The Iola register., 1886-11-12
TO A YOUNG WRITER.

TO A YOUNG WRITER.
DIsintereated Advice which 10 Given
| Cheerfully a.d Enthusiastically.
Aminadab writes: '.How shall 20
to work to write for the papers7' Write
only on one side Of the paper unless. Of
course, you are writing on both sides Of
the question. Don't write on the edges
of the paper. because paper is too thin.
Rolled manuscript rolls too easily off tho
editors table, and he can't afford to
chase around the room; fold 1t fiat 30
that the editor can readily see that it is
the hattest thing that ever came into
the Office. Always inclose stamps, and
plenty of them. not for the purpose Of
publishing the stamps, but IS 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,
if you do not write s.nsibly. Begin
every sentence with capital, although
there is nothing else capital in it Be
very particular about your ''head" lines.
though none of the other lines contain
any thing like 'head."
When you think of it and can do so put
a period or some other solid impediment
at the end of a sentence to keep it from
sliding upon the next one and knocking
it 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 good deal of the dash il it gets
into his hands.
After it is finished the proper way
would be to go through it and here and
there and everywhere scratch out, and
continue scratching, until there is moth
ing left 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 little grammar, or
change your spelling from your old way.
Never sit down to write an article for
a paper. without subject, unless you
happen to have none handy. Never
allow personal feeling to bias you, un-
less you think the man deserves it,
then go 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.
while it makes the editors eye glow
with the prospect Of how much it will
fetch him at a cent pound at the 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
approached the earthquake editor,
bowed formally and asked, confidently:
"Are you the proprietor. sir?"
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 his right eye follow
ing his flying pencil, his left slowly wore
around and, becoming stationary, fixed
itself on the young man.
1--WE have already let the contract out |
for papering this room." he said. as he |
let his left eye drift back to keep COM
pany with the other one at work.
''Paper this room!" said the young
man. with surprise and grease spots all |
over him.
''Yes, we want no paper-hangers."
''But, sir, am no PAL er-hanger.
/, Judging from those rolls Of wall
paper under your aim l supposed that
you were. Excuse me for a-moment.
"Wall paper! 1 beg your pardon.
this is a story have just completed in
seven chapters: The Incadescent
or. From French Flats to
the St. Clair Flats, by l. NJ. Flstt.'"
Then he turned white-except his
shirt-and backing towards the door,
fairly hissed through his nose: ''Wall
paper! Sir, 1 would not let you have
this story now for double its price. I'll
take it to some other office, 1 shall, SIR"
Here he tripped and disappeared down
stairs, MS. and all.
Yes, Aminadab, the field for young
writer's is very large, and even though
you should find that yours turns out to
be the corn field. you can sit down on a
pumpkin and remember that these little
1ubbins of advice were offered as freely
ss the air that blows or the sweat that
lows from your nose. If you are badly
n need of any other information do not
all to write, and don't forget the stamp.
"A. W. BellG,D, in Detroit Free Press.