The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-09-11
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POT BOILERS.
Authors Are Compelled to Write the
Kind of Stories That viii Sell.

Authors Are Compelled to Write the
Kind Of Stories That VIII Sell.
A clever and an experienced writer
in The Fortnightly Review thus NOR
allies on the trade of author:
Cynicisma All, no; respondent reali-
zation of economic law. These are the
conditions under which alone the au-
thor by trade necessarily lives. But
do you think he likes them9 Incredi-
blel Impossiblel For the author, too,
has had his day of illusion, you may
be sure There was once time, long,
long ago, when he thought he might
say what lay nearest his own heart;
might speak out to the world for good
or for evil, the truth that was in him.
Never mind whether the truth was
worth speaking or not; to him at least
it was all important. Hard experience
alone has knocked all that out of him.
And to the end, for the most part, he
kicks against the pricks, He hates the
sordid, squalid necessity for earning
his bread by lowering himself to the
tastes of the public he must needs
serve with its daily literature. Slowly
and painfully he learns to take his
place beside the maker of hats and the
importer Of latest Paris fashions, Us a
unit in trade that lives by pleasing.
Perhaps pot boiling is his true func-
ton in life, but he at any rate must
have other ideals and other interests.
For the author has usually aims and
aspirations and theories OF his own.
The very ability which enables him to
spin words into pretty phrases that
take the editorial mind by their
freshness, implies as a rule tastes,
feelings and sympathies above the
common. If he could, he would
gladly say what he has deepest and
most earnest within him. He would
give the people Of his best. But when
he tries it on, the people too often
. turn it over listlessly at the railway
book stalls, and say with yawn, We
prefer his shilling shockers, thank
you And most Of US have tried il
on, every now and again. We have
: listened, a. advised, to the intuitions
! Of our inspired genius. The publish.
sers, to be sure, looked askance at our
I. work; they shook their capitalist
; heads ominouslv. Never mind; we
have few hundreds Of our own laid
blythe spoils Of the Philistines from
those shockers aforesaid; let US pub
lish at our own risk and expense.
Sheath, we'll print it Alas, alas,
how fat that work fell. in which VIC
tried to elevate the taste or improve
the morals or intellect Of the public
The public chose rather to keep it.
+ taste and morals at its own dull level
A loss or two of this sort soor
taught US wisdom. We accepted oul
true place in the world. We boilet
the pot, if not cheerfully, yet resign
edly. We began to feel the pulse O
the market Most of US never quit,
succeed in catching it, to be sure; tina
pulse is so capricious-or we ourselves
have such incentive finger ends-tha
we fail exactly 70 synchronise some
how with its erratic movements. Blu
We get near enough 70 make both end
meet approximately. That modes
result amply sutRces for the averag,
!, ruck Of hard worked but eminentl,
humble and coutented profession.
yhe fact is - the world il cousti
! tuted, 70 say out in full what you &C
ssaually think about anything u fetal
You must write always with one ey
aaskew upon 10. 600 foolish popular PR
1naioaa