The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-02-14
The Road to Literary
Success
A Story For Those Who Are
Ambitious to Write
BY JAMES B. HANSON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Iouuu TINT HalI Tue educated people VI
the United States are trying to write
for the other half. IL the careers OF
authors of fiction are looked into II
| will be found that those who have
achieved any enduring success nearly
all gained it under similar circum-
stances. They began young, usually
in the employ Of some magazine or
newspaper. Many Of them became
readers of manuscripts submitted for
publication. In this atmosphere OF
mingled literature and publication
they pass years occasionally trying to
do some work for themselves
| Melville Ostrander at twenty-five.
having been graduated at college and
taken number of postgraduate
courses, determined to devote himself
to literature, combining himself to tic-
tion. Possessing an income sufficient
to support him, it was not essential
that he at once make money out of his
| profession. He reasoned that he was
In the same position as other profess
sional men who must expect to wait
a reasonable time for an income,
1
There are persons, especially liter
est grade Of fiction is that in which
there are no incidents. The characters
are expected to talk their way into the
interest of the readers. Ostrander first
| fell under the influence of this school.
| He wrote novels In admirable Eng
lish, In which his characters told their
| own story-if they had any to tell,
which they had not-indirectly in con-
versations and by giving their own
| thoughts. Ills novels were always re-
turned by the publishers as unavaii-
able. except In one instance in which
the work appeared with a sale of only
thousand copies-not enough to pay
the cost Of publication.
Ostrander. hearing that while the ret
respective novel was the highest form
of literature--so considered by critics
| If he wished to succeed pecuniarily
| he must enter upon more lively
| school. Henceforth he made his char
acters love madly and go through fire
| and water for one another. After
writing number of these stories
| without success he became discour-
aged. Spring coming ON about that
time, he concluded TO go south for A
trip.
In Florida he met a middle aged
| lady-he had by this time arrived at
middle age himself-who had come to
the south to recuperate from over
work. Miss Easton was in the employ
of publishing house In New York. |
In OTHER words, she was one of those
| persons, already mentioned, who read
| the manuscripts Of other people SUBJ
mitted for publication, at the sauna
time trying to turn an honest penny by
doing little scribbling for themselves.
Miss Easton happened to be one OF |
those women whose personality APP |
pealed to Mr.. Ostrander. A man a.
ways sympathizes with 4 woman who
Is obliged to work and especially one
who works so hard as to endanger her
health. Together they took part In
those out Of door amusements that
may be enjoyed In the south even Ia
the dead Of winter They boated to-
gether and drove together, finding
something in the palmy tropical winter
atmosphere and luxurious plants to
warm the emotions even of middle age.
When practical man discovers thar
he wants woman he begins at once
to find good and sufficient reasons why
| he should marry her. Mr.. Ostrander
| In thinking the matter over concluded
| that Miss Easton would be helpmeet
to him In more ways than one. She
could be reader for him, correcting
| his manuscripts, making suggestions
here and there and giving him hints
In the practical or business part of his
profession
So one day when they were sitting
among the palms and the flowers and
the other reminders Of spring he told
her that he would be glad to lift the
burden from her delicate shoulders to
his own stronger ones. He had just
enough income to get on with, but had
his time to devote to literature and
was determined to succeed In it. When
he did doubtless they would have
money to spend, not in travel for re-
cuperation from hard work, but Tor
pleasure, They would go abroad
where he would be able to draw from
new scenes ard other peoples wnar
would give him still greater fame.
Miss Easton In accepting his oner
fell into practical vein herself-in-
deed, more practical vein that that
of her lover. She told him that In or
der to succeed an author must make
market for his wares. He must
write what the public wish to read
rather than what the critics approved.
1t was not impossible that he might
make sudden high flight, but 1t was
not probable. Usually time was re-
quired.
In this way Mr.. Ostrander, nighiy
educated man. learned from Miss Eas-
! ton, who had but common school tram
ing, that in all things sold for money
there are certain fixed business rules
that-though brilliant exceptions may
occur--are practically inexorable.
Soon after their return to the north
they were married Mrs. Ostrander
then told her husband that the pup
fishing house she had been with was
| getting ont simnle little story or