His name was Rambo, and he was just some nothing kid for all anybody knew, standing by the pump of a gas station at the outskirts of Madison, Kentucky. David Morrell More Quotes by David Morrell More Quotes From David Morrell 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. David Morrell rushing writing book 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. David Morrell being-yourself who-i-am writing " ... What if?" Through the alchemy of those two words, something new comes into the world. David Morrell what-if two world One generation's idea of fast pace might be different from a later generation's. David Morrell generations different ideas 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. David Morrell farewell mind war When I teach writing, I have a mantra: Be a first-rate version of yourself, and not a second-rate version of another writer. David Morrell teach writing firsts To all librarians everywhere, God bless you. David Morrell god-bless librarian god-bless-you 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. David Morrell mystery emotion may 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. David Morrell results writing book There are no inferior types of fiction, only inferior practitioners David Morrell inferiors type fiction Before I start a project, I always ask myself the following question. Why is this book worth a year of my life? There needs to be something about the theme, the technique, or the research that makes the time spent on it worthwhile. David Morrell technique book years A thriller becomes great when it carries a feeling of reality and truth. David Morrell thrillers feelings reality At their best, thrillers not only entertain. Ideally they also reflect the society in which they are set, analyzing our fears and how we perceive the world. David Morrell analyzing thrillers world As long as thriller authors teach us about our world, they'll be relevant. David Morrell thrillers our-world long People who know various movie versions don't really know the story. David Morrell stories knows people 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. David Morrell you work life people When I started 'First Blood,' back in 1968, I was deeply influenced by Geoffrey Household's 'Rogue Male.' David Morrell started first back blood One of the advantages of having gone to Penn State was having had a scholar for a mentor - Philip Young. Also, a professional writer named Philip Klass taught there. He was a science fiction writer whose pseudonym was William Tenn. As a professional writer, he brought wisdom to teaching because he'd done it for a living. David Morrell professional mentor wisdom science I use these senses - touch, sight, feel and smell - as triggers that invite readers or propel them into the scene. The trick is not to make it obvious. I've written an entire chapter about this in my book, 'The Successful Novelist.' I've lectured about it extensively, but have yet to see many people pick up on it. David Morrell feel see book people In my novel, 'First Blood,' Rambo died. In the films, he lives. David Morrell first he novel blood