Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing: A Novelist Looks at His Craft - Hardcover

Morrell, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1582971439 ISBN 13: 9781582971438

Publisher: Writers Digest Books, 2002

Synopsis

Best-selling novelist David Morrell provides insights and advice learned during thirty years of writing and selling novels--insider secrets that are sure to help writers achieve the next level of literary success, whether they're just beginning or already published!

With captivating anecdotes and thoughtful discussion, Morrell explores the basics of the writing craft, from structure and character to dialogue and style, allowing readers to look into the mind of an internationally known best-selling novelist. He also examines how to get published, the business of writing and the steps for getting fiction translated into film.

About this title

About the Author

David Morrell is the author of six New York Times bestsellers. His 15 novels have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into twenty-two languages. He is best known for his first novel, First Blood, which was later converted into a blockbuster film, and Brotherhood of the Rose. Six of his other novels have been sold or optioned to film companies. David lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

In this literate, encouraging how-to, the bestselling author of First Blood and The Brotherhood of the Rose (among 15 other novels, as well as some nonfiction, stories and scripts the two named made it to the screen) offers would-be writers advice on plot, character, structure and beyond. With blurbs from Peter Straub and Dean Koontz, Morrell's foray into the literary do-it-yourself field is sure to grab the attention of readers who want to write their own thriller, but there's food here for any hopeful scribe, whether it be a delicious skewering of former Paramount Productions head Don Simpson (said to have coined the term "high concept") or a reflection on E.M. Forster's assessment that all good plots are mysteries. And because Morrell is an avid reader and a former English literature professor, the textual examples he employs Hemingway's descriptions, Twain's dialects are rich and varied. Write because you have to; remember that characters need to control plot and that description must "serve the requirements of your story"; don't get discouraged when you fail; and send to editors whose tastes runs toward your kind of fiction: these are a few examples of Morrell's advice. So it's not earth-shattering but it is careful and thoughtful, and at times, inspirational.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Morrell, author of numerous thrillers, including First Blood (which introduced the world to a Vietnam vet called Rambo), has given would-be writers a wonderful tool: a how-to guide that is easy to understand and very useful. He addresses the usual how-to topics--how to create characters, how to fashion a believable plot, how to spice up dialogue and narration, how to survive the publishing game--and he illustrates his points with examples from his own writings and from the works of such well-known authors as E. M. Forster, Raymond Chandler, and a fistful of others. He discusses many potential stumbling blocks, such as spending (as he once did) a lot of time on a plot element that turns out to be a dead end. There is never the sense that Morrell is telling us what to do; rather, he describes what has worked for him (and other writers), noting mistakes that many have made and how we might avoid them. For anyone interested in the craft of writing, from beginners to seasoned veterans, this is a must read. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

In this insightful manual for aspiring writers, best-selling novelist Morrell (First Blood; Brotherhood of the Rose) offers sound advice by examining his own writing abilities and discussing the basics of the craft, such as how to structure a novel and develop strong characters, as well as the nitty-gritty of the publishing industry. One quickly notices the inevitable similarities with Stephen King's On Writing. Both novelists taught writing in high school, not college, and both enjoy cultural, popular, and financial success. Morrell gave us Rambo, King a vault of horror movies. Yet while On Writing was a relentlessly chatty memoir and writing primer, the kind that only the writers among his fans could fully enjoy, Lessons is a much clearer and more precise take on writing, without the memories. Morrell walks the fine line between using his successes to prove his points and bragging, coming across as both instructional and very entertaining. At times, he tries too hard to be geometrical in describing plot development, but his vaguely revisionist take on how to write keeps the book interesting. Recommended for writing collections in public libraries. Robert Moore, Parexel International, Waltham, MA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Writers Digest Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1582971439
• ISBN 13: 9781582971438
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 243