Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
MONEY IN OBSERVATIONS.
How Story Writer Utilized His summes
Vacation u Hotel Pfaxza

How q Story Writer Utilized His sumru~-
Vacation on u Hotel Piaxza
From the New York Tribune.
II have been spending the summer ana a
good part of the autumn on summer botsl
piazzas, said young man who is a prospec-
tive member of the Authors Club. the otber
day, to a reporter. because 1 like that soYs
OF thing? Not at all. except for business pur.
poses Get lots of glimpses Of human nature.
you know. Pretty often the seamy side. too
But that's all right. IL il wasn't for the soamT
side Of life what would We poor devils of writer.
dor And, as say, you get it on the summer
resort hotel piazzas. For instance-but. mo. n
won't tell that Going TO use il for the plot on
a snort story that VIII make Richard HARDING
DAVIS feel envlous, though they saw he A MOI
built that way. Doesn't do TO throw away tb.
plots of short stories when they are wortb-but
there. I'll not give away the editors secret.
10 get back to the summer hotel piazza.
however. have hlled my note book with
amusing outcroppings of human nature. which
am going TO work out into reading matter 10.
the dear public this winter. All sorts Of thing.
about all sorts and conditions of men. Tber.
are bon-mots and epigrams and unconsciously
RIDICULOUS sayings and doings, and pathetic
self revelations of folly. and occasionally of
goodness and bits of comedy, and suggestions
OF tragedy, and. last OF all, numerous thought.
OF my own, suggested by the speaking
phantasmagoria before me. regular work
shop full of materials. you see, which 1 shall
take the liberty OF improving and polishing
up, until, in most cases their ORIGINAL
authors wouldn't know them. That's the vay
to write IN touch with real life. and the only
way. Ny note book is always full and copse-
quently am always ready TO write something
at a moments notice. All I have 70 do il to
open my book, run my eve over its pages until
i come across some incident that feel at the
moment like tsckling. and. prestol the thing
Is done. You see, when take down any words
or incidents that seems to me to be worth
something from the writer's point of view.
can't help working out in my mind the sketch
or story or denouement which il suggested.
And that Is clear gain, for the moment that
glance at my notes the whole structure that
had built upon them, even to Its minutest de-
tails, flashes back in my memory and all have
to do is to write the thing out. just
as though L were copying it. In
fact 1 am copying IL from mental
transcript I remember that was TO improve
an epigram, add light and shade to an anecdots
ineffectively told, but with great possibilities
in il, tone up here. tone down there, and give
to the whole an air OF unity and verisimilituds
that is SO necessary even TO write a short sketch
for the newspapers. The time has gone by.
may say in passing. when a writer can dump
anything IN a newspaper Office with the expec-
tation that it will 60 1t will go-but in the
waste basket Sometimes you can work in q
poor thing on a magazine editor, but almost
never on the editor Of a daily paper. There
was that magazine article Of NINE for Instance
but. as Kipling says, that is another story.
Read u few of my notes? Oh, come nov.
that's hardly fair, you know. You see. IL d
really a matter Of dollars and cents with me-
For instance, this page is TO be worked into q
tale that will get me handsome overcoat. The
next page won't cut up SO WELL as it will only
get me a pair of boots. On the next page I
see clearly before me a couple Of pairs a
gloves, q hat and q few scarfs. On the nexe
page plainly read q new dress suit between
the lines. On other pages 1 see various little
things more or less luxurious in their character.
such as cigars and Q little dinner or two 70
friends and theater and opera tlckets and
tickets TO such semi-social events as the horse
show, and far out toward the end are the pages
out Of which shall coin the money with which
1 shall pay my life insurance policy ada 20 INV
little sinking fund invested for a RAINY day and
live during my vacation next summer In facS
this modest little note book, which pickpockes
would throw away in disgust as something
worth less than nothing, is In reality my bank
book, or, perhaps more accura tely, nv bank
note book. And 30 you will excuse me II am
. little selfish in keeping its contents for my
own use.
Worked me after all don't-oh yss you
mean that you'll publish my little talk 20 YOU
Yes. yesi good joke on me, isn't i6 But dont
mind 1 don't expect TO hold q mortgage on
the whole earth and the fullness thereof You
can use my talk. II ought 10 be worth . good
quarter Of n column. But 1 have my precious
little bank note book, my good fairy. which
gives me whatever good thing desire vhsnl
mike few magic strokes with my pen.