Smyrna times., 1877-02-21
How Authors Do Their Work,

5Hter oay, with lead pencil, i'll little paper
books made by herself, which she held
close to her eycs-ior She was near-sichted
ali absorbed in her own imaginings, as if
her characters were real men and women,
whose minute history she was putting on
record. And the language stood in the
pencilled manuscript almost as it did after
ward on the printed page, for she THOUGHT
no time was so favorable fer fastening unon
the right word as the moment of comnosi
ton, and ii it did not come naturally with
the idea, as in her ease it usually did she
awaited It, and it suggested itself and fell
INTO It's place. Such was the fidelity OF this
woman, who never put her hand to a booI,
until she was sure that she had sometime
to say.
Edgar a. Poe used to think over his
subject until it was completed in his own
mind before he took pen to write. and his
manuscript was exceedingly neat ana Gle.
CANT; while on the Other hand. \ p
His, who was in appearance the most oil:
hand OF ali Journalists. was in the constant
practice OF changing the phrasooloey of his
articles over and over again, even after
they had gone into the hand Of the pIintep
an" the sheets were d;sii4ured with MANY
ef'sUreS ana alterations, showing that thc
paragraphs, which flow as if dashed oil ON
ti' spur oi the moment, were in reality
constructed with the utmost pains.
Another Of the fastdious was To,nb
lie wrote very slowly, and every word was
subject TO the seycrcst criticism. and th,o tho
one winch expressed the nearest siiada Of
meaning was fixed upon MacauIev n.odn
Il general plan OH large sheets Of manor
with lines far apart; then filed in, crow,i;nr
sentence upon sentence, until thc whoI9
was q marvel to see, and when chance for
the better, or Illustration or amplifiation
seemed impossible, copied in a fair hand
!or the printer. DR.. Channin., in prenar.
ing one sermon, actually wrote enough to
MAKE Two or three, going on and on as his
thoughts came rapidly; then cut out pare
ait:r page saving none Int those noYtio0s
Whlch best expressed what he wished 70
preach. -
And yet, in the face Of ali this n;ccty and
dell5crauon, it cannot be denied fiat como
OF the most popular things in literature.
'SP'c.""y hynIns and short poems. with
no" ana then story, have been writtcn
almost without forethoueht and printed
WITH 6Gt little alteration. A., for instance,
tAe :" Missionary Hymn"
Prom CscCnand's ley Mountains
"Alcn Weber wrote at a few nlinuto,'
notice ''''"
, 'l' - aLltf scott SAID that when he
began "Wavcrly" lie had 10 idea what
%ou!I come Of it; he had 10 plot at Nil
III t"e nicFAn6 Ae would tainl1 it over
''"i.He' theh push on, and tie characters
tc"> care 0! themselves, and it all came
FlS'tt IN tAe end. While lie was engaged |
on ms novels, lie became subject 10 ,tia9l.s
OF craNp in the stomach. and he Inv ,,'ti,a H.,
Sol3 ana dictated nearly all OF the "Bridn of
L2mmermoOr and the whole of tLn
legend OF Montrose." When a naroxvs,o
OF pam seized him he would stdn Win |
Groan, and then begin where he left ofr |
lie used 10 arrange III hi% own mind the |
portion 1or the day, before III. an:anuenais |
came, winch was ten o'cIocl,, when he |
would commence and 90 right OH, sustain. |
ing al! the characters and detailing tLecon |
Fefsatioh without confusion or mistake. and |
50 interested that sometimes he would |
spring to his feet and act it all out
ne same thing as to want Of plan is said
70 nave been true Of "Picl1w;cl,d and so,r,o
OF the novels Of Thaccray. The author or
'PcHdcnnisS' and "Vantv Fair wa. Wont
70 daily with his subject before he set him.
sell 10 Work, starting with half q ouiro Of
paper, on part of which he made comic
p!ctuEes, q part he tore up, and on the 70.
Iha!huer, alter walking about in the doleful
'H1HIiCI; ne GpHjll IN earnest.
Dickens: IN his earlier davs Of anll,or.
snip, wrote only when he felt in The mood
ouI aIterWard became thoroughly sysic.
li"tlc ana when the hour came lie was at
us l"oie' aI0ttin5 certain part Of the day
70 WORK, ana from this rule nothing could
-enlpC MIN to depart; for it was upon per-
'evcring industry, not special insnirai;o,
hat he depended. Southcrlv was anotLnr
1f the metnodical workers. His dovs ,yo,,o
indeed, all busy, for, as he said, spcaIlino Of
supporting his large family, his means law
IN an mi;stand." And DR.. Barnes was
another. Before he began his regular en-.
piioymcnt Tor the day lie labored at his
Notes on the Bible, which although all thn
iimc gwen 10 them was before nlnc o'clorl,
Il Il 'he morning, grew to such proportions.
hirou2h his systematic application. tLof
hey formed almost little library of tbo,o.
selves. - '''e-ii-
surrounding circumstances and the horr
nave all been potential in their Influence
christopher North chose the night and eot
Il ms $hiFt sleeves in small study. at n
able Etered with papers, books and
'lcturcs around, writing rapidly with a quill
ZEN ms thoughts kindiing more and more
Is IhG hours went on. Campbell rose early
ma ala his work before breakfast. Carlyslc
S"Ou; vigorous walk Of several | ,
niles, far enough to get himself into n
'io"' and then is ready for his pen.
----4s4-.------
a correspondent Of the Praclcql Fsuu,e. !
ONES out strongly in favor of the "des.
1ised skunk" Iehas watched its habits for
Wenty years, and finds its natural food to
,e @ insects. These animals also destroy
NICE as well as crickcls, grasshoppers and
rub worms. lie had field of corn catrn l
y the white grub. lie afterwards founJ |
numerous small round holes where thcsn I
insects We're taken out by the skunks and t
'evoured. He found the same reanIts NJ t
'ther m times He thinks the skunk stands {
irsI on the list of insect destroyers. What
hlinal VIII not have friend after thisP
at the same time that remarkable shin. :
nehts OF muskets and munitions of war aro /
,,elng made from this country to Turkey. y
nc news comes from Birmingham. ~ I
'ngland, whose principal industry is the =
manufacture of rifles, that never before at
tIme OF impending war was business SO
lll. In tho Initial