The Legend of the
    Golden QuillTM

Only a few writers among the millions in the world even know that the Golden Quill of Storytelling exists. And among the few who learn of it and set out on a quest to find it, only a handful ever do. And yet the struggle is said to be worth it. . . but judge for yourself. Read on. . .

                                  The Golden Quill Management

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Let me tell you about the Golden Quill of Storytelling.

It is a magical, double-ended stylus said to possess the power to transform an ordinary struggling writer into that most godlike of all beings—a master storyteller.
 

How is this possible? Well, I'm not certain, but according to legend, one end of the stylus grants the possessor the wisdom to recognize and create a good story while the other end bestows all the craft skills needed to masterfully write a story, once created.

In this world of modern technology why is such ancient wisdom so important? Listen to the words of Donald Maass, successful literary agent. Chapter 13 in his book The Career Novelist opens as follows:

"It is one of the eternal frustrations of publishing: exquisite stylists languish on the shelves while popular novelists like Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon, Jackie Collins, and Robert James Waller (The Bridges of Madison County) skyrocket to the top of the best-seller lists."

Why?He tells why a few paragraphs later, declaring: "What most people want from a novel is not fine writing, but a good story."

Someone once said that a good story can sell mediocre writing, but even great writing can't sell a bad story. And, if that's the case, it seems logical first to learn to create good stories, and then learn the skills needed to write them well.

Someone else once said that bad writing can be edited into good, but a bad story will never have the chance to be edited at all.

Do I believe in the Golden Quill of Storytelling? Well, I must, because I have spent many years of my life in a quest to find it, encountering along the way far too many counterfeit quills, mere pretenders, possessing much glitter, but little power.

Still, I know the Golden Quill exists, because almost daily I read the works of master storytellers who own and use it.

This site has been created and lovingly dedicated to all those fellow writers around the world who are on a Quest for the Golden Quill of Storytelling.

                                                                                   Charles Hampton Bush