Mark Twain returns... 100 years after his death (died in 1910)… From the Grave…

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Phil

Jeff says, "How do you publish a book 100 years after your death, and have it become an instant bestseller?."

Hi Phil,

Thanks for sharing that...!

I haven't gotten Mark Twain's autobiography (vol. 1) yet, though I'm sure it is something I would find fascinating reading... I remember loving Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, all those years ago...

One thing I find interesting about Mark Twain's autobiography is... he dictated it! In his time, of course, that meant getting a stenographer to follow him around, writing down what he said. Of course, using this method - *anyone* can write a book. (It's a bit easier now, thanks to pocket-sized tape recorders and digital recorders...)

By the way, the late best-selling author Sidney Sheldon also dictated all his books, and all the scripts he wrote too.

If you think you can't "write" - this is a way that anyone can do it. And there's no shame in it, when you know that some of the world's greatest writers have used this technique!

Here's an explanation about Mark Twain's technique, from an article I read...

"Despite having been thinking about an autobiography since at least 1876, it wasn't until 1906 that the writer almost as famous for his lectures as for his books – he has been called America's first stand-up comic – found a method he liked. He simply hired a stenographer to follow him around and record his stories, while he talked and talked."

(The quote is from here... http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010...rah-churchwell ... It's a great article, if you're interested in finding out more about Mark Twain...)

Best wishes,

Dien