The Progress., 1889-02-16
MENTAL TRASH FOR Boy
an expert Tells How Sons.tiofi.as ~=.,s1.
Are Put v,,ws,t;icr.


an expert Tells How Sensntionas ~=.,.1.c
Arc Put Together.
d 'sIhc writing Of t.ct,on H.. 4.
rbnng has become an imi .,r:,a
lbr;. bra nch of litrrat,lre,' said ;:,. ~.
writer whose charming st,.ri hi,
lsllletl y generatiol, of yns.ac pcoll !.
1t seems ', ms SIMPLE enough, doesn't il.
70 draw :. little upon th.. inl,.ina Ia
land spin out lot Of stuff alpn
Jimmy the Safe Cracker or .ls .b tlr
Boy Detective but some Of the brs
newspaper writer's III this city hny
seized the story writer's quill with ];
Sort OF holy enthus asln and hay,
failed. One Of them whose l,eart
l tending tale was published Ind II,
|aiappiness Of herring hin,self c:,lled ];
'chnmR by ~ galnin critic Who h;.,
juss finished reading the effort.
II guess this faculty of writing
fiction must come volun' arily to 81 per
sou. Ihave tried my hand at othe.
branches Of literature. and have in
mediatrly and with great unanimil,
boon pronounced no good. Shortly
af er this rebuff. story. telling OF the
superhuman deeds Of young her,
appeared. and ever since have not
lteen able to turn out manuscripts
quickly enough for tile publishers.
On some days ] can't, to save me,
write single linc. while atother times
may worry through long para
graph, button reading ita sec nd inc
tear it up i'll disgust. N"thing rc.
mains but to wait tor I'm inspiration :
his does not come from above. a gif
from the gods, as is yulgarly sn,>ps,se,l.
but is brought OH by y klosl, dgv o
the fact that the publisher is wai;in.
impariently for the next chapter of my
story. When once get s;al.t.d til.
thoughts come almost too qlickly.
DO / ever correct my copy? Well.
not much. put The story together Il
my Uranium and then spin it ont. !
sometimes read il u second timc ant
change q word occasionally. then ntl
she goes to the printer. We arc no
very particular any way, since we ar,
working for bOOl,c, not for lln,lvir .
fame. It we were to follow the advice
of Horace and lock mp our maDuscril,
for nine Years, and then take ltOut md
revise il, ] am afraid that boo.b,acks,
me 'sengcr boys and tho young in gen
eral would go witloui Intellectual fo.,
for some lime. That, however. nigh
not prove Il serious blow To The COM
munlty. for messages would then in MI
probability be delivered promptly.
Why, have seen u messenger boy, OF
whose ticetness of foot ~ fortune or
probably n life depcnde,f. $ and
ing on u corner for half IN hour III
tcnscly absorbed III one IF my com
positions. Quite hat,ering 10 me, was
it not?
You think the increasing drain
should exhaust my store-house Of
ideas, do voup let nc inform VOL,
that it doubtless would. did not lear
something new every day. alway,
make note Of every thing strange
see or hear, and bonks and papers
give HE any number of i,l,a, VIII ch ]
mold to suit my readrrs-not my
readers exactly-but the publishers
readers. We write to please but on.
person, and he is that MI powerful in
diyidual who can take the story or re-
turn it with thanks.
''Yon want to know how we arr
pai,l7 Well. none OF lis rvcr brcon.
millionaires yeta person with ordinary
talent can always make Il good liyi,:.
ut the business
II do al f nv writing in two d
three days Of he week ana can max
fifty Or sixty dollars witllou excriin.
myself The most money I rv.1. re-.
ceivsd for a story was five hundrc
dollars for little thing / finished i
four days. 1t was for i, celebrated
comedian who. with my prr.njssin,..
erased my name from The title pay
and inserted his own. l don't kno 8
how Much he received for hs nan.
and my story.
Il think | nm doing as much goo
for tlln yGulg rs many. who max.
more prctcn,ions. NJ ~ OF ny stories
arc founded on his orr. and probably
impress truths on youthful minds nor,
.forcibly than do some Of the profc..
sors who affect to despi4e oll' pro.e,.
sion 50 much. W J: 1cley an.