Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-02-29
MENTAL FOOD FOR Bows.
An Expert Tells How Sensational Stories
Are Put Together.

Are Put Together.
"The writer OF fiction for the young
has become an important branch Of liter
%ature," said an old writer whose charm.
ing stories have tickled O generation OF
young people. ut seems simple enough,
doesn't it, to draw a little upon the i'm.
agination and spin out a lot of stuff about
Jimmy the Safe Cracker, OF Bob the
Boy Detective but some Of the best
newspaper writers in this city have seized
the story writer's quill with a sort Of holy
enthusiasm-and have failed. One OF
them whose h%eartrending tale was pub
lished had the happiness Of hearing him.
self called a 'chump' by n gamin critic
who had Just finished reading the effort.
II guess this faculty OF writing tlci-An
must come voluntarily to a person. I
have tried my hand at other branches Of
literature, and have Immediately and
with great unanimity been pronounced
no good. Shortly after this rebuff a
story, telling of the almost superhuman
deeds of young hero, appeared, and ever
since | have not been able to turn out
manuscripts quickly enough for the pub
fishers.
.'On some days I can't, to save me,
write n single line, while at other times l
may worry through a paragraph, but on
reading it n second time ! tear il up in
disgust. Nothing remains but TO wait
for an inspiration This does not come
from above, a gift from the gods, as is
vulgarly oaprosed, but is Brought on by
a knowledge Of the fact that the rub
Usher is waiting impatiently for the ne2t
chapter of my story. When | once gct
started the thoughts come almost toe
quickly.
"Do I ever correct my copyI We'll.
not much. | put the story together in
my craInum and then spin it out. !
sometimes read it a second time and
change q word occasionally, then of she
goes to the printer. We are not very
particular. anyway, since we are work.
ing for doodle, not for undying fame.
III we were 10 follow the advice Of Horace
and lock up our manuscript for nine
years and then take il out and revise it,
am afraid that bootblacks, messenger
boys and tie young in general would 81
without intellectual food for some time.
That. however, might not prove n serious
blow 20 the community, for messages
would then in ali probability lie deliv.
cred promptly. Why, | haze seen a
messenger boy, on whose fleetness of foot
a fortune or probably a life depended
standing on a corner for half an hour in
tensely absorbed in one Of my compost.
tons. Quite ilattering 10 ME, was il
not?
"You think the increasing drain should
exhaust my s~toreEouse Of ideas. do youi
Let me inform you that it douLlsss
would did | not learn something new
every day. / always make a note Of
everything strange / see or hear, and
hooks and papers give me any number oi
ideas which | mold TO suit my Feeders
not my readers exactly, but the publish
er's readers. We write to please lAs , 4,
person, and he IL that all powerful indi.
: vidual who n take the story or return
il with thanks.
"You want 10 know how we are paidi
We'll, none of us ever become million.
aires, yet q person with ordinary talent
can always make a good living at the
business.
IL do all my writing in two or thret
days Of the week. and can make SO Of
$50 without exerting myNelf. The mos
money / ever received for q story wa
$500 for a little thing | finished in foul
days. II was for u celebrated comedian
who. with my permission, erased my
name from the title page and inserted hi
own. / don't know how much he re
ceived for his name and my story.
IL think | am doing as much good fol
the young as many who make moro pre-
tensions. Most Of my stories are founded
On history, AMI probably impress '-uthI
on youthful minds more forcibly tn.- ],
some Of the professors who affect To de
spiso our profession so much. New
York Press.