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WRITING

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At first glance, a dictionary seems pretty straightforward: Words are listed alphabetically, and you simply locate the right page and scan until you find the word you’re looking for. But there’s a lot you might not know about these essential reference too

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You would never know from his books that Goosebumps and Fear Street author R.L. Stine used to write joke books for kids under the name Jovial Bob Stine

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Each year, hundreds of formal challenges asking for the removal of “inappropriate” books from shelves and syllabi are filed with schools and libraries across the country.

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Celebrate Banned Books Week by giving these once-censored classics a read.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was not a fan of the exclamation point!

“Cut out all these exclamation points," F. Scott Fizgerald once said. "An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”

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If you really want to be remembered, it's best to die on a Friday.

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She tested most of the slapstick herself.

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Even seasoned professors may have trouble spotting this trick.

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A world without Roald Dahl would be a world without Oompa Loompas, Snozzcumbers, or Muggle-Wumps. And who would ever want to live in a world like that?

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"I hold that the parentheses are by far the most important parts of a non-business letter." —D.H. Lawrence

This is the face of a child who doesn't like what she's reading.

Writers used to instill good manners through strange, scary cautionary tales—and some stories were so bizarre it's a wonder the kids that read them turned out OK.

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There are plenty of things even the most ardent fans don't know about 'The Lord of the Rings' author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

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Escape reality—both literally and figuratively—by visiting one of these literary-inspired getaways.

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It takes place after the liberation of Paris, in which Hemingway himself played a role.

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Write down reminders to yourself where you know you'll see them.

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Though he made his living as a writer, Ernest Hemingway was just as famous for his lust for adventure.

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The screenplay is complete enough that it could be created by filmmakers today.

Henry David Thoreau.

Believe it or not, we're all probably mispronouncing 'Walden' author Henry David Thoreau's name.

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One technological breakthrough left the common pencil in the dust.

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While it was author J.K. Rowling who ultimately suggested the alternative title, she still regrets the decision.

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1. Margaret Mitchell wrote the book out of boredom.

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From Gore Vidal to Quentin Tarantino, even the most successful scribes aren't always impressed with their own movies.

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In honor of the author's birthday, here are 15 facts about the actual man behind the curtain.

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... and your other burning, pencil-related questions answered.