St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-08
FOR GIRLS WHO sCRIRBLE.
Counsel to Those Who Deluge Ed
itors With MANY MANUSCRIPTS.

Counsel to Those Who Deluge Ed
itors With Many Manuscripts.
Laura c. Holloway in the Brooklyn Union.
at is partly because of the new activ
ity of Southern women" she said, land
partly, suppose, because am South
erner myself, but large proportion of
my letters come from the South. These
letters are, for the most part, earnest
and strong appeals for guidance, and in
every instance, without exception, the
desire is expressed of coming to New
York and seeking employment on the
best known magazines, weeklieS or
dailieS. Invariably | answer discourage
ing this plan, and advising aspirants to
write FOR their home publications. Many
send me manuscripts, and such dainty
ones, scented with Florida water or
lavender leaves, come to me sometimes
that return them at once, fearing the
effect upon their owners nerves, in
case the story or poem should be refused
by some hard-hearted publisher. One
woman sent me three novels; another a
novel and play, and third mailed me
thirty poems, mostly on birds and flow
erS. The labor of returning such man
uScript is great, beside the tiresome ne
cessity OF replying to many of the let
terS."
'And what counsel do you give the
wOuld-be literateurS?"
MY advice is always to persevere
until the writer is absolutely convinced
that she has no talent for her work; and
the proof will be found in her ability or
failure to sell what she writes. Ii l
discover specially good contributor l
counsel the right publication to try, and
sometimes do what lies in my power
to start a bright girl on her way. There
are other difficulties though than those
of producing good matter. l have in
mind a young woman in North Carolina
who sent me story and play, which
latter passed on to Mr.. DAILY for con-
sideration. She wrote me that she saw
no possible use in perSevering in her
efforts since she could not afford to
write single short story, even if she
had the certain prospect of its being
accepted and paid for, for the price for
which people could buy whole set of
Dickens or Thackery. The lack of an
international copyright and the cheap
reproduction of English novels are ire
mendOuS obstacles to the success of ma
tive WRITER'S
But suppose your young aSpirant re-
fuses to be daunted,' l questioned,
what is it possible to say to her then?"
There are more women writing to-
day than ever before in the worlds his
tory, and for those who mean to be
workers and give their best years to the
business there is a field. In this as in
all careers success depends upon the
character and motives of the worker,
and am sorry to say that the majority
OF young women who ask me to lend
them hand are wholly unprepared to
meet the requirements of the calling.
But disinclination to begin in the right
way is their fault, and it is one not
wholly confined to women. Young men
the weak ones of any age-are given
TO the idea that however much other
people may have delved they are to
reach at one bound the reputation and
pecuniary success they desire. To all
to whom write at all l repeat the old
truism that there is ample room at the
top, and there is much credit in striving
in that direction"