The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-06
THE HABITS OF AUTHORS.

Something About the ODc,7rrougLt Condition of
Their Physical and Mc,ral Stot,s,
When Dickens laid out for himself
system of literary work and forced him
self into a rigid adherence to it, spend
ing Just so many hours daily at his
desk, whether in the mood or not, and
whether accomplishing anything or not;
plodding away at composition IN as
matter Offact a manner as to labor with
a shovel at an embankment-he set an
excellent example for all writer's, but
one which the majority of them would
find it impossible to initiate. No
greater diversity, TO sharper contrast
can be found than appears i'll the modes
of composition, the requirements to
surroundings, state of feeling, and
necessary conditions for freedom in
working in different authors, as shown
by their own statements or those of
their biegraphers and personal friends.
Walter Scott felt no special need of
recODsidering or revising what he had
written but having dashed off novel or
poem-be sent off one after another in
rapid succession such as had not been
heard of before his day. Where would the
Wayerly Novels have been, and should
we ever have had the long list if he had
been subjected to the test which Alcott,
in his '' Concord Days." lays down as
his "cOde mpositional wit
Burn every scrap that stands rot the
test OF all moods of composition such
lack longevity. What is left gains i'm
mensely. Such is the law. Very little
of what is thought admirable at one
writing holds good over night. Sleep
on your writing take a walk over it
review it of an afternoon digest 1t after
a meal let it sleep in your drawer a
tWelvemOnth.
The impUlsive habit belongs to some
authors whom we should least suspect
of it. If there has been one woman
writer in America who was pre-em1nent
for a strong masculine understanding,
critical insight, GOODNESS and impartlallty
in her judgments, and the power to put
her own personality aside, it was Mar
garet Faller; yet, of her, when espe-
cially employed as critic on the New
York Tribune, Mr.. Greeley complained
thas she could only write "when ID the
vein, and although new booksdemanded
her attention, and the utmost prompt
ness was desirable, she waited day after
day to feel in the right mood for writing,
and her criticisms were consequently
sometimes too late. She did, in fact,
distress herself in writing; her pen was
a "non-conductor, she said she was
subject to pain, and affected by the
most subtitle Influences sometimes
wrote in bed, and believed that she
could understand anything better when
she was ILL.," Her "Summer on the
Lakes" seems to have been written
under more tranquilizipg circumstances
and after more orderly way than was
usual with her. Every day." she says,
81 rose and attended to the many little
calls which are always on me.
Then, about eleven, would sit down
to write at my window, close to which is
the apple tree lately full of blossoms
and now of yellow birds. Opposite to
me was Del Sarto's Madonna behind
me 'Silenus holding in his arms the in
FAINT Pam / felt very content with my
pen, my daily boquet and my yellow
birds. About five 1 would so out and
walk till dark"
Another woman, of the highest dis
tinction in science, Mrs. Somerville,