The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-12
how ONE Nan BEGAN WRITING
THOutS NJ SON PtGg TEigS
DF ms ftRft DtbS.
Surrrrrird n ttr,i. bai Later s.ear"ed
what rjrrt,"n Meant star, sss-
rilnssi That t.r~~ Q. Rr . >V,ei rh,>
at, 10 ls- Am@rira's nprar, aeDtre

Gtty 10 br Am~rira - siterar, ern'rr
When Thomas Nelson Page submits
~ being lpt.rvI.w-'l which - not "it'n,
the task nf IN. interviewer 10 shade Ell
jovabis not onlv hv what the author SAWS
nat by his manner ~ saving ~ Much
A. Mr. Page h,-liA-- rhr pronoun ~ tha
nrsf p~r-nn. and oppus"'l a. he ID Ia talk
ing about himself IA psnt his - 81 nearly
the Perfection of traditional c"hrierS
and there ~ =" much of g-n'al''v IN his
snil~ that one must i"'g'v" HIM u"
making n necessary - n>A han many
questions instead III In>i h"'ng ahI" !"
mention a them, at tho outset aud then
Just listen
Mr. and Mr. fdH.' naV.- Iu>' gnt I" \"~
York on their way To Washington. nit"r
dividing the summer bst~s''n a trip ."
Europe and resi- at Work Harh"r. Me-
Mr.. Page has about c"mpl-t.d the en-
.argem.nt of hi- monograph "n lien.
Robert T.. lee. thus masking over the work
into q biography.
MY reason for rewriting the mono
graph said Mr. Page III answer tn
question. is that the English reviewers,
when the book was published over thor"
a couple OF wears agn. saId that " would
have been more complete. II | had gwen
the military aide "f lee. on which his
great reputation was founded a. fully
o. I had end-avored Ia give the Isrsonal
side.
Yes, have been doing some other
work also some stories and Tor some
weeks past have been working in way
on q novel No. there isn't anything |
could say about II except that IL IL along
rather new lines for the. My idea Mr.
Page continued. lis TO try to cover in my
books a. completely a. ] am capable of
doing the evolution OF society in America.
and In doing this. while INV books are not
written in any chronological sequence. |
try to take things that strike me IA most
vital in society al least as they catch mo
in the progression Of society just as they
deal with a matter IN which | am pro-
foundry interested
How did you come Co ~rita your first
DO ok
well I had always been ambitious Ia
write. and had scribbled from the time
I was a hoy inst prior to the time OF
the Yorktown Centennial IN 1881. when
they were talking abo,r a celebration. !
got the idea that I should lik. to writ. up
Yorktown for tn. old Seminars Magazine.
This MAGAZINE had published some verses
Of mine in negro dialect two or three
years before and when ] applied for the
privilege Of writing the article on York
town, " hich was ne old home Of INV fam
lily. with a view 10 hetrering nv chances
for the billet. I sent the editor a story
and a poem The story was accepted
and the poem was returned. though that
too Was long aftsrward accepted and
published. The story Was Marse Chan -
Did you gn through the usual course
Of having manuscripts returned''
Not in the beginning at least SO
far as ma gaines were concerned. though
I did in the case Of some new spapers.
and I have since gone through that course
With magazines In fact 1 may say that
] am still pursuing that course
DO you not send them under your own
name'-
Yes. always. IL il this uay. When
I have write en- anyt hing thar think worth
sending ont ! am likely to try It on an
editor. making IL very clearly understood
that he must not take it unl ess he wants
IL. and IL he doesn't appear very eager
about II am likely to let the manuscript
coax for little while and then GO AZ It
With a fresh eve am speaking Of a
special editor or two. in whose Judgment
have confidence. for though the edi-
torial judgment is far from infallibe the
trained professional mind. added TO q
feeling for literature. - something for
which ! have great respect.
DO you Away rswrite IN such a case,' |
The cases IN which j re~riis are not
very numerous but always try To as
certain why the editor 10 not az ardent |
about the story an ] have hoped and |
then I make an effort TO better the story
is 10 your experience that editors are |
apt to differ in their views Al TO the merits
81 q story7'
ooh, yes. in every case as far as know
there has been a difference, due, I think
60 the makeup Of magazines. One editor
might feel that a certain sort OF story
would fill gap ~ hi magazine. while
another might have - land as maay
Of that kind a. hs wished Then an editor
might take a story At one time and not
wish il at another for the same reason
-'Marse Chan was not published for
believe. the year 1884 was thought too
soon after the civil war TO publish a
Story dealing 90 exclusively with the
Bot thsrn side. Al any rate that was
. fact. though when IL was published
IL could not have met with kinder re.
ception
did you ever write a story that was
declined and tina, sfterwsrd proved
Yes. a story that afterward proved
- successful ! think as anv Of my others
though the failure TO accept II was for
reasons such as have referred to
Would YOU care TO give an Instance
a story called Run ia Seed which I
have always esteemed one of the best
things I ever wrote. was declined by- a
magazine because II had IN il what IN.
editor termed profanity No. I have
never had a completed novel declined, tn,