Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-10-14

sLowNESS AND PAINsTAKING OF HowELLs,
JAMES AND CABLE.
New York World

JAMES AND CABLE.
New York world.l
Mr.. W. d. Howells works from "a. NJ,
10 P. NJ, dining at 2 P. NJ, and is man of
leisure for the rest of the day. He writes
about half column Of the World per diem.
With this stint he can turn out two novels
and great deal of miscellaneous matter in
the course of the year. He is not satisfied
without great IDEAL of revising, and some
times rewrites a whole chapter. The man
useript Of "A Foregone Conclusion one of
his earlier books, was entirely rewritten.
Mr. Henry James, Immediately after
breakfast o. coffee and rolls in his own
room, sits down to his literary work, gener-
ally writing by the light Of two candles, the
London mornings being so dark. He COM
poses slowly and painfully, rewriting and
retouching his work continually, his artistic
style being attained only at the expense of
real toll. He works until noon, and then
goes to his club for lunch. BY regular ap-
pllcation he manages TO produce good deal
Of manuscript.
Mr.. Samuel l.. Clemens MARX Twain
does not write in his library His humor-
Gus fancies are evolved with more ease in
the seclusion Of his private biliard-room
He makes it an invariable rule to do a GER
tain amount of literary work each day. and
his working hours are made continuous by
omittlng the formality Of lunch. He is
merciless towards his own productions and
often DESTROYS a whole day Is writing without
compunction. In this way he sometimes
does piece of work over and over again,
but at other times the first draft is satisfac-
tory. He Is very industrious, but the noun
tain sometimes labors to bring forth a
mouse.
Mr.. Edgar Fawcett, who writes for fame
and not for bread, has been wont to do his
literary work in the fourth story Of cheap
tenement house some distance from his resi-
dence IN the fashionable section Of the CITY,
He evidently believes in the practical ap-
plicatiOn of Aldrich's verses about the god
dess and the garret. He is more painstak
ing about style than about subject matter.
Mr. j. /. TrovbTidge never composes his
poems with pen in hand or his prose with
out il. The former take shape in his mind
during stroils across country and along the
banks Of the Hudson Arlington lake, Ar
llngton, Mass, or Spy pond the writer
should have wrlttenl, or while floating in
his boat on the river lake He often car
ries fifty or one hundred lines IN his mind in
this way. His verses are revised great
deal. In his earlier days he was always
me,hcdical, but Of late years works accord
ing to inclination.
Mr.. George W, Cable is very slow writ
er. He averages perhaps 1000 words per
day about halt column Of the World. and
some DAYS he does nothing but revise and
perfect his work He goes to his desk at 9
arYl 4 -
slight break for a light lunch.
The poet Whittier cnutesses to never ha,-
ing had any literar, methods. IL writes
when he feel. ike 1t, and has neither the
health nor The patience 10 work his copy
over afterwards. usually sending It - the
publisher ; originally completed
Miss Elizabeth Stuart Phelps believes IN
the value Of workshop out Of the house,
and has an old barn near her fathers resi-
dence at Andoyer, Mass, whittier she often
retlres when in the mood Tor writing. Be
ing an invalid, She is unable to maintain any
regular system Of work.
Miss Louisa May Acott never had a study;
any cosey corner answers to write in. She
is no; particular as to pens and paper, and
an old atlas on her knee is all the desk she
cares tor. She has the power to carry a
dozen plots IN her head al time, el4borat-
inE them whenever She is Id the mood
Sometimes she Keeps plot b, her in this
way for years before It is put on paper. At
times she lies awake at night and plans
whole chapters, word for word, and when
daylight comes she has only TO write them
of as II she we're copying. In her hardest
working DAYS she used 10 write fourteen
hours IN the twenty four sitting steadily at
her work and scarcely tasting food until the
task was done Very few or her stories
have been written in Concord. She goes TO
Boston, hires quiet room shuts herself up
and waits for IAN east wind OF inspiration
which never fatIs." In month OF 50 'he
book IS done. She never copies, and seldom
corfec,s.
Mrs. Frances II. Burnett writes in den"
at her Washington house Early in the
morning she seats herself at the table and
writes until noon. The morning stint of
pen labor IS vigorously insisted on, mood and
often not even i'll health being consulted.
II she Is in happy mental frame the hours
are not needed and the sentences flow freely
from her pen, dusk sometimes coming before
her manuscript is laid aside. II, however,
the spirit does not exert itself in parucu-
larly prolific fashion, she deyotes the after
noon to recreation, drives, walks and social
engagements That Lass q Lowrie's"
Pretty Polly Pemberton," The Fire at
Grantley Mills" and The Fortunes of
Philppa Fairfax were all written in about
fifteen months.