Writing Made Them Rich #2: Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office,stationed at Portsmouth. Although his job was wellpaid, his father had a weakness for spending money andspent much of his life in chronic bankruptcy.
In 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old, hisfather was sent to debtor's jail. Charles Dickens wassent to a boarding house and given a 12 hour-a-day jobpreparing bottles of shoe polish in a blackingfactory.
But Dickens' fortunes improved: a sudden inheritanceallowed his father to pay off his debts and he sentCharles to school.
At age fifteen Charles was placed as a clerk in theoffice of an attorney, a friend of his father's. In hisspare time he studied hard to become a Parliamentaryreporter.
At age nineteen he entered the parliamentary gallery asa reporter for The Mirror. It was a well paid job and hesoon became known as one of the best shorthandreporters in London.
Dickens began writing fiction at age 21, under the nomde plume of 'Boz'. In 1836, when Dickens was 23, hebegan writing a series of short stories (ThePosthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club) which appearedin cheap monthly installments. By the age of 24 he hadbecome internationally famous.
Charles Dickens burst onto the literary scene at aunique moment in English history
Until the end of the 18th century, England had been amainly rural society. But from the late 1700's onwards,land holders started forcing people off their land tomake way for sheep farming.
At the same time the Industrial Revolution wascreating new towns and cities with belching smokestacks and factories that needed workers - the Englishcountryside was emptying and a new urban working classwas emerging.
The concentration of people in towns and citiescreated something that had never existed before - amass audience. Newspapers, Magazines and Newsletterssprang up to cater for this new and growing demand.
Books were being serialized in Newspapers andMagazines - those who couldn't afford to buy a bookcould read it in weekly installments. Dickens wrote andpublished most of his novels in this fashion - a chapterat a time.
Between 1837 and 1839, Dickens wrote three of his mostfamous novels Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, andNicholas Nickleby.
In the first ten years of his writing career, themanic part of Dickens' manic depression had given himan endless source of energy and inspiration, but nowhe began to succumb to depression.
In the 1840's he started to experience writer's block.He would spend days locked up in a room, unable to putwords on paper. He wrote: "Men have been chained tohideous walls and other strange anchors but few haveknown such suffering and bitterness...as those whohave been bound to Pens."
Dickens was an extremely energetic man and a compulsivetraveler. He traveled the length and breadth of England,Scotland and Wales and also made frequent trips toFrance and Italy. In 1842 he spent six months in America,where he was given the kind of reception reserved formodern day rock stars.
In 1856 Dickens purchased a large residence in Kent,the kind of house he had always dreamed of owning.
Although Dickens became wealthy, he never forgothis origins. Throughout his life he visited thefactories, the slums, the jails and the poor houses.Indeed, his novels were a social commentary on theappalling conditions of 19th century England. He waswell known for his generosity and received requestsfor money wherever he went.
He is considered by many to have been a genius andthe greatest English writer of the 19th century.
When Dickens died in June 1870, he left an estatevalued at over $US6.5 million (2001 value).
------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
MORE RESOURCES:
 Bay News 9 | Test scores plummet — so Florida drops passing grade Washington Post (blog) Florida gave a new writing standardized writing test to students in various grades and the scores were worse than awful. Only 27 percent of fourth-graders had proficient scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which was down from ... Florida test scores bring more questions than answers Treasure Coast school boards poised to join campaign to de-emphasize ... FCAT hotline opens amid grading controversy |
VS confirms writing letter to Karat IBNLive.com PTI | 03:05 PM,May 21,2012 Thiruvananthapuram,May21(PTI) In further embarrassment to CPI(M), Marxist stalwart VS Achuthanandan today confirmed that he had written to party general secretary Prakash Karat seeking the intervention of the central ... |
Writer For Content Writing King Published Social Marketing Article Houston Chronicle A new blog post written by Content Writing King has been released. This post is about article writing, content marketing, and social marketing. Recently, the article writing writer for Content Writing King has released a new blog post about content ... Content Writing King Releases Link Building Educational Material |
MTSU grad is writing her own ticket for multimedia success The Daily News Journal 10:09 pm MURFREESBORO — If there's a script for success in broadcasting, Fadia Patterson is writing—and rewriting it—every day. The newly minted master's graduate from MTSU has barely had time to finish writing thank-you notes before packing up for ... |
Boxing writers honor Fernandez for first-place column Philadelphia Daily News RECENTLY RETIRED Daily News sports writer Bernard Fernandez, for the 11th consecutive year, had placing entries in the Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest, known as the “Barneys” in honor of the late former president of the BWAA, ... |
 Wall Street Journal | Hold politicians accountable for education MiamiHerald.com The FCAT writing fiasco is not a failure — it's an opportunity to slow down and get things right. But you do have to wonder, after a decade of increasing education standards and accountability, is the point to strengthen public schools or to des By ... Regraded Test Upends Florida Schools 80 percent of 4th-graders pass FCAT writing portion State needs remedial help on FCAT writing standards |
Dean Minnich Writing Again: It's a public government, not a church or cement plant Carroll County Times (blog) As the Carroll County Commissioners trudge through the budget process, it occurs to me that they have no shared vision. Commissioner Robin Frazier apparently wants to use government for missionary work. An online service is needed to view this article ... |
 Farm Futures | Farm Bill Writing Underway in the House Farm Futures House Ag Committee wrapped up last subcommittee hearing Friday, now the work of crafting a farm bill begins. It'll look different than the Senate's. Friday, the House Ag Committee wrapped up hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill using a series of subcommittee ... |
 Independent Online | Bongi has the write stuff Independent Online By Debashine Thangevelo Hard work paid off for head writer Bongi Ndaba, who was appointed as co-producer of SABC1 s Generations. Picture: Generations Nursing a cold, Bongi Ndaba wasn't about to call in sick. Apologising in advance for the ... |
 The Hindu | 'Da Vinci Code' author Dan Brown speaks in NH Boston.com PORTSMOUTH, NH—Best-selling author Dan Brown made a rare public appearance in New Hampshire on Friday, saying very little about his next novel other than he's well into the writing process. "The Da Vinci Code" author, who grew up in New Hampshire, ... 'Da Vinci Code' author Dan Brown speaks in NH, says writing under way on next ... 'Da Vinci Code' author Dan Brown speaks |
How To Break Into Print Publishing
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers, or doyou find an agent who will do that for you? Based on anecdotalevidence I've heard, it can work either way.
The Top Five Writing Mistakes Professionals Make
Yes, you know your subject. You also need to think about entertaining your audience, and making your book or other writing easy to read.
How To Build A Successful Freelance Editorial Career
In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned to freelance work as a matter of survival. I receive many queries from applicants regarding this part of the market.
How To Stay Fit While Writing
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing that novel or story, and over time, this can become a potential problem. Their metabolism may slow down and the pounds can inch up.
Why Book Writers Need A Running Mate
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline is the biggest hindrance for most people, when it comes to writing a book of any kind. Although I urge you as a would-be writer to develop a theme because once you are clear on "why" you want to write a book, your motivational level will shift into a higher gear, I also urge you to get an accountability partner.
Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation
ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing the rights to adapt John Doe's fabulous, but little known novel, Lawrence of Monrovia, to screenplay form. Suddenly, panic sets in.
Creative Problem-Solving: Following Your Stream of Consciousness
Having trouble finding a solution to a nagging problem? Try a well-known journaling technique called stream of consciousness--you may be surprised at the creative messages you receive from your inner self.Take the case of Shana, an online journaler who had a problematic relationship with a co-worker.
Web Writing: Create Writing Flow With Four Uncommon Connectors
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers to process information promptly by creating balance and relationships between sentence parts. The connectors are performing the same work as verbs, objects, modifiers and multiple subjects.
Home Business Writing Made Simple
Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever written an outline for any project you were about to start? What about a shopping list? If you have, and I imagine most have, you can then write focused, brief, content articles for your online home business.Why write? Well, of course you can spend lots of money to drive traffic to your site with absolutely no guarantee that you will obtain a single sale.
Publish It Now! No Matter What It Is
Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction piece, a short story, a children's book, the great American novel? What are you waiting for? You may be answering that it's just too competitive. Competition in the writing industry is fierce, no doubt, but many good writers have piles of work collecting dust in a box, sitting in the corner, or in file upon file, tucked away in a desktop PC.
Business Writing Tip: Question & Answer Format
Traditionally, business writing uses the "one thing after another" format, which usually means a plain recitation of the facts, circumstances, or whatever else needs to be said.But, we have a number of other options, and some of them may provide more responses or better responses.
Get Noticed! Eight Tips to Catching an Editors Eye
The first five pages of a novel are critical.Editors make quick judgments.
Is Your Title Compelling?
Short Story Writing Tips:Your title is your selling tool. It's the first thing readers will scan and contemplate whether to read your story.
Whats in a Name? Giving Birth to your Characters
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up and the research is done. You're ready to start writing your novel.
Vital Verbs
Remember back in the dark days of your school years when you had to learn the parts of speech? A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. When asked what a verb was, you smugly answered, A verb is a word that indicates action, or some such definition.
Keeping a Love Journal
Do you love someone very deeply? A spouse, son, daughter,or maybe a group of people. February 14 is Valentine??s Day.
Becoming A Successful Author: The Price!
So you want to be a successful author? You want to be up there withBrown, Archer, King, but what price are you prepared to pay? You might be lucky and your first book could be an overnight success but the chances are you'll be hacking it for years before success knocks.If you decided to become a lawyer, an accountant, a bricklayer, or even to start an 'ordinary' business then you would be prepared to make sacrifices, to invest in the future.
Aesop, Abraham Lincoln, and You
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by Aesop and Abe Lincoln?Let's look first at Aesop's timeless tale about the tortoise and the hare. It's the one that ends "slow and sure wins the race.
Writing Business Letters That Get The Job Done
Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today,traditional business letters are still the main way that the majority of businesses officially communicatewith their customers and other businesses.This is especially true when businesses want to formalizean agreement or an understanding.
Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 2
If you either want to write a book to help others create a better life and boost business or you already have your book nearly finished, you may need book coaching to answer all of your questions "What step to take next?"Know Your Editing ChoicesLine editing. Use this final professional edit after you have already revised your work three times.
