ipl-logo

Ben Mikaelsen Biography

325 Words2 Pages

Have you ever thought of not being able to write very well? Well Ben Mikaelsen couldn’t write either and look at him now, He is an established children’s literature author. He helps people around the world and is an inspiration for a lot of people. Ben Mikaelsen was born in La Paz, Bolivia on December 8th, 1952. Ben had trouble with writing when he was a kid and was made fun of a lot because of this. Ben says, “Not until college did the idea of actually being an author creep into my head. An English professor called me in after class to comment on an assignment I had written. He told me my grammar skills were those of a fifth grader. Fearfully, I asked if I should drop the class. “Oh, no, no, no!” he replied. “I just finished reading three hundred stories, and only one made me laugh and cry. That was yours. You’re a storyteller. That’s writing (Biography Ben Mikaelsen)!” …show more content…

After his experience at college now when he ever visits a different college, he looks for people who have trouble with the mechanics of writing. He states in his biography,” I encourage them to work on the mechanics, but more importantly, I want them to understand that writing is storytelling! The story is what holds the magic and power. The story is why we created language (Mikaelsen).” This is one of Ben’s quotes when writers ask him how to become a better writer, “Go out and live! You can’t pour water from an empty bucket. Experience life. Then never quit writing about it (Mikaelsen)!”
Overall I think Ben Mikealsen is an amazing person and his story is truly remarkable. The fact that he could be treated so badly as a kid and become such an amazing person. I personally would love to meet Ben Mikaelsen and think he would be a very cool

Show More
Related
187 Words | 1 Pages

Another time the story teller exhibits originality is when he was “pretending that the steps were dollar bills and for each step through the night made him richer and richer” (1). Lastly, the narrator demonstrates creative thinking when he thought of the letter that Billy’s family would receive that would say “SORRY TO INFORM

Read More
418 Words | 2 Pages

Benjamin Banneker was born November 9, 1731 in Ellicott's Mills Maryland. He grew up on a cotton plantation he was the son of a former slave by the name of Robert and his mother Mary both of his parents where ex-slaves giving Banneker freedom from birth. At a young age he was taught to read by his grandmother at the same time he attended a quacker school. He was self-taught for the most part teaching himself literature, history, and mathematics. With such great intelligence he had multiple accomplishments in the near future.

Read More
554 Words | 3 Pages

McCandless is admirable because of his generosity, positivity, and courage to follow his own dream.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

He couldn't write straight so he also started to write down every single word down on a sheet of paper to improve his writing skills. Within the days he spent at the library all he ever did was try to improve his writing. After all the rewriting the words from the dictionary It seems to be like now a days college is getting more and more stressful for students. Speaking as a college student myself it is difficult to work full time and come to school four times a week. Procastination is becoming a bigger issue in the education system.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

Although he learned a lot due to books, he believes that each book teaches you a lesson. He believes that all bad books usually have a greater lesson to teach you than the good books. Books also thought him what he can and can’t do while writing. While reading books he learned “Good writing, on the other hand, teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the

Read More
233 Words | 1 Pages

Learning To Read and Write is an autobiography Written by Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born into slavery, and moved into his final master’s home when he was a young boy. From the start Douglass was giving schooling from his mistress, however this came to an abrupt ending when Douglass’ master walked into a lesson and became furious. In spite of his lessons coming to an end, Frederick Douglass was determined to learn to read and write so he could escape his life of slavery and enter a new found life of freedom. With his determination Douglass was ready to do anything to learn.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

Upton Sinclair was an only child born on September 20, 1878. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Even though his name was respected in the South from his great-grandfathers fame in the War of 1812, Upton Sinclair grew up in a family without much money. Any profit his father made was spent on alcohol. Living in poverty, the family moved often, unable to pay rent.

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

After all this the narrator realized that when he submitted something it needed to be his own work. Susan, the character the had her poem plagiarized, ended up taking the event positively. “Plagiarism, not imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery” (157). After this event the narrator became an authentic writer. Without the school taking the narrator’s future into account, him becoming a writer could have never

Read More
1467 Words | 6 Pages

This is the first obstacle that is thrown at Benjamin on his “adventure” of crossing the threshold. “My friend Collins, therefore, undertook to manage a little for me. He agreed with the

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

After reading Stephen King's essay "Reading to Write" (72) it opened my eyes for writing. Although being a professional novelist isn't a goal I want to pursue in my life, writing is something I will need to learn how to do with good form. When it comes to the writing department, it's not one of my best skills. King says, "Good writing, teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling" (73). I will try my best to become a good writer.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

Being a writer requires you to have an open mind, patience, and dedication. In the letter written by Marian Evans Lewes, an English novelist, she writes to Melusina Fay Pierce, a young woman who aspires to be a writer. In this letter, Lewes will encourage the young woman to chase after her dream of being a writer and the different challenges she’s going to have to face on being an up and coming writer. Through this letter Lewes will convey an array of rhetorical strategies to convey her feeling on becoming an upcoming writer.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

The scene then changes to the narrator’s childhood, a lonely one at it. “I lay on the bed and lost myself in stories,” he says, “I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.” The main narrative starts as he recalls a

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

There are a countless number of distinct writers, including myself, William Zinsser, and even Ronnie Scott. In Zinsser’s story, “The Transaction,” he describes the obvious components in how he and Dr. Brock stand nowhere near similar. Zinsser depicts the different writing styles between he and Brock with an intense comparison. For instance, Brock is a surgeon who only began writing as a career in a later stage of his life. Zinsser began writing in his early years and, in his point of view, encompasses a greater knowledge of writing, at least in context.

Read More
569 Words | 3 Pages

Like I said writing was hard for me. I think the reason being that I was able to read well so I didn 't have much to write about other than the stuff I heard. Even then, If I did write was wasn 't going to be able to read it. Now that I could do both better my doors have open

Read More
1287 Words | 6 Pages

They also make fun of Ben’s inability to use new technology, relating this to the fact that he is older. The second topic which was also covered in our class would be the idea of life transitions, which all older people go through. As one ages, there is a risk of losing connections to daily life when one retires or loses a spouse or friends to death. At the beginning of the movie, Ben has the risk of losing this connectivity because he has retired from his long-term job at the phone book company. He has also had the funerals of both friends and his wife.

Read More

More about Ben Mikaelsen Biography

Related Topics

Open Document