Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-19

work until it is finished George Parsons
Lathrop in writing a novel finds the concep-
ton Of the central idea the hardest part Of his
task The rest" he says, lis comparatively
a pleasure, full Of surprises and inspirations
which often modify the original plan Edna
Lyall does AL her writing in the morning. With
her the conception Of the principal character in
a novel comes first, and that once planned the
circumstances in which his personality Is
to be developed and the subsidiary char
acters whom he is to influence or by whom
he Is to be influenced In writing Miss
Lyau makes progress slowly and revises
with care. James Psyn Is one Of the most
methodical of writer's. He invents his plot but
draws from life the characters with which they
deal He has the whole story outlined before
he begins writing and thereafter his progress IL
constant and rapid. The literary methods Of
Mrs. Humphry Ward have recently been de-
scribed by friend. 'She's very painstaking
in her work, says this informant, ''and some
of the pages of David Grieve' we're rewritten
four times. She makes heads for her chapters
and principal incidents, and these are blocked
of on separate sheets OF paper, each sheet rep
resenting chapter. She will do this over and
over. at least q half dozen times transferring
incidents from one sheet to another. When she
finally arranges them to her satisfaction she is
ready for work, and with the first chapter
sheet, as she calls them before her she begins
her work. She has no difficulty In writing but
it is the finishing process which will make her
Write and rewrite page over and over. She
works slowly and never more than three or four
hours at q time. She alternates between pen
and pencil in her work. and often changes them
in the middle Of a sentence"
William Dean Howels is one Of the most mat
ter-of-fact workers and never trusts to the in
SEPARATION OF the moment. He says that when
ever he has done so he has found next day that
his work was rot and all lost. The writer" said
Mr.. Howells not long since. must not lose him
self in his characters or in his story. He must
retain his self-possession, his self-control and
be constantly in the position of an outsider
studying carefully his effects. He must be say
ing TO himself, is this natural? is this right in
order to obtain the proper gauge of the values
of his picture. | believe that the greatest eff
fects are produced upon the stage by the artist
who never forgets himself If he inagines him
self to be tie person whose part he il playing
and forgets all else but that then he has no
means of Judging of the effects he produces of
how his inspiration is being received, or. in
other words, he has lost the control which
would enable him to present a correct and
artistic picture. l know this view is opposed
by great many enthusiasts, but it is nv iudg-
ment that the most artistic work is produced bv
the man who is in the clearest possession of all
his faculties and who is the least swayed by his
emotions in the pursuit of purely intellectual
work." Mr.. Howells does all of bis writing
with a typewriter. He prefers the morning
hours for work and also essays to accomplish a
fixed amount daily. RUFUS r. WILSON.