Tony is a new member (成员) of the Reading Club. He makes some new friends in the club.

Do You Want to Be a Writer?

Here are some tips on becoming a writer.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Most writers read whatever books they can find because they love to lose themselves in them. They like the sounds of language and the way that reading a good description can feel as satisfying as a baseball game or eating a banana split.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

It's easy to forget a good idea if you do not write it down immediately. If you get in the habit of carrying a notebook with you everywhere you go, you can write down anything you want to remember. When you are talking to friends in the cafe or waiting for the bus, something might spark an idea for a character or scene in a story.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Nearly all writers agree that writers must write. It doesn't matter if you feel like you have nothing to say; the important thing is that you write every single day. Sometimes, you need to give yourself permission to write things which won't be your best work.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Do you have any friends who enjoy writing? Think about starting a writing group with other people who have similar interests. It helps to have the support of other writers. You will also receive valuable feedback, or suggestions, about how to make you work better.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

If you decide that you would like to send your work for publication, make sure to do your research. If you are sending your writing to a magazine, look through old ones. Does it seem like your writing fits in with the other stories or articles? That's the homework for you after writing.

Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I am young, it is the spring of my life. I play a lot, and I grow bigger and bigger day by day. There are sweet days and heartbroken (心碎的) days. Some days the sun shines. I have a good job. I am strong and happy. Then I marry (结婚) and have a child. In those days, I am busy and work hard. I start to get gray hair. It's the summer of my life and it passes quickly.

Then the days get shorter. Leaves fall down from the trees. My child is a university（大学） student and then an engineer. My home is much quieter. I start walking more slowly. One day I leave my job, and I retire. I have more time. I know this is my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change colour and give people delicious fruit. But the days are getting shorter and colder. Winter comes. I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days, so I will enjoy them to the end.

Three years ago, I started working at the University(大学) of Leeds. Having moved to a new city, I had no friends, so I decided to look for things to do. After several days, I found that a community school was offering(提供) Chinese evening classes. Without much thought, I had a beginner class. 

I didn't think about moving to China. I just wanted to learn a new language. I could speak good English and Spanish. But I thought there might be a large difference between learning a language as a child and learning one as an adult(成年人). There was one lesson a week, each lasting 90 minutes. Mr Kong, the teacher, was energetic. For each class, he would teach us about hundreds of new words. I found it difficult at first. Luckily, after a few months, I got used to(习惯) this. The University of Leeds had many students from other countries. My new Chinese friends helped me go over everything I learned in class. And we often studied together and talked about how to learn better. 

I think Chinese grammar is easier than English grammar. But there are so many idioms(习语)! So I will work hard to solve any difficulty and I believe it'll be easy for me soon.