Inside The Cover
Book Reviews
Review by Meryl K. Evans
Lessons
From a Lifetime of Writing
By David Morrell
Writer's Digest Books
2002
243 pages
Amazon.com price: $16.09
David Morrell's name may not sound familiar, but his works should spark
recognition. Rambo. Brotherhood of the Rose. If you haven't read
them, you may have seen or heard of the Rambo movies or TV miniseries. Who can
forget Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in his black headband with his exposed sweaty
muscular chest holding a machine gun with fury?
Impressive background aside, the knowledge that Morrell imparts is educational
and constructive. He tells the story of the writer, Sterling Silliphant of Route
66, who influenced Morrell's career in writing. A story like that sounds
dull, but Morrell tells it in a simple and gripping way like the rest of the
book.
William K. Zinsser's On Writing Well provides the basics like omitting
needless words and staying away from qualifiers such as very and really.
Morrell provides lessons on literary techniques: plots, structure, and voice.
His technique of talking to himself and questioning every aspect of a story is a
remarkably easy way to ensure the words and story have purpose.
Most writers don't have time to go to a writer's conference or take a class.
This book is a class in itself without the annoying "how to" style of
writing. I read this book over a period of several months, absorbing one chapter
at a time. Reading it slowly was like getting a mini-lesson each reading
session.
Not only does he offers tips on smarter dialogue and overcoming writer's block,
but he also talks about the business of writing and what to do when a book is
published. "Getting Published and the Business of
Writing" alone is worth the price of the book. Every writer who publishes a
book will benefit from this chapter.
Whether or not one is interested in screenwriting, the chapter on movies is a
humorous adventure as Morrell dives into the red tape-like process for getting
Hollywood to bring a book alive on the silver screen. Think writers whose books
get Hollwoodified are rich? Think again as Morrell walks through the steps of
where all the money goes and it ain't in the writer's pocket.
The genre of Rambo movies isn't my thing, but I'm Morrell's fan after spending
time with this book. He's inspiring.
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HERE TO ORDER THE BOOK.
Meryl K. Evans continues to muddle through her first
non-fiction book slated for publishing in 2003 from New Riders (www.newriders.com).
After it's published, she plans to follow Mr. Morrell's advice relating to the
business of writing. In September 2002, the Writer's Digest (www.writersdigest.com)
selected her Web site (www.meryl.net) as one
of three runner ups for best writer Web sites.
