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Ruskin Bond Workbook
Ruskin Bond Workbook
Ruskin
Bond
TEACHES WRITING
ABOUT
RUSKIN BOND
Ruskin Bond | 1
WHAT’S INSIDE?
This workbook contains everything you learned in the unluclass and more! It provides you with a lot of
knowledge and helps you apply the lessons in real life. The workbook has chapters for all the topics
covered in the unluclass. Furthermore, this workbook is easily printable for comfortable use.
TOOLS
COMMUNITY
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HAPPY
LEARNING!
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01
LESSON 1
WHY WRITE?
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LESSON 1
LESSON 1
WHY WRITE?
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LESSON 1
LESSON 1
ASSIGNMENT
Keep a diary!
Get a good diary that speaks to you and start noting things you
see every day. Feel free to write about anything!
Here are some pointers to help you start with:.
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LESSON 1
NOTES
Johnny lever | 7
02
LESSON 2
RUSKIN BOND’S
JOURNEY
Johnny lever | 8
LESSON 2
LESSON 2
RUSKIN BOND’S
JOURNEY
While like Ruskin, you need to define a purpose before you set off
to write, you also need to develop certain qualities to make sure
that you succeed. In order to become a writer of that stature you
need to work very hard, bring discipline to your life, work towards
feeding the writer in you, sharpen your skills, practice everyday,
and most importantly, believe in yourself.
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LESSON 2
LESSON 2
RUSKIN BOND’S
JOURNEY
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LESSON 2
NOTES
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03
LESSON 3
FINDING THE
WRITER IN
YOU
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LESSON 3
LESSON 3
FINDING THE
WRITER IN
YOU
But before you start sowing seeds of your career as a writer, you
need to identify what kind of writer you want to be. What drives
you?
There are all kinds of writers out there. There are the ones who
write from their personal experiences and the ones who invent the
story. The two different types Ruskin talks about are Subjective
and Objective writers.
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LESSON 3
LESSON 3
FINDING THE
WRITER IN
YOU
As a writer, you need to explore and find out which writing style
you are inclined to. More than often, writers find themselves
switching between the two options depending on the story they
are inspired to write.
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LESSON 3
LESSON 3
ASSIGNMENT
Make a list of books that inspire you to write.
Pick up each book and identify the writing style used by the
writer.
See which writing style you have been reading the most, and try
to write in that style and see if it comes easy to you.
This doesn’t mean that you restrict yourself! Once you have
practiced writing in the style you picked, try out the other one
too. Compare the two and see which writing style helps you
write more engaging stories and comes to you naturally.
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LESSON 3
NOTES
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04
LESSON 4
STRUCTURING
YOUR BOOK
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LESSON 4
LESSON 4
STRUCTURING
YOUR BOOK
Defining the plot: If you want to start writing your novel, you will
of course need a plot, there is no question in that. Write down the
plot first and use that to work on the next steps.
Building character profiles: Once you have defined the plot, pick
out the main characters and try to visualise them. How do they
look physically, how they talk, what kind of past they had, what
is their life like in present, etc. Ask yourself these questions. It is
not necessary for you to use all these details in the novel, but it
sure will help you write better in the long run.
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LESSON 4
LESSON 4
STRUCTURING
YOUR BOOK
Once you are done planning your book, you are all set to sit with a
pen and paper and start writing. But don’t be mistaken. Planning
doesn’t just involve planning the book. It also involves planning
your life too. To start a career in writing you have to keep in mind
your current and future financial well-being and you have to set
deadlines for yourself to avoid procrastinating.
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LESSON 4
LESSON 4
ASSIGNMENT
Plan out your novel. Chart out a simple plot, and a timeline of
events in the story. Along with that, list out the characters you
have in the story, don’t develop them yet! Go through the next
lesson before you start building you character profiles.
Johnny lever | 20
LESSON 4
NOTES
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05
LESSON 5
BUILDING
CHARACTERS
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LESSON 5
LESSON 5
BUILDING
CHARACTERS
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LESSON 5
LESSON 5
ASSIGNMENT
Take another look at the example shared in this chapter. Add
more details to the character of the boy and his older self. Try
and go as deep as you can. Ask questions about his physical
appearance, mental state, family and friends, surroundings, etc.
Once you are done with this sample character. Move on to the
next aspect of this assignment i.e. defining your own characters.
Remember the list that you made in the last chapter? Use that
to define each character one by one and build their profiles in as
much detail as you can.
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LESSON 5
NOTES
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06
LESSON 6
SIMPLE
THOUGHTS TO
POLISHED IDEAS
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LESSON 4
LESSON 6
SIMPLE THOUGHTS
TO POLISHED IDEAS
It is not an easy job to turn real life events into stories, mostly
because writers can think too close to the real event and cling to
the details of it while ignoring the narrative. To turn such an event
to a story, you must learn to let go of tiny details and logic that
real life provides. Taking the fox incident as an example, had
Ruskin stuck with the commonly perceived notion about foxes
being cunning, he wouldn’t have been able to come up with such
a beautiful story. He thought of the fox from a fresh perspective
and found truth in his version of the fox.
Once you start visualising a story, let it flow. Don’t argue with
logic and realism, that can be dealt with once you have the 1st
draft in front of you.
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LESSON 4
LESSON 6
SIMPLE THOUGHTS
TO POLISHED IDEAS
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LESSON 4
LESSON 6
ASSIGNMENT
Hope you have been writing the diary we spoke about in the first
lesson. Pick out a real life incident from your diary and try and
translate it into a story.
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LESSON 6
NOTES
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07
LESSON 7
USING YOUR
SURROUNDINGS
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LESSON 7
LESSON 7
USING YOUR
SURROUNDINGS
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LESSON 7
LESSON 7
ASSIGNMENT
Pick up a Ruskin Bond book or any other fiction novel that
interests you. Don’t just read it, but observe it as a writer, and try
to figure out what all might be true and what you think is a
product of the author’s imagination. Think about the incidents
you think might’ve triggered these stories then.
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LESSON 7
NOTES
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08
LESSON 8
INFLUENCES
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LESSON 8
LESSON 8
INFLUENCES
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LESSON 8
LESSON 8
ASSIGNMENT
Pick up a Ruskin Bond book or any other fiction novel that
interests you. Don’t just read it, but observe it as a writer, and try
to figure out what all might be true and what you think is a
product of the author’s imagination. Think about the incidents
you think might’ve triggered these stories then.
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LESSON 8
NOTES
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09
LESSON 9
WRITER’S
BLOCK
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LESSON 9
LESSON 9
WRITER’S
BLOCK
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LESSON 9
LESSON 9
WRITER’S
BLOCK
For some people, writing through the block works well to. They
keep writing despite the fact that nothing worthwhile is coming
to them and their brain suddenly charges up and comes up with
new and fresh ideas. If this isn’t you, then another thing which
helps is figuring out the end of your story and working
backwards.
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LESSON 9
LESSON 9
DAILY EXCERCISE
This is less of an exercise and more of a lifestyle choice. As a
writer, try to expand your surroundings as much as you can. Go
out, meet people, collect stories, keep noting them down, read
well and most importantly keep your mind from jumbling up
thoughts by practicing something like meditation or
mindfulness. Some people also prefer physical sports to clear
their minds. Pick whatever interests you and practice it regularly.
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LESSON 9
NOTES
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10
LESSON 10
FIRST TO
FINAL DRAFT
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LESSON 10
LESSON 10
FIRST TO
FINAL DRAFT
Often, we are too close to our work to realise how it actually is. A
writer or any artist for that matter will not be able to find
mistakes in their own writing. If we left everything to the writers
to decide then the industry would have been quite different and
most probably not so interesting after-all. An editor is very
important to your work. They are a pair of fresh eyes and
someone who can give you feedback from a reader’s
perspective. Once you are done writing the first draft of your
book you need to find a good editor. The editor can be someone
from your friends or family who knows the job well or it can be
someone you hire as a freelancer. Ruskin talks about his
experience with different editors. He emphasises on picking up
the right editor for your work. A wrong choice for an editor might
lead to further mistakes in terms of the story, the setting and
other such important aspects of the novel. Some editors tend to
change the story itself in order to make it more commercial and
sellable which might result in your story losing its true essence.
Once you’re done with this process it’s time to move on to the
publishing stage. Sometimes as it may happen, and a publisher
might not agree to publish the draft that you shared with them.
That’s when you need to believe in your story and not give up.
Give it another shot! Ruskin himself has had to write multiple
drafts for several stories and books.
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LESSON 10
NOTES
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11
LESSON 11
EDITING AND
PUBLISHING
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LESSON 11
LESSON 11
EDITING AND
PUBLISHING
With multiple tools and services now online, self publishing has
become an easier choice for many new writers. Ebooks, print on
demand services etc. have helped aspiring writers showcase
their work to the world without compromising on anything.
While there are several pros to self publishing, There is also a
major con which Ruskin talks about in the lesson video - it
becomes very difficult to sell a self published book unless you
have good distributor relations.
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LESSON 11
NOTES
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12
LESSON 12
BOOK TITLES
AND
COVER DESIGN
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LESSON 12
LESSON 12
BOOK TITLES
AND COVER DESIGN
No matter how many times you hear or say “don’t judge a book
by its cover” people will always have a bias in their minds
towards a good cover and title. A good cover and title doesn’t
mislead the buyer, it rather gives the reader a glimpse into the
world which is inside the book, while the title works almost like a
teaser to a film.
Book covers and titles literally hold the fate of your book and
determine its success. People judge a book by its first
impression which is the cover and the title , then usually turn it
around and look at the synopsis behind, which makes the back
cover of the book almost equally important. Another aspect
involves the insides of the book and the way you have formatted
the text. It is very important to leave decent margins, choose a
pleasant readable font and break it up properly according to the
chapters inside, if any.
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LESSON 7
LESSON 12
ASSIGNMENT
If you have a story in mind, design a cover for it. You can draw, use
photoshop, powerpoint, or just write down a simple concept for
your imaginary cover designer.
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LESSON 12
NOTES
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13
LESSON 13
MARKETING
& CRITICISM
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LESSON 13
LESSON 13
MARKETING
& CRITICISM
A lot of people write books which are forgotten very soon; they
don’t even sell enough copies to keep the writer motivated or
financially sustain them. This is where marketing comes in. Only
the writers who focus on marketing their books get to see the
fame and money.
Good marketing for a book involves networking with publishers,
going to book signings, talking about the book in order to
increase word of mouth for it, give multiple interviews, etc. These
days even social media has become very important for writers to
sustain and market themselves. As an author one has to
maintain their presence on platforms like Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook and LinkedIn depending on the kind of audience they
think will buy their book.
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LESSON 13
LESSON 13
MARKETING
& CRITICISM
With good marketing, you get more readers, and with more
readers comes a lot of criticism. Criticism can be hard to handle
for any kind of artist. Some who take it too harshly, demotivate
themselves and grow anxious of their work which makes them
think twice before pursuing their dream again. It can also result in
writer’s block for some. In order to be a good, successful author,
one needs to learn how to take criticism. People love sharing
their opinions especially on art pieces and books. Sometime you
will get constructive feedback and some could just be hate
comments. An author needs to understand what the readers are
saying and filter the good, constructive ones from the bad. If you
do get some constructive criticism it is best to take it as
feedback and work on the highlighted problems and implement
change in your next work.
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LESSON 13
NOTES
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14
LESSON 14
RIGHTS
AFTER
PUBLISHING
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LESSON 14
LESSON 14
RIGHTS AFTER
PUBLISHING
Once you have found yourself a publisher, the battle is half won.
Now you will be offered a contract by the publisher which will
specify the royalty you will get on different editions of the book.
It will also state different subsidiary rights like movie rights,
translation rights, theatre rights etc. You ideally should go
through the contract and see which rights belong to you to avoid
any kind of misunderstanding. Along with the aforementioned
details the contract will also mention the time period within
which the book needs to be published. In case the publisher is
unable to bring out the book in the said time period, the writer
has the right to withdraw and go to some other publisher. You
also get a few free copies of the book once published. In case you
want more copies you can buy them from the publisher at a
discounted price. Once the book sells around 10,000 copies, for a
publisher it means good business and it’s very likely to be
reprinted. In the case the publisher decides not to reprint it, the
contract ends there and you can go to another publisher for
printing. Some books can stay in print for many years while
others can go out of print within a year.
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LESSON 14
NOTES
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15
LESSON 15
POWER OF
OBSERVATION
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LESSON 15
LESSON 15
POWER OF
OBSERVATION
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LESSON 15
NOTES
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16
LESSON 16
IMPORTANCE
OF RESEARCH
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LESSON 16
LESSON 16
IMPORTANCE
OF RESEARCH
For most research sounds like the more boring part of the
journey. Well, most of the writers who don’t pay the required
attention to research and don’t do their homework usually find
themselves stuck at different points of the book or the story
they are writing.
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LESSON 16
NOTES
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17
LESSON 17
IMPORTANCE
OF READING
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LESSON 14
LESSON 17
IMPORTANCE
OF READING
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LESSON 17
LESSON 17
DAILY EXCERCISE
To maintain a healthy reading routine. Keep two books at your
bedside. The first book should be your current read and the
second one should be the book you plan to read next. Read the
book whenever you sit on your bed, or before sleeping and during
the morning tea/coffee time. It doesn’t matter if you read two
pages or two paragraphs. The point is to read whenever you sit
idle on your bed. This exercise will also avoid the ‘reader’s block’
for you. Yes! It’s a thing.
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LESSON 17
NOTES
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18
LESSON 18
QUALITIES OF A
GOOD WRITER
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LESSON 18
LESSON 18
QUALITIES OF A
GOOD WRITER
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LESSON 18
LESSON 18
ASSIGNMENT
As a writer discipline is very important along with work life
balance. Make two timetables, one for your regular work days
and one for your ‘cheat day’. The work day should include a
balance of writing, socialising and routine activities while the
cheat day time table can be used to define activities other than
writing.
You might want to skip the cheat day timetable, but it’s
important to give your writing a balanced approach. So don’t
skip that cheat day, enjoy it!
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LESSON 18
NOTES
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19
LESSON 19
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LESSON 19
LESSON 19
If you think you can sustain yourself financially while you write,
finish and publish your book, well, you can very well be a full time
writer. If you cannot then you need to find something which goes
with your persona and helps you earn bread and butter while
you set sometime aside to write everyday. For a part time writer
it is crucial to set a time to write every single day and take
deadlines very seriously, otherwise your job can take over and
your passion will get sidelined very soon because of several
different reasons, one of them being writer’s block.
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LESSON 19
NOTES
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20
LESSON 20
CREATING
YOUR NICHE
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LESSON 20
LESSON 20
CREATING
YOUR NICHE
Once you have a defined niche you need to figure the kind of
audience you are going to sell it to- your primary audience. Figure
out some books in the same genre and see what works for those
books and what doesn’t.
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LESSON 20
NOTES
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21
LESSON 21
HOW TO
HANDLE
SUCCESS
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LESSON 21
LESSON 21
HOW TO
HANDLE SUCCESS
xx
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LESSON 21
LESSON 21
ASSIGNMENT
xx
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LESSON 21
NOTES
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22
LESSON 22
SHORT STORIES
VS NOVELS
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LESSON 22
LESSON 22
SHORT STORIES
VS NOVELS
xx
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LESSON 22
NOTES
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23
LESSON 23
WRITING
BY HAND
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LESSON 23
LESSON 23
WRITING
BY HAND
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LESSON 20
NOTES
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24
LESSON 24
WORLD THROUGH
THE WINDOW
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LESSON 24
LESSON 24
WORLD THROUGH
THE WINDOW
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LESSON 24
LESSON 24
ASSIGNMENT
xx
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LESSON 24
NOTES
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25
LESSON 25
CASE STUDY
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LESSON 25
LESSON 25
CASE STUDY
xx
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LESSON 25
NOTES
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26
LESSON 26
GENRES
TO EXPLORE
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LESSON 26
LESSON 26
GENRES
TO EXPLORE
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LESSON 20
NOTES
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27
LESSON 27
WRITERS
DON’T RETIRE
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LESSON 24
LESSON 27
WRITERS
DON’T RETIRE
Writing is a full time job you cannot escape and you wouldn’t
want to once you get a taste of it. A writer’s job never ends and
he never retires. A writer’s brain functions differently. No one can
stop a writer from collecting stories until there is that spark in
them.
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LESSON 24
LESSON 27
ASSIGNMENT
xx
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LESSON 24
NOTES
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