Did you know that Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in just six weeks because he was in desperate need of some cash? Or that the manuscript he submitted to his publisher was a sloppy mess?
Whether you’re heartily embracing “the festive season” or you’re grumbling humbug and trying to avoid the whole scene, be sure to have a look at the original manuscript, now available online. Or listen to an interview with Charles Dickens’ great great grandson or the curator of the Morgan Library and Museum, where the manuscript is housed.
Here is a link to get you started on your exploration of this classic story:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/a-christmas-rewrite-as-dickens-edits-dickens/
Especially heartening for writers pushing to get manuscripts off their desks before Christmas. (Yes, I have been one of them and I did it!)
Merry Christmas everyone.
