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Jeffery Deaver Quotes

Powerful Jeffery Deaver for Daily Growth

About Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver, a renowned American mystery and thriller author, was born on April 6, 1950, in Rochester, New York. His passion for storytelling was ignited at an early age through his love of reading. After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in journalism, Deaver embarked on a successful career as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor. However, it was the literary world that truly captured his imagination. Inspired by masters of suspense such as Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and especially Ian Fleming, Deaver decided to turn his hand to writing fiction. His first novel, 'The Blue Nowhere,' was published in 1978, marking the beginning of a prolific career that has seen him author over forty novels. One of Deaver's most notable creations is Lincoln Rhyme, a paraplegic police officer who uses his brilliant mind to solve complex crimes. The character first appeared in 'The Bone Collector' (1997), which was adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Deaver's works are characterized by intricate plots, intellectual puzzles, and high-stakes suspense. He is known for his meticulous research, often visiting crime scenes to ensure authenticity in his writing. His novels have been translated into more than 35 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. In addition to his fiction work, Deaver has written a number of non-fiction works, including 'Edgar Allan Poe's Halloween: A Treasury of Chilling Stories,' which offers a unique perspective on one of Deaver's literary heroes. Jeffery Deaver continues to be a prominent figure in the mystery and thriller genre, captivating readers with his engaging stories and complex characters. He lives in North Carolina with his wife, Ellen, and their three children.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The first rule in crime writing: don't use adverbs."

Jeffery Deaver suggests that in crime writing, it is best to avoid using adverbs, as they can often be overused or redundant when describing action or speech. By focusing on strong verbs and nouns, writers can create a more impactful and engaging narrative without relying on adverbs to convey emotion or intensity. This rule encourages concise and effective prose in the genre of crime fiction.

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote by Jeffery Deaver suggests that rather than passively awaiting or assuming what our future might hold, we should actively shape it ourselves. It encourages personal responsibility and proactive decision-making. Essentially, it implies that if we want a specific future, we must work towards making it happen.

"Every story has a villain, and every villain was once a hero."

This quote suggests that the concept of "good" and "evil" is not absolute or inherent, but rather relative to our perspective or circumstances. The villain in a story represents an individual whose actions are perceived as evil or harmful within the narrative's context. However, before their descent into villainy, they were likely seen as heroes due to their initial intentions and actions being aligned with societal norms or expectations. This quote serves as a reminder that people can change over time, sometimes for the worse, and that our perception of others is influenced by how we perceive their actions within a given context.

"It's amazing the things you can find out about people when you read their mail."

The quote emphasizes the importance of communication, particularly written correspondence, in revealing insights about individuals. It suggests that a person's true thoughts, feelings, and character traits can often be discerned from their letters, as they tend to reveal more intimate and unguarded details than spoken words or public behavior might. This insight underscores the value of empathy, understanding, and careful observation in building relationships and gaining deeper knowledge of others.

"Truth is the most valuable treasure, yet it is the easiest to lose."

This quote emphasizes that while truth holds immense value, it can often be fragile or easily compromised due to human bias, deceit, or misunderstanding. It serves as a reminder of the importance of diligence, integrity, and critical thinking in our pursuit of knowledge and understanding, as truth can quickly become lost if not carefully guarded and pursued.

Ideally, I like to integrate the human issues into the suspense story itself.

- Jeffery Deaver

Like, Itself, Ideally, Integrate

Generally my typical books have lots of twists and turns a big surprise ending and then usually another surprise at the end and ideally, as in Garden of Beasts, we get to the very end and we find at the last few pages that there's yet another surprise.

- Jeffery Deaver

Big, Another, Very, Big Surprise

The recent fascination, I think, reflects the shift in approach by law enforcement officials to embrace technology as wholeheartedly as the rest of the world.

- Jeffery Deaver

Rest, Think, I Think, Wholeheartedly

Certainly going back to Sherlock Holmes we have a tradition of forensic science featured in detective stories.

- Jeffery Deaver

Stories, Certainly, Featured, Forensic

I liked the challenge of writing in a very concise structure in which both meaning and form are important.

- Jeffery Deaver

Very, Which, Liked, Concise

I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose.

- Jeffery Deaver

Before, Prose, Months, Single Word

For me a thriller is a very carefully structured story.

- Jeffery Deaver

Me, Very, Carefully, Structured

In suspense novels even subplots about relationships have to have conflict.

- Jeffery Deaver

Relationships, About, Even, Novels

The easy answer is that writing novels is a lot more fun than practicing law.

- Jeffery Deaver

Law, Answer, Lot, Novels

To answer that I have to describe what I think is my responsibility as a thriller writer: To give my readers the most exciting roller coaster ride of a suspense story I can possibly think of.

- Jeffery Deaver

Think, Give, I Think, Possibly

You think publishing is tough but the music world is ten times tougher.

- Jeffery Deaver

Music, Think, Times, Ten Times

When it comes time to write the book itself I'll shut the lights out, picture the scene I'm about to write then close my eyes and go at it. Yes, I can touch type.

- Jeffery Deaver

Book, Yes, Shut, Lights

I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block; the problem is idea block.

- Jeffery Deaver

Problem, Idea, Often, Block

Trying to write books with a subject matter or in a genre or style you're not familiar with is the best way to find the Big Block looming.

- Jeffery Deaver

Big, Best Way, Subject, Block

I spend about eight months researching and outlining my book.

- Jeffery Deaver

Book, Months, Spend, Outlining

If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as you know what you want to say.

- Jeffery Deaver

Language, Want, Craftsman, Command

In other words, the people who populate my books are more than caricatures.

- Jeffery Deaver

More, Other, Books, In Other Words

My books are primarily plot driven but the best plot in the world is useless if you don't populate them with characters that readers can care about.

- Jeffery Deaver

Best, About, Them, Readers

Readers are paramount. I live to write books for them.

- Jeffery Deaver

Books, Them, Paramount, Readers

Hardcover books are fairly expensive these days and to read one requires a significant commitment of time in our busy society. So I want to make sure that when readers buy one of my books they get something they're familiar with.

- Jeffery Deaver

Society, Buy, Our, Readers

I've always written, all my life, and when I was very young I developed an interest in poetry.

- Jeffery Deaver

My Life, Always, Very, All My Life

The outline is 95 percent of the book. Then I sit down and write, and that's the easy part.

- Jeffery Deaver

Book, Part, Then, Outline

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

- Jeffery Deaver

Mind, Through, Means, Scenes

I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper.

- Jeffery Deaver

Newspaper, High, Editor, Magazine

I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth.

- Jeffery Deaver

Very, Villains, Characters, Depth

I write pretty much anywhere - on planes, in hotel rooms, anywhere in my house.

- Jeffery Deaver

Pretty, I Write, Rooms, Planes

Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories.

- Jeffery Deaver

Life, Own, Separate, Describing

So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot.

- Jeffery Deaver

Work, Work Hard, Side, Neglecting

Of course, I write crime stories, and I have to describe violence and the aftermath of violence.

- Jeffery Deaver

Course, Stories, I Write, Aftermath

Rule one: Write about settings you're familiar with.

- Jeffery Deaver

Rule, Settings, About, Familiar

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