The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-04-21
Mental Trash FOR Boys.

Mental Trash TOT 6oyS.
"The writing Of fiction for the young
has become an important branch oil
literature" said mn old writer whose
charming storics have tickled a gener-
atom of young people ut seems SIM
pie enough. doesn't it. to draw a little
upon the imag nation and spin out
a lot Of stuff about jimmy the Safe
Cracker or Bob the Boy Detective,
but some of the best newspaper writer's
in this city have SO zed The story-wrlt-
cts quill with sort of holy enthust'
ashland have taile,L One OF Them
whose heart-rending tale was published
had tho happiness of hearing himself
called 'chump' by gamin critic VINO
had just finished reading the effort
81 guess this faculty of writing nc
ton must come voluntarily to person.
/ have tried my hand ut other branches
of literature, and have Immediately
and with great unamitv been pro-
nounced no good. Shortly after this
rebuff story telling of the superhu-
man deeds of a young hero appeared.
and ever since have not been able TO
turn out manuscripts quickly enough
for the publishers.
''On some days 1 can't. to save me.
write single line, while at other times
I may worry through long para
graph, but on reading it second time
I tear it up in disgust. Nothing re-
mains but to wait for an inspiration.
This does not come from above, gift
from the gods as is vulgarly supposed.
bu. is brought on BY knowledge OF
the fact that the publisher is waiting
impatiently for the next chapter of my
story. When l once get started the
thoughts como along too quickly.
do ever correct NV copyp Well.
not much. put the story together in
my Uranium and then spin it ont. l
sonnet mes read it second time and
change a word occasionally,
then off she goes to the prn-
Ter. We are not particular,
any way. since we are working for
Doodle. not for undying tame. Ii we
were to follow the advice Of Horace
and lock up our manuscript for nine
years. and then take it out and rev 50
| it. I am afraid that bootblacks. messen-
ger boys and the young in general
would 60 without intellectual food for
some time. That. however. might not
prove serious blow to the community,
for messages would then in all proba-
bility be delivered promptly. Why. l
have seen messenger boy, on whose
fleetness of foot fortune or probably
life depended. standing on corner
for half an hour intensely absorbed in
one of my compos tons Quite datter-
ing to me, was it not?
You think the increasing drain
should exhaust my store-house of IDEAS,
do your Let me inform you that it
doubtless would, did not learn some
thing new every day. I always make
note of everything strange l see or
hear, and the books and papers give
me any number of ideas which l mold
to suit my readers-not my readers ex-
actly-but the publishers readers. We
write 10 please but one person, and lie
is that all powerful individual who can
take the story or return it with thanks
You want to know how we nre
paid? Well. none of us ever become
millionaires. yet person with ordin-
airy talent can always make q good liv-
ing at the business
Il do all of my own writing in two
or three days of the week and make
fifty or sixty dollars without exerting
myself. The most money ever re-
ceived for story was five hundred dol
lars for little thing ] finished in four
days. 1t was for u celebrated come
dian who. with my perm ssion. erased
my name from the tie page and insert
ed his own. don't know how much
he received for his name and my
story.
1T am doing as much good
for the as many who make
more pre- :sions Most of my stores
are founded on Ia story, and probably
impress truth on youthful minds more
forcibly than do some of the professors
who affect to despise our profession sc
much. iork Telegram.