Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1915-03-05
Miss Fannie Hurst's Long and
Hard Apprenticeship in
Story-Writing.
PERSISTENCY WON AT LAST
Interesting But Not Always Pleasant
Experiences Working in Stores,
Restaurants and Sweatshops to
Gather Material for Yarns.
By RICHARD SPILLANE.

{Copyright, Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.)
Usually it is poverty that gives spur
to ambition and plenty that dulls it.
Money, ease and recognition are the
beacons that crown the heights of sue
cess. The more distant they may be,
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 probably
would have been perfectly happy and
never been heard of had not ambition
somehow taken root in her brain and
started her to do things wealthy girls
rarely attempt.
Fannie Hurst's home is st. Louis.
Her parents gave her every educa-
tional advantage. After her regular
schooling she went to Washington uni
versity, and then in 1909 she went to
New York to take a postgraduate
couise at Columbia.
While she was in Washington uni
versity she had two desires that are
not unusual with girls. She wanted
to be an actress and she wanted to be
a 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 herself
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
publication in St. Louis to which she
sent some of her productions. She
sent others to the newspapers. At
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
Joy when she got money, real money,
In payment for it. She went and saw
the editor. He was more than kind
to her. He made suggestions that
were of great value. He explained
wherein some of her work was crude,
pointed the way to good writing, and
cheered her with the statement that
she had promise. Then he gave SO to
her for one of her yarns.
She wrote and she wrote and she
wrote. The editor printed some OF
these stories, and when the spirit
moved him he put some bills in an en-
velope and sent the money to her
through the mail Even the newspa-
pers paid her for what they accepted.
She made enough out of her writings
in six months to almost pay her candy
bill.
I New York Editors Were Chilly.
In New York she found the editors
colder than in ST. Louis. She was to
put in two years in Columbia. She
was to attend three lectures week.
She had to devote a good many hours
TO study but she had some spare time.
She improved the opportunity by do
ing a little writing Most of the stuff
she wrote was short, the sort of mat
ter that is called filters. She sent this
stuff to the Sunday newspapers. Most
of it came back A little of 1t was
printed She thought if she could
see one of the editors and talk with
him she could make him understand
the value of what she was writing, and
possibly open the columns to her. She
went to the office nine times and sat
In an anteroom until even the office
boy felt sorry for her. 1t is hard for
a newcomer to get audience. 1t is
not the editors fault Most of the edi-
tors are overrun with visitors. II
they saw all the people who go to
newspaper offices they would have no
time for their work.
She lost hope about this time or
ever making an impression as writ
er and her thoughts were turned to-
ward the stage. AS a matter of fact,
the stage always had been uppermost
in her mind. Writing was only Sec
ondary consideration. She deter
mined on theatrical career. After a
lot of trouble, she got an engagement.
1t was a small part in THE Concert,
which play was put on by David Bel
asco. She was to get $15 a week.
She appeared in two consecutive per-
formances. The second night after
the show was over and she was leav-
ing the theater, a gentleman met her
at the stage door. He was her IA
Their. He had come to New York on
business and had gone to see the play.
When his daughter appeared in the
cast he was astounded. He hurried
out of the house, and when the show
was over he talked to her as only ia
Their can Then he took her to st.
Louis. She remained there for two
months. and was permitted to return
TO New York only on her promise that
she would give up all thoughts of the
stage.
She resumed her studies at Column
bia, and again took up writing. Most
OF the stories she turned out We're
fiction. Nearly all of her productions
came back. Every time the postnan