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When you start writing a novel you may find doing so somewhat more difficult than you expected. You are not alone when you make this discovery, as many novice writers and even published authors find themselves in the very same predicament. Perhaps one of the most difficult things may be trying to discover who, what, where, when, why and how you are going to develop the next “Pulitzer Prize Winning” fiction book. This article will provide you with a number of thoughts and ideas which should make your task not quite so difficult and much more enjoyable.

Your mental attitude, about why you are writing the book of your dreams, may well be the governing factor in the success or failure of your book. A good attitude would be looking at your book as something you have always wanted to do, not necessarily as the one thing which will propel you from rags to riches.

To help you get in the right frame of mind about this, perhaps you should check out some of the statistics about having a book published in the United States. You should know that approximately 162,000 books are published a year. Please don’t let the statistics deter you from your writing. On the contrary, if 162,000 books will be “born”, yours can be too. In other words, you may well be the next “Best Selling Author” just be realistic about the reasons you are writing and the expectations you have for your writing. Doing anything because you love to do it will always make it easier to complete.

You now have the right mental attitude now let’s move on to what you are going to write about.

Obviously, you already have an idea or thoughts on what you want to write about. If you are a first time novelist, it is important for you to consider writing on something which you are passionate and have knowledge of. By doing so you will reduce the chances of you becoming bored and you can rest assured that if you become bored with the topic, it will increase the difficulty of writing your book.

One of the things that ties directly in with the subject of your book, will be the style of writing you elect to use. Let’s presume you are a police officer and have decided you are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about solving murder mysteries. Take a trip to your library and check out as many books, by different authors, about murder mystery as you can. Read every book and while reading take notes about the style of the authors writing. You will soon begin to recognize the style that fits you the best.

As you are well aware there are many other aspects to writing, which can make writing a book difficult, they are beyond the scope of this article at this time. However, by having the right mental attitude, writing about something you know or very passionate about, taking the time to develop your own style, you should be able to start writing a novel which could become the next “best seller” - especially with some solid guidance.

Here is a common problem that one of my subscribers expressed to me recently…

“I’m 16 and the main problem is, I know what I want to write, but when I do write it down I just think it sounds lame”

Now she’s 16 years old, but I’m pretty sure that this problem transcends all ages.

The truth is, nearly every thing *I* put down I also think sounds lame too… at least at first. We all have to understand that in most cases you will never write a ‘great song’ the first time around. It doesn’t happen that way.

I always jokingly tell those who are aspiring songwriters that “you aren’t in the business of writing songs, but more like… you’re in the business of editing them”.

By that I mean, you’re not necessarily ‘song writing’, but rather ‘song crafting’. That’s why they call it a craft, and that’s how you should be thinking. It’s about constantly editing and re-arranging your song until you see it fit to be heard by other listeners. When you have a song down, don’t just let it stop there. Trust me, it ain’t finished.

There may be exceptions to the rule, but mostly - you will still have work to do.

Listen to the verse… could it do with a change of melody? Does it tie in well with the chorus or Pre-Chorus? Does the song make sense lyrically? Step out of the song for a moment… would you dig the song if you were an outsider listening in? Does the song bore YOU? What could you do to change that?

Now, you don’t have to go mad here. Don’t nit-pick every little knock and cranny - that will only drive you crazy. Take in the first instance of what you feel could do with re-working, then DO IT. Change it up… and make it better.

Critiquing your own song is probably one of the most difficult things to do in songwriting - but it CAN be done relatively easily. It involves you really having to stand apart from your song and looking at it a little objectively.

By listening to the song from other people ears can do wonders for your songwriting.

After you have done this, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag… BUT only for a limited audience.

What do I mean by that?..

…I mean, you should now play your song to a fellow musician, singer or songwriter. All three if you can. If it’s somebody you respect, then even better. Here’s the ticket: There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician’s ears - of whom you respect. That’s the ultimate.

In fact, I’ll say that one more time so you can engrave this phrase in your mind…

There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician’s ears - of whom you respect.

If you don’t have a friend who’s a songwriter or a musician that you admire and/or respect, then go get one. Honestly. Befriend one. Develop some sort of relationship with one. FIND one. It will be the greatest move you ever make in songwriting.

Eventually, you won’t have to keep asking for feedback from them because you will soon be able to listen to your song ‘through his/her ears’. That’s why the above paragraph is so crucial to your songwriting success.

I’m convinced that should you follow the advice in this article that your songwriting will reach to it’s highest degree. Not only that, but you’ll achieve a higher level of songwriting in a shorter space of time.

Finally, remember you will get better as you write more and more. By definition, if you do something more than often, you will get better at it. So keep at it and for goodness sakes, ENJOY it

Here is a common problem that one of my subscribers expressed to me recently…

“I’m 16 and the main problem is, I know what I want to write, but when I do write it down I just think it sounds lame”

Now she’s 16 years old, but I’m pretty sure that this problem transcends all ages.

The truth is, nearly every thing *I* put down I also think sounds lame too… at least at first. We all have to understand that in most cases you will never write a ‘great song’ the first time around. It doesn’t happen that way.

I always jokingly tell those who are aspiring songwriters that “you aren’t in the business of writing songs, but more like… you’re in the business of editing them”.

By that I mean, you’re not necessarily ‘song writing’, but rather ‘song crafting’. That’s why they call it a craft, and that’s how you should be thinking. It’s about constantly editing and re-arranging your song until you see it fit to be heard by other listeners. When you have a song down, don’t just let it stop there. Trust me, it ain’t finished.

There may be exceptions to the rule, but mostly - you will still have work to do.

Listen to the verse… could it do with a change of melody? Does it tie in well with the chorus or Pre-Chorus? Does the song make sense lyrically? Step out of the song for a moment… would you dig the song if you were an outsider listening in? Does the song bore YOU? What could you do to change that?

Now, you don’t have to go mad here. Don’t nit-pick every little knock and cranny - that will only drive you crazy. Take in the first instance of what you feel could do with re-working, then DO IT. Change it up… and make it better.

Critiquing your own song is probably one of the most difficult things to do in songwriting - but it CAN be done relatively easily. It involves you really having to stand apart from your song and looking at it a little objectively.

By listening to the song from other people ears can do wonders for your songwriting.

After you have done this, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag… BUT only for a limited audience.

What do I mean by that?..

…I mean, you should now play your song to a fellow musician, singer or songwriter. All three if you can. If it’s somebody you respect, then even better. Here’s the ticket: There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician’s ears - of whom you respect. That’s the ultimate.

In fact, I’ll say that one more time so you can engrave this phrase in your mind…

There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician’s ears - of whom you respect.

If you don’t have a friend who’s a songwriter or a musician that you admire and/or respect, then go get one. Honestly. Befriend one. Develop some sort of relationship with one. FIND one. It will be the greatest move you ever make in songwriting.

Eventually, you won’t have to keep asking for feedback from them because you will soon be able to listen to your song ‘through his/her ears’. That’s why the above paragraph is so crucial to your songwriting success.

I’m convinced that should you follow the advice in this article that your songwriting will reach to it’s highest degree. Not only that, but you’ll achieve a higher level of songwriting in a shorter space of time.

Finally, remember you will get better as you write more and more. By definition, if you do something more than often, you will get better at it. So keep at it and for goodness sakes, ENJOY it

College years are the best, the most remarkable and fun days of our lives, therefore we should spend them in the way that can make them remarkable and fun. Doing this, we must not forget that the key aim of us being here is studying; getting necessary skills to proceed with work in our field. Everything you dwell on turns out to be done and completed well.

Accept writing. Every time you turn your paper in, expecting on your deserved “A”, you get a good mark and your tutor explains that you lack that little trifle that makes your work look like “the A type”. It’s time to take some actions to correct the absence of that trifle. Sometimes even postgraduates are asked to reconsider some of the stylistic points of their thesis paper and add something that makes it more interesting to read. Here is some advice on how to insert interesting stylistic points into your work. It is quite easy to insert a rhetorical question in any thesis, even if it is a complicated paper, like computer science thesis. By a rhetorical question we mean a question that doesn’t need an answer, a poser that can possibly be answered only by a person wondering. Technically it is used to turn one’s attention to the statement. This question makes a reader think it over and find the answer. This stylistic matter makes a reader or a listener involved in the topic. This way your work is absorbed easier than if you present bare statements to reveal your researched topic.

Quotations can make even a dissertation look brighter and more informative. When you quote, it means that the principles of work of the scientist you use are very familiar and close to your way of thinking. It also shows how deeply you have researched your topic and how well you can operate the knowledge you got out of that. A quotation makes your work easy to understand and the interest of the reader increases. One more point is the lexical structure of your paper. There should be a number of various linking words and phrases that make your language look rich and convincing. The number of nouns is quite limited, but the number of adjectives and adverbs that you know and also can for can not be counted. Therefore it is wise to use some of them in your presentation speech and in your paper. You have to prove to your advisors and audience that you deserve to be called a scholar for your effective statement, presentation skills and literate and stylistically well-composed language. All things considered, you have to think over every detail of your paper and only then turn it in. If you add some little trifles in your paper, the success is guaranteed. Sometimes it is better to overdo than to underdo the work. You’ll work hard and the whole thing might even seem senseless in the end, but your satisfaction will have no border when you get your deserved “A” and recognition as the best writer in class.

So you’ve made the decision to publish your own community magazine, but what now? Where do you go for advice, information and above all, inspiration?

Despite its growing popularity, the business of publishing local community magazines is not covered to any great extent on the internet and there are very few web sites where you can get informal advice and communicate with like-minded people. Unlike normal publishing, the business of publishing local community magazines is very often the domain of individuals working alone for much of the time, and it can become a solitary existence.

Basically, there are two types of local community magazines favoured by aspiring local publishers. The first comprises booklets, usually in A5 size, containing local trade and business advertisements, and this type of magazine is generally distributed around your local area free of charge, with income being made from advertising revenue alone.

There are several franchise opportunities available for this type of community magazine which can prove to be a great way to get started as almost everything you will require is included in the package, including software, advertisement templates and on-going support. The drawback to this type of opportunity is the initial cost of your investment, which can be as high as several thousand pounds. A number of companies now offer local community magazine publishing franchises and a search on the internet will enable you to obtain further information from those readily available.

The second type of local community magazine offers a much more personal reflection on your community, comprising the recollections of local people and a study of your town’s local history, which are compiled into a saleable product. It is unlikely that you will find a franchise opportunity available for this type of magazine and if you decide to go along this path then much of the groundwork will have to be done by yourself. However, in terms of overall interest, this type of magazine will offer much more appeal to your readers.

Establishing a local community magazine featuring the recollections of people from within your home community along with studies of your town’s local history can be accomplished with very little financial investment. It is possible to begin printing your magazines from home using a suitable laser printer until you have established a circulation sufficient to meet the cost of commercial printing. Even if you opt for commercial printing from the outset your initial investment could be relatively small.

The main difference between these two very different types of magazines is that one is distributed free of charge, while the second has to be marketed and sold, although as we have already learned, the second type of magazine produces a very saleable product.

A magazine based primarily on local advertising can be highly lucrative but the competition can be intense as there are already a large number of similar publications in circulation and you may well find yourself competing against large-scale organisations. On the other hand, a magazine featuring personal recollections will generally have very little, if any, competition.

Whichever option you choose there is a fair amount of work to be done in order to become established. You must either contact local businesses and sell your advertising space or you must obtain interesting accounts of your town for publication. As always, getting started is the most difficult part.

In terms of appeal among your intended audience, the more personal community magazine is easily the better option and can soon generate sufficient interest to ensure that once you have obtained content to begin publishing, additional content will be submitted directly to you by your readers.

It must be borne in mind that a magazine based on advertising can also incorporate features providing local interest, and in much the same way, a magazine featuring personal recollections can include local trade and business advertising as a source of supplementary income.

Publishing local community magazines can either be simply a business or a very enjoyable and extremely satisfying business - but that is for you to decide.

My, my; what a Question, It truly depends on who the villain (ness) is. Are they related to the character? Have they always been around manipulating from the sidelines? Or are they someone who has recently appeared? It also depends on the type of personality they have. Are they outgoing, possibly highly influential or are they

the type that hides and attacks when you back is turned.

Yes you have to give the villain some type of background without going to far, you also to consider are they misguided and will be redeemed in the end, or are they truly going to get what’s coming to them.

Each story has a different Hero/heroine so also each one has a different Villain/villainess as such it is only when the tale unfolds that you truly get to know all the characters involved.

I will always have to deal with evil and all around bad guys for the simple fact I write fantasy, if I ever branch out into other genres I may not even have a villain at all life itself is demanding enough, not too mention most of the hero’s are jerks we have to reform throughout the story.

So do I ever want to whip my bad guys, of course? They wouldn’t be bad guys if we didn’t.

I never really know my characters until they start to come to life on paper and then they surprise the hell out me. But I imagine for those who know what each character is like or at least a rough outline does the same thing for the villain. And some times a secondary character just becomes too nasty not to be the bad guy.

As far as how real we can make them, unless you go inside their minds you have to depend on the other characters to help you build them and tell their story some throughout and explain their actions in the end. While doing all of this you makes them real and believable while telling there past as well.

I am not sure if I answered any questions or just raised a few more. I do know one thing absolute on this subject, if you ask a hundred writers you are going to get a hundred answers, all will be different the only thing the same will be well aren’t villains characters too?

So you’ve made the decision to publish your own community magazine, but what now? Where do you go for advice, information and above all, inspiration?

Despite its growing popularity, the business of publishing local community magazines is not covered to any great extent on the internet and there are very few web sites where you can get informal advice and communicate with like-minded people. Unlike normal publishing, the business of publishing local community magazines is very often the domain of individuals working alone for much of the time, and it can become a solitary existence.

Basically, there are two types of local community magazines favoured by aspiring local publishers. The first comprises booklets, usually in A5 size, containing local trade and business advertisements, and this type of magazine is generally distributed around your local area free of charge, with income being made from advertising revenue alone.

There are several franchise opportunities available for this type of community magazine which can prove to be a great way to get started as almost everything you will require is included in the package, including software, advertisement templates and on-going support. The drawback to this type of opportunity is the initial cost of your investment, which can be as high as several thousand pounds. A number of companies now offer local community magazine publishing franchises and a search on the internet will enable you to obtain further information from those readily available.

The second type of local community magazine offers a much more personal reflection on your community, comprising the recollections of local people and a study of your town’s local history, which are compiled into a saleable product. It is unlikely that you will find a franchise opportunity available for this type of magazine and if you decide to go along this path then much of the groundwork will have to be done by yourself. However, in terms of overall interest, this type of magazine will offer much more appeal to your readers.

Establishing a local community magazine featuring the recollections of people from within your home community along with studies of your town’s local history can be accomplished with very little financial investment. It is possible to begin printing your magazines from home using a suitable laser printer until you have established a circulation sufficient to meet the cost of commercial printing. Even if you opt for commercial printing from the outset your initial investment could be relatively small.

The main difference between these two very different types of magazines is that one is distributed free of charge, while the second has to be marketed and sold, although as we have already learned, the second type of magazine produces a very saleable product.

A magazine based primarily on local advertising can be highly lucrative but the competition can be intense as there are already a large number of similar publications in circulation and you may well find yourself competing against large-scale organisations. On the other hand, a magazine featuring personal recollections will generally have very little, if any, competition.

Whichever option you choose there is a fair amount of work to be done in order to become established. You must either contact local businesses and sell your advertising space or you must obtain interesting accounts of your town for publication. As always, getting started is the most difficult part.

In terms of appeal among your intended audience, the more personal community magazine is easily the better option and can soon generate sufficient interest to ensure that once you have obtained content to begin publishing, additional content will be submitted directly to you by your readers.

It must be borne in mind that a magazine based on advertising can also incorporate features providing local interest, and in much the same way, a magazine featuring personal recollections can include local trade and business advertising as a source of supplementary income.

Publishing local community magazines can either be simply a business or a very enjoyable and extremely satisfying business - but that is for you to decide.

Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare? Many people doubt that, for various reasons&ndashthe most obvious one being that a barely literate actor from the sleepy village of Stratford-on-Avon could not possibly have written with such accuracy and familiarity the many scenes in the plays that invoke the classics or the pomp of nobility and royal courts. Furthermore, no manuscripts by Shakespeare were ever found, and only six Shakespeare signatures are known to exist. The signatures all look different and give the impression they were written by a man who was not used to holding a pen. Some speculate that others’ hands may have guided his own as he wrote them.

If someone other than William Shakespeare wrote the plays and poems published under his name, who was it? And did this secret author insert clues as to his real identity in his works? These are two separate questions, and one does not necessarily imply the other. Various bright Elizabethans have been championed as the true author simply based on their literary abilities, their fitting educational and social background, and plausible motives for wanting to conceal their authorship&ndashamong them Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford; Roger Manners, Earl of Rutland; William Stanley, Earl of Derby; and Sir Francis Bacon.

In the last few centuries, quite a few people in the old and the new world alike have undertaken the search for hidden messages in Shakespeare’s works that would prove such authorship. Anagrams, acrostics, word ciphers, string ciphers, letter ciphers, they’ve all been found. But are they all for real?

Anyone interested in the various ciphers said to have been found in Shakespeare’s works should read The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined by William and Elizebeth Friedman. This thoroughly researched book from 1957 is out of print but copies can be found in libraries or on the Internet. Mr. Friedman, a professional cryptologist who helped decode the tantalizing Enigma ciphers employed by the Nazis during World War II, has been called one of America’s foremost cryptographers.

The Friedmans investigated dozens of ciphers allegedly discovered in the works of Shakespeare and analyzed them according to professional criteria of what constitutes a valid cipher. It’s fair to say that in the process, little of the various cipher claims was left standing. One of the better-known efforts they showed to be unsound was that by Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly, an attorney and politician, published The Great Cryptogram in the late 1880s. He revealed an elaborate and very impressive mathematical system of “root numbers,” “multipliers” and “modifiers” that produced messages such as “…that More low [Marlowe] or Shak’st spur [Shakespeare] never writ a word of them.” The numerical sequence to identify the word “More” on that particular given page ran like this: [root number] 516-16=349-22b&h=327-254=73-15b&h=58. 448-58=390+1=391.

However impressive Donnelly’s mathematical sequences, some who tried to reproduce his efforts came up with startling results. The Friedmans cite a Rev. A. Nicholson who took the same text passages that Donnelly started from and, beginning with the same root number and employing the same intricate method, came up with a message of his own: “Master Will I am [William] Shak’st spurre [Shakespeare] writ the play and was engaged at the Curtain.” Thus, the subjective nature of the system rendered it invalid.

The Friedmans dedicate a large portion of their book to the bi-literal cipher discovered by Mrs. Elizabeth Gallup Wells, who believed that Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s oeuvre. This part of the book is especially fascinating because the Friedmans themselves worked for Mrs. Gallup for several years. Once Mrs. Gallup’s decoding work gained notoriety, she attracted a benefactor, Colonel Fabian, who then employed a large research staff working on decoding the various texts. Elizebeth Friedman joined the team in 1915, William followed in 1916. They remained with her almost uninterruptedly until 1920.

Mrs. Gallup started out on solid ground, since she worked with the bi-literal cipher invented by Francis Bacon himself. Bacon published this cipher in October of 1623, just a month before the First Folio of Shakespeare’s complete works appeared. The bi-literal cipher is based on mixing two type fonts that are different enough to be distinguishable yet not too different to draw general attention. The First Folio is set in a curious mixture of italics and roman type styles, which quite naturally led to the suspicion that it may be hiding Bacon’s bi-literal cipher.

Mrs. Gallup believed, somewhat arbitrarily, that the cipher was embedded in the italic words in the plays, and deciphered lengthy passages that revealed Bacon’s authorship as well as his hidden life story. Once the Friedmans became involved in this work, they gradually came to the realization that Mrs. Gallup was the only one at the research center who could distinguish between the two fonts and produce meaningful messages. Everyone else invariably failed. Furthermore, Mrs. Gallup herself was unable to reproduce passages she had previously deciphered without considerable deviations. She also frequently omitted or added letters to make the cipher work. An FBI expert consulted by the Friedmans in the 1950s proved that there was much variation between individual italic letters in the Folio and that there were no characteristics that supported the strict classification into two fonts.

Since Mrs. Gallup’s work could not be reproduced independently by other decipherers, the Friedmans concluded that although Bacon’s bi-lateral cipher itself is a sound cipher, Gallup’s work was biased and unacceptable. That is not to say there couldn’t be a bi-literal cipher hidden in Shakespeare’s works; it only means that if there is one, it hasn’t been found yet.

References

Bacon, Francis &ndashDe Augmentis Scientiarum (1623)

Donnelly, Ignatius, The Great Cryptogram (1888)

Friedman, William F. and Elizebeth S., The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined. (Cambridge University Press, 1957)

Wells Gallup, Elizabeth &ndash The Biliteral Cypher of Sir Francis Bacon Discovered in His Works and Deciphered by Mrs. Elizabeth Wells Gallup (1899)

See William Stevenson, A Man Called Intrepid.

Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare? Many people doubt that, for various reasons&ndashthe most obvious one being that a barely literate actor from the sleepy village of Stratford-on-Avon could not possibly have written with such accuracy and familiarity the many scenes in the plays that invoke the classics or the pomp of nobility and royal courts. Furthermore, no manuscripts by Shakespeare were ever found, and only six Shakespeare signatures are known to exist. The signatures all look different and give the impression they were written by a man who was not used to holding a pen. Some speculate that others’ hands may have guided his own as he wrote them.

If someone other than William Shakespeare wrote the plays and poems published under his name, who was it? And did this secret author insert clues as to his real identity in his works? These are two separate questions, and one does not necessarily imply the other. Various bright Elizabethans have been championed as the true author simply based on their literary abilities, their fitting educational and social background, and plausible motives for wanting to conceal their authorship&ndashamong them Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford; Roger Manners, Earl of Rutland; William Stanley, Earl of Derby; and Sir Francis Bacon.

In the last few centuries, quite a few people in the old and the new world alike have undertaken the search for hidden messages in Shakespeare’s works that would prove such authorship. Anagrams, acrostics, word ciphers, string ciphers, letter ciphers, they’ve all been found. But are they all for real?

Anyone interested in the various ciphers said to have been found in Shakespeare’s works should read The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined by William and Elizebeth Friedman. This thoroughly researched book from 1957 is out of print but copies can be found in libraries or on the Internet. Mr. Friedman, a professional cryptologist who helped decode the tantalizing Enigma ciphers employed by the Nazis during World War II, has been called one of America’s foremost cryptographers.

The Friedmans investigated dozens of ciphers allegedly discovered in the works of Shakespeare and analyzed them according to professional criteria of what constitutes a valid cipher. It’s fair to say that in the process, little of the various cipher claims was left standing. One of the better-known efforts they showed to be unsound was that by Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly, an attorney and politician, published The Great Cryptogram in the late 1880s. He revealed an elaborate and very impressive mathematical system of “root numbers,” “multipliers” and “modifiers” that produced messages such as “…that More low [Marlowe] or Shak’st spur [Shakespeare] never writ a word of them.” The numerical sequence to identify the word “More” on that particular given page ran like this: [root number] 516-16=349-22b&h=327-254=73-15b&h=58. 448-58=390+1=391.

However impressive Donnelly’s mathematical sequences, some who tried to reproduce his efforts came up with startling results. The Friedmans cite a Rev. A. Nicholson who took the same text passages that Donnelly started from and, beginning with the same root number and employing the same intricate method, came up with a message of his own: “Master Will I am [William] Shak’st spurre [Shakespeare] writ the play and was engaged at the Curtain.” Thus, the subjective nature of the system rendered it invalid.

The Friedmans dedicate a large portion of their book to the bi-literal cipher discovered by Mrs. Elizabeth Gallup Wells, who believed that Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s oeuvre. This part of the book is especially fascinating because the Friedmans themselves worked for Mrs. Gallup for several years. Once Mrs. Gallup’s decoding work gained notoriety, she attracted a benefactor, Colonel Fabian, who then employed a large research staff working on decoding the various texts. Elizebeth Friedman joined the team in 1915, William followed in 1916. They remained with her almost uninterruptedly until 1920.

Mrs. Gallup started out on solid ground, since she worked with the bi-literal cipher invented by Francis Bacon himself. Bacon published this cipher in October of 1623, just a month before the First Folio of Shakespeare’s complete works appeared. The bi-literal cipher is based on mixing two type fonts that are different enough to be distinguishable yet not too different to draw general attention. The First Folio is set in a curious mixture of italics and roman type styles, which quite naturally led to the suspicion that it may be hiding Bacon’s bi-literal cipher.

Mrs. Gallup believed, somewhat arbitrarily, that the cipher was embedded in the italic words in the plays, and deciphered lengthy passages that revealed Bacon’s authorship as well as his hidden life story. Once the Friedmans became involved in this work, they gradually came to the realization that Mrs. Gallup was the only one at the research center who could distinguish between the two fonts and produce meaningful messages. Everyone else invariably failed. Furthermore, Mrs. Gallup herself was unable to reproduce passages she had previously deciphered without considerable deviations. She also frequently omitted or added letters to make the cipher work. An FBI expert consulted by the Friedmans in the 1950s proved that there was much variation between individual italic letters in the Folio and that there were no characteristics that supported the strict classification into two fonts.

Since Mrs. Gallup’s work could not be reproduced independently by other decipherers, the Friedmans concluded that although Bacon’s bi-lateral cipher itself is a sound cipher, Gallup’s work was biased and unacceptable. That is not to say there couldn’t be a bi-literal cipher hidden in Shakespeare’s works; it only means that if there is one, it hasn’t been found yet.

References

Bacon, Francis &ndashDe Augmentis Scientiarum (1623)

Donnelly, Ignatius, The Great Cryptogram (1888)

Friedman, William F. and Elizebeth S., The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined. (Cambridge University Press, 1957)

Wells Gallup, Elizabeth &ndash The Biliteral Cypher of Sir Francis Bacon Discovered in His Works and Deciphered by Mrs. Elizabeth Wells Gallup (1899)

See William Stevenson, A Man Called Intrepid.

Over the course of the past decade, authors and readers alike have been heard to utter a collective groan of dismay as the once elite publishing industry continues to resemble the multiplex tripe factory of Hollywood, churning out one cookie cutter product after another.

This situation would be funny (considering the supreme cultural snobbery most New York-based editors feel for their moviemaking brethren on the opposite coast) were it not for the fact that each new conglomeration in publishing has a chilling effect on both the quantity and quality of new books released.

This law of diminishing returns is frightful in its implications. With every major publisher looking to balance out its annual loss leaders with one big Potter-esque mega-hit, it’s inevitable that midlist authors are all but ignored. What chance do aspiring voices have in this environment, particularly those who seek to produce works of bold innovation?

Though the situation looks bleak, there is one very bright silver lining. The recent emergence of independent publishers has brought to light many excellent books that would have otherwise languished in obscurity. A prime example of this happy trend is Borderlands Press. Since 19989, publisher (and prolific award-winning author in his own right) Thomas F. Monteleone has been putting out deluxe limited edition releases of works by some of the biggest names in genre and horror fiction. Starting in 2007, Monteleone decided it was time to broaden his horizons with a new line of trade paperback originals.

Having already released Virgin by esteemed horror scribe F. Paul Wilson earlier in the year, Borderlands is now offering a wildly original collection of three new stories in one volume. Fables From the Mud by Erik Quisling is already being hailed as an instant cult classic that will rank along with “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and the collected works of Shel Silverstein.

Applying robust humor and a decidedly philosophical approach to some of life’s greatest mysteries, Quisling introduces us to three extraordinary invertebrate heroes: the Angry Clam, Glen the Ant, and Julius Gunther Weems the Warrior Worm. Page by page, Fables From the Mud dazzles readers with the gripping stories of these three small wonders. Though at first glance it may appear to have the simplicity of a children’s book, be forewarned this is one tome that packs a king-sized wallop.

Hilarious and thought-provoking by turns, Fables is sure to challenge even the heartiest of readers. It is a book to cherish long after you’ve finished it for the first (of many) times.

Meanwhile, Thomas Monteleone continues to push ahead with his ambitious trade paperback line. In late October, Borderlands Press releases his own novel, Serpentine, and January of 2008 will see the release of Crimson Orgy, the much-anticipated debut novel by Austin Williams. As long as Monteleone and other trailblazing publishers of his ilk keep promoting quality fiction from talented new voices, book lovers across America can feel confident there will always be something interesting to read outside the narrow parameters of what the elite publishing industry deems “commercial.”