The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-09-28
SPEED OF THE noveLtsrs.
While None Approach "OId sIeuth, -
Many Are Prolific and Speedy,

Ut TX EONE LIS
While None Approach " Old sIeuth,n
Many Are Prolific and Speedy,
Although no English novelist can
rival In productiYeness the late Mr..
Halsey. "0ld Slenth," the sensational
writer who left behind him no fewer
than 0OO novels, and made light OF
completing n novel Of l000O0 words
within week, there are many writ
ers of fiction who have achieved mar
velous records as writer's. The aver.
age novelist is content to produce one
novel year a feat which can not be
despsed when We consider that the
average novel contains from 10000
TO 20O.OOO words, aud that merely 10
copy Il would represent months
hard work, writing five or six hours a
day. Several novelists, however, have
produced three. four, aud even five, OF
these novels In u single year; three
have a jont record of $50 novels, and
at least two have averaged two and a
half novels for every year OF their
writing life.
In the newest school of writer's g.
X. Crockett takes the palm for fecund-
ity. la numbers II not in the volume
Of his novels. His first novel. the
famous "Slieklt Minister was pro-
duced az recently as 1893; but its sue
cess WIS such stimulus 10 Mr..
Crockett's industry thai 1894 saw four
of It's successors. and IN six years It's
author has written and produced df-
teen novels, or almost rs many as Mr..
Blackmore has produced Ia thirty-hvs
years
Mr.. Barrie Is content with much
slower rate of production. He began
we'll by publishing four novels IN his
first two years, but singularly enough
his first really successful novel, The
Little Minister" seems TO have given
"A check to his industry as a writer OF
fiction, for In all the Intervening seven
years only two OF Mr.. Barrie's novels
have seen the light
Ian Maclaren.p like Mr. Barrie. Is
content to 20 slowly aud to produce
one book II year. Last year he pro.
dueed two books, but one was merely
IA collection OF short stories.
Among other leading writer's OF fc-
tion who have averaged more than one
volume year Is Mr.. Jerome. whose
record Is sixteen novels IN eleven
years. Stanley Weyman. one OF the
most palnstaklng of all noyelists, has
published eleven volumes In his nine
years OF writing but he never at
tempted fiction until lac was thirty-hve
q
Frankfort Moore has published thirty
six novels Ia twentyfour years. and
Mrs. Macquoid nfty-seyen IN thirty.
seven years.
George Gissing Is responsible for
seventeen books In fifteen years, and
Rider Haggard wrote twenty-one nov
els in seventeen years. four OF which
were published In 1888. In recent
years the seductions OF country life
have been stealing over him and sap
ping his literary energy. Between 1873
and 1888 he seems TO have gwen the
world nothing In book form from his
pen.
Among the "laggards in literature"
the chief Is perhaps Olive Schreiner,
whose average rate OF production 10
one book ia fiye years. Indeed. for
very many years IL seemed likely that
her first brilliant venture. THE Story
OF an African Farm" would never
have II successor.
George Meredith has produced little
more than one book In every two years
or bis writing life, Mrs. Humphry
Ward has been content with seven