THE IMMORTAL DICKENS

Charles Dickens sitting at his desk, writing. Yes, I admit I'm a huge fan. He wrote 15 major novels, several plays, several non-fiction books, and numerous essays and articles, most in support of the poor and disenfranchised. Today, many of his novels are considered some of the best ever written: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, DAVID COPPERFIELD, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, and many, many others. And he wrote them all with a quill pen before the age of 58.

My first thought when I saw this picture was, "Wow, I wonder how many more masterpieces he could've written with a modern computer?" Yes, today's literary hacks like yours truly have some advantages. Then again, every time Microsoft updates Windows, they screw up my printer. Their Word program is amazing, but incredibly complicated. Where is the symbol for ½ anyway? Oh. Never mind. I found it. Scrivener makes me fill out a ridiculous number of forms (who cares if my protagonist's hair is brown or black?), and ProWritingAid criticizes everything I do. So, the truth is, my friends, if Dickens was writing today, he'd still be on page one of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and considering returning to the boot polish business. Okay. I’ve complained enough. I'm going back to my writing. So, excuse me while I sharpen my quill...