Book Review

Lessons From A Lifetime of Writing:

a novelist looks at his craft

by David Morrell

"This is the best guidebook to both writing and the business of writing that I've ever read"- Peter Straub

Well Amen to that! At least when it comes to fictional writing. I think I just may buy this book. David Morrell has a distinct approach to writing that belongs to authors who's books become classics.

From talking you through the "how to's" of coming up with a story and then making it come to life (realistic characterization, plot and voice). To typical problems like writers block and getting published, David Morrell has an engaging, person-to-person approach that makes you feel like an old friend. His honesty and openess about the business of writing are refreshing.

So you're a writer and you can't actually talk to a professional, it's okay. You can get the book and learn straight from the horses mouth. That's what I love about his style. It's exactly as though he's right there, talking you through the bumps and scrapes that every writer goes through. What more can you ask from someone? He has the best advice I have ever heard on what it actually means to be a writer, and how to distinguish yourself as a writer with your own voice. He is a writer. It just jumps off the page. It doesn't make him special. He just has to write. Like the rest of us... and that's that.

From sweating it out, experiencing mental block, lack of creativity, anxiety to the high of finding the right word, the right characterization, the right twist in your plot.

He's been there, done that - and now wrote about it!

In this book David Morrell not only gives you the keys to being a successful writer, he challenges you to be a better person. To write with meaning and purpose. He's not just a teacher, he becomes your coach. Rooting for you, willing you to win!

Write with feeling. Learn about yourself. Learn how to express that person inside of you. Express that person to others. That's what he is trying to teach...this is the goal he wants to accomplish.

Biggest lesson I got from the book? Don't try to copy others. Even the "greats". Learn the theory behind why they write the way they write, and then go write a story with your own voice.

Best quote? [Well the whole book but...]
"The only way to ever be established as a writer is to have your own voice... Write the story from your own perspective"

This book is a must for anyone who writes or ever wants to write.

For someone who keeps it straight- Go with Morrell's
"Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing".

Does this sound like an advertisment?