Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-27
A GREAT R0MANCER.
MIR. III. G. WELLS, AUTHOR OF "THE
WAR or THE WORLDS"
HON HE WRITES WONDERFUL BOOKS.
Ills wife His Only HeIpcr--He Gets
Some Inspiration from Current
Scientific Liternfure-'Cycling His
Great Recreation.
Great Recreation.
Correspondence Of the DispatchJ

about two years before the public as
romance-wrlter Is surely an enviabi'
reputation. Mr.. III. G. Weiss first booi
was published in 1886, and from the houi
of its appearance the critics were forced
to admit that a new star had become
visible I'm the literary armament. A
scientific romance is always pure anc
healthy. scientific romancer who mas
acquired the reputation that Mr.. WeIls
has In so short time is a prodigy, and
prodigies are always interesting to read
about. Those who are not born prodi-
giles think they. are, or believe they can
become one, and so they like 10 know
how the living prodigy works and thinks
and acts. To find out something about
the personality and home life or the
author Of "The War of the Worlds" L
made a cycle trip to "Heatherlea," at
Worcester Park, armed with notebook
and pencil. and, finding Mr.. Wells in
| great good humor, / had no difficulty in
obtaining from him the complete story
of his life, literary struggles and sue
| cesses.
"My father was a brilliant bowler on
the cricket-held," Mr. Wells began en-
| Enthusiastically, land one of his feats was
the clean bowling of four wickets with
four consecutive balls, i'm a match be-
tween Kent and Surrey, at Brighton,
somewhere back in the sixties. My
wife's study is downstairs; and I must
tell YOU" he continued that Mrs. Wells
tackles q good deal of my correspond
ence-her handwriting is indistinguisha-
bic from my own. She reads all my
proofs and takes off my shoulders a very
considerable share Of my work"
"Bow do you get through so much
work? What is the routineY l sug-
gested, feeling naturally interested in
this point.
Gwen, in the morning l merely revise
proofs and typewriter copy, and write
letters, and, in fact. any work which
does not require the exercise of much
Imagination. If it is fine. / either have
a walk, or a ride on the cycle. We also
have a tandem, and sometimes my wife
and l take the double machine out; and
then, after lunch, we have tea about
half-past three in the afternoon. 1t is
after this cup Of tea that / do my work.
The afternoon is the best time of the day
for me, and / nearly always work right
on until s O'clock, when we have dinner.
If / am working at something in which
/ feel keenly interested, l work on from
8 o'clock until after midnight, but it is
on the afternoon work that my output
mainly depends.
Il write everything with a pen. You
see, have got into the bad habit OF IN
teriining. and that is impossible with a
typewriter. None of my work is ever
reeled off with singing nib. as If / were
answering an examination paper. L
walk up and down between my sentences.
Then, when 1t is all done, / have a type
mer and sword, and cut sometimes half
of it out.
Il orce admitted that / had turned on.
1000 words in a day and Immediately the
book-reviewers discover great looseness
in my construction. Naturally, l do not
on the average, turn out anything ike
that. BIT the way of the novelist IS
bard-one must say something"
Then, in answer 10 my question, Mrs
Wells began 10 explain why the fair sex
played so little part in his books.
'Your heroine is either desperately I'M
interesting, and there's no reason for her,
or else she is so interesting that she
takes hold of you, and insists upon oc-
love story is something complete in IT.
self, / think. My stories are. as a rule, |!
built about a peculiar type of idea which |
does not admit Of a natural, live |
interest"
"And where do you get your ideas
from% l asked.
That is deep psychological point"
said tho novelist, and he began to explain /
that no one could really answer such a
question as that. The scientific papers
suggest a great many ideas. some so
extraordinary that they hardly require
TO be elaborated. He never hunted copy. |
1 a 70
him without an indecent scramble after
them.
Il am, perhaps, a little superstitouS
on that point" he continued. Il believe
that there IS only one way which is the
best in which 10 treat a certain subject
and II you turn 1t over and over in your
mind, this particular way suddenly sug-
gests itself like an inspiration"
And he explained his belief that how
ever thoroughly a writer might feel that
he appreciated the public's taste he must
always write so as to satisfy himself be-
fore he thought OF pleasing them. How
ever expert an author might become. he
ought never to be satisfied. Directly a
man says, as II were, THAT VIII DO" he
goes head over heels back
wards
1.-THE creative Imagination" Mr.. Wells
said in answer to a question, is, 1 be-
lieve. freak. The unims ginatlve man is,
l have noticed, as a rule very ciear-mind-
ed-very certain. He has an excellent
whereas IL ] may judge from
myself. the man with imaginative powers
has a very untrustworthy memory. II
1t Is the number of house he wishes 10
keep IN his mind. he grasps the funda-
mental fact that 1t is composed OF two
certain digits. but later on he cannot
for the life OF him remember in which
order those two dgits come-don't you
see? He reconstructs. He receives the
impression Of certain object in his
mind and he afterwards evolves a dis
torted image"
81 detest social Intercourse went on
Mr.. Wells, formal calls. and so forth;
but we always devote Saturday afternoon
to my friends, and are delighted TO see
any congenial souls who win help us TO
make our half-holidey pleasant"
WAS your writing propensity an early
one1 Did you spin scientific yarns 10
The boys in the dormitoryY'
Il am afraid my scientific knowledge
IN those days was nil" Mr.. Wells replied
smilingy, land my early propensity was
for drawing, not writing: but as a matter
Of fact I used 10 tell long Illustrated
sagas during school hours My great
chum at school was boy named Bow
kett, who used TO participate in this
'aga-teling. / parted from him fifteen
years ago-he became a clerk In bust
ness-house, and / became a Diapers APP
Drentice-and from that time we lost
sight of each other. l found him the
other day-a successful actor and
rising MISUNDERSTANDING elaborated
n one piece. and with other productions
=