The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-10-02
HOW o. HENRY CHOSE aa
HIS FAMOUS PEN NAME.

. fI { s "
~ Speaking OF his start as ON authcr,
o. Henry Sydney Porter) said to a
reporter: II went to New Orleans and
took up literary work in earnest. I
Sent stories to newspapers. weeklles
and magazines all over the country.
{ Reflections? Lordy, should say did
have reflections. but never took them
] to heart. Jast stuck new stamps on
the stories and sent them out again.
And in their journeying to and fro all
cthe stories finally landed in Offices
where they found q welcome. I cen
SAY! that never wrote anything that.
sooner or later, hasn't been accepted.
LAS for reflections. take Tile Eman-
eipation OF Billy as good story as
/ ever wrote. It was rejected no lees
idhandthirteen times, But, IKE all the
6ressrls finally landed. ~
ss"It was during these New Orleans
days that adopted my pen name Of
o. Henry Ilsaid to n friend: I'm going
to send out some stpf1. ] don't know
if II amounts, TO much. 80 L want to-
get q literary alias. Help me pick, out
a good one. He suggested that we get
s.newspaper and pick a name from the
flrst' list OF notables that we found In
it Inlf The society columns We found
the account OF "a fashionabie bill. Here
we hnye our rlotablest n said he. We
looked down the list and my eye Tight
ed on 60 neasss.s Heenyy. Thaas,s.ss q, eeor
,Ff lest nsrHes' said, Il. New for a first
name T. went something short None
OF ,yoarg three syllable names for me-
why don't you use plain initial let.
Ter. thenF asked my friend. Good
said L % is about the easiest letter
written. and o 1t is
A newspaper once wrote and asked
me whit the o stands for. lreplied.
% stands for Olivier. the French for
Oivef.' And several OF my stories ne
Sordingly Appeared in that paper un.
der the name Olivier Henry
y after drifhng about the country i
finally came TO New York Gilman
Hail. then the, editor of AinsIee's Nag.
Azine, wrote me saying that IL ! would
come 70. New York he would agree to
ftake 81. 900 worth OF stories annually
attheaEate or SIO0 n story. This was
sGtA time wien my mime hnd no mar
ket, value. - Sa'i5ls .iii.i-. FsR,- :,
sinee eamet to New. York my
: Prices have gone up. lrnow get $3.50
for a Story that would have been
'glad to get $iii for In my Pittsburgh
Idhlyk
,,S re Editors are Just like other mer,
chant t-they want to buy at lowest
prices. A Few years ago was selling
stories TO certain magazine at the
rate OF 8 cents word 1 thought
there was a chance that I might get
more. SO I boldly asked the editor for
10 cents q word. All right said be:
TIL pay IT. He was Just waiting to
be asked"
"I get story thoroughly Iii mind be.
fore ! sit down at my writing table.
Lien wfite 1t out quickly and With
out revising ft mail 1t to tue editor. In
this way am able to judge my stories
as the public judges them. I've seen
stories In print that wouldn't recog-
nize as my own. ~
ayes. get dry spells. Sometimes
can't tnrn out n thing FOR three months.
When one OF these spails comes oa 1.
quit trying to work and go out and see
something OF life. You can't write a
story that's got any life in It by sitting.
at q writing table and thinking. You've
got to get out into the streets. into the
crowds. talk With people and feel the
riish and throb OF real life that's the
stintuinnt for q story writer. - .i,s
when I first earae to New York I
spent q great deal Of time knocking
around the streets. II did things then
that wouldn't think OF doing now. I
used TO walk at all hours OF the day
and night along the river fronts.
through 9eil's Kitchen, down the Bow.
cry. dropping into all manner OF pInces
and talking with any one who yson1d
hold converse with me. I have never
met any one yet from whom could
not learn something. He's had come
experiences thar have not hnd. ne
sees nle world from his own Viewpoint.
But Whatever else yoii 10 don't flash d
pencil and notcbopk, Eiihnr De win shut
mp pr De WIN become q Hall csine.s