Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-02-09
MENTAL FOOD FOR BOYS.
An Expert Tells How Sensational Stories
Are Put Togsthor.

Are Tut Iossthers
''The writer of fiction for the young
has become an important branch 4 liter
allure" said an old writer whose charm.
ing stories have tickled a generation Of
young people. 1T 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 or Bob the
Boy Dctcctive,' 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 heartrending tale was pub.
lished hal the happiness Of hearing him
self called a 'chump' by a gamin critic
who had just finished reading the effort.
Il guess this faculty Of writing fiction
must come voluntarily to a person. l
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 a young hero, appeared, and ever
since | have not been able to turn out
manuscripts quickly enough for the pub
fishers.
"On some days / can't, to save me,
write a single line, while at other times |
may worry through q paragraph. but on
reading ii a second time | tear it up in
disgust. Nothing remains but TO wait
for an inspiration This does not come
from above, a Gift from the gods, as is
vuIgarly supposed, but is brought Oh by
a knowledge of the fact that the PUB
Usher is waiting impatiently for the peEt
chapter of my story. When l once ct
started the thoughts ONE almost too
quickly.
do ever correct my copyl Well,
not much. | put the story together in
my cral.Ium and then spin it out. !
sometimes read it a second time ard
change a word occasionally. then Off she
goes to the prHDter. We are not very
particular, anyway, since we are work.
ing for Doodle, not for undying fame.
II 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 hat bootblacks, messenger
boys and t. young in general would 81
without intellectual food for some time.
That. however, might not prove q serious
blow 20 the community, for messages
would then in iii probability be deliv.
cred promptly. Why, | have 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 n of my compost.
tons. Quite fattering 10 ME, was ii
not?
You think the increasing drain should
exhaust my storehouse of ideas. do you?
Let me inform you that it douLSsss
would did / not learn something new
every day. l always make a note Of
everything strange l see or hear, and
hooks and papers give me any nurIber Of
ideas which | mold to suit my readers
not my readers exactly. but the publish
er's readers. We write to please bu. . IT.
and he Is that al powerful indi-
vidual who can take the story or return
IL with thanks.
"lou want to know how we arc paidi
Well, none Of us evCr 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 three
days Of the week. and can make $50 or
500 without exerting myrelf. The most
money | ever received for n story was
$500 for a little thing / finished in four
days. 1t was for a celebrated comedian
who. with my permission, erased my
name from the title page and inserted his
own. / don't know how much he re-
ceived for his name and my story.
Il think I am doing as much good for
the young as many who make more pre-.
tensions, Most of my stories are founded
on history, and probably impress 'ruths
on youthful minds more forcibly tn 10
Of the professors who affect 10 de-
spisc u profession S o much. New
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