WRITING

The Origin Story of the Ballpoint Pen

Hungarian brothers László and György Bíró are credited with inventing the pen we still use today.

Robots Are Learning to Write Poetry

Where Did the Paperweight Come From?

Where Does the Hashtag (a.k.a. Octothorpe) Come From?

The Very Particular Details of Emily Dickinson's Funeral

It should come as no surprise that she had very specific plans she wished to be followed upon her passing.

The Story That Launched Nellie Bly’s Famed Journalism Career

Ray Bradbury's Lost Interview On Madmen, Writing, and Cars

"You write to please yourself. You write for the joy of writing."

10 Charming Facts About Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel 'Jane Eyre' was an instant hit—and many of its themes were taken from the author's real life.

11 Writers Who Started Late

Forget “under 30” or even “under 40” lists. Some of the world's most celebrated writers didn’t hit their literary stride until their mid-forties or later.

Scientists Determine Shakespeare Authored Double Falsehood

Draftback Lets You Replay Your Every Keystroke When Writing

Advice For Young Journalists From Decades Past

4 Benefits of Writing By Hand for National Handwriting Day

Today is National Handwriting Day! Although we don't write like we used to, here are four ways handwriting is still helpful.

Portrait of Robert Burns, painted by Alexander Nasmyth.

14 Scots Words from the Works of Robert Burns

Polish up on this list of words and phrases from Robert Burns’s complete works. Highlighting the imagination of his Scots language, they are ripe for revival by Robbie revelers old and new.

Watch Neil Gaiman Recite Jabberwocky in the Woods

Writing Advice from Kurt Vonnegut and 3 Other Writers

In the 1980s, a group of great thinkers, authors and communicators penned a series of How To's for honing one's writing skills. The source of these amazing troves of advice was an ad campaign put out by a paper company.

15 Delightfully Inspirational Quotes from Great Writers

Any writer knows that unsolicited advice about their work is easy to come by, but finding inspiration on those days when the words just won’t come is a lot tougher. Here, 15 of history’s most famous names give you the positive words you need to get back t

19 Rare Recordings of Famous Authors

Twenty years ago, it was impossible for most of us to listen to JRR Tolkien read Elvish or see Zelda Fitzgerald grin at a camera or hear an inebriated Hemingway shout about pigeons. But today, these and other rare recordings of famous authors are just a m

John Wilson Special Collections, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Oregon

E.B. White's Advice for Aspiring Authors

As a successful writer of works for both children and adults, E.B. White received fan mail often. But even though he seemed to hate it, that didn't stop him from writing back.

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller had a turbulent marriage.

10 Tempestuous Writerly Romances

For famous writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, turbulent real-life relationships rivaled the dramas that played out on the page.

Oscar Wilde was rumored to have walked the streets of London with a lobster on a leash.

The Incredible Eccentricities of 20 Great Writers

When it comes to cranking out literary treasures, celebrated authors have turned to some strange strategies to find their muse.

3 Interesting Articles from Ernest Hemingway’s Newspaper Career

Before Ernest Hemingway was a literary giant, he was a cub reporter. When Hem graduated high school at 18, he moved to Kansas City and started a six-month stint with the Kansas City Star—a job that molded his trademark punchy, staccato style.

Neil Gaiman Drops Knowledge

Gertrude Stein made sure to work her signature phrase, "a rose is a rose is a rose," into her children's book, too.

12 Famous Authors Who Also Wrote for Children

Sometimes you just want to be a kid again. These literary luminaries quietly tried their hands at writing children’s stories.

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