Mark Twain

This week I am writing about Mark Twain by Clinton Cox.  Mark was originally named Samuel Langhorne Clemens and he was born on November 30th 1835. He was the sixth of seven children born to John and Jane Clemens. Martin didn't write much growing up but once he did start writing he decided to use Mark Twain as his pen name. However before he had started writing he had been a pilot on a boat and he thought he would continue to do so until the end of his days. The thing that changed his mind was the fact that his little brother wanted to follow in his footsteps and ended up dying when his boat went down in flames. That's what began his writing career.  One thing that led to his success was his criticism. He would write newspaper articles criticizing different people and organizations and the people loved it so he became known for his humorous writing. Another thing that helped him become a successful writer was the fact that he moved around so much in his younger days. He wouldn't stay in one place for more than 3 months and because of that he was able to use all his experiences and make them into stories. Mark tried to write serious books and articles but it wasn't accepted due to the fact that he was known as the funny guy.  Learning that he would never be accepted as an average writer he returned to his light hearted style that everyone seemed to enjoy. For the most part is seemed that the main thing that motivated him to write was the fact that he was obsessed with making quick money and becoming rich just like his father was. I admire that he was able to write in a way that people became angry when he tried to change. I also admire that no matter were he was he always found time to write to his mother back at home.