#donaldmaass

Once Upon a Page (With thanks to writer T.A. Barnes for the title of this post.) How many pages are in your current manuscript? Every one of them is a momentary story. A story instant. For your reader, that story instant is as important as the grand problem, the giant premise that you established in your opening. Your reader is only once on the opening page. After that, it is up to each page to tell the story: not the big story—the overall plot, although it may advance that one step—but the little story of right now. This instant. You can bring story effects to bear upon this instant, or you can cruise along on the presumption that, once hooked, your reader will read anything you set down for hundreds of pages. Do you think that’s likely? Nah, me either. https://writerunboxed.com/2026/05/06/once-upon-a-page/ #CRAFT #adviceforwriters #DonaldMaass

Reading as an Agent Two very recent WU posts ( HERE and HERE ) got me thinking about how I read. In one mode, I read manuscripts with an agent’s eyes. In another mode, I read novels (published or pre-) as a craft analyst and teacher. In still a different mode, I read as a fiction writer. Once in a while, I read for enjoyment. It’s difficult to do. The other modes don’t like to shut up. And not all novels are so absorbing that my inner analyst forgets to analyze. As agent, you might imagine that I am looking for work that matches the market’s needs. As craft analyst and teacher, you might think that I am looking for illustrative examples. As fiction writer, you might expect that that I read in awe, envy, or judgment. In those presumptions, you would be wrong. https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/04/reading-as-an-agent/ #CRAFT #adviceforwriters #characters #DonaldMaass #inspiration