“The novel as we know it came into existence in the year 1740, with Samuel Richardson's Pamela. There had been novels before this, but they tended to be either fairy tales or picaresque “true narrations.” What Richardson did was to create a highly elaborate daydream about a servant girl who resists all her master's attempts to seduce her, and ends by marrying him. I doubt whether many readers ever identified with Don Quixote or Gil Blas; but every male could identify with the lustful Mr. B., every female with the virtuous Pamela. Pamela was a magic carpet to another world – a world of the imagination: at the same time, the sheer mass of its physical and psychological detail convinced the reader of its reality. Within a decade of the publication of Pamela, England had become a nation of readers. Nowadays we take entertainment for granted; it is difficult to realize what a revolution took place as a result of Richardson's invention. It was as widespread as the tobacco revolution of the Elizabethan age; but to get an idea of its significance, you would have to imagine that Sir Walter Raleigh brought back marijuana from the New World, and that all of Europe had become pot smokers. This taste for escaping into worlds of fantasy swept across Europe, and literature gained an importance that it had never had in any previous age… Middle-class Victorians flocked to Thomas Cook to take them on tours of foreign lands; every class of Victorian flocked to the novelists to take them on tours of the imagination. Pamela could well have been one of the most decisive steps in the evolution of man since the invention of the wheel.” – Colin Wilson, The Books in My Life
You and I have spoken in recent weeks about your inborn ability to write. Are you ready to get started? The inaugural edition of our monthly newspaper, The Beagle Bugle, will be published in early July and mailed to subscribers around the world. In it, a number of Monday Morning Memo readers like you will see their own writings published along with featured graduates of Wizard Academy and partners of Wizard of Ads, Inc. Initially, The Beagle Bugle will be an eclectic collection of stories, thoughts, cartoons, poems and editorial opinions. Ultimately, it will become whatever you make it. Subscriptions are currently free in the US and Canada and will remain free if we sell enough ads to cover the cost of postage. Subscribers beyond North America are asked to cover the cost of postage.
To subscribe, email your name and postal mailing address to tammy@wizardofads.com. To submit your writing for publication, email it to editor@wizardofads.com. (Not every submission will be published. Due to the number of submissions received, we are not able to offer individual feedback. The Beagle Bugle reserves the right to edit your submission both for length and content.)
Sharing your thoughts in writing is fun. Are you ready to start having some?
Roy H. Williams
OPPORTUNITY ALERT – We currently have a rare opening at Williams Marketing for an additional client consultant/ad writer. If you think you might be the person to fill this opening, email your reasons to Corrine@wizardofads.com. And remember – this is a job that requires a person who can think strategically and write persuasively, so Corrine will be looking for a convincing cover letter.
There will be writer's training sessions during the July 24-26 session of the Magical Worlds curriculum at Wizard Academy, as well as at the August 8-10 Free the Beagle writer's conference. One or more seats remain available for each of these sessions. For more information about Wizard Academy visit http://wizardacademy.org or call (800) 425-4769.