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/
------------------------------------------------------------

---

Sharpen Your Writing With Structure

At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More

A Book Note Vs a Book Report

IntroductionSince our early days of elementary education we have been... Read More

8 Great Journaling Tips

Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More

Revising Your Manuscript: Fourteen Questions to Ask Yourself

1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More

Writing the KAIZEN Way

Over the past eight years or so, I have tutored... Read More

8 Ways to Improve Your Writing Immediately

Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More

First Priority

No matter what you are writing, the first priority is... Read More

Whats Missing in your Nearly Finished Book?

Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More

Get Noticed! Eight Tips to Catching an Editors Eye

The first five pages of a novel are critical.Editors make... Read More

Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation

ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More

Under The Leaded Sky in Serbia by dr Mirjana Radovic

When one population in one century survived five wars, two... Read More

Time to Write

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More

Screenwriting ? The Value of Structure

Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More

Three 30 Day Journaling Ideas

Here are 3 journaling or diary ideas that can contribute... Read More

When I Run Out of Ideas

I do on occasion run out of ideas for my... Read More

Gaining Writing Experience

GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More

Arouse Your Short Story And See It Published

Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More

Top Seven Essential Hot-Selling Points To Implement Before Writing Chapter One

Every part of your book can be a sales tool.... Read More

How to Multiply Your Freelance Writing Work

You can turn your $200 fee to write a press... Read More

Got an Idea? Turn it into a Novel in Thirty Days or Less!

People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More

How To Filter Description Through Your Characters

How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More

A Freelancers Journey, Part One

Today it begins.I have always known I was a freelancer.... Read More

Critique Groups - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More

How to Get Free Publicity in In-flight Magazines

If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More

Getting the Story Down

Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More

Screenwriting ? Five Golden Insights

Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More

How To Avoid Viewpoint Slips

Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be... Read More

Have You Tested Your Plot?

Creative Writing Tips ?Our plotting stage is our testing area.Everything... Read More

Publication Road

The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More

How To Write for the Web

The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More

Self-Examination

Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More

10 Best Writers Who Ever Lived

Compiling a list of the history's ten best writers is... Read More

Writing the Chapters of Your Life: Surprising Insights Using This Special Journaling Technique

List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used... Read More