New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-20

that the man who works with ms nnaglhaIIon
sb"nId allow himself to wait till inspiration moves
him When have heard such doctrine preaSneu
have hardly been able TO repress my seorn; 10 me
it would not be more absurd, If the sh0emaEneI
,rcr IN wait for inepration the tallOw-chandlef
for the divine moment OF melting.
He sometimes wrote sixteen pages day instead
of eight, and worked seven days week instead OF
five and he writes himself down certain that the
work thus pushed had in it the best truth ana inc
highest spirit that he has been able to produce lie
was indeed fond of rapid writing, and believed thaI
q n man who thinks much of his words as he writes
them will generally leave behind him work that
smells of oil" During the years of his greatest
success he seated himself at his wrtinCtabe every
morning at $50 and had completed his literary
work before he dressed for breakfast. Before nc
resigned his place in the Civil Service he was accus
toned TO work always on Sundays ana "il'h "V
night As he combined these avocatlon5 ior many
years with persistent devotion TO his one peIoveu
pastmc Of hunting it might be Thought thal he I'll"
not take much time for reflection. lhIeo ho'i, "
day he SAYS will produce as much as nI'''l o'''
IN write But then he should 50 have trained NM
self that he shall be able to work continuously d-
;, tboso three hours-so have tutOred his mind that
i .baIl NOT he necessary for him to sit nhbmg ms
mo, mud gazing at the wall before him. lii he shall
| have found the words with which he wants TO eN-
/ -, lis ideas | always began my task by
reading the work of the day before, an operation
! which would take me half an hour, and winch con-
sisted chiefly in weighing with my ear he sound ol
| the words and phrases. | would strongly RECON-
mend This practice to all tyros in writing. That
their work should be read after ii has been written
is matter of course that it should be read twice
at least before it goes to the printers take to De
matter of course. But by reading what ne mas Ia''
written lust before he recommenccs ms task the
writer will catch the tone and spirit OF what ne Is
then saving and will avoid the fault Oh seeming ~
/ he unlike himself This division OF time allowed
me TO produce over ten pages of an ordinary mover
volume day. and if kept up through ten months
wouId have given as its results three novels OF three
/ volumes each in the year
| He coprr.se, that he was moved 10y a dctcrmlna-
ton to excel if not in quality AT any rate IN guam
ttv-not an altogether ignoble ambition, he holds
| "ir an author can bring himself to look ai ms
/ work "a does any other workman His theory
/ of the novel was in some respects ike ihai "I
q LATER school than his The plot he regarded n the
most insignificant part of tale " Inc pi"'' "i
. Tom Jones aud of lyanhoc ' hr writes are al
most perfect, and thcyarc probably themo'' P"pu'"
novels of the schools of the last and Of tins century,
Inf to me the dclicacy Of Amelia and the rugged
strength of Burlry and Meg Mcrril''s, say more l"i
the power of those great uoycl,>S than the git o'
construction shown in the two works have named
. 4 novel should give picture of common life ell
| Tycnrd by huuor and ,wcctrncd by pdth", J"
make that picture worthy Of attention, the canvas
should bee crowded with real portraits, not ol mdi-
,.lugIs known To the world uT To the author but "I
| created pcTsonag,s rmprcguatrd with TRAITS "i
character which are known. To my thinking the
Mot is but the vehicle for all this aud when |""
have The vehicle without the passengers, story "i
,,,-.t.ry in which ;hc agents never spring to life.
Won have but wooden show lie quotes lI""-
fboruc, criticism Of hi, works that they were solid
t,rl nr # O.
t1r,nrb the inspiration of ale and a, real -, #
some lIaut had hc,yn a great uup ont of fine earth
and nut il under a Ela., cJ>", with all MS uij'h-
trt> going about their daily business and not sI,
/ pecriug that they were being made "a sh"" "L
Toapr felt that that criticism described 10 pcii'c-
I ton what he had ever aimed 10 do
have always desired to hcw ont some lump oil
/ fin. Garth" and to make men and women walk upon
/ il inst as they do walk here among uS-"lth MOI
| more of excellence, nor with exaggerated h''rH'N'-
| Ike IN fIfmScIyr. and not feel thcm~"iyc, Z" 9r
Z carried away among gods or demons. II to"!u no
/ This then thought might succeed M imPIrlIHt-
ing the mind OF the noyrl-rcadrr WIN I''iihI iIEl
honesty i, the best pOiCl; that ruin pre- ans me
fal,rh"od idDS that grl VIII hr love" "a NiiI j.
| pure and sweet and uu>clh>i; ina. Il Hh'I N''l ''
tnuofrd as hc is true and honest ana brave nl h'"t
. that things lHraily done aye uGlN AMI odluuN ana
| thing, nubv done beautiful aud gracious. ::
There are many who laugh at the Id"a OF "a H"'"l>'
I teaching either virtue or puNlNh-lH'~', l"l iN-
49,. ,l,n rr,.,rd the reading of novels a. a sin,
,. go. TLrv look ,laun The teller, ot -toTIo, 49,
among the Tribe Of those v no pand.l Z" l" wicked
| pleasure, of Il wicked world. have regarded my
rt from 50 different point Of Vie" That have ever
thought Of myself q. a lfc.'h'l "I ~ iI'', .lI NY
/ pulpir as one which could make both sanitary AND
thing for the purposes either of comedy or tragedy
uuc>, the reader can synlai"I/s VAN I.I 'iI"'-
actcgs whose names ne ma. "p1h Inc lLII'.. - ''
author 50 tell his tale 60 t"Hch ms reader h'
and draw his tears and hc has, 80 far done DIS ""
we'll Iruth let there bc-iiuth ol G"@rlp'!gh' uulh
bfr
ii there DE such truth do not know that
novel can b. too sensational. have from
" 49,, r.t sur. tI,f tnr writer when hr sij,
down to commence his novel, should do 49, h"l DE
cause ne li> 10 tell >iaT, hut h'ru'T' h' "'N Il
story to tell The Uuycli-ts first mover VIII gen
oicycuts or some development 81 character" ~ nave
presented t,rf 20 MS Imagination; aa" ms u" I'ri'
~ strongly that hc thinks hr can pr'-'' MS P''"''
| iu strong aud agreeable idug1ag" 20 others
4 Bat many young fail also, because they C'dH"i l."
til stories wH"H tEcy haN" none 10 ten. M" Ih''
comes from idlcc~, rather than from InHtic met
/ paciIy. The mind mas not been sufficiently ~
work when the tale has been commenced, nor IS ~
kent sufficiently at work the tale D. continued.
| have never troubled myself much about the con
,tructio Of plots and am not insisting special
| liz ON tioruualur~S ia q branch of WORK in which
myself have not been very thorough. am not sure
,t the cou-t rurt ION OF perfected plot ha- been at
| any period within my power. Bus '.r hpN"iiNj mas
. other aims than the ciucIdajlUn Of ms plot NE
desire, to make hi7 readers 80 intimately acguintod
| with his characters that the creature, "i h!t blaih
should bc 10 them speaking moving HtIhE' Hi''.'h
| creatures This hc never do ullrs, ne kho"
those fictitious percentages n>'li ana h' can i'N'I
know EN- unless ne can live HIth them III the iuIi
! r.gIity of established intimacy. And,
| hc,r Iu our outer world, Know that men and
women cllaugc-b"CUmc worse or better aN t.lHiid-
! ton or conscience may guide thpn-Sp should nc"
creation, of hl, change and every change should lee
| noted by him. On the last day 81 each month re-
corded every person in his novel should be a month
older than on the first. II the wUuId-hc novelist
have ATTITUDES that way, all this will come to HIM
| without much struggling but II II DO not come, /
think he ouly make novels OF w0n,
| II is 50 that have lived with my characters, and
thence has come whatever sT,cc-. have obtained.
Troliopc's characters, in truth, became to him dear
and intimate friends, and thrI-suwoundnga were
almost real to him. He knew his fictitious county