After fighting in WWI, A. A. Milne had PTSD so severe, he was reminded of whizzing bullets by buzzing bees, and cannons firing by balloons popping. Wanting a lighthearted distraction and a way to explain to his son the difficulties of war, he wrote Winnie the Pooh stories as his way of doing so.
writers
In 1961, J.R.R Tolkien was rejected…
In 1961, J.R.R Tolkien was rejected for a Nobel Prize, on the grounds of his poor storytelling.
Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft…
Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 on a typewriter in UCLA Library’s basement that cost 10 cents for 30 minutes. 9 days and $9.80 later he had a short story titled ‘ The Fireman’ that was later expanded into Fahrenheit 451.
Karl May, Hitler’s favorite author….
Karl May, Hitler’s favorite author, was a conman who wrote novel’s about Old Shatterhand, a German One Punch Man in the Wild West (who May claimed was actually himself, even though he’d never been to the US or even out of Germany at that point).
Author H.P. Lovecraft was never able…
Author H.P. Lovecraft was never able to support himself from his earnings as an author. His book “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”, written one year before his death, sold a meagre 200 copies. He died in poverty at age 46.
Edgar Rice Burroughs earned…
Edgar Rice Burroughs earned just $400 USD for his first published story in 1912. However, ‘Tarzan’ would become a hit. Burroughs purchased a ranch in California in 1915-1919 & the citizens the community elected to name the city Tarzana, California.
Isaac Asimov wrote 500 books…
Isaac Asimov wrote 500 books. His first novel was published in 1950, and he died in 1992. This means he wrote aprox 1 book per month for 42 straight years.
In 1865, Charles Dickens was traveling…
In 1865, Charles Dickens was traveling home from France when his train derailed while crossing a bridge, and his car was left dangling from the tracks. He helped save stranded passengers and then climbed back into the dangling car to find a manuscript he was supposed to send to his publishers.
Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451…
Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 (1953) on a coin-operated typewriter that charged 10 cents for every 30 minutes, costing him $9.80.
Born in January 1921, the writer…
Born in January 1921, the writer Patricia Highsmith once smuggled 100 snails and a head of lettuce into a literary party in her handbag so she had someone to talk to.