Starting a fire with two sticks is almost impossible

I tried to make a fire with sticks I found at the river. My only tool was a knife. I really should have read the directions before I started, but I treated the problem as if I was stranded on an island, with only a knife to help me make fire. I also did this in 2001 for my website Cockeyed.com. https://cockeyed.com/incredible/fire/...