The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-03
CHICAGO AUTHOR WHO
KEEPS OFFICE HOURS

Henry kitchell Webster has considered
Evanston his home ever since he made
his irst wai..ng APOLOGIZE pro VIA sus
there IN 1875. He has friends every
who're. from rafic COPS - the %lo!ticst
Of The dubious hrowed elect. Hes one
Of the pillars Of hat Greek temple with
a r"ni.ssauCe facade and a Frank Lloyd
Wright pergola and the Stars and Stripes
loat!nS Ger II in the breeze, that is called
culture in Chicago. and lie lights logs in
the tif DWcllcrs' fireplace. Being this.
probably the reason why Chicago doesn't
have "a parade in Michigan avenue Tor
him is bccaus hes just an honest 10
goodness man who makes You want to
talk TO HIM instead Of knocking your
h,ad three times before MS shrine.
lie sat slunrCd down IN n OF the
nice shabby chairs IN the ClT pwellers'
aciie pulling away at a piCe that went
cut of,.rer than it Went.
We talked about everythinc from
American li,erature's going TO the dogs,
which he didn't think II was. % Chicago
AS a fiction treasure chest.
"Ivc been writing exclusively about
Chicago for years" he said Il suppose
the reason why more writer's choose New
York for their stories is because you
can write about New York and no one
'NI ~ YOU W paint the ale with lucul
culors o write about Chicago and
your readers demand landmarks"
| dibbed that n person who wanted 10
know the town could never get acquainted
through Chicago fiction and Mr.. Webster
said, Yes, but wnlt Of Sister tarrie''
Was there ever anyth!nS mpIc tie real
Chicago h the first half of thai Great
stun, SISTER Carrie one Of the few
great American novels Dresser has never
done anNthirg sine" then that Will COM
pare with H. Henry Fuller wrote two
lovely things about Chicago. But you're
right, there's no literary Chicago as there
B. "A literary New York"
Mr Wehstcre new book, hight The
Real Adventure is all about Chicago.
The book, he explained, is much longer
and somewhat better than the serial was
wanted 10 know how he works.
u go To my qNice. a regular business
office, AZ 2 o'clock every morning cNccut
sunday" he said. 81 have a stcnog-
raphcr ana | dictate everything to her.
sometimes | will spend three or four
hours thinking things over before 7 hc.
sin 20 dictate. hut whom | once r't
started | don't stop, | figure out tIc
way my story il going before ! say u
word, don't let conversation or my
own incidental interest in the subject
49, ~ ''sA ~ 80 lNA'AhH nv sun y
has 20 move. and when feel that Il
ISN'T moving | cunt 20 on with il.
Writing Is hard work for me, dovilish
hard work. It's a job that takes every
thing ! have to put into II. I'm what
YOU might call a rainstaking writer. |
suppose, work with my story and
work hard, After ! once decide on how
things ought to go. though. and after
I'VE dictated II as ! think IL ought to be.
! don't rcvisc and | don't change any
thing, \ first draft of "A story would
probably have no more than two or
three corrections or reylsions to "A par"
when can't write I can't, and
there's no good trying. I wrote on this
serial from February til November, and
| didn't do anything else. Sometimes
for three days at a time ! couldn't do
anything or The Real Adventure I'd
walk the floor, thinking, but things
| didn't seem to come right then all OF "A
sudden I'd start to getting down the
| result OF those days of work. Normally
! should do a thousand words Il day.
hut with two or three days of silence I
would have to diCtat" sometimes AS
| much as 5000 or 1000 word, a day.
That doesn't seem like a great deal.
| hut, as I. told YOU. I am a slow and hard
worker"
knew that there was a time when he