Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-25
WRITING DIME NOVELS.
A Writer Says Flashy Literature is
Profitable.

Dime and half-dime novel writing may
not be considered very digniffed work by
literary people generally, but 1t has come
| to be good source OF income to me- said a
self-possessed and energetic young news
paper woman the other day. Before 1
took UP that style of writing I tried har1
to obtain recognition as an author of mag
azine stories. but without any success
whatever. Then a friend suggested that
try the sensational boys literature.
took her advice. wrote such story and
sent 1t of. 1t was accepted at once, ana
from that day ! have been a writer Of
f!ashy literature. 1 make a good thing out
of It. too. for, besides my newspaper ana
other work, I turn out on an average six
novels every month. for which 1 receive
about twenty-five dollars each" she con-
tinued.
These cheap stories are Invariably writ
ten under pressure and with little chance
for revision or correction. Occasionally a
mistake In grammar appears in the finished
product. a sentence may be badly con-
structed or a phrase may be wrongly In
Jected. but on the whole the story when
turned over to the publisher. is complete
IN us way, and compares favorabiy as a
literary production with much that is print
ca In the second-class story papers. From
the time dime novels first made their ap-
neen condemned by parents and teachers
as unit reading matter to place In the
hands OF the young. and the writers of
such literature are looked upon with dis
IaVor-When they are known. But such
stories, while they may deal with people
and situations that are improbable, never
touch upon the impossible and are abso-
lutely free from vulgarity and impurity.
Inc tales may have no foundation In
truth, but they must be made up Of incl
dents and events altogether within the
realm of possibility, else they will be re-
1ected by the publishers. Events that go
to make up the narrative may be as i'm
probable as the writer cares to make them.
If the detective in the story suddenly ap-
pears in the midst of the gang of villains
he has been following for days as they are
gathered In some secret stronghold, the
writer must describe infinitely how he man.
aged to reach the spot; if some aerial con-
trivance is set afoat the reader must have
an idea of how 1t is sustained above the
earth and what forms its motive power
IL in few hours the hero of a story covers
on horseback 200 miles Of rough, impassa-
BILE trail, the reader wants to know whether
the rider passed through a secret, under
horses. he will not be satisfied with the
story. Make the event as improbable as
you like-the more improbable the better
but stick to the possible.
= How do We get ideas for stories? Why
with our eyes and ears open we can find
them every day and everywhere-in the
street. in the theaters, but principally in the
newspapers. An event Of unusual impor-
lance occurs; brutal crime is committed:
a great diamond robbery takes place. and
there is a plot which, when worked out,
forms the nucleus around which the tale
is built. Dime novel stories are all alike
in some particulars. here are always vii
lains and heroes and an exciting series of
events that lead to the denouement of the
bad ones and the rewarding of the upright
characters. Sometimes there is a girl in
the story but tale without spark of love
in 1t and never mention of a female has
as good a chance of success as one brim-
ming with sentiment
publishers like to have writers upon
whom they depend. and wi,o en- 1, o.
duce just the kind of stories that may be
wanted at particular time. A man or
woman who can be looked to for a certain
amount of good exciting literature every
month rarely has anything rejected. If
tale now and then should not come quite
up to the mark 1t Is accepted because of
what the writer has done and can do
Much of the work is done on orders. Some
thing of great human interest will occur,
like the Spansh-American war, the Chinese
war, the recent struggle between Russia
and Japan, the sinking of great steam
err No one knows how long such an event
will hold first place on the pages of the
daily newspapers. SO the dime novel pub
Usher must get stories bearing upon these
great matters out before public interest
centers on something else. AS soon as the
puDllSner cOnceiNeS the lued lndt d ceFtd
event ought to be the basis of novel or
two, he communicates his wishes to three
or four of his readiest writers. who will be
urged to make all possible haste
Some of these workers are engaged
through the day and must do their writing
at night With seeming rare intuition they
grasp their employers idea, evolve a plot.
group about 1t number of thrilling ex-
periences, and at the first opportunity seat
themselves at desk or in front of type
writer and go to work. The first sentence
in these stories is often the beginning of a
conversation which will hold the readers
attention, or else terse vigorous descrip-
ton of some event that takes the reader
right into the story. From the very start
the writer plunges into the tale. Situation
follows situation. The story is all action
from the first paragraph to the last