Author: David Morrell

ISBN: 13-978-1-4022-1055-6: 10: 1-4022-1055-8

Publisher: Sourcebook Inc.

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With The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing, David Morrell shares with readers over fifty years of his writing wisdom. Morrell is the best selling author of such titles as First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created, The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fifth Profession, and Extreme Denial, as well as many more novels and countless other writings. His fiction has been translated into twenty-six languages and more than twenty million copies of his books are in print.

The core concepts of Morrell's most recent book are in the form of sixteen lessons presenting strategies, behaviors and techniques that writers need to master to be able to write not just a mediocre novel but rather one that will stand out. The lessons are laden with essential principles dealing with such topics as focusing, character development, plot, importance of research, tactics of structure, viewpoint, first person, first page, psychology of description, what not to do in dialogue, dealing with writer's block. In addition to the elements of writing. In addition, Morrell also includes the business of writing where he examines such topics as getting published, Rambo and the movies, the novelist as a marketer, and he ends with questions he is often asked.

Fundamentally, the book is an in-the-trenches look at writing a novel in simple and understandable language. For example, if we look to the chapter concerning character, it is here where Morrell stresses the point that “plot and character are intimately related.” He then moves forward by analyzing this concept where he exemplifies and explores minor and multidimensional characters. One of the principles stressed concerning minor characters is that writers should make it a point to respect walk-on characters and find efficient ways to make them fuller. How often do we read a novel where minor characters are thrown into a plot without rhyme or reason?

In another chapter concerning research, Morrell emphasizes that “ research should be considered a reward and not a penance, that you need to go through before you start writing. If you don't have a strong motivation to learn about the background of your story, maybe you better reconsider how interesting the story is.” A problem that is often encountered in many novels is that the authors are sometimes conditioned by what they have seen on television or the movies and therefore they don't do enough research consequently leading to flawed scenes. Morrell counsels authors not to rely on television programs to give the details, which can be wrong, rather get the details firsthand. If you are writing about a hospital scene, go to a hospital and check out the details that you wish to incorporate into your novel.

These are just samplings of the sage advice that are offered throughout the book that will prove invaluable not only to the novice writer but also to the more experienced. You can always learn from a true professional, and Morrell definitely qualifies.

The elusive skill of writing a well-written novel is an ever-green topic in many books published over the years. And if you are thinking about finding a better book than this one, good luck! With his rational approach to the do's and don'ts of writing novels, Morrell succeeds in delivering an excellent guide book that will definitely find a welcome home on the bookshelves of writers, authors and even book reviewers.