Evening star., 1924-02-08
MRS. PUTNAM TELLS
OF LITERARY CAREER
Emerges From Seclusion She Has
Kept Since Recent Di-
vorce Case.
by ROBERT T. SMALL.
Special Dispatch to The Star

Special DlSpatcu 10 i ne star.
DEL RAY. Fla, February Mrs.
Nina Wilcox Putnam. the novelist,
has emerged at last from the seciu-
sion which followed her unfortunate
attempt to transform an ex-clam dig
ger and ex-house painter into
literary agent and adviser.
Mrs Putnam emerged in a simple
lingerie gown and a small white hat
with a bunch of camellias on one side.
She came out to talk to the Miami
branch of the League of American
Pen Women. and If she ever enter
tained any real misgiving as to the
attitude of her public" toward her
as result of her recent experiences,
they were completely swept away by
the cordiality of her reception and
the attentions the women showered
upon her.
Mrs. Putnam gave her audience of
amateurs an intimate ''close up" of
the life Of professional writer. She
took something Of a slap at the
adventures by saying she had always
been the breadwinner in the family
had been SO ever since she was
fifteen. And as for inspiration"
Mrs. Putnam indicated that was. in
the language of Gov. AL Smith of New
York. "all bunk" She says her real
inspiration comes from those Shake
sperian words. often employed by
the crapshooter, Nah baby needs a
new pair of shoes"
Gives Homely Advice.
Homely advice abounded in Mrs.
Putnam's talk. She let II be known
that she has no patience whatever
with the woman who for the indul-
gence of her vanity neglects her do
mestic duties for the sake Of an
amateur career.
which may befall her." said the au.
thoress. but it is different with the
professional writer, the one who has
to write to earn living.
After the birth of my son. John
Francis Putnam, six and half years
myself arbitrarily from the family
for certain number Of hours every
day, in order to accomplish anything
worth while. At first / had my Office
in New York and commuted every
day from our suburban home, but
so far away from home and had a
studio set up about a mile and q half
away from our dwelling.
This plan worked splendidly. but
no woman can do professional work
In the atmosphere OF the home, where
multitude of household details which
demand her attention.
THE woman who is out doing pro-
fessional work." said Mrs. Putnam
has the same inspiration that sends
good husband out to do a good job
at the office. Like him, she has got to
bring home the bacon. Trying to be
good wife and mother and at the
same time being a breadwiner Is one
of the great problems of our modern
civilization
Writer Works Hard.
Mrs. Putnam plainly told her audi
ence of enthralled women that life
is not all beer and skittles with a
writer. -,-
There necessarily is a good deal OF
drudgery about the daily task. Mrs
Putnam usually writes uninterrupt-
morning until noon. Then she calls
it a day. Plots are O matter of me-
chanics. First you must, find Out
what you have done and what others
have done, and then you must string
your thou ghts together like elothe.
chart OF the emotional thought un.
derlying the story. Then you must
draw other lines above this mair
theme to represent the incidents am
plifying and emphasizing the mair
theme.
Mrs. Putnam, in her spare moment:
on her citrus farm Is writing what
she terms a serious novel. She hopes
however, it won't be too serious, be.
cause she thinks it the greatest privi-
lege in the world to make people
laugh, Mrs. Putnam also Is writing
two children's books. One is a child'i
history of the United States.
But what bothers Mrs. Putnam the
most at the moment is the amount Of
work to be done on the citrus farm
, There are sheds to build and fences e
paint All the feminine folk in hel
household are lending a hand at the
work. Even little John Francis 1.
doing his bit. But there Is a gap
Ellsworth Bassett certainly coulC
WELD q wicked paint brush. He also
i showed signs of literary apprecia ton
But all that Is q thing of the past.