Daily inter mountain., 1899-04-01
LITERARY SPEED.

Although no English writer can rival
IN productiveness the late Mr.. Halsey
the sensational novelist of America, who
lett behind him no fewer than 600 novels,
and made light of completing a novel Of
100000 words within a week, says a con-
tributOr to Tid-Bits, we have MANY
writers of fiction who have achieved
marvellous records as writers.
The average English novelist is con-
tent to produce one novel year, feat
which cannot be despised when we con-
slider that the average novel contains
from 100000 to 100000 words, and that
merely to copy it would represent a
months hard work, writing five or six
hours day. Several of our novelists,
have produced three, four, and even five
OF these novels in a single year; three
have joint life record of 200 novels
ana at least two have averaged two and
half novels for every year in their
writing life.
In the newest school of writer's, Mr..
S. r. Crockett, the author of 1.-THE
Stickit Minister" takes the palm for
fecundity in numbers, if not in the VOL
ume of his novels His first novel, the
famous ''Stickit Minister" was produced
as recently as 1898, but its success was
such stimulus to Mr.. Crocketts indus
try that 1894 saw four of it's successors,
and in six years it's author has written
and produced Is novels, almost as
many as Nh Blackmore has produced in
So years
Mr. Barrie is content with a much
slower rate of production. He began
well by publishing four novels in his first
two years, but, singularly enough, his
first really successful novel, 1.-The Little
Minister" seems to have given check
to his industry as a writer of fiction, for
in all the intervening seven years only
two of Mr.. BarrieS novels have seen the
light.
Mr.. Ian Macaren, like Mr.. Barrie, is
content to go slowly and to produce one
book a year, quite enough, by the way,
for thorough and conscientious work.
Last year he produced two books but
one was merely collection of short
stories.
Among other leading writer's of fiction
who have averaged more than one
volume a year is Mr.. Jerome, whose rec-
ord is 16 novels in II years. Mr.. Stanley
Weyman, one of the most painstaking
of all our novelists, has published IL
novels in his nine years of writing, but
he never attempted fiction until he was
So, and had lost the first fervor of youth.
MI. Frankfort Moore has published 36
novels in "a years, and Mrs Macquoid 81
in 81 years
Mr. George Gissing is responsible for
II books in Is years, and Mr.. Rider Hag-
gard wrote Il novels in II years, four or
which were published in 1888. In recent
years the seductions Of country life have
been stealing over him and sapping his
literary energy. Between 1895 and 1898
he seems to have given the world moth
ing in book form from his pen
! Among the "laggards in literature the
chief is perhaps Olive Schreiner whose
average rate of production is one book In
five years. Indeed, for very many years
it seemed likely that her first brilliant
venture, "The Story of an African
Farm" would. never have successor:
Mr.. George Meredith has produced
little more than one book in every TWO
wears of his writing life. Mrs. Humphrey
Ward has been content with seven DOCKS
in is years. Mr.. Hardy has produced 10
novels in "a years, or a rough aVerase
of two years for each book, ana Mr'
Blackmore's record is very similar WIN
16 novels in more than twice as many
years. .,o.
OF our older writer's Mr.. Henty takes
the palm for industry, with record Oh
over 100 books, and is followed by MISS
Braddon with 81 novels in SO years.