The Dickinson press., 1888-12-22
THE TIME TO WRITE
THE GREAT DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
AMONG PEN CRAFTSMEN.

so 4 AAillc u NIiliuS OetTS-NI HAT
Noted Prose Writers Have t. Say on the
Subiect-Promincnt Examplcs-Disturl,-
ing Environments.
When can n man do his best writing with
easel Or, i'll other words, what time is tho
best for good writing'
lheard, recently, this latter question talked
over by some pen craftsmen, and their con
vcrsation brought out great differences of
opinion. One, n writer of fiction, said that
the best time for writing was when YOU
burned the midnight oil. Another mann
tanned that the best time was in the carly
morning hourS when tho sun ''ariscth in his
majesty" While q third, a writer of poetry,
threw out the suggestion that you can write
easily and rapidly when you feel most like
it," Thus the question becomes ono that will
be answered in a different way by different
kinds of writers.
Obviously there is, there can be, no best
time for writing poetry. If tho poets them
selves are to be believed, the times for com
posing rhyme, like angels visits, are few and
far between. When Lord Byron wrote is a
mystery, for TIC ono ever found him writing.
Yet we know that while he spent the day in
pleasure, he passed the night in work. Lord
Tcnnyson regards the morning as the best
time for poetic thought, and hence We find
him in carly morn weaving rhyme over his
pipe of tobacco. Longfel .ow was an carly
riser, and We are told in recent biography
of the poet that he found the morning tho
best time for solid work. Thcre is n tradi-
tion-and it is only n tradition-that Edgar
Allan Poe could dash off flowing verse at al
most any hour of the day or night. Indeed,
Poo himself gave color to this notion, but,
unhappy master of the raven as lie was, he
kept lonely vigils far into the night, polish
ing and filing his exquisite Verse. In truth,
as many, If not more, examples could be
given of poets whose verse ''slnclt of the
midnight oil" rs could be given of rhyme
breathing the freshness of dcwy morn. For
with some writers the dead of night is tho
noon Of thought.
When We como to prose writers there is
tho same difference ms to the time for writ
ing. The greater part of al authors time"
said DR. Johnson, sis spent in Sading."
Thus, Lord Macaulav spent the entire morn
ing in reading. and then when tho time came
he put his thoughts on paper. Few readers
of Trcvclyan's Life of Macaulay will forget
the picturcof the industrious historian NOUS
ing among the manuscripts in the British
muScum morning after morning. cleaning
the facts for his immortal history. With
writer's Of fiction the case is different. Or,
to quote DR.. johnson again, ''Nlcn Il man
writes froHl Lis own mind lie writes rupidlv.'
Altlcu..h Dlizac wrote rapidly from his own
mind, lie sIu:!t much time in reading. l1o
fouEd the night tho best time for writing,
and many cup of black coffee he drank in
order to Ecep his faculties on the alcrt-on
edge, rs he called it.
OF English novclists, Wilkic Collins is u
prominent example of an author who found
the midnight hours the best timetor writing.
David Christie Murray is another volumin-
Gus novelist who often lahors 50 far into tho
night that he often ''SccS Il lalucrtlicr with
an ax dressed in black and rcd" coming
towards linn in IL threatening fashion. On
the other land, Anthony Trollopa set about
his work in Il mcthodical way. He sat down
every morning to his desk, rain or shine, Mt
$50. II allowed MYSELF he plaintivcly
says, no mcrry. Was cal!edby my groo,A,
and did 50 much writing, regularly before
breakfast" William Black also thinks tho
mor.!in, the best time for writing. IIo
writes two hours before and two hours after
morning luncheon. Thomas Hardy says
that he writes at irregular intervals, some
times IN the morning and sometimes in tho
cNctilliS. 4Iic Illctilo'tNl ittllc utl ID tlIS.
He carries tho plot around in his head till
completed, when lie writes it out as rapidly
as possible, often working fifteen out of tho
twrnty-foGr hours of the day.
We may close this part of the subject by
citing the opinions of two American novel
| lists, us to the Lest time for writing. Said
Mr.. lIowclls, i'll II recent interview with q
newspaper man: 1.-The first half of the day
is the best part of IL mans life. l always
select it for my working hours, L usually
begin at 9and stopat ! O'Clock" To the same
effect is the testimony Of the late L. T. Roe,
i'll Il recent number of I.ippincott's Magazine.
IL go into my study" says he, ''imiueiiatcly
after breakfast, usually about . o'clock,
and write until ) or 4 i'll tho litter
noon, stopping only for Il light lunch. :" e st
In former years | wrote at night, but after Il
severe attack of Insomnia this practice was
almost wholly abandoned"
Finally, it should be born in mlnd that tho
time for good writing is largely influenced
by circumstances and by environment.
Many of the distressing md annoying cir
cumstances incident to city life are particu-
larly unfavorablo to easy writing. Above
all, noises and harsh sounds lavo over been
the bane of tho writer. They distract the at
tention and put tho mind out of tune for
orderly and continuous thought. This dis
turbing force of sounds is IL vice of modern
city life.-L. j. Vance Ill The Epoch.