The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-06
AUTHORS At WORK
The Methods of Eight Famous Novel
lists Described.
THEY CUDGEL THEIR BRAINS
Bright Gossip About Walter Besant
Conan Doyle. Rider Haggard. 1.
Zangwell, Stanley Weyman.
Anthony Hope and Others.


When one has been reading an inter-
esting book it is equally interesting to
know how IL was written. Sir Walter
Besant. for instance, has spent the last
five-and-twenty years of his life I'm
writing stories, and the dreaming of
dreams, several of which, 1.-The Peo-
Piles Palace" to wit have become actual
facts. In this pursuit of written dreams
the professional very soon discovers
that, except at unusual moments, i'm
aginative work cannot be carried on
probably for more than about, three
hours a day. Though one may live in
the society OF unreal people, one must
not converse with them, observe Them
and take notes of what they say or do
for more than three or four hours at a
time. Sir Walter Besant, therefore
gives his mornings-when the house is
perfectly quiet and his brain is clearest
and strongest-to fiction work, and sits
In his study most days, not everyday.
from O'Clock until at least half past
IL o'clock. Then he leaves his tale half
told. and generally goes into town for
lunch. His afternoon, until or 6
O'Clock. is almost given up to the new
Survey OF London" This is a totally
different kind of work, employing an
other set of faculties. At o'clock he
dimes. At half past s o'clock he writes
tie points. Towards 10 o'clock he takes
his one pipe. with a book or a talk,
and the whiskey and potash which
finishes the day. He always goes to
bed at IL o'clock and breakfasts at 8
O'Clock Sir Walter likes very much to
see his friends in the evening but dis
likes going out because II is an inter-
ruption-though sometimes a very use
ful interruption-to the daily round.
he takes three or four holidays i'm the
year; In fact IL is necessary for him to
get change of scene very often. For
years he has been always engaged.
and is so still, three years in advance
with fiction work. In addition to his
morning and afternoon work, there is a
weekly talk Dit goes to know not how
many papers about the world) that gets
consideration at odd moments. He
nnds an odd little incident; invents a
snort story; the topics of the day sug-
gest an illustration. Sir Walter first
began THE Voice of the Flying Day.
because he had certain things to advo-
cate; he continues IL because people
like 1t. AS regards the editing of THE
Author" that is a monthly task which
wants care, but good many people
help him in II. He has admirable cor
respondents in Paris and In New York:
and the Society of Authors furnishes
him with plenty of material to make
PNoPit itdil anu understand the mean
Ing or literary property.
Another Industrious worker. almost
as widely known as Sir Walter Besant.
is Or. Conan Doyle, one of the cheer
lest, burlesque and most genial of men.
Like Sir Walter, he scorns the use of
the typewriter and writes his own
copy in firm, clear, neat hand
Win thick up and down strokes. how
ever, whereas Sir Walters writing is
slight and thin. DR.. Doyle's DAYS work
varies from 1000 to $500 words. When
ne is on book he does his stretch
pretty regularly every day If he is
writing about an epoch, he begins by
reading every book that bears upon IL.
rms ne usually does while he is writ |
ing announcer DOCK. He takes copious |
notes, and then rearranges them in
long lists under the heading of the diff |
ierent characters, getting, for example. |
everything about archery under the |
heading of archer" and everything
about knight or a monk, under those |
headings. In this way, IL he has a con- |
Nersatlon between a knight and an /
afGher' having his two lists i'm front |
OF MIN, he can hope to make each man
talk within his own limits. In CONVEX |
sation with DR.. Doyle have once or
twice gathered from him that he be- |
neVes the most permanent fiction to be
that which is based, or leans most. |
upon fact
To turn to another branch Of fiction.
hiuer Haggard also has his own pecu- |
liar methods of writing. He is sun
posed to begin at 1890 O'clock everv
morning, but ii is sometimes as late
as ii o'clock before he gets fairly to
work. The originality of his method |
consists I'm debating to his secretary.
MISS Hector, who uses a typewriter.
and taps down the copy" as the an
thor QnQalxC Nfr
debating until lunch time. then breaks
OF for brief interval, and dictates
Tor two and half hours after lunch
he never uses any notes, but relies
solely upon marvellous memory. The
typewriter can click away as fast as
possible, but IL never disconcerts him.
he always keeps a little i'm advance of
1t. and likes to work five hours n dan
He works very quickly. dictates freely.
ana, once he has his plot in his head.
goes straight on and makes few altera-
tions.
am merely picking out a few authors
with whom have come I'm contact and |
90 not make any pretense of placing
them with regard to seniority and posi.
ton. i happened" along the other ,lay
at the house OF my friend. Mr.. Zang-
VIII, when he was hard at work. and
as he straightway became oblivious Of
my presence. l had ample opportunity
OF observing his methods. Most of his
WORK Is done away from London, but
wnen AT nome he writes NJ a large
table Tin his study covered foot deem
with litter amid which each page of
copy gets lost as soon as written.
great search Is thus entailed at the end
OF each sitting. Once the search was
prolonged for hours because an import-
ant page could be found AT last
when the gray down came creeping in
making the gas light tawdry. and his
own and his brothers anxious faces
look weird and haggard, IL was dis
covered that he had inadvertently
written on both sides of a sheet; on the
bottom side of this sheet was the thing
for which they had been looking. MIR
Zangwilfs brother who is well known
as the author of "A Drama in Dutch"
sits at the other end OF the same table
He In a methodical. business-like per !
son. who stipuiates that the litteI. Is
not TO encroach on his own clear space
With this object in view, he makes a