The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-10
WHAT MOVED THEM TO WRITE
AGTHORS TFLI TUE >TORTFS
or THFIR FIRST EFFORTS.
One Woman Did % tn Rival " Warrington
t-'lnE. while Another Was inspired
~ State pri,t~ Reforming first Pur-
4 pose Of rhiru None, says Man


Of beginnings cam" up. and tho only man
in IN" party asked his nearest n.rehhor
-Mhp' mad" Won h"rn 10 WRIT stories .
] mean Your very first
To e., ahead of Washington Irving
the n"'ghhnr replied laughing You
See. INV father had ideas 81 his own about
training his children. IN" went on His
method II teaching Us gu~i English
was tn make IL COPY g. Sometimes II Wa
an editorial articI" from Tur SIS. th"u
II was a chapter from the BIhI., aud 'hr-
time with m" II CHANGED rn h. a story
from IN" AhanIhra | Wa not y.t-..d
with my first copy. - Voluntarily mai,.
q second This was - much ro mv hk
ing that instead of putting By Washing
ton Irving at the end inscribed my own
name.
On submitting II io my father proudly
called his attention To IA" change. feel
ing almost SURE that h" would think
my copy even be'tcr than the one by
Mr. Irving or Cour~s he was amused
though a. l now recall ~ h" kept "a gray.
face while he explained the situation
He made IL clear to me that II made no
difference how many copies ! should
make or how perfect It ght - il would
still no IrvinRs story n. then wen,
on 10 give ms stIi greater shock
by assuring IN. that IL wer. I" do such
q thing later on. when grew up. people
woud accuse me III stealing Of CutIr-.
after being mad to realize that tn" only
way for mo not to h. outdone was to
write story out Of my own brain. H.
my father had put II
a few days later handed nv father
my first story. I had not then passed
my seventh birthday A. | recall nv
father was kindly critic and under hts
guidance | not only wrote other stories
but attempted 70 ilhIstrat" them TN"
OF these was a blood curdlinE tai" about
a beautiful young woman who. after
going through many trials. was finally
killed in her own home by the villain
For il | made several pictures of th"
house. tho back Of the house. the side
OF the house and one corner II the front
piazza When my father was called
on 10 play critic he asked. But. daughter.
where il the Young lady Mh..r" - IN"
villain
Why was NV as' onI-h-d eyclama
fion ~ finding anv on" - ignorant they
are in the house; h. j. killing her
And | want ~ say that tins was my
very last attempt ~ rlu-tri'l nv own
stories
1t was Stat. pride har first l'up-ll.d
me TO take up my pen declared ia"
next writer. You know NV home was 30
the South and IN the summer w.. u-.. 80
20 up to the pllntat ;nn When | Wa
about IL years DID post unic.. was
tablished on our place. A. a'cons"GU-uc" .
there were a number II sample puJl'-
OF various sorts throwing around. Among
. hose thar attracted nv attention was a
rural weekly published IN IA" MORT h-rn .
part OF New York STATE In p'.uI-lnX tins |
paper I discovered thai almost every .
State in the country was r.prc~..n'ad .
by a farm letter excepting NV own THIS
went on for weeks when could stand
Il no longer I took the responsibility On
my own shoulders and i,ro,'....c.u - writ"
that letter
Il had read tn" letters ON th.. ~ her
81 az 90 with sufficient Iu'.,u g..u... 80 know
about what the edit or wanted y -a-t
Tho sequence proved nat | had am not
sslye that had ever h. ard OF -Iou a person
- ~ editor. Bur a any rat" h..f"r.. wiz
iay shat first letter | Troo,-.,i.',i To- inform
myeelf by wav ~ fh.' pv..r--..r Poor Old
RAN! | know now hat n" must have. been
ss,rely puzzled and doubrl.~- M patience
gas sadly tried by NV sudden THIRST tor
about was taking place. IN nj
Aspart men' When a. lat I had .t"r,Irnu.
is.ed what I wanted | took myself - .
li..ls log CABIN located IN one corner Il
tAe ward This ~ ~ known .s ~. u''ir.-
q nd was remnant ~ -lav'''y 1ay- when
he overs""r- $40 supposed n. h.."u
books
In this little hoIs-. I hs.i discovered
several hug" lrdg"r- with man. uu-
written pag-- frur,-.ci..i - cut nu'
some Of hes ,i"sn uag.'- y I ropk bark
on IL now II ,.,.rn~ about the mos .m
possible paper for literary purposes
1 dldnr know tna' urIy
knew that for publ"a' lpn one m,f.r WIN. ,
m only one -Ii.. Of h. pap-r On. uu / .
didn't actually oo ." writing 10 he u.'i,.
You pee also had brothers and -I-r"r- q, I
whose laughter stood IN d"adis fear
Having gar harrd my material -muEgl.d
Z up into IN" Earr"'. amt th"r- IA 'h.. q
back of an old alta wrur" What proved
10 be nv first published art rcI"
My recollection l. that ~ wa f,ur
pages in length written On every other :
line and IN what believed - Ne. , r.Ir D.
round hand In thu. letter winch I sent .
along with this MANUSCRIPT I made % ,
luits PLAIN thai tn" prIr" va So n
.eefns meredith" to ~" now after rrInu.r- '
rus refusal- that WITHIN ten iay- after thu, *
first attempt l"ff nv haud- not uuly ,
received m. SO d-nla rd..i hut = r.-Iu"-r 4
from the editor thar contribute. weekly
That was a most ser OlI- moment ,Ifi
assure you. In the first pl ace. rn.. editors
ettsr had been addr.---..d 10 = rmillrary. q.
person Of my nam" And whIl.. ! kn". }
he letter was intended for m" | knew {
hat would b" sailing under fnI-.. pre- a.
iences II accepted th. Offer
Il wrote that editor that ,yuli not OIL
give him "a weekly l"r'"r h-,lrI-.. / Wa y
TOO busy. This Wa really only half
ny reason Tn" first ha.f VA that
.oHM not send , '.tt"r =, NV rnasrIliu.
's<asve and get - reply h..tur. me. rlrn.
6 send OF my second letter. provided
was 10 write every week Having
disposed of that Editor I pru,....,i..d T., 4,
ndise anot her to thu. r'.iatIS" grly.ly .