Chapters 11 and 12 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 11, those who have learned the most are the only ones who understand how much they don't know. L'Amour has known real hunger but a the hunger to learn was more compelling. In his knock-about days, L'Amour considered a career in the boxing ring. In his travels, he had earned some money from boxing bouts. In preparation for such a career, he never smoked and drank very little. But in his travels, he never lost his hunger to learn everything he could. He even hired student translators in Asia to translate books for him that were not published in English.

One question a writer is often asked where he gets his ideas. The simple answer is that ideas are everywhere. A writer has to remember that he's writing about people so the stories must include emotion. There are...