The sun., 1909-05-19
SHORT STORIES.
A Writer or Them Discourses Of Their
Market ana the Ways OF Editors.

Market ana tne ways OF EuiIors.
To THE EpIToR OF THE sUN-Sir: read
with considerable interest the article In
Yesterdays Sun entitled Selling che Short
Story" IL impressed me as an excellent
commentary on the subject. but without
desiring to infame the knights Of the quill
into fresh assault upon the editorial mind
mills which grind out fiction for the people
l am constrained 10 take exceptson 10 the
writer's condemnation Of the Judgment
Of authors. budding or otherwise. wQo
make out lists Of publications In order o.
preference and run che ganut with their
manuscript. hoping that It will stick SOME
where before reaching that ultimate resting
place the waste paper basket.
am well aware that most editors have
certain arbitrary criterions by which they
measure hotlon with reference to its hsr-
mony with what they plume themselves
Is peculiar to or characteristic OF their
publication and especially pleasing to Its
particular clientele. Indeed / know q
well known short story writer who set
out on his literary career with the avowed
purpose Of having q story In every first
rate American magazine. and as result
Of q close perusal Of each apparently sue
ceeded at all events he succeeded with
some Of the most spprove for i read the
efforts which gained him his entry to
Hdrpers and the Century. and, knowing the
circumstances. they were very entertaining
reading.
Unfortunately such discernment is far
beyond me. and ] am quite sure beyond
tine periodical reading public. Excepting
less than dozen magazines in which style
Is sine qua non. find It quite impossible
to detect the shades Of difference between
the average character of the stories In one
magazine and another. or In other WORDS.
the quality which is supposed To- give the
IN the general character Of the articles or
editorials, II any. that am able 70 perceive
individuality. The run Of stories in one
another. but that is all. That a story is .
public does not give hang for the editto|r,s lto|,,
e ss aSSa hfs s
by the fact that nine times out Of ten when .
reader calls attention to q stdry, which mas
pleased him he cannot recall the name Oh
/ think 1t must be the peculiar touch
tho writer Of your article refers to which 10
responsible for the vapidity or jeJeuneness
OF the average magazine story. Tor iSannot
believe that originality is so rare that The
feeblest OF the stories published In the stand
ard magazines every, month is simply Shs
poorest OF the best that the game ess
Of The Sun as Newspaper is Que 70 tne
fact that 1t is not afraid to publish anything
that is good, and consequently writef Gaa
let himself loose with no fear OF anything
except OF being dull. verbose or inaccurate.
BY giving preference to punk which nap;
psns to 1T In with some arbitrary personal
ideal over better stories which do not. editors
simply encourage hopeless literary asplran1
to continue besieging them with copy ln
the reasona BILE belief that they can at least
write as good stun as they see pqblishsd. ia
Moreover, / cannot see why editors should
be 90 afraid OF hurting the feelin 60 OF writ
ers They are bound to hurt them anyway
every time they send rejection slip. for
the gentle words Of reassuranoe thereon are
any oonsolation. In the meantime have
a story which may very likely be punk,
and which. unlike every author, l Do not
Imagine is OF exceptional merit. II the
writer Of your article will read 1t and name
the four or five magazines from which It
would get any attention Ct all he can have
1t, but 1t beats me to understand why the
further a manuscript should be- from the
right place the longer one will probably
have to wait. for It's return" One would
suppose that II story was obviously out Of
accord with the policy Of a publication 1t
would be fired back at once. IL.
ppOorIyS Nav