In 1986, on instructions from his mentor within RAM, Coelho undertook pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostella in Spain.

The following year he published The Pilgrimage, an account of his experiences on 'Road of Santiago'.

In 1988 he wrote book that would make him an international celebrity, The Alchemist, a story about following one's destiny and being open to universe of signs and symbols.

The Alchemist became an instant best-seller and has since sold over 11 million copies worldwide.

Coelho's eight novels have sold over 37 million copies in 56 languages and have been published in 140 countries.

In 1998 French magazine 'Lire' listed Coelho as second best-selling author worldwide.

Paulo Coelho has won over 15 international awards for his writing including prized French award, Insignia of Arts and Letters (1996). Critics have praised his writing for its "symbolic language that does not speak to our brains, but to our hearts".

In 1998 Paulo Coelho was received by Pope in Vatican.

He has been appointed to United Nations as Special Advisor for Spiritual Convergences and International Dialogues.

Coelho's view on happiness: "The most mediocre thing in world. I'd rather go by idea of joy."

Don't be dramatic When possible, use plainest words possible. For example, too often we use "exclaim", "declare" or "chime" when plain ole "said" would do. Said's a great word; it doesn't draw attention to itself. Readers skip over it and concentrate instead on what's being said. Other examples:

* meander/shuffle/saunter = walk * odorous/malodorous/redolent = smelly * mawkish/maudlin/bathetic = sentimental

BTW-Sometimes people don't just walk; they really do meander, shuffle and saunter. Allow them their style, but keep your words in check.

Mix it up Good writing has flow. One sentence rolls into other, creating an ebb and flow of words. Stop flow and you get writing like this:

* I love chocolate. Chocolate is tasty. Chocolate cookies are my favorite. I like chocolate ice cream, too. I like chocolate milk.

An alternative:

Chocolate cookies, ice cream, milk-I love anything chocolate.

Don't worry about punctuation and grammar Big deal if you don't know difference between who and whom, or when (or when not) to use a colon. Most of us don't, which is why books on punctuation and grammar abound. Use them as you need them.

Hot tip: Find three books written in a style even you understand. When you get stuck, say, on split infinitives, glance through all three for guidance. You'll find that three angles are better than one and almost always provide guidance you need.

BTW-According to one of my grammar books, split infinitives are acceptable when writing informally. My other two books say no, no, no. Here, I defer to minority.