St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-11-20
TO A YOUNG WRITER.
Disinterested Advice Which Is Giyel
Cheerfully and Enthusiastically.

|
Cheerfully and Enthusastically.
Aminadab writes: How shall I &c
to work to write for the papers?" Write
only on one side Of the paper unless, of
course, You are writing on both sides of
the question. DJn't write on the edges
OF the paper, because paper is too thin.
Rolled manuscript rolls too easily off the
editors table, and he can't afford to
chase around the room; fold it fiat so
that the editor can readily see that it is
the --LATEST thing that ever came into
the office. Always inclose stamps, and
plenty of them, not for the purpose of
publishing the stamps, but as an evil
dence of good faith and friendship
they will always be acceptable and come
handy. Always have margin around
your pages-often if YOU leave them all
margin 1t will be better. Write legibly,
ii you do not write stnsibly. Begin
every sentence with a capital, although
there is nothing else capital in it Be
very particular asout your .:head' lines,
though none of the other lines contain
any thing like ''head.'
When you think of it and can do so put
period OF. some other solid impediment
at the end of Il sentence to keep it from
sliding upon the next one and knocking
1t clean off the other end of the page.
be sure you have plenty of punctuation
points in your article, even if it contains
no other points of any kind. Give it
plenty of dash-though the editor will
supply a good deal of the dash fit gets
into his hands.
wsuld be to 90 through it and here and
there and everywhere scratch out, and
continue scratching, until there is moth
ing lett to scratch out any more. The
blots in your MS, to be effective,
should be of some artistic shape, so YOU
can easily take up your pen and touch
up their outlines. An artistic editor
hates unsightly blots. Occasionally it
might do to use a little grammar, or
change your spelling from your old way.
Never sit down TO write an article for
a paper without a subject, unless you
happen to have none handy. Never
allow personal feeling to bias you, I'M
less you think the man deserves it,
then 60 in. Never write any thing
that you would not be willing to ask
for pay and plenty of it. Do not make
your articles too long, unless YOU are
where you can get your writing paper
cheap. A large pile of manuscript,
with the prospect of how much it will
fetch him al centa pound tthe paper
mill and help out.his weekly paper bill,
is apt to create mistakes. A melan-
choly case of the kind occurred in these
editorial rooms last week. A young
man, with intellectual hair and elbows
intelligently threadbare, entered and
the earthquake editor,
bowed formally and asked, confidently:
''Are you the propr etor, sr?'
The editor had just got to where the
houses began to dance and waltz around
the squares and the earth yawned as it
was being so rudely awakened from its
sleep, when with h right eve follow
ng his flying pencil, his left slowly wore
around and, becoming stationary, fixed
tself on the young man.
''We have already let the contract out
or papering this ROOM he said, as he
ct his left eye drift back to keep COM
,dIiS Win lilC Otlef one dt WORK
Paper this ROOM" sa d the Young
nan, with surprise and grease spots all
,ver him.
Eyes, we want no paper-hangers."
but, sir, am no pa, er-hanger.n
Judging from those rolls of wall
'aper under your arm | supposed that
OIL were. Excuse me for a moment
wall paper! | beg your pardon,
his is story | have just com pleted in
even chapters: The Incadescent
1uskalonge, or, From French Flats to
be st. Clair Flats, by l. M. Flat ,"
Then he turned whte-except his
hirt-and backing towards the door,
airly Kissed through his nose: .'Wall
aper! Sir, would not let YOU have
his story now for double its price. I'll
Ike it to some other office, shall, SIR
[ere he tripped and disappeared down
airs, MS. and all.
Yes, Aminadab, the field for Young
,riters is very large, and even though
OH should find that yours turns out to
3 the corn tield.You can sit down on a
lmpkin and remember that these little
Nbbns OF advice were offered as freely
) tie air that blows or the sweat that
ows from your nose. If you are badly
need of any other information do not
il to write, and don't forget the stamp.
Il. ". BellaW, IN Detroit Free Press.