David Morrell
David Morrell
David Morrellis a Canadian novelist, best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become the successful Rambo film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. He has written 28 novels, and his work has been translated into 26 languages. He also wrote the 2007-2008 Captain America comic book miniseries The Chosen...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth24 April 1943
CountryCanada
two what-if world
" ... What if?" Through the alchemy of those two words, something new comes into the world.
fiction type inferiors
There are no inferior types of fiction, only inferior practitioners of them.
ideas pace might
One generation's idea of fast pace might be different from a later generation's.
book writing should
Your obligation as writers is to distinguish yourself. … The ultimate result should be a book that you write that no one else could have written.
writing firsts teach
When I teach writing, I have a mantra: Be a first-rate version of yourself, and not a second-rate version of another writer.
war farewell mind
I have a graduate degree from Penn State. I studied at Penn State under a noted Hemingway scholar, Philip Young. I had an interest in thrillers, and it occurred to me that Hemingway wrote many action scenes: the war scenes in 'A Farewell to Arms' and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' come to mind. But the scenes don't feel pulpy.
may emotion mystery
A thriller must be thrilling. A mystery may or may not be a thriller depending on how much breathless emotion it has, as opposed to cerebral calculation.
god-bless-you god-bless librarian
To all librarians everywhere, God bless you.
book writing rushing
As much as I like it when a book I'm writing speeds along, the downside can be that an author becomes too eager to finish and rushes the end. The end is even more important than the first page, and rushing can damage it.
being-yourself writing who-i-am
You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, 'This is me, this is what I stand for, this is what you get when you read me. I'm doing the best I can - buy me or not - but this is who I am as a writer.
When I teach writing, I have a mantra: 'Be a first-rate version of yourself, and not a second-rate version of another writer.'
In my novel, 'First Blood,' Rambo died. In the films, he lives.
attention creator doctorate henry hostile influences major might paying people persistent surprised theme whether whose
Some people might be surprised that 'Rambo's creator has a doctorate in American literature. One of my influences is Henry James, whose major theme is awareness. Whether I'm writing about military personnel, law enforcement, or De Quincey, the persistent theme is paying attention in a hostile world.
against awareness central guard life ready running theme trying uncertain view work
My world view is that it can all go to hell in an instant, and you have to be ready for it. That's pretty much the central theme running through my work. It's about people's awareness of how uncertain life can be and their trying to guard against that.