St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-17
THE LITERARY FOCUS.
An Element of Great Importance to Ambi
tious Young Writer'S

tiOuS Young NrlteFSs
One man writes to see his name IN
print, another for money, another for
fame or to do good. The professional
comes to write that he may command
more abundant and more lucrative
market through larger and better
fame. An important element i'll this
dual success is skill in literary focus
ing.
He who seeks none Est, will get
little, unless he accidentally develops
unique genius, while he who seeks
fame regardless of monetary consdera-
tons, will win neither fame nor money.
The amateur should patiently seek to
know where his writing will be in de-
mand, what paper, magazine or pub
fishing house has readers to appreciate
promptly and enthusiastically what he
has to say as he has said it. If there
be no place where his thought, as ex-
pressed. is sought, it is well to await
some new thought or cultivate some
other style.
To such aspirants / would say, do
not write expecting early fame, do not
write merely for money. but write be-
cause you can say something that some
body really wants to read. If you
were trying to be an orator you would
soon learn that it was useless to per-
sist in talking unless people wanted to
hear you, and yet, if you have an itch
ing for getting into print yon will per-
sist in it for years, forcing yourself
upon unwilling audiences.
When writer says that he lacks the
necessary influence to get into print
he shows an unfortunate literary dis
position. A literary audience, secured
through Influence is hardly worth
the having at any price, certainly not
at so great price as the humility re-
CURED to obtain it. Some clever wo-
men and men, devoid of sense or sem
sibility, succeed in hanging ON to the
press by getting up Literary" clubs,
being sat home, " visiting literary peo-
pie. seeking introductions and other
such means, but the cheap literary no.
toriety so won is no more creditable
than it is meritorious. A tenth part
of the wit and twentieth part of the
wisdom required for such unprofes-
sional means, if devoted to the study
of the art of focusing what talent is
possessed, will develop real ability and
win much greater financial success
Editors are ravenously hungry fol-
every word, idea, sign of an idea that
is focused for them. With five hun
dred articles. all good. that he wishes
to publish, some of them from really
great writer's, many of them having
lain until he breads to hear from the
author, the editor claps his hands with
| delight and rushes to the composing
room rapturously to hasten into type
| an article from an unknown writer
that is focused just right for his col
umns at the time. There is not a pa
per or a magazine in the country that
is not more anxious for what you write,
more anxious to pay for it, than you
are to have the editor receive it and re-
ward you for it. There are papers and
magazines innumerable, but the world
is hungry for d new one that will focus
articles and contributions for any
special audience.
There is no writer who has any thing
to say that is worth saying, and who
knows how to say it, who can not FIND
profitable market for every valuable
thought, well put, if only he will de-
velop the tact to focus it.-Writer.