Jessica Page Morrell > Quotes

“...I've been ripped off, lied to, slandered, gossiped about slapped, falsely accused, and had my truths not believed. I've had my heart broken, had my pride stomped on, witnessed unforgivable acts, and heard words that hurt so much I withed that they would not replay in my head, but they did. In all these moments--some tear-soaked, some life-defining, but all character-building moments--I have felt vulnerable.
And I believe these feelings of vulnerability--when a person feels scared and alone and overwhelmed and pissed off, wen the sting of unfairness bites deep--while miserable to live through, are the basis for writing compelling fiction.”
― Jessica Page Morrell

“Perhaps the best known of these films were the three that Clint Eastwood starred in for director Sergio Leone: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in which he played a gunslinger or bounty hunter wandering the countryside and settling scores for a price. Eastwood’s character took the law into his own hands, but he was essentially on the side of good and order. While Eastwood’s character, a dark hero type, employed unusual means to bring about justice, viewers found him irresistible because he was inscrutable, macho, and capable. While his motives were questionable, he brings his own kind of order out of chaos—actions that readers and film viewers always appreciate. In fact, he was a man of action, was extremely self-reliant, and just didn’t give a damn—all qualities that have universal appeal. His character’s darkness was a departure from the usual heroes starring in traditional Westerns, and this stirred the viewers’ imaginations.”
― Jessica Page Morrell, Bullies, Bastards And Bitches: How To Write The Bad Guys Of Fiction

“Plot springs from character … I’ve always sort of believed that these people inside me—these characters—know who they are and what they’re about and what happens, and they need me to help get it down on paper because they don’t type. —ANNE LAMOTT”
― Jessica Morrell, Bullies, Bastards And Bitches: How To Write The Bad Guys Of Fiction

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. —JOSEPH CAMPBELL”
― Jessica Page Morrell, Bullies, Bastards And Bitches: How To Write The Bad Guys Of Fiction

“Fiction can, and should, mimic life, with all its messes and discomfort and disquiet. Fiction should also prove just how complicated and troubled many people are.”
― Jessica Morrell, Bullies, Bastards And Bitches: How To Write The Bad Guys Of Fiction