The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-03-05
Miss Fannie Hurst's Long ana
Hard Apprenticeship in
Story-Writing.
PERSISTENCE WON AT LAST
interesting But Not Always Pleasant
Experiences Working in Stores
Restaurants and Sweatshops to
Gather Material for Yarns.
Ru RICHARD SPILLANE.

beaCOnS that crown lne heleh'o vi 'u0
cess. The more distant they may &C.
the more brilliant they seem.
There was no spur of poverty in the
case of Fannie Hurst. She had money
and she had ease. Her father was
wealthy. Her home was charming
Tens of thousands of young girls Would
have thought themselves blest if they
were in her place. She proDaDly
would have been perfectly happy ana
never been heard of had not amoltloh
somehow taken root in her brain anu
started her to do things wealthy girls
rarely attempt.
Fannie Hurst's home is st. LOUIS.
Her parents gave her every ednca-
tional advantage. After her regular
schooling she went to Washington uni
versity, and then in 1909 she went 10
New York to take a postgraduate
course at Columbia.
While she was in Washington uni
yersity she had two desires that are
not unusual with girls. She wanted
to be an actress and she wanted to De
q great writer. Her parents smiled
at her talk of the stage and smiled
when she talked of writing, she
dreamed of the day when she would
be an actress, but contented hersei1
for the time being with writing things
which she thought would set the world
afire.
She had lots of ideas. She had a
keen and observant eye. There is a
publication in St. Louis to which she
sent some of her productions. She
sent others to the newspapers. Az
first most of them came back. A few
were printed. She never has known
greater Joy than she felt the first
time she saw in print something
she had written. There was an added
ioy when she got money, real money
in payment for it. She went and sa"
the editor. He was more than klno
to her. He made suggestions thai
were of great value. He explained
wherein some of her work was crude
, pointed the way to good writing, aho
, cheered her with the statement thai
r she had promise. Then he gave Slo u
t her for one of her yarns.
She wrote and she wrote and sh'
wrote. The editor printed some o
\. these stories, and when the splrl
:. moved him he put some bills in an en-
d velope and sent the money to ne
through the mail Even the newspa
pers paid her for what they accepted
q She made enough out of her writing
n in six months to almost pay her cand
@ bill.
X New York Editors Were Chilly.
In New York she found the editor
colder than in St. Louis. She was I
p put in two years in Columbia. sh
st was to attend three lectures Weel
s. She had to devote good many noun
to study but she had some spare tim
She improved the opportunity by q
ing little writing. Most of the stu
she wrote was short, the sort OF ma
ter that is called filters. She sent tn
Ut stuff to the Sunday newspapers. MO
to of it came back. A little of it W.
to printed. She thought If she coul
10 see one of the editors and talk vii
him she could make him understa1
a the value of what she was writing, al
30 possibly open the columns to her. 81
80 went to the office nine times and s
At in an anteroom until even the ottl
ny boy felt sorry for her. It is hard f
Of newcomer to get audience 1t
not the editors fault. Most Of the e.
nd tors are overrun with visitors.
ne they saw all the people who go
re- newspaper Offices they would have
he time for their work.
ny She lost hope about this time
ak ever making an impression as a WI
ort er and her thoughts were turned
ng. ward the stage. As a matter Of ia
om the stage always had been upperme
in her mind. Writing was only s.
he ondary consideration. She Diet
md mined on theatrical career. Aftel
We. lot of trouble, she got an engageme
eat 1t was a small part in "The Concer
lie. which play was put on by David E
ats asco. She was to get SIS we
Ing She appeared in two consecutive p
md formances. The second night at
the show was over and she was lie
it ing the theater, a gentleman met
ing at the stage door. He was her
edi. Their. He had come to New York
any business and had gone to see the pl
nth When his daughter appeared in
Co., cast he was astounded. He hurr
DAD out of the house, and when the st
was over he talked to her as only a
Their can. Then he took her to
veil Louis. She remained there for
months, and was permitted to ret
'ow. to New York only on her promise
,kly she would give up all thoughts Of
saA stage.
age She resumed her studies at Col
bia, and again took up writing. N
OUT. Of the stories she turned out v
fiction. Nearly all Of her product
came back. Every time the postl
,ers. !