The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-12
GRINDING OUT GLORY.
British Novelists Tell How Many
Words Day They Write.
From the Strand Magazine.


From the Strand Magazine.
All glamour surrounding the existence of
the 'litery fellers" has been stripped off,
that the public may know the most ordi-
nary details in the life of those who live
by the pen. One Inquiry, which is as legit-
mate as any other, is regarding the writ
ing habits of these queer folk. How many
thousand words day do they turn off, do
they work best by moonlight or daylight,
how much do they rewrite? Others are
short.
w. L. Alden confesses that he spends so
much time cleaning his wheel that he does
not work with any great regularity. But
he does an hours work on the typewriter
at the usual speed of 1900 words an hour
This is 30 words minute, regularly, prob
ably 40 or 50 words In spots, and is pretty
fair. But he adds that if he is driven he
can Go 1900 words IN hour, or 50 words on
the level, with spurts to 60 or Is
Robert Bars business is that of HUI
morist so. of course, he is consistently
funny and at length. His wheel, too, takes
a lot Of time. He says if he could average
1000 words a day he would be rich. When
it isn't necessary he can do 5000 or 1900
words.
waiter BeSaHI S novels advance 1,UUJ
words a day and three hours make day
When Hall Game was a Journalist" he
did some wonderful work, but nowadays
he is more than satisfied if in three or four
days a week he can produce 5000 or 5000
words.
Crockett has the ways of many newspa-
per men. When it comes to writing after
long, hard thought, his pen flies in trying
to keep up with his thought. All he wants
is to get a rough draft while all his
thoughts are with him, and then correct
deliberately afterward
Conan Doyle has loft color" days, and
says that authors are more subject to
them than any one else. A good days
work with him is 500 to 1000 words.
1T irritates' George Egerton, who is a
woman, ito have to consider how many
words there are in anything I write
write just as many as l need, no more, no
less, always less Is possible"
George Griffith says regretfully that he
has "perpetrated" 1850 words in one day.
His average is from 5000 to 6,O00.
Frankfort Moore natures his plot "in
the wood for two years, then considers
it for three months and then writes il
at fever heat, which, for a novel of 1900
words, he considers to be 1900 words a
day. He never rewrites even a phrase.
His books Of adventure, which writing is
merely exercise he turns out at 6,O0O words
day.
Max Pemberton never wrote more than
1900 words a day, and even at that he re-
GREETED II. His day is four hours long
and his record runs from 500 to 1900 words
according to his Woodland his neighbours
piano.
william lie Queux wrote his SSOOO-word
novel, 1.-THE Great White Queen" In thir-
ty days.
H. G. Wells burns half what he writes
The other half runs 1000 worlds day.
1T is a terrible question" says John
Strange Winter. when asked how much
she does day. but she confesses to H.
600 words, some of which. however, was
letter writing Her heaviest days straight
away was 1000.
AS for Allen Upward, here is every word
he says: when / decide to write a book
or play, spend months of misery in the
preliminary wrestle. l invent, about fifty
plots and reject them ALL write something
one day and scratch It out the next, copy
out the opening about 1000 times, and
finally give up the whole thing as a bad
Job.
During this time I shun my species
quarrel with my best friends take TO
drink and curse my publisher. Last Of
all. / make a desperate plunge. sit up for
three or four nights in succession till 4
or a, m and write the thing"
Nh. and Mrs Gladstone are to spend
next month in Scotland, where they will be
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