The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-22

Wlll come out, / expect, toward the emu
of the year, said William Dean How
ellis few days ago as he sat IN ms
pleasant New York study, overlooking
Central park. Mr.. Howell's is now in
his SD year, and for a generation has
been engaged in entertaining the read
ing public with his genial stories, but
his personal appearance, as well as the
virility of his writing, indicates that he
is still in his prime.
No" continued the novelist, in an
swer to a further question, Il can't tell
you the title of the new story or even
its exact course, for the reason that
those matters are never decided with
me until the actual writing is completed,
or nearly so.
DOESN'T MAP OUT HIS STORIES
IN ADVANCE.
"My regular procedure is first to select
the topic Of the story. This is usually
something that has occurred to me, per-
haps years before, and that has been
developed by occasionally thinking about
it.
1.-THE next step is the selection OF
characters, which is the matter of great
est care and study, and | never map out
the exact course of the story in adj
vance. Naturally, l have more or less
distinct notion of how it is to go, but |
find that after / begin writing one chap
ter suggests another, and the story
grows of itself.
"n0 I receive requests for advice from
young writer's? Very often, and il the
number of such inquiries coming to me
a ffords any indication there is no dan
ger of the extinction of the American
novel of which some critics seem to be
afraid.
s"There isn't much that can be said TO
these young aspirants for literary fame
The best advice / know is: 60 ahead
do your best, write the truth that you
have as you see it; and if one other per-
son feels and appreciates it as Won do
the effect will not have been wasted.
writing is so different from other
kinds Of work, it depends so much upon
individual character and habits of mind
that ii is impossible to lay down any
hard and fast rules in relation to It. Nc
sooner have you done so than somebody
violates them all and still comes out on
top. Still it may be possible for an old
stager. who has kept in more or less
intimate touch with the literary world
for a good many years to say Il word OF
two, chiefly in the way of encouraging
and reassuring the beginner, that will
not be wasted.
no RULES FOR PREPARATION
II vii not attempt to instruct the be-
ginner as to how to prepare himself OF
herself 1.-TWO mustn't forget "the her IN
this for writing. AS | said before, lit
erature is bound by no hard and fast
rules. There is no set of books, as II
law or engineering, from which one
must get his first principles. | don't
mean that an acquaintance with the
best writing is of no value. but of vastly
greater Importance is the ability and
habit of observing the life that exists
about one. which nobody has yet put
into book. If the young person we
are discussing has the gifts Of minC
which will make him u successful writer
these qualities may he safely left to in
dicate the course which his preparation
shall take. Only in this way can vari
ETY.. originality and strength be preserv-
/ ed in our literature.
From this you may see that / am
the classic standards as models for the
young literary workers. / guess that
fact is well enough known to those who
are sufficiently acquainted with me to be
interested in what / say. The natural
development of the novel has been
from the classic, through the romantic
to the naturaistic | like the latter
term better than realistic because real
ism. in the minds Of many persons, is
associated with what is sordid and un-
pleasant OF course that isn't true. for
reality has its cheerful and encouraging
side as well as the reverse. Realism OF
naturalism being the present, and per
haps the permanent, garb of the novel
in its highest form, it follows that the
writer's only textbook which he must
never disregard is life, life in some ono
of its infinite phrases. Sincerity is the
great essential Truth is the one motto.
that the young writer should put in big
letters above his desk. SO long as he
conforms to that his work cannot be
wholly lost.