In Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes created an unlikely duo-a laboratory mouse and a man-who captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world. Now, in Algernon, Charlie, and I, Keyes reveals his methods of creating fiction as well as the heartbreaks and joys of being published. With admirable insight he shares with readers, writers, teachers, and students the creative life behind his classic novel, included here in its original short-story form. All those who love stories, storytelling, and the remarkable characters of Charlie and Algernon will delight in accompanying their creator on this inspirational voyage of discovery. PRAISE FOR ALGERNON, CHARLIE, AND I "A fascinating and highly engaging look at the creative process and development of an author . . . An insightful first-person account of the difficulties and joys of the writing life, [and] one of the most useful writers' manuals to be published in a long time." -School Library Journal In his bestselling novel Flowers for Algernon , Daniel Keyes created an unlikely duo--a laboratory mouse and a man--who captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world. Now, in Algernon, Charlie, and I , Keyes reveals his methods of creating fiction as well as the heartbreaks and joys of being published. For the first time, readers, writers, teachers, and students can glimpse the creative life behind this cherished novel. Including the original novelette version of Flowers for Algernon "An insightful first-person account of the difficulties and joys of the writing life, and . . . one of the most useful writers' manuals to be published in a long time. " -- School Library Journal Daniel Keyes, the author of eight books, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. Professor emeritus at Ohio University, he lives in Boca Raton, Florida. Daniel Keyes (1927 - 2014) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. He was the author of eight books, including the classic Flowers for Algernon , first published in 1966, which would go on to sell more than five million copies and inspire the Oscar-winning film Charly . He also worked as a merchant seaman, a fiction editor, a high school teacher, and as a university professor at Ohio University, where he was honored at Professor Emeritus in 2000. He won the Hugo and Nebula awards for his work and was chosen as an Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000. MY WRITING CELLAR I NEVER THOUGHT it would happen to me. When I was very young and very nearsighted-20/400 vision, everything blurred without my eyeglasses-I believed that someday I'd go blind. So I planned ahead. I strove to be neat, a place for everything and everything in its place. I blindfolded myself and practiced retrieving things without seeing, and I was proud that I could find anything quickly in the dark. I didn't go blind. In fact, with eyeglasses my vision is excellent. I can still put my hands on most things I possess. Not because I remember where I put them, but because I take the time to put them away carefully, in logical places. I just have to remember where they belong. What's happening to me is something I never considered. I start out to do something, go somewhere, walk into another room to get something, but then I have to pause. What am I looking for? Then it quickly clicks into place. It's momentary but frightening. And I think of Charlie Gordon at the end of Flowers for Algernon, saying, "I remember I did something but I don't remember what." Why am I thinking of the fictional character I created more than forty years ago? I try to put him out of my mind, but he won't let me. Charlie is haunting me, and I've got to find out why. I've decided the only way I can put him to rest is to go back through the maze of time, search for his origins, and exorcise the ghosts of memories past. Perhaps, along the way, I'll also learn when, how, and why I became a writer. Getting started is the hardest thing. I tell myself, you've got the material. You don't have to make it up-just remember it, shape it. And you don't have to create a fictional narrator's voice the way you did for the story and then the novel. This is you, writing about writing, and remembering the secrets of your own life that became the life of Charlie Gordon. The opening of the story echoes in my mind: "Dr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and evrey thing that happins to me from now on. I dont know why but he says its importint so they will see if they will use me. I hope they use me. Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart. My name is Charlie Gordon..." Although the original novelette begins with those words, that's not how it all started. Nor are his final words about putting "flowrs...in the bak yard" the end of his story. I remember clearly where I was the day the ideas that spar