every thread."

When that happens, Maass says, "Do not panic. Trust the structure of your outline; or if you are an organic writer who works in successive drafts, trust your unconscious mind."

"You are," says Maass, "in control of your success or failure. . . . Your destiny is in your own hands." Uh-huh, we say. But Maass believes "it is possible for a writer to understand, at least in part, the mechanics of the breakout novel and to apply these devices to his writing. . . . It demands that an author reach deep inside to find out what is truthful, original, important and inspiring in his own world view . . . [and] requires that the author be true to his own ‘voice.’"

For first-time novelists, he says, "the high failure rate of first manuscripts happens simply because a novel is a large, complex, fluid and difficult-to-manage undertaking. . . . This book," he promises, "can show you not only how to manage the various aspects of your first novel but also how to give them more power."

Well, maybe. Most of us try to improve our writing each time we start a new project or revise an old one, but we are often lost in knowing what to do or how to do it. And although I thought the book was superior to most how-to-writes and planned to review it, the lessons seemed, to me, to be fairly difficult to apply.

The workbook changed my mind completely. I became excited as I began working through the exercises and applying them both to my completed manuscript and to one in progress.

I can almost always find a few lessons in any good how-to-write book that will help me. Sometimes I find a lot of good advice. And then, but rarely, a wonderful book brimming with practical help comes along that gets me zooming back to my own work, full of ideas and wanting to try them out. Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook is one of them.

And as Maass says, "Even if you absorb and use only a few of the techniques discussed herein, you will already be ahead of the game."

The text is best, in my opinion, when used with the workbook, but if you can afford only one, get the workbook.

Very highly recommended.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Oct. 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Science Fiction, by Cory Doctorow and Karl Schroeder. Indianapolis, Alpha Books, 2000. 360 p. $16.95. Includes: bibliography, index, model contracts, online resources, and publisher and agent listings. ISBN: 0-02-863918-9.

I was disappointed with this book. Aimed at the beginning science fiction writer, the book’s emphasis is, as the title says, on submitting and publishing your work, particularly science fiction. All well and good. And the book seems to do the big stuff right, but I have a lot of quibbles with it.

To begin with, although they mention fantasy, it is given little attention, which may be just as well considering that the authors’ definition of high fantasy varies from page 30, where The Lord of the Rings is praised as the place "to start reading high fantasy" to page 125, where LOTR is considered not to be among the fantasy classics and is criticized as being "the direct source of most of the pseudo-fantasy that is written today."

In fact, according to the authors, "most modern ‘high fantasy’ novels are actually science fiction, though the author may not know it." They argue their case rather well, but I doubt that most fantasy readers or fantasy authors will buy into it.

Still, a lot of the book’s advice is good. For example, that about attending a convention as a published author is excellent, except that most people reading this book are going to be far more interested in just meeting a published author at a convention than attending as one.

And that was the problem with a lot of their advice. It is a very uneven book, with some things aimed at beginners and other things at professionals, as if the authors threw a lot of stuff together without considering their target audience.

I was also surprised to learn that SASE is supposed to be pronounced to rhyme with "mace," since everyone I know calls it a "sassy," but that’s minor, and maybe the people I know are the ones off the beaten trail.

There are many worthwhile hints and tips scattered throughout the book, and if you have it already on your bookshelf, you may profit from much of the advice. But you do need to apply a lot of common sense to some of the things said.

For example, in the chapter on submissions, the authors say, "you should NEVER [their emphasis] use a cover letter to explain or summarize your story." This may be true in general for short stories, although even there you should carefully follow editors’ guidelines. But for novels, you are nearly always asked for a brief explanation in your cover or query letter.

Such things made me lose confidence in the authors, and I don’t feel it’s a book you can trust very far. Not recommended.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Sept. 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript, by Cynthia Laufenberg & the Editors of Writer’s Digest Books. 2nd ed. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 2004. 282 p. $19.99. Includes: index and sample submission forms, letters, manuscripts, outlines, proposals, synopses, etc. ISBN: 1-58297-290-7.

Are you struggling with decisions like the preferred margin size and line spacing for your short story; which pages to number or what font to use for your novel; where to put paging, word count, contact information, and the title of your article; or what you should include and/or exclude with your submission? Are you uncertain how far down on the page a new chapter should start, whether a short story should have a separate title page, or if you should fax a query to an editor?

If you want to know the correct way to format and submit your work, this book will show you how. It includes short stories, novels and nonfiction books, children’s books (including picture books), articles, poetry, scripts, essays, and even greeting cards, fillers, columns, op-eds, radio and television commentaries. If you need to know how to set up a query, a cover or follow-up letter, a proposal, a title page, a sidebar, an outline or a synopsis, you can find the answers here along with mistakes to avoid.

"Why is proper formatting so important when sending a submission?" Because you are competing with so many other authors, and "proper formatting helps you to distinguish yourself as a professional" and get your work read and accepted.

Bearing in mind "that the examples presented here are only models and are not set in stone," these guidelines can allow you to stop worrying about mechanics and concentrate on your work.

You may still run into questions this book cannot answer, and you must always prefer the publisher’s guidelines if they differ from what is stated here, but this book can provide you with a standard formatting, that you can have confidence in and that can give you a starting point from which to handle any exotic formatting problems.

Should you buy the new edition if you already have the first?

The new edition omits some samples, e.g. the shorter query letter for a short story, but includes more samples on mistakes to avoid, as well as information on faxing and electronic querying and submissions.

Errors and conflicts in the first edition have been corrected. For example, in the first edition you were instructed on one page to use third person in novel synopses even if the book was in first person (correct) and on another page to use first person even if the book was in third (incorrect). They’ve straightened that out. And the book’s organization has been improved, along with more "Submission Tips," "Formatting Specs," and "Other Dos and Don’ts" for things like epigraphs and title and acknowledgment pages.

If you are serious about wanting to submit and sell your work, and especially if you don’t have the first edition, you definitely should have this book on your shelf.

Very highly recommended.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Aug. 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

Steering the Craft : Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Portland, Ore., Eighth Mountain Press, 1998. 173 p. $14.95. Includes: exercises & glossary. ISBN: 0-933377-46-0.

In 1996, Ursula LeGuin gave a workshop that fourteen privileged writers were able to attend. She has now turned her workshop into a book all of us can enjoy and learn from.

It is always nice to find a how-to-write book by an author of science fiction and fantasy, and a special pleasure to find one as well-written and as full of practical guidelines as this one is. Le Guin understands our genres and our special problems of, for example, creating and explaining our story worlds without slowing or stopping the story with tedious expository lumps. And she writes with humor and an open spirit that encourages both participation and even feedback. In fact, she gives her address and asks readers to tell her what worked and what didn’t and what suggestions they might have.

The purpose of the book, like that of the workshop it came from, is to help you learn by introducing the skills required and then having you practice them until they become second nature. As LeGuin says, "Skill in writing frees you to write what you want to write. . . . Craft enables art."

You can work through the book by yourself, with your writers’ group, or in a creative writing class. I found the exercises always interesting and thought-provoking, though some were hard, while others were pure fun. And the examples she provides not only illustrated her points beautifully, but also made me want to go and read, or reread, the original works.

Whether you are a beginner looking for help with the basic elements of the art and craft of writing, like viewpoint, rhythm and the sound of language, how to get from one narrative sentence to the next, how to construct a verb tense that will say what you want to say, or how to focus and control description; or you are a more experienced writer looking to improve your writing, this may be the perfect book for you.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2004.}

IN THE SILENCE

When I was young I learned that fragile things are easily broken. When I grew up I learned that everything is fragile and easily broken.

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Feb. 4, 1975.}

THE ICE PICK

Ghost Town: My Ride Through Chernobyl Area, http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/

This website is a motorbike photo tour of the devastated region around Chernobyl by a young Ukrainian woman named Elena, who is the daughter of a scientist working there.

The tour is a haunting trip that shows what has happened to the land in the eighteen years since the No. 4 reactor at Chernobyl exploded and caught fire, spewing radiation across much of northern Europe.

The nuclear disaster contaminated an area half the size of Colorado, destroying about 50,000 square miles of Europe’s most fertile farmland, forcing the rushed evacuation and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people, killing at least 4,400, disabling at least 40,000 more, and causing at least seven million physical and/or psychological injuries among the survivors--many of whom are dying of cancer now.

But the numbers cannot begin to tell the story. If an ordinary picture is worth one thousand words, then the photos on this website and Elena’s accompanying captions are truly priceless.

The acres of rusting trucks and helicopters used in trying to put out the fire; the wild animals, vines, and trees reclaiming abandoned villages and vandalized homes and stores; the lesson of radioactive loot being resold across the old Soviet Union; the empty city of enormous apartment buildings where people once lived and laughed; wedding photos on a table; a child’s doll left behind. . . .

It made me wonder if this city will be our Pompeii for future generations and what kinds of distorted images from the Communist culture they may project for our whole society.

I wish everyone could view this website, but if you are working on a post-apocalyptic world or are looking for ideas for any kind of story involving lost and abandoned places, you definitely should take the time to look at "Ghost Town."

And you will need time. Set aside an hour at least, more if you plan on taking notes. You can think of it as if you were going to the movies--but expect to be moved, disturbed, even haunted, by what you see, for it is a profoundly surreal landscape, and you will almost certainly be affected these images. There is nothing gory or violent here. In fact, some of the scenes are really beautiful. But that does not make it any the less terrifying.

Very highly recommended.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, June 2004.}

NOTE: A great deal has been added to this site since 2004. I can only recommend it even more highly now for its honest window into a world few of us know and for its contribution to understanding that world. I wish Elena the very best in her efforts. ~~DCI

GRANDMA KINCAID’S BROWN BREAD

This Victorian "receipt" originally called for graham flour, which is difficult to find now. I substitute graham cracker crumbs when I make it. This recipe may easily be doubled, but just use 1 egg if you do. This a great recipe to make for the Holidays or anytime, especially in the winter. Before starting this recipe, be sure you have a coffee can or pudding mold and a deep kettle on hand.

1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar
1 cup of fresh milk (do NOT use skim milk)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons shortening, melted
3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or graham flour
Corn meal (Optional)
Boiling water

In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and milk. Set aside at room temperature for 1/2 hour.

Mix baking soda, flour, and baking powder together. Add molasses, egg, shortening, and soured milk and blend thoroughly. Stir in graham cracker crumbs a cup at a time until the batter is stiff. If desired, 1/2 cup or more of corn meal may be substituted for an equal amount of graham cracker crumbs.

Butter a 1-pound coffee can or a 1-quart pudding mold and fill no more than 2/3 full. (If using a coffee can, cover it with tin foil and tie the foil down tightly with string.) Place in a deep kettle and add boiling water halfway up can. Steam for 2 hours, replacing water as necessary.

Remove from can. (To remove bread from the can easily, lay can on its side and slide a kitchen knife down between bread and the can.)

Slice while hot. (Grandma Kincaid’s note says, "To slice easily, place a clean string around the loaf, cross the ends of the string, and pull.")

Makes 1 loaf. (About 8 slices) The bread may be reheated in a 300-degree oven.

{Published in Then & Now. Heber Springs, Ark., Cleburne County Historical Society, 2000.}