The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-26

parlance meant Go to tim with
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Long Hard Road.
II believe the first thing / sold was
| a story about The Moonshining Boys
Il sold 1t to Harper's Young Peoples
Weekly That was the first decent
magazine l ever sold.
For awhile I sold my stun to a
great many cheap magazines which
have since died--possibly because OF
my stories. Popular taste has Inn
proved wonderfully since then. Peo7
pie have learned to discriminate. The
reading public has reached the point
where 1t recognizes good story.
Fiction moves in cycles. A good
many years ago the historical ro-
nance came in. Hugh Winn,' was
probably the first of its hpd-then
Winston Churchill followed with
Richard Carvel,' and Mary Johnston
scored a success with TO Have and
To Hold The Master Of Appleby'
came in at the tail end Of the move
ment.
ut was published Just people were
beginning to tire of the historical ro-
He smiled whimsically.
THAT book cost me about sixteen
months of hard work. The writing
Of a novel with a historical setting
involves a great deal of research If
the writer wants to be even decently
honest and accurate. / sent to Eng
land for books and put in some of the
hardest work / have ever done-and |
nobody ever found it out except one |
reviewer who gave me two columns |
and half on 1t.
After the historical novel came |
he problem novel, and at present the
TEX novel holds foremost place.
"And what next" asked the re-
porter.
Historical Novel Next.
1T think we will have the historical
lovel again. At present the reading |
stories. But when we get far enough |
tway to get the perspective we will
wing back to the historical novel
gain.
an my own work I have found 1t
lmost impossible to write about
hngs while ! was in the midst OF
hem. When I was in the west I did
OF write THE Helpers" is an effort
0 picture the Denver of the old west,
ut did not write it until had got
an away from the scenes portrayed
4 it,"
what do you consider the quail
les essential to n successful writer"
sked the reporter.
II should put first what I will call,
,r want OF better name, the WIS., I
tv,,o ertx I htyt that
lie quality which enables me to see
he thing before 1t Is written" He !
tucked a weed which grew beside ..
lie path. "The faculty which would .
liable one to infer the rest of this '
ant from a part. Next to this
usive imagination comes the ability !
set down what you see, I used to
link it was a trade which might be
armed like any other. Now / be-
eve that it is a mingling of an art
Id a trade. Along with the ability
write, goes a knowledge of the
oils. You see. look at things from
70 craftsman's viewpoint"
And after that?" persisted the re-
,rter.
you must love it-you must love {
enough to be willing to endure
lormous amounts of drudgery for 1t.
always write a book two or three C.
mes. And when l say that, don't G.
can merely the work OF revision. / o
can that write and rewrite it until +
feel that have given 1t my best.
ben let it go-even though l never n
ell quite satisfied" Il
"How much work do you do in a a
Iy?" the reporter inquired. e.
II try to write a thousand words a s.
W. | rarely work more than four o.
,urs a day. l find that I am in U
pable of sustained mental effort =
ter a certain amount of writing" Is
And then what do you do for
creation?" p
II use housebuilding as means Of u
creation" He pointed to his house r
lich is built out of stone from the "a
IL
Il have been busy building my "
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