,,the ,,lure ,,of ,,the ,,pen ,a ,book for ,would-,be ,authors by ,,flora ,,klickmann ,editor of ,the ,girl's ,own ,paper and ,woman's ,magazine ,who ,has ,written ,the ,flower-,patch among the ,hills1 ,between the ,larchwoods and the ,weir1 and ,other ,works ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons ,new ,york and ,london #aibj ,copyright1 #aibj1 by ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons ,,dedicated ,,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,bowden ,,who ,,has ,,few ,,equals1 ,,either ,,as ,a ,,publisher1 ,,or ,,as ,a ,,friend ,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,american ,,edition ,in sending out this new book to the ,american public1 ,i feel ,i am addressing a sympathetic audience1 since other volumes that have preceded it have been most cordially received1 and have added considerably to my long list of friends on the ,western side of the ,atlantic4 ,at first glance it may seem as though the difference between the writings of ,american and ,british authors is too marked to allow of a book on ,authorship proving useful to both countries--but in reality the difference is only superficial1 and is largely confined to methods of newspaper journalism1 or connected with mannerisms and topical qualities4 ,fundamentally1 both nations work on the same lines and acknowledge the same governing laws in ,literature4 ,american authors1 no less than ,british1 derive their inspirations from ,european classics4 ,and magazine editors and publishers in both countries are only too grateful for good work from either side4 ,no one can teach authors how or what to write2 but sometimes it is possible to help the beginners to an understanding of what it is better not to write4 ,for the rest ,i hope the book explains itself4 ,,flora ,,klickmann ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,,contents ,,page ,,part ,,one3 ,,the ,,mss4 ,,that ,,fail ,why they ,fail #c ,three ,essentials in ,training #aa ,,part ,,two3 ,,on ,,keeping ,,your ,,eyes ,,open ,a ,course in ,observation #ag ,the ,assessment of ,spiritual ,values #bd ,,part ,,three3 ,,the ,,help ,,that ,,books ,,can ,,give ,the ,bane of ,browsing #ce ,reading for ,definite ,data #da ,reading for ,style #dg ,the ,need for ,enlarging the ,vocabulary #eh ,the ,charm of ,musical ,language #fh ,analysing an ,author's ,methods #gh ,,part ,,four3 ,,points ,a ,,writer ,,ought ,,to ,,note ,practice ,precedes ,publication #ig ,the ,reader must be ,interested #aaf ,form should be ,considered #acj ,right ,selection is ,important #aci ,when ,writing ,articles #add ,suggestions for ,style #aef ,the ,ubiquitous ,fragment #aff ,concerning ,local ,colour #agb ,creating ,atmosphere #agh ,the ,method of ,presenting a ,story #ahh ,fallacies in ,fiction #aig ,some ,rules for ,story-,writing #bag ,about the ,climax #bbe ,the ,use of ,curtains #bbi ,on ,making ,verse #bcd ,the ,function of the ,blue ,pencil #beb ,,part ,,five3 ,,author1 ,,publisher1 ,,and ,,public ,when ,offering ,goods for ,sale #bfa ,the ,responsibility #bhf ,,index #big ,,part ,,one ,,the ,,mss4 ,,that ,,fail ,in the ,business of ,making ,literature1 the only ,quality that presents itself in ,abundance is entirely untrained ,mediocrity4 ,the ,lure of the ,pen ,why ,they ,fail ,in the course of a year ,i read somewhere about nine thousand stories1 articles and poems4 ,these are exclusive of those read by others in my office4 ,of these nine thousand ,i purchase about six hundred per annum4 ,the remainder are usually declined for one of three reasons2 either1 ,they are not suited to the policy and the requirements of the publishing house1 or the periodicals1 for which ,i am purchasing4 ,or1 ,they tread ground we have already covered4 ,or1 ,they have no marketable value4 ,the larger proportion of the rejected ,,mss4 come under the last heading4 ,they are of the homing order1 warranted to return to their starting point4 ,the number that ,i buy does not indicate the number that ,i require4 ,in normal times ,i could use at any rate double the number that ,i purchase4 ,i never have an overstock of the right thing4 ,i never have more than ,i can publish of certain-to-sell matter4 ,no publisher or editor ever has4 ,in the business of ,making ,literature 7and throughout these chapters ,i use the word literature in its widest sense7 genius is rare4 ,nearly-genius is almost as rare4 ,the only quality that presents itself in abundance is entirely untrained mediocrity4 ,it may be thought that this applies equally to all departments of the world's work2 but it is not so4 ,while genius is scarce wherever one looks1 ,i know of only one other vocation where the candidates expect good pay at the very start without any sort of training1 any experience1 any specialised knowledge1 or any idea of the simplest requirement of the business from which they hope to draw an income--the other vocation being domestic service4 ,for example3 ,though thousands of paintings and sketches are offered me in the course of the year1 ,i cannot recall one instance of an artist announcing that this is his1 or her1 first attempt at drawing2 all the work submitted1 even the feeblest1 shows previous practice or training of some sort1 be it ever so elementary4 ,yet it is no uncommon thing to receive with a ,,ms4 a letter explaining1 ,this is the first time ,i have ever tried to write anything4 ,then again1 no one expects to be engaged to play a violin solo at a concert1 when she has had no training1 merely because she craves a public appearance and applause4 ,yet many a girl and woman writes to an editor3 ,this is my first attempt at a poem4 ,i do so hope you will publish it1 as ,i should so like to see myself in print4 ,and no one would expect to get a good salary as a dressmaker by announcing that1 though she has not the most elementary knowledge of the business1 she feels convinced that she could make a dress4 ,yet over and over again people have asked me to give them a chance1 explaining that1 though they were quite inexperienced1 they felt they had it in them to write4 ,nevertheless1 despite this prevailing idea that we all possess heaven-sent genius1 which is ready to sprout and blossom straight away with no preparatory work--an idea which gains added weight from the fact that there are no great schools for the student who desires to enter the literary profession1 as there are for students of art and music--some training is imperative2 and if the would-be writer is to go far1 the training must be rigorous and very comprehensive4 ,but unlike most other businesses and professions1 the novice must train himself2 he can look for very little help from others4 ,the art student gains information and experience by working with others in a studio2 it gives him some common ground for comparisons2 where all are sketching from the same model1 he is able to see work that is better1 and work that is worse1 than his own2 and probably he is able to grasp wherein the difference lies4 ,the music student who is one of several to remain in the room while each in turn has a pianoforte lesson1 hears the remarks of the professor 7possibly a prominent man in his own profession7 on each performance1 and can learn a large amount from the criticisms and corrections bestowed on the others1 quite apart from those applying to her own playing4 ,but for the would-be author there is no college where the leading literary lights listen patiently1 for an hour or two at a stretch1 while the students read their stories and poems and articles aloud for criticism and correction4 ,here and there ardent amateurs form themselves into small literary coteries for this purpose2 but often these either develop into mutual admiration societies1 or fizzle out for lack of a guiding force4 ,sidenote3 ,literature is the most ,elusive ,business in the ,world ,the difficulty with literature is this3 ,it is the most elusive business in the world4 ,no one can say precisely what constitutes good literature1 because1 no matter how you may classify and tabulate its characteristics1 some new genius is sure to break out in a fresh place2 and no one can lay down a definite course of training that can be relied on to meet even the average requirements of the average case4 ,you can set the instrumentalist to work at scales and studies for technique2 the dressmaker can practise stitchery and the application of scientific measurement2 the art student can study the laws governing perspective1 balance of design1 the juxtaposition of colour1 and a dozen other topics relative to his art4 ,and more than this1 in most businesses 7and ,i include the professions7 you can demonstrate to the students1 in a fairly convincing manner1 when their work is wrong4 ,you can show the girl who is learning dressmaking the difference between large uneven stitches and small regular ones2 the undesirability of having a skirt two inches longer at one side than it is at the other4 ,you can indicate to the art student when his subject is out of drawing1 or suggest a preferable choice of colours4 ,and though these points may only touch the mechanical surface of things1 they help the student along the right road1 and are invaluable aids to him in his studies4 ,true1 such advice cannot make good a lack of real genius1 yet it may help to develop nearly-genius1 and that is not to be despised4 ,but with literature1 there is so little that is tangible1 and so much that is intangible4 ,beyond the bare laws that govern the construction of the language1 only a fraction of the knowledge that is necessary can be stated in concrete terms for the guidance of the student4 ,and because it is difficult to reduce the art of writing to any set of rules1 the amateur often regards it as the one vocation that is entirely devoid of any constructive principles2 the one vocation wherein each can do exactly as he pleases1 and be a law unto himself1 no one being in a better position than himself to say what is great and what is feeble1 since no one else can quote chapter and verse as authority for making a pronouncement on the merits--and more particularly the demerits--of his work4 ,and yet1 nearly all the ,english-speaking race want to write4 ,the craving for self-expression is one of the characteristics of this century2 and what better medium is there for this than writing8 ,hence the lure of the pen4 ,it is partly because so many beginners do not know where to turn for criticism1 or an opportunity to measure their work with that of others1 that some send their early1 crude efforts to editors1 hoping to get1 at least1 some opinion or word of guidance1 even though the ,,ms4 be declined4 ,yet this is what an editor cannot undertake to do4 ,think what an amount of work would be involved if ,i were to set down my reasons for declining each of those eight thousand and more ,,mss4 that ,i turn down annually6 ,it could not be done1 in addition to all the other claims on one's office time4 ,sidenote3 ,why the ,,mss4 are ,rejected ,but though life would be too short for any editor to write even a brief criticism on each ,,ms4 rejected1 certain defects repeat themselves so often that it is quite possible to specify some outstanding faults--or rather1 qualities which are lacking--that lead to the downfall of one ,,ms4 after another1 with the automatic persistency of recurring decimals4 ,speaking broadly1 ,i generally find that the ,,ms4 which is rejected because it has no marketable value betrays one or more of the following deficiencies in its author3-- ,lack of any preliminary training4 specialised knowledge of the subject dealt with4 modernity of thought and diction4 the power to reduce thought to language4 cohesion and logical sequence of ideas4 ability to get the reader's view-point4 new and original ideas and themes4 the instinct for selection4 a sense of proportion4 ,the majority of such defects can be remedied with study and practice2 and even though the final result may not be a work of genius1 it will be something much more likely to be marketable than the ,,ms4 that has neither knowledge nor training behind it4 ,three ,essentials in ,training ,how am ,i to set about training for literary work8 is a question that is put to me most days in the year4 ,training comes under three headings3 ,observation1 ,reading1 and ,writing4 ,the majority of beginners make the mistake of putting writing first2 but before you can commit anything to paper1 you must have something in your head to write down4 ,if you have but little in your brain1 your writing will be worthless4 ,sidenote3 ,we get out of ,life what we put into it ,just as a plant requires special fertilisers if it is to develop fine blossoms and large fruit1 so the mind requires food of exceptional nourishment if it is to produce something out of the ordinary1 something worth reading4 ,it is one of the great laws of ,nature that1 as a general rule1 we get out of life about what we put into it4 ,if a farmer wants bumper crops1 he must apply manure liberally to his land2 if a man wants big returns from his business1 he must devote much time and thought and energy to it4 ,and in the same way1 if you want good stuff to come out of your head1 you must first of all put plenty of good stuff in4 ,but--and this is very important--it is not supposed to come out again in the same form that it went in6 ,this point beginners often forget4 ,when sweet peas are fed with sulphate of ammonia1 they don't promptly produce more sulphate of ammonia2 they utilise the chemical food to promote much finer and altogether better flowers4 ,the same principle governs the application of suitable nourishment to all forms of life--the recipient retains its own personal characteristics1 but transmutes the food into the power to intensify1 enlarge1 and develop those personal characteristics4 ,in like manner1 the food you give your mind must be used to intensify and enlarge and develop your individuality2 and what you write must reflect your individuality 7not to be confused with egoism72 it should not be merely a paraphrase of your reading4 ,all this is to explain why ,i put observation and reading before writing4 ,they are the principal channels through which the mind is fed4 ,and1 in the main1 the value of your early literary work will be in direct ratio to the keenness and accuracy of your observation1 and the wisdom shown in your choice of reading4 ,you think this sounds like reducing writing to a purely mechanical process1 in which genius does not count8 ,not at all4 ,it is merely that the initial stages of training for any work involve a certain amount of routine and repetition1 until we have acquired facility in expressing our ideas4 ,in any case1 very few of us are suffering from real genius4 ,ability1 talent1 cleverness1 are fairly common2 but genius is rare4 ,if you possess genius1 you will discover it quite soon1 and1 what is more important1 other people will likewise discover it4 ,as some one has said1 ,genius1 like murder1 will out6 ,you can't hide it4 ,meanwhile1 it will save time and argument to pretend that you are just an ordinary being like the rest of us1 with everything to learn2 you will progress more rapidly on these lines than if you spend time contemplating1 and admiring1 what you think is a ,heaven-sent endowment that requires no shaping4 ,,part ,,two ,,on ,,keeping ,,your ,,eyes ,,open ,one of the drawbacks of an ,advanced ,civilisation is the fact that it tends to lessen the power of ,observation4 ,a ,course in ,observation ,begin your observation course by noting anything and everything likely to have a bearing on the subject of your writing1 and jot down your observations in the briefest of notes4 ,no matter if it seem a trifling thing1 in the early part of your training it will be well worth your while to record even the trifles1 since this all helps to develop and focus the faculty for observation4 ,one of the drawbacks of an advanced civilisation is the fact that it tends to lessen the power of observation4 ,the average person in this twentieth century sees next to nothing of the detail of life4 ,we have no longer the need to cultivate observation for self-protection and food-finding as in primitive times4 ,everything is done for us by pressing a button or putting a penny in the slot1 till it is fast becoming too much of an effort for us even to look 7or it was1 before the ,war72 and the ability to look--and to see when we look--is1 consequently1 disappearing through disuse4 ,you will be surprised how much there is in this practice of observation1 once you get started4 ,sidenote3 ,study ,human ,characteristics ,for example3 ,if you intend to write a story1 you will need to study the various types of people figuring therein2 the distinguishing characteristics1 the method of speaking1 and the mental attitude of each4 ,the amateur invariably states the colour of a girl's eyes and hair1 and the tint of her complexion1 with some sentences about her social standing and her clothes1 and then considers her fully equipped for her part in the piece4 ,whereas1 in reality1 these items are of no importance so far as a story goes4 ,we really do not mind whether ,dinah1 in ,adam ,bede1 had violet eyes or grey-green2 it is the soul of the woman that counts4 ,neither do we trouble whether ,portia wore a well-tailored coat and skirt1 or a simple muslin frock lavishly trimmed with ,valenciennes2 it is her ready wit1 her resourcefulness1 and her deep-lying affection that interest us4 ,next in importance to the human beings are the circumstances involved4 ,does your heroine decide to leave her millionaire-father's palatial home and hide her identity in slum-work and a room in a tenement8 ,you will have to do a fair amount of first-hand observation to get the details and general atmosphere appertaining to a millionaire's residence and mode of living1 and contrast these with the conditions that represent life in the squalid quarters of a city4 ,sidenote3 ,environment and ,circumstances offer ,wide ,scope ,perhaps you will tell me that it is impossible for you to make these observations1 as you do not know your way about any real slum1 or you are not on visiting terms with and any millionaire4 ,that raises another important question that ,i hope to deal with later1 when we come to the subject of story-writing4 ,here ,i can only say1 ,don't attempt to write upon topics you are unable to study at near range4 ,after all1 there are unlimited subjects that are close to everybody's hand4 ,you may be including a dog in your story4 ,is he to be a real dog1 or that dear1 faithful old creature1 who has been leading an active life 7in fiction7 for a century or more1 rescuing the heir when he tumbles in a pond2 apprising the sleeping family upstairs of the fact that the clothes-horse by the kitchen fire has caught alight2 tracking the burglar to his lair2 re-uniting fallen-out lovers by sitting up beseechingly on his hind legs1 and in a hundred other ways making himself generally useful8 ,i am fond of dogs1 and ,i never grudge them literary honours2 but ,i sometimes wish we could get a change of descriptive matter where they are concerned4 ,what are you proposing to say about the dog8 ,he ran joyfully to meet his master1 wagging his tail the while8 ,something like that8 ,i shouldn't wonder4 ,that is the beginning and the end of so many amateur descriptions of a dog2 and1 judging by the number of times ,i have read these words1 his poor tail must be nearly wagged off by now4 ,instead of being content with this1 start making careful observations1 and you will soon have something else to write about4 ,notice how a dog talks--with his ears2 he can tell you almost anything1 once you learn to read his ears4 ,and when you have noted all the points you can in this direction1 and mastered this part of his language1 see what you can learn from his walk2 you can estimate a dog's temper and feelings1 his sorrow1 his joy1 and the state of his health1 by noticing the variations in his walk4 ,why1 any one dog can provide you with a book full of observations4 ,you may say1 however1 that as your story is to be a short one1 you could never use up a book full of observations if you had them4 ,sidenote3 ,you need a ,score of ,facts in your ,head for each one you put on ,paper ,very likely2 but always remember that you need to have a score of facts in your head for every one you put down on paper4 ,you must be thoroughly saturated with a subject before you can write even a brief description in a telling and convincing manner4 ,therefore1 never be afraid of making too many notes in your observation-book4 ,many of these entries you will never refer to again2 the very act of writing them down will so impress them on your memory that they become a matter-of-course to you4 ,this in itself is valuable training2 it is one of the processes by which a person may become well-informed--an essential qualification for a good writer4 ,while over-elaboration of detail in your writing is seldom desirable1 apart from a text-book or a treatise1 knowledge of detail is imperative if that writing is to conjure up situations in the reader's mind and make them seem vividly real4 ,in describing scenery1 for instance1 you do not need to give the name of every bit of vegetation in sight1 till your ,,ms4 looks like a botanical dictionary2 but it is useful to know those names1 you may require some of them2 and until your work is actually shaping1 you cannot tell exactly what you will use and what omit4 ,sidenote3 ,keen ,observation will save you from ,pitfalls ,the habit of keen observation will save you from a legion of pitfalls4 ,the more you train your eyes to see1 and your mind to retain what you have seen1 the less chance there is of your putting down inaccuracies4 ,i have been reading a ,,ms4 wherein the heroine--a beautiful girl with a face like a haunting memory 7whatever that may look like7--spent a whole afternoon lying full-length on the grass1 the first sunny day in ,february1 revelling in the scent of violets near by1 and watching the swallows skimming above her4 ,if the writer had no opportunity to observe the comings and goings of swallows1 she might at least have turned up an encyclopaedia1 when she would have found that swallows do not arrive in ,england till well on into ,april4 ,then1 after #bdi more pages1 the beautiful girl finally died of a broken heart--obviously absurd6 ,in real life she would have died on the very next page of rheumatic fever and double pneumonia1 after lying on the wet grass all that time6 ,frequently1 when ,i point out similar errors to the novice1 ,i get some such reply as this1 ,of course1 that reference to swallows was only a slip of the pen2 or1 ,after all1 it is merely a minor point whether she lay on the grass or walked along the road2 it doesn't really affect the story as a whole4 ,true1 such discrepancies may be only minor details2 but1 on the other hand1 they may not4 ,i have noticed1 however1 that the writer who is inaccurate on small points is equally liable to inaccuracy where the main features of the story are concerned2 and the writer who does not know enough about his subject to get his details right seldom knows enough about it to get any of it right4 ,the ,assessment of ,spiritual ,values ,there is one aspect of life that can only be learnt by observation2 a phase of your training where books and lectures can be of but little assistance to you4 ,important as it is that you should note the material things relating to your subject1 it is still more important that you should train yourself to note the psychological bearings and the spiritual values of life1 since these are often of far more vital consequence to a story than the plot4 ,by spiritual values ,i do not necessarily mean anything of a directly religious quality4 ,i use the term to signify the revelation of mind and heart and soul of the various characters that a writer presents1 as distinct from a catalogue of externals2 the reading of motives1 and the recognition of the forces that are within us1 as distinguished from the chronicling of superficial items4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,unseen that ,counts ,so often in the world of men and women around us it is the unseen that counts4 ,just below the surface life is teeming with motives and aims and ideals and personality2 with problems that involve mixed feelings1 and produce paradox and misjudgment1 and apparently irreconcilable qualities4 ,these may show scarcely a ripple on the outside1 and yet be the real factors that are shaping lives1 and influencing the world for better or for worse1 and1 incidentally1 affecting the whole trend of a story4 ,to gauge these abstract qualities and their consequences accurately is the biggest task of the writer2 and according to the amount of such insight that he brings to bear on his subject1 will be the durability of his work1 since this alone is the part that lives4 ,fashions and furniture1 scenery and architecture1 maps and dynasties1 laws and customs1 even language and the meaning of words1 all change2 and the older grows the world1 the more rapid are the changes4 ,the only things that remain unaltered are the laws of ,nature and the longings of the soul4 ,hence the only writings that last beyond the changing fashions of the moment are those that centralise on these fundamental things1 giving secondary place to ephemeral details4 ,if you want your work to live1 it is useless to make the main interest centre in something that will be out-of-date and passed beyond human memory within a very little while4 ,this insight as to the subtleties of life is the quality that gives vitality to your writing4 ,without it your characters will be no more alive than a wax figure in a draper's window1 no matter how handsomely you may clothe them in descriptive matter4 ,have you ever read a story wherein the heroine seemed about as real and alive as a saw-dust-stuffed doll1 and the hero had as much go in him as a wooden horse8 ,i have1 alas6 thousands of them6 ,and the reason for the lifelessness was the lack in the author of all sense of spiritual values4 ,a knowledge of the inner workings of the mind and heart and soul can only be acquired by close and constant observation4 ,you may remember in ,julius ,caesar1 where ,caesar tells ,antonio that if he were liable to fear1 the man he should avoid would be ,cassius2 he describes him thus3 ,he is a great observer1 and he looks quite through the deeds of men4 ,it is just this power that the writer needs--the ability to look past the actions themselves to the motives that prompted them4 ,it is so easy to record the obvious4 ,what we need to look for is the truth that is not obvious4 ,for instance1 at first sight it may seem quite easy for us to decide why a person did a certain thing4 ,a woman makes an irritable remark4 ,why did she make that irritable remark8 ,bad temper6 we promptly reply4 ,but perhaps it wasn't bad temper2 it may have been due to ill-health--a bad tooth can generate as much irritability in half an hour as the worse temper going4 ,or it may have been caused by insomnia2 or by nerves strained to the breaking-point with trouble and anxiety4 ,or the speaker may have been vexed with herself for some action of her own1 and her vexation found vent in this way4 ,if you were writing a story1 the cause of her irritability might be an important link in the chain of events4 ,and in scores of other directions1 the cause of an action might be infinitely more important in the working out of your plot than the action itself4 ,moreover1 if you want your work to appeal to a wide and varied audience1 you must take as your main theme something that is understood by all conditions of people2 something that makes a universal appeal4 ,that is why the greatest writers make the human heart the pivot of their stories1 as a rule4 ,readers are primarily interested in the doings of1 and the happenings to1 certain people2 and very particularly the motives that led up to the doings and happenings1 and the reasons why certain things were said and done1 and the psychological results of the sayings and doings4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,main ,theme should make a ,universal ,appeal ,in the main1 it is not of paramount importance to you1 when you are engrossed in a story1 whether the scene is laid in ,japan among decaying ,buddhist temples1 or in a ,devonshire village4 ,it is the personality of the characters1 their sorrows and joys1 their struggles and love affairs1 and the solution of their human problems that make the chief claim on your interest4 ,certainly1 the scenery and local colour and inanimate surroundings may influence you favourably or otherwise--backgrounds and the general setting of a story are valuable1 more valuable than the amateur realises2 nevertheless1 they are not the main features1 and should never be made the main features in fiction4 ,once you grasp the importance of the spiritual values1 in life itself no less than in writing1 you will understand why it is that some books survive centuries of change and social upheaval1 and appeal to all sorts and conditions of temperaments4 ,when we study ,shakespeare at school1 we invariably wonder in our secret heart 7even though we daren't voice such heresy67 what on earth people can see in him4 ,to our immature intelligence he can be dulness itself1 while his style seems long-winded1 and many of his plots appear most feeble affairs beside our favourite books of adventure4 ,we are not sufficiently developed and experienced in our school days to be able to understand and appreciate his greatness1 which lies in his amazing knowledge of the human heart and his grasp of spiritual values4 ,sidenote3 ,life is ever offering ,new ,discoveries ,one of the fascinating things about life is the way it is for ever offering us new discoveries4 ,we never need get to the end of anything4 ,there are always heights beyond heights1 depths below depths1 further recesses to penetrate1 fresh things to find out4 ,and nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than when we come to the study of human nature itself4 ,the writer who strives to depict men and women as they really are is always coming on new surprises2 he never arrives at the end of his observations4 ,and he soon realises how infinitely more important are the subtle workings of the heart and mind than all the material things that crowd the outside surface of life4 ,sidenote3 ,to write convincingly one needs ,sympathy ,to be able to write convincingly about people1 we must know them2 to know them we must live among them1 and sympathise with them--for there is no other way to know and understand the human heart4 ,it is very easy to ridicule people's weakness1 and make cheap sarcasm over their failings2 but it is useless to make your observations with a cynic's smile4 ,the cynic really gets nowhere2 he merely robs life of much of its beauty1 giving nothing in its place4 ,to write about people so that we grip the hearts of all who read1 it is necessary to look beyond the superficial weaknesses1 and below the temporary failings1 to that part of humanity that still bears the image of the ,divine ,creator4 ,and you need sympathy to accomplish this4 ,would-be authors often tell me that they are sick of their everyday routine--office work1 teaching1 nursing1 home duties1 or whatever it may be--and long to throw it all up so that they may devote all their time to writing4 ,sidenote3 ,to know ,people1 we must ,live and ,work among them ,but you cannot devote all of your time to writing6 ,the beginner never understands this4 ,a great deal of an author's time is taken up with the study of people1 and a general quest for material for his books4 ,while you are in the early stages of your writing1 it is absolutely necessary for you that you should be doing some sort of other work in company with your fellow-creatures1 and experiencing the ordinary routine of life1 else how can you possibly get your writing properly balanced and true to life8 ,if you try to isolate yourself from the everyday happenings of normal existence1 avoiding the tiresome duties and the irksome routine1 merely keeping your eyes on your ,,ms41 or on yourself1 or on only the things that appeal to you1 how can you ever expect your work to be in right perspective8 ,under such conditions what you write would be bound to give an incomplete1 incorrect view of life1 one-sided1 and out of all proper proportion1 and--the result could be nothing but a dire failure4 ,stay where you are1 and make your corner of the universe your special study4 ,sidenote3 ,how much do you ,know of those who are ,nearest to ,you8 ,perhaps you think you know everything that is to be known about people around you4 ,but do you1 ,i wonder8 ,do they know everything about you--your ideals and inner struggles1 and aims and aspirations8 ,i doubt it4 ,experience shows that very often the people we know least of all are those with whom we come into daily contact4 ,we take them for granted4 ,we do not even trouble to try to understand them4 ,that they should have doubts and difficulties1 heart-aches and hopes and high aspirations1 even as we have1 sometimes comes as a surprise to us4 ,begin your observations just where you are now4 ,see if you can find the glint of gold that is always somewhere below the surface in every human being1 if we can but strike the right place4 ,try to sort out the reasons and the motives that are thick in the air around you4 ,see if you can discern another side to a person's character than the one you have always accepted as a matter of course4 ,and write down your discoveries and your observations4 ,you will need them later on4 ,here1 then1 is the first step in training yourself for authorship4 ,it is only one step1 ,i admit2 but you will find it can be made to cover a good deal of ground4 ,,part ,,three ,,the ,,help ,,that ,,books ,,can ,,give ,steady1 quiet1 consecutive reading is necessary if we are to do steady quiet1 consecutive thinking2 and1 without such thinking1 it is impossible for writers to produce anything worth while4 ,the ,bane of ,browsing ,while a wide range of reading1 and a general all-round knowledge of standard literature are essential1 if you hope to become a writer1 there are three directions in which you can specialise with great advantage--reading for definite data1 reading for style1 and reading for the study of technique1 i4e4 to find out how the author does it4 ,with such matters as reading for recreation we have nothing to do here4 ,training for authorship means work1 regular work1 stiff mental work4 ,some amateurs seem to think that a course of desultory dipping into books is a guarantee of literary efficiency1 or an indication of literary ability4 ,i am never so happy as when ,i am curled up in an armchair surrounded by books2 or ,i do so love to browse among books1 girls will tell me1 when they are asking if ,i can find them a post in my office1 or on the staff of one of my magazines4 ,it is so difficult for the uninitiated to understand that the business of writing and making books is one that entails as much close1 monotonous work as any other business2 and the mere fact that any one spends a certain amount of time in reading a bit here and a bit there1 picking up a book for a half-hour's entertainment and throwing it down the minute it ceases to stimulate the curiosity1 is no more preparation for literary work than an occasional tinkling at a piano1 trying a few bars here and there of chance compositions1 would be any preparation for giving a pianoforte recital or composing a sonata4 ,sidenote3 ,nature's ,revenge for the ,misuse of the ,brain ,i have nothing to say against dipping into books as a recreation--refreshing one's memory among old friends1 or looking for happy discoveries in new-comers--,i have passed hosts of pleasant half-hours in this way myself when my brain was too tired to work1 and ,i wanted relaxation4 ,but such reading is not work2 neither is it training in any sort of sense--it is merely a pastime2 and1 as such1 must only be taken in moderation4 ,it should be the exception1 not a habit4 ,if you allow yourself to get into this way of haphazard reading1 in time you lose the ability to do any consecutive reading1 and1 as a natural consequence1 it would be utterly impossible for you to do any consecutive thinking1--an essential for connected writing4 ,the reason for this is quite clear1 if you think it over4 ,when you persistently skim a legion of books1 or dip into them casually1 and live mentally on a diet of snippets--a form of reading that has been the vogue of late years--you are giving yourself mental indigestion that is wonderfully akin to the indigestion that would follow a food diet on similar lines4 ,if your meals always consisted of snacks taken at all sorts of odd times--fried fish followed by rich chocolates1 with a nibble at a mince tart1 a few spoonfuls of preserved ginger1 a trifle of roast duck1 some macaroni cheese1 a little salmon and cucumber1 some grouse1 oyster patties1 and ice-cream on top of that--your stomach wouldn't know what to do with it all1 and---- ,i need say no more about it6 ,in the same way1 when you read first one thing and then another1 piling poems on love scenes1 then adding a motley1 disconnected selection of scraps of information 7of doubtful use in most cases7 with sensational episodes and pessimistic outpourings1 irrespective of any sort of sequence or logical connection1 your mind doesn't know what to do with the conglomeration2 for no sooner has your thinking machine set one series of thoughts in motion1 than it has to switch off that current and start on something else4 ,eventually the brain gives up the struggle2 the thoughts cease to work2 you lose the power to remember--much less to assimilate--what you read4 ,in the end1 you can't read6 ,nature is bound to take this course in sheer self-defence2 the only alternative would be lunacy6 ,sidenote3 ,why so many want ,books that ,shriek ,you can see all this exemplified1 pitifully1 in the present day4 ,with the great rush of cheap books 7and still cheaper education7 that flooded the country at the beginning of this century1 the masses simply gorged themselves with indiscriminate reading-matter--of a sort1 7and so did many who ought to have known better74 ,gradually they lost the taste for straight-forward simple stories of human life as it really is2 things had to be blood-curdling and highly sensational4 ,the type of reading-matter that had formerly been associated solely with the dime novel and depraved youths of the criminal class1 found its way into all sorts and conditions of bindings1 and all sorts and conditions of homes4 ,people's minds were getting so blunted that they simply could not follow anything unless it was punctuated with lurid lights2 they could not grasp anything unless it was crude and bizarre and monstrous2 they could not hear anything of the ,still ,small ,voice that is the essence of all beauty in literature1 art or nature4 ,everything had to be in shouts and shrieks to arrest their attention4 ,finally1 the masses lost the power to read at all1 and we are now living in an age when everything must be presented in the most obvious medium--pictures4 ,few people can concentrate on reading even the day's news--it has to be given in pictures4 ,the picture-palace and the music-hall revue 7which is another form of spectacular entertainment7 stand for the mental stimulus that is the utmost a large bulk of the population are equal to to-day4 ,we delude ourselves by saying that we live in such a busy age1 we have not time to read4 ,but it is not our lack of time so much as our lack of brain power that is the trouble2 and that brain power has been dissipated1 primarily1 by over-indulgence in desultory reading that was valueless4 ,all this is to explain why a course of indiscriminate browsing is no recommendation for the one who wishes to take up literary work4 ,steady1 quiet1 consecutive reading is necessary if we are to do steady1 quiet1 consecutive thinking2 and1 without such thinking1 it is impossible to write anything worth whiles4 ,let your reading extend over a wide range1 certainly--the wider the better1 so long as you can cover the ground thoroughly--for an author should be well-read4 ,but take care that you do read2 don't mistake nibbling for reading4 ,far better know but one poem of ,browning thoroughly and understandingly1 than have on your shelves a complete set of his works into which you dip at random1 when the mood seizes you1 with no clear idea as to what any of it is about4 ,reading for ,definite ,data ,turning from reading in general to the specialised reading ,i have suggested--the first heading explains itself4 ,many subjects that you write upon will require a certain amount of preliminary reading--some a great deal--in order that you may accumulate facts1 or get the details of climate and scenery correct1 or the mode of life prevalent at a specified time4 ,such a book as ,mrs4 ,florence ,barclay's novel1 ,the ,white ,ladies of ,worcester--with the scene laid in the twelfth century--must have necessitated a great deal of research among the historical and church records of that era1 and the reading of books bearing on that period1 in order to get all the details accurate1 and to conjure up as convincingly as the author has done1 an all-pervading feeling of the spirit of those times4 ,all stories dealing with a bygone period require much preliminary reading1 in order that one may become imbued with the spirit of that particular age1 as well as familiarised with its manners and customs and mode of speech4 ,most amateurs seem to think that a plentiful sprinkling of expletives about the pages1 with the introduction of a few historic names and events1 are sufficient to produce the required old-world atmosphere4 ,i could not possibly count the number of ,,mss4 ,i have read where the rival suitor for the hand of ,mistress ,joan says ,gadsook in every other sentence1 while the estimable young man who1 like her father1 is loyal to the king1 is hidden away in the secret-panel room4 ,but tricks such as these do not give the story an authentic atmosphere4 ,you can only get this by systematic study of the literature relating to the period4 ,and others1 besides novelists1 find it advantageous to study historical records4 ,i remember when ,mr4 ,william ,canton 7the author of those charming studies of child life1 ,w4 ,v41 ,her ,book1 and ,the ,invisible ,playmate7 was engaged on the big history of the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society1 and was writing the account of the ,society's ,bible work in ,italy1 not only did he read all their official reports1 and the correspondence bearing on the subject1 but1 in order to get the work in its right perspective as regards the events of the times1 he re-read ,italian history for the period he was dealing with4 ,thus he enabled himself to gauge much more comprehensively the significance of the ,bible ,society's work in that country when viewed in relation to national happenings1 public thought1 and the attitude of mind of the ,italian people4 ,sidenote3 ,preliminary ,reading helps you to judge the ,worth of your ,information ,the writer of articles or books on general subjects 7as distinct from fiction7 must obviously do a good deal of research4 ,and such reading for definite information has one value that is not always recognised by the amateur--it may let him know whether it is worth while to write the article at all6 ,suppose1 for example1 that you have decided to write an article on ,the ,evolution of the ,chimney-,pot4 ,it is a foregone conclusion that you think you have a certain amount of exclusive information in your own head about chimney-pots1 else there would be no call for you to write on this subject1 since the public does not want articles containing nothing more than what has been published already4 ,you have collected some facts and information about chimney-pots1 however1 that you think are interesting and quite new4 ,so far1 good4 ,nevertheless1 you will be wise to ascertain what has already been written on the subject2 it may throw fresh light on your own gleanings4 ,first1 you will probably look up the subject in a good encyclopaedia--failing one of your own1 consult one at a public library4 ,if there is anything at all under this heading1 it is just possible there may be cross-references that will be useful1 and allusions to other works on the subject1 which it would be well for you to get hold of if you can4 ,then you will also remember that ,ruskin has written ,a ,chapter on ,chimneys in his ,poetry of ,architecture1 with some delightful illustrations4 ,and in the course of your explorations1 some one may be able to direct you to other works on the subject1 one book so often leads on to another4 ,in this way you find you are absorbing quite a large amount of interesting information4 ,yet presently you may make the very important discovery that what you were intending to say has already been said by others1 and possibly said in a better and more authoritative manner than you could pretend to at present6 ,on the other hand1 you may still consider that you have exclusive information2 in that case do your best with it1 and you will find your reading has given you a quickened interest and wider grasp of your subject4 ,but if1 in absolute honesty to yourself1 you know you have nothing new to contribute to the information that has already been published1 then do not attempt to offer your article for publication4 ,write it up1 by all means1 as a journalistic exercise for your own improvement2 it will be helpful if you try how far you can seize1 and sum up concisely1 the important points that you came across in your various readings on the subject4 ,but don't attempt to pass off writing of this description as original matter4 ,such methods never get you far4 ,even though the ,editor may not have studied chimney-pots in detail1 and does not recognise that your copy is practically a rechauffe of other people's writings1 some of the readers will know that it contains nothing original1 and will lose no time in telling him so4 ,there is one cheery thing about the public1 no matter how busy it may be with its own personal affairs1 and preoccupied with a war1 or labour troubles1 a ,presidential election1 or little trifles like that1 it most faithfully keeps an ,editor informed if anything printed in his pages does not meet with its entire approval6 ,and when an ,editor finds he has been taken in with stale material1 he naturally marks that contributor for future remembrance4 ,it is well to bear in mind that one of the most valuable assets in a writer's outfit is a reputation for absolute reliability4 ,smart practice1 trickery1 clever dodges1 may get a hearing once1 even twice--but they have no future whatever4 ,let it become a recognised thing that whatever you offer for publication is new matter resulting from your own personal knowledge and investigation1 and matter that is sure to interest a section of the general public2 that you have verified every detail1 and have ascertained1 to the best of your ability1 that the subject has not been dealt with in this particular way before2--then you are sure of a place somewhere in a mild atmosphere1 if not actually in the sun6 ,also1 common sense should tell you that you are checking the development of your own ability1 when you let yourself down 7no less than the publisher7 by trying to pass off other people's brain-work as your own4 ,it doesn't pay either way4 ,reading for ,style ,reading for the improvement of style will involve various types of literature4 ,in order to know what you should read1 you need to know in which particular direction you are weakest4 ,in the main1 however1 ,i find that all amateurs require to cultivate-- #a4 ,a simple1 clear1 direct mode of expression4 #b4 ,modern language and idiom--in the best sense4 #c4 ,a wide vocabulary4 #d4 ,an ear for musical1 rhythmic sentences4 ,and equally they need to avoid-- #a4 ,other people's mannerisms4 #b4 ,long paragraphs and involved sentences4 #c4 ,pedantry and a display of personal learning4 #d4 ,hackneyed phrases4 #e4 ,modern slang4 ,you may not be able to detect any corresponding weaknesses in your own writings2 but1 if you have had no special training in literary work1 ,i can safely assure you they are there--some of them1 possibly all of them6 ,in any case1 no particular harm will result if you assume that your writing will stand a little improvement under each of these headings1 and start to work accordingly4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,beginner ,seldom uses ,simple1 ,modern ,english ,in the first chapter ,i mentioned a lack of modernity in style as a frequent defect in the ,,mss4 declined by publishers2 unless you handled stories and articles all day long as an editor does you would never credit how widespread is the failing4 ,it is a curious fact that only a very small proportion of people can write as they actually speak2 those who do so usually belong to the poorest of the uneducated classes1 or they are experienced literary craftsmen4 ,the large majority of people are so self-conscious when they take pen in hand to write a story or an article1 that they cannot be natural4 ,they do not realise that they should write as ordinary human beings2 they invariably feel they should write as famous authors2 and they promptly drop the language they use as ordinary human beings in every-day life1 and adopt an artificial1 stilted style which they seem to think the correct thing for an author4 ,and this artificial phraseology is invariably archaic or ,early ,victorian1 because the books people see labelled good literature or the classics are chiefly by dead-and-gone writers1 who wrote in a style that sometimes sounds old-fashioned in these days1 even though their ,english was excellent4 ,sidenote3 ,every ,generation shows ,special ,characteristics of ,speech ,our mode of speech and of writing in this twentieth century is not precisely that of ,shakespeare or ,milton1 even though the fundamentals are the same4 ,we live in a nervous1 hurrying age1 and our language is more nervous1 more terse than it was even twenty years ago4 ,we speed up our sentences1 just as we speed up our stories and our articles4 ,we have not time for lengthy introductions that arrive nowhere1 and for ornate perorations that are superfluous4 ,labour-saving and conservation of energy are prominent watchwords of this present age1 and are being applied to our language no less than to our work4 ,in order to get through all we must get through in a day 7or1 at any rate1 all that we imagine we must get through67 it has become an unwritten law that the same thing must not be done twice over2 more than this1 we try to find the shortest cut to everywhere4 ,as one result1 we do not use two words where one will suffice2 only the undisciplined1 untrained mind employs a string of adjectives where one will convey the same idea1 or repeats practically the same thing several times in succession4 ,of course1 all this curtailment can be--and often is--carried to excess1 till only a few essential words are left in a sentence1 and these are clipped of half their syllables2 we find much of this in the newspapers and the periodicals of an inferior class4 ,and it could be pushed so far1 till at length we got to communicate with one another by nothing more than a series of grunts and snaps and snarls6 ,sidenote3 ,modernity of ,style is ,desirable ,but ,i am not dealing with the forms of speech used by the illiterate or the half-educated2 ,i am referring to the language used by the most intelligent of the educated classes1 and ,i want the amateur to remember that this is not necessarily the language of ,shakespeare1 even though the same words be employed4 ,there is a subtle difference in the placement of words1 in the turn of phrases1 in the strength and even the meaning of words1 in the shaping of sentences1 and that difference is what1 for want of a better word1 ,i term modernity1 and it is a quality that the amateur requires to cultivate4 ,this lack of modernity is noticeable in amateurs of all types4 ,it is a marked feature in the writings of teachers and those who have had a university education1 or purely academic training2 and equally it is conspicuous in the ,,mss4 of the one who leads a very quiet1 retired existence1 or has a restricted view of life4 ,at first sight it may seem strange to the 'varsity girl1 who considers herself the last word in modernity1 that ,i classify her early literary attempts with those of a middle-aged invalid1 let us say1 who knows very little of the world at large4 ,but those who concentrate exclusively on one idea1 or have their outlook narrowed to one particular groove--whether that groove be church-work1 or housekeeping1 or hockey1 or reading for a degree--drop into an antiquated mode of expression1 as a rule1 the moment they start to write anything apart from a letter to an intimate4 ,the role of author looms large before them4 ,the mind instantly suggests the style of those authors they have been in the habit of reading--and more particularly those they would like other people to think they were in the habit of reading--the books that are accepted classics1 and1 consequently1 must be beyond all question4 ,it matters not whether amateurs are shaping themselves according to ,cowper and ,miss ,edgeworth1 or striving to live up to the ,elizabethan giants1 they arrive at an old-fashioned style for which there is no more call in the world of to-day than there is for a crinoline or a ,roman toga4 ,and this1 despite the greatness of their models4 ,here are a few sentences taken at random from the pile of ,,mss4 waiting attention here in my office3-- ,sidenote3 ,instances of ,antiquated ,expressions ,let us ponder awhile at the shrine of ,nature4 ,this is from an article on ,a ,country ,walk1 written by a ,high ,school teacher4 ,now1 would she have said that1 personally1 either to a friend or to a class1 if they were going out for a country walk8 ,of course not6 ,you see at once how antiquated and stilted it is when you subject it to the test of natural1 present-day requirements4 ,in another ,,ms4 ,i read1 ,king ,sol was seeking his couch in the west4 ,why not have said1 ,the sun was setting8 ,he was her senior by some two summers1 writes a would-be novelist1 in describing hero and heroine4 ,why some two summers1 ,i wonder8 ,and would it not be more straightforward to say1 ,he was two years older than she8 ,they were of respectable parentage1 though poor and hard-working withal4 ,needless to say this occurs in a story of rustic life4 ,why is it that the amateur so often describes the cottager in this poor but pious strain8 ,we saw ahead of us her home--to wit1 a rose-grown1 yellow-washed cottage4 ,and a very pretty home it was1 no doubt2 but why spoil it by the introduction of to wit8 ,he was indeed a meet lover for such an up-to-date girl4 ,the word meet is not merely antiquated and unsuited to a story of present-day life2 it seems particularly out of place when used in close connection with so modern a term as up-to-date4 ,the two expressions are centuries apart1 and both should not have been included in the same sentence4 ,one ,,ms4 says1 ,i would fain tell you of the devious ways in which the poor girl strove to earn an honest livelihood and keep penury at bay2 but1 alas6 dear reader1 space does not avail4 ,on the whole1 one is thankful that it didn't avail1 all things considered6 ,in a letter accompanying another ,,ms4 the author explains1 ,you won't find any slang in my writing4 ,i revel in the rich sonority of the ,english language4 ,that is all right2 but some people confuse rich sonority with artificiality4 ,a word may be richness itself if rightly applied1 but if used in a wrong connection1 or employed in an affected or unnatural manner1 it will lose all its richness and become merely old-fashioned1 or else absurd4 ,i have not the space to spare for further instances1 but ,i notice one phrase that is curiously popular with the beginner1 who frequently lets you know the name of some character in these words1 ,mary ,jones1 for such was her name---- etc4 ,i cannot understand what is the charm of that expression1 for such was her name2 but it is one of the amateurs' many stand-bys4 ,common sense will tell you that the surest way to gain a good modern style is to read good modern stuff4 ,sidenote3 ,and now for a ,remedy ,begin with a special study of the ,editorials in the best type of newspapers4 ,this is reading that ,i strongly advocate for the amateur in order to counteract archaic tendencies2 though ,i wish emphatically to point out that by the ,leading ,articles ,i do not mean the average ,woman's ,gossip1 or whatever other name is given to the column of inanities that is devoted to feminine topics2 for in some newspapers this is about as futile and feeble1 and as badly written as it is possible for a newspaper column to be4 ,unfortunately1 the average person does not read the best part of the newspaper4 ,he1 and more particularly she1 reads the headlines1 skims the news1 and runs the eye over anything that specially appeals1 looks down the ,births1 ,marriages and ,deaths1 and not much more4 ,but this will not improve anyone's ,english4 ,take a paper like the ,spectator4 ,here you have modern journalistic writing at its best4 ,read the ,leading ,articles carefully each week4 ,read also the paragraphs summarising the news on the opening pages4 ,read aloud1 if you can2 this will help to impress phrases and sentences on your mind4 ,observe how clear and concise and straightforward is the style4 ,of course1 the articles will vary2 they are not all written by the same pen2 but those that follow immediately after the news paragraphs are always worth the student's attention4 ,you will notice that the writer has something definite to say1 and he says it plainly1 in a way that is instantly understood4 ,the words used will be to the point2 there will be a good choice of language1 yet never an unnecessary piling on of words4 ,you may1 or may not1 agree with everything that is said2 but that is not of paramount importance at the moment1 as in this case you are reading in order to acquire a clear1 easy style of writing rather than to gain special information4 ,nevertheless1 you will be enlarging your mental outlook considerably4 ,in the same way1 study the ,editorials in any of the daily or weekly papers of high standing and reputation1 avoiding the papers of the sensational snippet order4 ,you will soon get to recognise whether the style is good or poor4 ,the ,british ,weekly 7,london7 is celebrated for its literary quality4 ,it will be a gain if you read regularly the article on the front page1 and ,the ,correspondence of ,claudius ,clear1 which is a feature every week4 ,this is to start you on a course of reading that will give modernity to your style1 and help to rid you of the antiquated expressions and mannerisms that are so noticeable in amateur work4 ,mere newspaper reading may seem to you a disappointing beginning to the programme4 ,the newspaper is read by everybody every day1 you may tell me1 and what has it done for their style8 ,but ,i am not advocating that type of newspaper reading4 ,this isn't a question of reading some murder case1 or imbibing the exhilarating information that some one met ,mrs4 ,blank on ,fifth ,avenue the other day1 and she looked sweet in a pale blue hat4 ,leave all that part of the paper severely alone4 ,study the ,editorials as you would study a book1 since the writings of first-class journalists are excellent models for the amateur1 a fact that is curiously overlooked by the student4 ,read a fixed amount each day1 instead of relying on a haphazard picking up of a paper and a careless glance over its contents4 ,then1 as a useful exercise1 take the subject-matter of a paragraph1 or an article1 and see how you would have treated it2 try if you can improve on it 7after all1 most things in this world can be improved upon if the right person does the improving74 ,you will be surprised to find how interesting a study this will become in a very little while4 ,do not misunderstand me3 ,i am not advocating newspaper reading in place of classical works1 but as a necessary and valuable addition to a writer's literary studies4 ,the ,need for ,enlarging the ,vocabulary ,equal in importance to the cultivation of a modern style in writing1 is the necessity for having a wide selection of words at your command1 and a keen sense of their value4 ,some people think the chief thing in writing is to have ideas in one's head4 ,ideas are essential1 but they are not everything4 ,your brain may be crammed full of the most wonderful ideas1 but they will be useless if they get no farther than your brain4 ,it is one thing to see things yourself1 and quite another to be able to make an absent person see them4 ,it is one thing to receive impressions in your own mind from your surroundings1 or as the product of imagination1 and quite another to record those impressions in black and white4 ,tens of thousands of people are conscious of vivid mental pictures1 for one who is able to reproduce them in such a form that they become vivid pictures to others4 ,and one reason for the inability of the majority to express their thoughts in writing is the paucity of their vocabulary1 and their lack of the power to put words together in a convincing and accurate manner4 ,girls often write to me1 ,i think such wonderful things in my brain2 ,i'm sure ,i could write a book1 if only people would give me a little encouragement1 or1 if only ,i had time4 ,but if they had all the encouragement and all the time in the world1 they could not transfer those wonderful thoughts from their brain to paper unless they had practice1 the right words at their command1 and the experience that comes from hard regular working at the subject4 ,what people do not realise is this3 wonderful thoughts are surging through thousands of brains4 ,they are fairly common inside people's heads2 the difficulty is in getting them out of the head--as most of us soon find out when we start to write6 ,i shall refer to this later on4 ,if you wish to write down your thoughts--no matter whether they are concerned with the emotions1 or religion1 or nature1 or cookery--you must employ words2 and the more subtle1 or elevated1 or complex the subject-matter of your thoughts1 the greater need will there be for a wide choice of words1 in order to express exactly the various grades and shades of meaning that will be involved4 ,if your vocabulary be small--i4e4 if you only know the average words used by the average person--there is every chance that your writings will be flat and colourless1 and no more interesting1 or exciting1 or instructive1 or entertaining than the ordinary conversation of the average person4 ,hence the necessity for enlarging your vocabulary1 so that you have the utmost variety to choose from in the way of suitable words1 expressive words1 and beautiful words1 7this last the modern amateur is apt to overlook74 ,sidenote3 ,the ,average ,person's ,vocabulary is ,meagre ,the smallness of the vocabulary used by the average person to-day is partly due to the mass of feeble reading-matter with which the country was flooded in the years immediately preceding the ,war4 ,in addition to this1 life had become very easy for the majority of folk in recent times2 money was supposed to be life's sole requisite4 ,work of all kinds was put out as much as possible2 we shirked physical labour2 lessons were made as easy as they could be2 games were played for us by professionals while we looked on2 effort of every sort was distasteful to us4 ,it has been said1 that as a nation we were becoming flabby and inert1 and were fast drifting into an exceedingly lazy1 commonplace mental attitude4 ,we boasted that we couldn't think 7even though with many this was merely a pose72 we seemed quite proud of ourselves when we proclaimed our indifference to all serious reading1 and our inability to understand anything4 ,that pre-,war period1 given over to money-worship1 not only curtailed our choice of words by its all-pervading tendency to mind-laziness1 but it had its vulgarising effect upon our language1 just as it had upon our dress1 our mode of living1 and our amusements4 ,sidenote3 ,the dull ,monotony of ,english ,slang ,not only did we cease to take the trouble to speak correctly1 but we almost ceased to be lucid6 ,we made one word--slang or otherwise--do duty in scores of places where its introduction was either senseless or idiotic1 rather than exert our minds to find the correct word for each occasion4 ,many people appeared to think that the use of slang was not only smart1 but quite clever2 whereas nothing more surely indicates a poor order of intelligence4 ,my chief objection to a constant use of slang is not because it is outside the pale of classical ,english1 but because it is so ineffective and feeble4 ,as a rule1 slang words and phrases are1 in the main1 pointless and weak1 for the simple reason that we use one word for every occasion when it happens to be the craze2 and before long it comes to means nothing at all1 even if it chanced to mean anything at the start--which it seldom does4 ,our grandmothers objected to their own set using slang on the ground that it was unladylike4 ,the modern girl smiles at the term4 ,who desires to be 'ladylike'8 inquires the advanced young person of to-day4 ,yet our grandmothers were right fundamentally2 with their generation1 the word lady implied a woman of education1 intelligence1 and refinement4 ,the user of slang is the person who lacks these qualifications2 she has neither the wit nor the knowledge to employ a better and more expressive selection of words4 ,sidenote3 ,slang indicates ,ignorance ,slang indicates1 not advanced ideas1 but ignorance--any parrot can repeat an expression1 it takes a clever person always to use the right word4 ,many people who constantly employ any word that happens to be current1 do not really know what they are saying1 neither do they attach any weight to their words2 they merely repeat some inanity1 because they have not the brains to say anything more intelligent1 or they are too indolent to use what brains they have4 ,notice how a set of big schoolgirls will1 at one time1 use the word putrid1 let us say1 and apply it to everything1 from a broken shoe-lace to examinations4 ,and women will call everything dinkie1 or ducky1 or something equally enlightening and artistic1 working the word all day long until it is ousted by another senseless expression4 ,what power of comparison has a girl1 such as one ,i met recently1 who1 in the course of ten minutes described a hat as awf'ly niffy1 a man as awf'ly sweet1 a mountain as awf'ly rippin'1 and another girl as an awful cat8 ,what does it all amount to1 this perversion of legitimate words or introduction of meaningless ones8 ,nothing--actually nothing4 ,that is the pity of it4 ,if these ornaments of conversation enabled one to grasp a point better1 to see things more clearly1 or to arrive at a conclusion more rapidly1 ,i1 for one1 would gladly welcome them1 as ,i welcome anything that will save time and labour4 ,but1 unfortunately1 they only tend to dwarf the intelligence and to lessen the value of our speech4 ,i have enlarged on the undesirability of slang1 because many amateurs think it will give brilliance1 or smartness1 or up-to-date-ness to their work4 ,but it doesn't4 ,it obscures rather than brightens2 it tends to monotony instead of smartness4 ,the beginner will be wise to avoid it1 unless it is required legitimately in recording the conversation of a slangy person4 ,sidenote3 ,some ,books that will ,enlarge your ,vocabulary ,to enlarge your selection of words1 you must read books of the essay type rather than fiction1 as these usually give the widest range of ,english4 ,two authors stand out above all others in this connection--,ruskin and ,r4,l4 ,stevenson4 ,both men had an extraordinary instinct for the right word on all occasions--the word that expressed exactly the idea each wished to convey4 ,read some of ,stevenson's essays slowly and carefully4 ,don't gobble them6 ,you want to impress the words1 and the connection in which they are used1 on your mind4 ,it is an effort to most of us to read slowly in these hustling times2 yet nothing but deliberate1 careful reading will serve to teach the correct use of words and their approximate values4 ,and ,i need not remind you to look up in a dictionary the meaning of any word that is new to you4 ,ruskin's ,sesame and ,lilies you will have read many times1 ,i hope2 if not1 get it as soon as ever you can4 ,his ,poetry of ,architecture will make a useful study2 also ,queen of the ,air and ,praeterita 7his own biography74 ,his larger works1 while containing innumerable passages of great beauty1 are so often overweighted with technical details and principles of art 7some quite out-of-date now7 that they become tedious at times4 ,yet there is so much in all of his writings to enlarge your working-list of words1 that you will benefit by reading any of his books4 ,among present-day writers ,i particularly recommend ,sir ,a4 ,quiller-,couch1 ,dr4 ,charles ,w4 ,eliot2 ,dr4 ,a4,c4 ,benson1 ,dr4 ,edmund ,gosse1 ,coulson ,kernahan1 and ,augustine ,birrell1 whose volumes of essays will not only enlarge your vocabulary1 but will prove particularly instructive in suggesting the right placing of words1 and in giving you a correct feeling for their value4 ,of course this does not exhaust the list of authors with commendable vocabularies2 but it gives you something to start on4 ,sidenote3 ,it is the ,value of a ,word1 not ,its ,unusuality1 that ,counts ,notice that the writers ,i have suggested do not necessarily use extraordinary words1 or uncommon words1 or very long-syllabled words1 or ponderous and learned words4 ,one great charm of their writings lies in the fact that they invariably use the word that is exactly right1 the word that conveys better than any other word the thought or sensation they wished to convey4 ,sometimes it is an unusual word2 sometimes it is a familiar word used in an unfamiliar connection2 but in most cases you feel that the word used could not have been bettered--it sums up precisely1 and conveys to your mind instantly1 the thought that was in the author's mind4 ,many amateurs fall into the error of thinking that an uncommon word1 or a long word1 or a word with an imposing sound1 gives style to their writings1 and they despise the simple words1 considering them common-place4 ,i heard an old clergyman in a small country church explain to the congregation1 in the course of a sermon1 that the words mixed multitude meant an heterogeneous conglomeration2 but ,i think his rustic audience understood the simple ,bible words better than they did his explanatory notes4 ,i remember seeing an examination paper1 wherein a student had paraphrased the line-- ,the lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea1 as1 ,the bellowing cattle are meandering tardily over the neglected1 untilled meadow land4 ,this is an instance of the wrong word being used in nearly every case2 and as a complete sentence it would have been difficult to construct anything1 on the same lines1 that conveyed less the feeling ,gray wished to convey when he wrote the poem6 ,good writing is not dependent upon long or ornate or unusual words2 it is the outcome of a constant use of the right word--the word that best conveys the author's idea4 ,if there be a choice between a complex word and a simple word1 use the simple one4 ,remember that the object of writing is not the covering of so much blank paper1 nor the stringing together of syllables2 it is the transference from the author's brain to other people's brains of certain thoughts and situations and sensations4 ,and the best writing is that which conveys1 by the simplest and most direct means1 the clearest reproduction of the author's ideas4 ,the ,charm of ,musical ,language ,there is a very special and distinct charm about literature that is musical to the ear--words that are euphonious1 phrases that are rhythmic1 sentences that rise and fall with definite cadence4 ,unfortunately1 the twentieth century1 so far1 has been primarily concerned with the making of noise rather than music4 ,even before the ,war1 we lived in a welter of hideous jarring sound1 to which every single department of life has added its quota4 ,outdoors the vehicles honk and rattle and roar2 in business life the clack and whirr of machinery drowns all else2 in the home doors are banged1 voices are raised to a raucous pitch1 children are permitted to shout and clatter about at all times and seasons--indeed1 it is the exception rather than the rule1 nowadays1 to find a quiet-mannered1 well-ordered household4 ,when ,strauss put together his sound monstrosities1 which he misnamed music1 he was only echoing the general noise-chaos that had taken possession of the universe1 permeating art and literature no less than everyday life4 ,the nightmares of the cubists and futurists were merely undisciplined blatancy and harshness rendered in colour instead of in sound1 and were further demonstrations of the crudity to which a nation is bound to revert when it wilfully discards the finer things of the soul in a mad pursuit of money4 ,sidenote3 ,sound--,refined and ,otherwise ,the sounds produced by a people are invariably a direct indication of the degree of their refinement2 the greater the blare and clamour attendant upon their doings1 and the more harsh and uncultivated their speaking voices1 the less their innate refinement4 ,bearing all this in mind1 it is easy to understand why so much of our modern literature became tainted with the same sound-harshness that had smitten life as a whole4 ,some writers would not take the trouble to be musical2 some maintained that there was no necessity to be melodious2 some regarded beauty of sound as synonymous with weakness2 others--and these were in the majority--had lost all sense of word-music and the captivating quality of rhythm4 ,and yet few things make a greater or a more general appeal to the reader4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,dangers of the ,rough-hewn ,method ,there is no doubt but what the idea that rough1 unpolished work stood for strength1 while carefully-finished work implied weakness1 was due to the fact that several of our great thinkers adopted the rough-hewn method4 ,such men as ,carlyle and ,browning were sometimes irritatingly discordant and unshapely in style--occasionally giving the idea1 as a first impression1 that their words were shovelled together irrespective of sound or sense4 ,said the lesser lights1 ,this seems a very easy way to do it6 ,and they are undoubtedly great men4 ,why shouldn't we do likewise8 ,it must save a deal of trouble6 ,but there is one difficulty that we lesser lights are always up against3 whereas genius1 in its own line1 can do anything it likes1 in any way it likes1 and the result will be of value to the world1 those of us who are not in the front rank of greatness cannot work regardless of all laws and traditions2 or1 if we do1 our work is not worth much4 ,it was not that ,carlyle and ,browning were permitted to write regardless of laws and traditions because they were great2 certainly not4 ,they were great because they could write regardless of laws and traditions1 and yet write what was of value to the world4 ,so few of us can do that4 ,parenthetically1 ,i am not saying that ,browning was never musical2 the lyrics in ,paracelsus1 for instance1 are beautiful2 but often he went to the other extreme4 ,it no more follows that beautiful language is weak1 than that uncouth language is strong4 ,the rough and often clumsy phraseology sometimes used by the two men ,i have named was their weakness2 and the fact that the world was willing to accept the way they often said things1 for the sake of what they had to say1 is an immense tribute to the worth of their ideas4 ,sidenote3 ,to use ,pleasing ,language is ,good ,policy ,there are invariably two ways of saying the same thing1 and1 all else being equal1 it is more advantageous to say what we have to say in a pleasant rather than an unpleasant manner4 ,we know the wisdom of this in everyday life2 equally it is the best policy in writing4 ,i could name books that are moderately thin in subject-matter and yet have had a large sale1 and this1 primarily1 because of the charm of their style and the music of their language4 ,while there should be ideas behind all that is written1 if those ideas are presented in language that captivates the ear1 the book has a double chance1 since it will appeal through two channels instead of only one--the ear as well as the mind4 ,it must never be forgotten that the object of our reading is sometimes--very often1 indeed--recreation and recuperation4 ,we are not always seeking information2 the mind is not always equal to profound or involved thought2 but it is always susceptible to beauty and harmony 7or it should be1 if we keep it in a healthy condition1 and do not damage it with injurious mental food74 ,and whether we are seeking information or recreation1 there is a great fascination in reading matter that has rhythm1 melody1 and balance in its sentences4 ,i consider that the power to write on these lines is very largely a matter of training4 ,though1 obviously1 some ears are more keenly alive than others to the comparative values of sound1 and some are born with a certain instinct for good expression1 there is no doubt but what practice will do much to induce a graceful1 melodious style of writing1 and study will help us to detect these qualities in the works of others4 ,sidenote3 ,write ,verse if you want to ,write ,good ,prose ,with regard to training3 ,i strongly advise those who aim for a good prose style to practise writing verse4 ,when you start1 you will probably find that your early attempts are nothing more than a series of lines with jingling rhymes at stated intervals4 ,nevertheless1 even such productions as these are of definite use in your training4 ,you have had to find words that rhymed4 ,you have had to compress your ideas within a set limit2 this in itself is a check on the long-winded wandering tendencies of the amateur4 ,you have had to consider the respective weight of syllables--which is worth an accent1 and which is not1 and so on4 ,in short1 you have had to give some discriminating thought to what you were writing1 and how you were writing it1 and that is what the beginner so seldom does4 ,he more often sits down and goes on and on and on--words1 words1 words--with no feeling for their respective values1 or the proportion of the sentences and incidents as a whole4 ,viscount ,morley1 in his ,recollections1 writes3 ,at ,cheltenham ,college1 ,i tried my hand at a prize poem on ,cassandra2 it did not come near the prize1 and ,i was left with the master's singular consolation1 for an aspiring poet1 that my verse showed many of the elements of a sound prose style4 ,but the master's consolation was not so singular after all4 ,it is quite possible for one to write verse that may be excellent training for prose writing1 and yet that is not poetry in the most exclusive sense of the word4 ,sidenote3 ,read ,poetry ,aloud to ,cultivate a ,sense of ,musical ,language ,in addition to writing verse1 ,i urge all students who wish to cultivate a sense of music in their writing to read good poetry1 and1 whenever possible1 to read it aloud4 ,when reading aloud1 the ear helps as well as the eye2 whereas1 when reading silently1 the eye is apt to run on faster than the ear is able--mentally--to take in the sounds2 and you are bound to miss some of the finer shades of movement and melody4 ,when you say the words aloud1 the sound and the beat of the syllables are more likely to be impressed upon your mind4 ,you cannot do better than ,tennyson to begin with--one of the most musical of our poets4 ,read ,the ,lotos-,eaters1 the lyrics in ,the ,princess1 ,the ,lady of ,shallott1 ,come into the ,garden1 ,maud4 ,in ,the ,idylls1 and ,in ,memoriam1 are many exquisite passages4 ,read ,guinevere1 and ,the ,passing of ,arthur1 for example1 noting the lines that are conspicuous for their charm of wording1 or balance1 or sound4 ,turning to other writers3 ,i select a few instances at random1 and am only naming well-known poems that are within the reach of most students3-- ,christina ,rossetti3 ,the chant of the mourners1 at the end of ,the ,prince's ,progress1 beginning ,too late for love1 is worth reading many times4 ,jean ,ingelow has1 in a marked degree1 a musical quality in her verse which compensates in some measure for its slightness4 ,her habit of repeating a word often gives a lilt and a cadence to her lines that is very pleasing1 as for instance in ,echo and the ,ferry1 and ,songs of ,seven4 ,as an example by another poet1 this repetition of a word is used with delightful effect in ,sherwood1 by ,alfred ,noyes4 ,other poems you might read are3 ,the ,forsaken ,merman1 ,matthew ,arnold2 ,the ,cloud1 ,shelley2 ,kubla ,khan1 ,coleridge2 ,the ,burial of ,moses1 ,mrs4 ,alexander2 and ,the ,recessional1 ,kipling4 ,the ,forest of ,wild ,thyme1 ,alfred ,noyes1 contains much in the way of music4 ,after you have studied these--and they will give you a good start--search for yourself4 ,to make your own discoveries in literature is a valuable part of your training4 ,sidenote3 ,anthologies are ,valuable ,text-,books ,the student will find it very helpful to have at hand one or two small volumes of selected poems by various authors4 ,such anthologies often give1 in a compact form1 some of the choicest of the writers' verses2 and this saves the novice's time in wading through some work that may be indifferent in search of the best4 ,moreover1 a little volume can be slipped into the pocket1 and will provide reading for odd moments4 ,do not content yourself with a mere reading of the poems4 ,try to decide wherein lies the charm 7or the reverse7 of each4 ,explain1 if you can1 why1 for instance1 the following1 by ,swinburne3-- ,yea1 surely the sea like a harper laid hand on the shore as a lyre1 appeals to one more than ,longfellow's lines3-- ,the night is calm and cloudless1 ,and still as still can be1 ,and the stars come forth to listen ,to the music of the sea4 ,compare poems by various writers dealing with somewhat similar themes2 note wherein the difference lies both in thought and workmanship4 ,mrs4 ,browning's ,sonnets from the ,portuguese could be studied side by side with ,christina ,rossetti's ,monna ,innominata2 ,longfellow's ,the ,herons of ,elmwood with ,bryant's ,lines to a ,waterfowl2 ,christina ,rossetti's ,the ,prince's ,progress with ,tennyson's ,the ,day ,dream4 ,such exercises will enlarge your ideas as well as your vocabulary2 they will help to give you facility in expressing yourself1 and also that genuine polish which is the result of close familiarity with good writing4 ,analysing an ,author's ,methods ,it is not possible to suggest any definite course of reading for the study of technique 7or methods of authorship74 ,the ground is too wide to be covered by any prescribed set of books4 ,in order to understand1 even a little bit1 how the author does it1 you need to study each book separately1 as you read it--deciding1 if you can1 what was the author's central idea in writing it2 disentangling the essential framework of the story from the less important accessories2 analysing the plot2 assigning to the various characters their degree of importance2 accounting for the introduction of minor episodes2 noting how the author has obtained a fair proportion of light and shade1 and secured sufficient contrast to ensure a well-balanced story2 and how all the main happenings combine to carry one forward1 slowly it may be1 but surely1 to the climax the author has in view4 ,these are a few of the points you should observe4 ,now look at them in detail1 and at the same time apply them to your own work4 ,sidenote3 ,one ,central ,idea ,should ,underlie every ,story ,every author of any standing has one central idea at the back of his mind when he sets out to write a novel2 this is the pivot on which the plot turns--it may be called the keynote of the book1 ,sometimes the author's idea is obvious or avowed1 as in the case of much of ,dickens's works1 and ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin4 ,sometimes it is so deftly concealed that you may not realise a book is giving expression to any one special idea1 so absorbing is the general interest4 ,one great advantage of this keynote is the way it gives cohesion to a story as a whole1 a motive for the plot1 a bed-rock reason for the story's existence4 ,the central idea which is invariably behind a well-written story must not be confused with the moral that adorned all the praiseworthy books of our grandmothers' day4 ,the idea may be a very demoralising one1 and anything but a wholesome pill administered in a little jam1 as was the moral of by-gone story-books4 ,but the point ,i want you to notice is this3 every author who is an experienced worker starts out with a definite object in mind--good or bad1 or merely dull1 as the case may be2 he does not sit down and write haphazard incidents with nothing more in view than the stringing together of conversations and happenings that arrive nowhere1 and illustrate nothing in particular1 and reach no climax other than a wedding4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,wedding need not be the ,chief ,aim of a ,novel ,possibly it will come as a surprise to many amateurs when ,i tell them that the inevitable uniting of the lovers 7or their disuniting1 as the case may be7 in the last chapter1 is not necessarily the chief object of an experienced writer2 often it is merely incidental4 ,the average beginner--more especially the feminine beginner--has but one aim when she embarks on fiction1 viz41 the marrying of her hero and heroine4 ,that the wedding bells ringing on the last page may be an episode of secondary importance1 so far as a book is concerned1 seldom occurs to her4 ,the result is the monotonous character of thousands of the ,,mss4 offered for publication2 and the weary reams of paper that are covered with pointless1 backboneless fiction1 that amounts1 all told1 to nothing more than the engagement 7or the estrangement7 of two colourless1 nondescript individuals6 ,sidenote3 ,the ,ideas behind ,books are as ,varied as ,human ,nature ,sometimes the author aims to show you either the inhabitants and manners and customs and scenery of some definite locality6 or one particular class of society2 or the virtues or failings of an individual type2 or the beauty of an abstract virtue2 or the pitiful side of poverty2 or vice decorated with gloss and glamour4 ,but whatever the idea may be1 one of some sort lies behind every novel of recognised standing4 ,begin your study of a book1 therefore1 by looking for its central idea2 then observe how this permeates the whole1 and how the author utilises his characters and his incidents to demonstrate the idea4 ,some writers explain themselves in the title they give to a book4 ,the ,egoist tells you at once what to expect4 ,but whether the motif of a book be obvious or not at first apparent1 it is important so far as the staying quality of a story is concerned4 ,and it is not until you have studied standard authors1 with this particular matter in mind1 that you realise how much more important it is that a book should have a keynote1 than that the hero should be handsome1 or that the heroine should be dressed in some soft clinging material that suits her surpassing loveliness to perfection4 ,sidenote3 ,look for the ,framework of the ,story ,having decided what is the central idea behind the book you are studying 7,i am not suggesting any particular book2 choose any work of recognised merit by a dead or a modern writer and it will serve71 next try to find the framework of the story--the plot if you like1 though the framework is not always the plot4 ,each complete story is composed of an essential skeleton1 with a certain amount of secondary matter added to it to take away from its bareness4 ,it is well to notice that with the greatest writers the framework is usually something fairly solid and substantial that will stand the addition of other matter2 and it often deals with some great human truth that is world-old4 ,it is not much good to have a framework composed of trivialities4 ,but suppose the framework be something like this-- ,worthy ,john ,jones becomes engaged to good ,mary ,smith2 they quarrel1 and become disengaged4 ,j4 ,j4 falls a temporary prey to the sirenical wiles of ,elsienoria ,brown2 ,m4 ,s4 lends a temporary ear to the insidious suggestions of ,adolphus ,robinson4 ,elsienoria ,brown inadvertently listens to the innocent prattle of a little orphan child1 and forthwith mends her wicked ways and dies of consumption2 ,adolphus ,robinson is condemned to penal servitude for life after absconding with the ,smith family plate4 ,j4 ,j4 and ,m4 ,s4 are finally restored to each other through the kind offices of the same innocent orphan child4 ,it may take you a little thought and time to detach this framework from the author's wealth of additional incidents or secondary matter4 ,there may be talk about the lovely old ,tudor mansion1 ,mary's home2 the life history of each of ,mary's ancestors1 whose portraits hang in the long gallery2 the eccentricities of ,mary's grandfather2 the ,spartan temperament of ,mary's mother1 with details about the perfection of her servants1 and the thoroughness of her spring-cleaning activities2 digressions as to non-successful aspirants for ,mary's hand prior to the advent of ,john2 ,mary's work among the poor2 ,mary's love of ,nature1 and her exquisite taste in garden planning2 ,mary's patience with a gouty father2 the sordid history of the late parents of the prattling orphan child whom ,mary recently adopted2 ,mary's stay in ,cairo 7after the quarrel71 and her meeting there with ,adolphus2 details of ,cairo natives2 measurements of the pyramids2 a nocturne on moonlight over the desert2 a dissertation on flies2 prices and descriptions of bazaar curios2 sidelights on hotel visitors1 their tongues1 their flirtations1 and their fancy-work---- ,and much more concerning ,mary4 ,then there will be ,elsienoria2 her stage career2 her intrigues2 her eyes2 her interest in bull-terriers and bridge2 a descriptive catalogue of her jewels1 and the furnishings of her palatial yacht2 and a vignette of her poor old mother taking in washing in ,milwaukee4 ,in like manner there will be copious data concerning ,john1 and ditto concerning ,adolphus1 with all sorts of entanglements to be straightened out1 and a legion of simple happenings that lead to confusions4 ,it is from a mass of incidents such as these that you will have to eliminate the framework1 the part that cannot be dispensed with without the rest falling to pieces4 ,practice in analysing stories will soon make the framework of each clear to you4 ,sidenote3 ,assess the ,value of each ,character in the ,story ,the characters should be studied individually1 in order to find out why the author brought them on the scene2 what position each occupies in relation to the whole2 who are the most important folk1 and who are brought in merely to render some useful but unimportant service to the story4 ,then note how the author keeps the circumstances that surround each character directly proportionate to his or her place in the story4 ,the great deeds are invariably performed by the hero--not by some odd man who appears only in one chapter and is never heard of again4 ,the most striking personality is never assigned to some woman who only has a minor part given her1 and who vanishes in the course of a dozen pages1 with no further explanation4 ,in this way assess the value of each character to the story as a whole4 ,next study the matter that seems non-essential to you1 and decide1 if you can1 why each episode was introduced4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,use of ,secondary ,matter ,at first glance you may think that much of it could be done without1 and would make no difference whatever to the story1 beyond shortening it1 if it were omitted altogether4 ,this is perfectly true of poor work4 ,the unskilled writer will pad out a ,,ms4 with all manner of stuff that has no direct bearing on the plot4 ,there will be conversations that reveal nothing1 that throw no lights on the characteristics or the motives of anybody1 and are obviously introduced merely to fill up a few pages4 ,there will be incidents that in no way affect the movement of the story1 that add no particular excitement or interest1 and carry you no nearer to the climax than you were in the previous chapter4 ,but the good craftsman wastes no space on unnecessary talk1 even though certain scenes and episodes may be of less importance than others4 ,he knows that secondary matter1 such as descriptive passages1 dialogues1 interludes and digressions are necessary in order to dress the framework and give it something more than bare bones2 they are also needed to give variety and balance to a book4 ,some incidents that may not appear to be vital to the story1 are introduced to break what would otherwise have been a monotonous series of events2 or they are put in for the purpose of giving brightness and a picturesque element as a contrast to some sorrowful or gloomy occurrence4 ,sidenote3 ,minor ,details can be made to serve ,two ,purposes ,if the book be written by a master1 each character1 each conversation1 each incident1 each descriptive passage1 each soliloquy is introduced for a specific purpose2 nothing is haphazard1 nothing is merely a fill-up4 ,moreover1 the expert novelist is not content to put his secondary matter to one minor use only2 he frequently makes it contribute something to the main issues of the story--and in this case it serves a double purpose4 ,for instance1 take the imaginary story ,i sketched out just now4 ,let us suppose that1 half-way through the story1 there occurs a stormy chapter1 in which ,john and ,mary quarrel and part in a scene that is red-hot with temper and emotion4 ,it will be desirable to secure a decided contrast in the next chapter1 to give every one--readers as well as lovers--time to cool down a little2 besides1 you do not follow one emotional scene with another that is equally overwrought1 or they weaken each other4 ,the author would1 therefore1 aim for something entirely different in the chapter following the one that ended with ,john violently slamming the hall door1 and ,mary drowning the best drawing-room cushion in tears4 ,we will assume that the author transports ,mary to ,cairo for change of air2 and1 in order to restore the atmosphere to normal1 he decides on an interlude1 entitled ,moonlight ,over the ,desert2 this will serve as a soothing contrast to the preceding upset4 ,but he will not necessarily describe the moonlight himself4 ,if he makes ,mary describe it in a letter to a friend1 or to her father who remained at home1 he will be killing two birds with one stone2 he will be administering a pleasant sedative1 after the turmoil of the lovers' quarrel2 also he will be showing you how ,mary's temperament responds to the beauties of ,nature1 and how appreciative she is of all that is good and pure and lovely4 ,in this way he will be helping you to understand ,mary better1 and thus the ,moonlight ,over the ,desert chapter will be contributing definitely to the main trend of the book4 ,then1 again1 the author may wish to bring the reader back to the everyday happenings in a light and whimsical manner1 and he may give you a scene showing the various ladies who are staying at the same hotel with ,mary in ,cairo1 retailing their conversation1 with the usual oddities and humours and irresponsibilities that are to be found in the small-talk of a mixed collection of women at an hotel4 ,in this way he can introduce brightness and a light touch among more sombre chapters4 ,but in all probability he will make the conversation serve a second purpose2 ,mary may1 on this occasion1 hear the name of ,adolphus ,robinson for the first time1 little realising that he is to play an important part in her life later on2 or an ,american visitor may chance to give details of her old charwoman in ,milwaukee1 ,elsienoria's mother1 little knowing that ,elsienoria is the evil star in ,mary's horizon1 etc4 ,these are indications of the way an experienced author can make every incident in the story dovetail with something else1 as well as serve an atmospheric purpose1 i4e41 to change the air from grave to gay1 or from mirth to tragedy4 ,he never writes merely for the sake of covering paper1 or bridging time2 whereas the amateur only too often introduces digressions and irrelevant matter with very little reason or apparent connection1 apart from a desire to cover paper1 or1 perhaps1 because the episode came into his mind at that moment1 and he thought it was interesting in itself1 or that it would help to lengthen the story4 ,sidenote3 ,never lose ,sight of the ,climax ,notice1 too1 how the clever author keeps his eye on the climax2 how ingeniously he will make everything lead towards that climax2 and how he puts on pace as he gets nearer and nearer the goal1 instead of hurrying on events at a terrific rate at the beginning1 then getting suddenly becalmed part-way through1 and making the tragedy painfully long-drawn-out at the end--as is the method of many amateurs6 ,sidenote3 ,the ,main ,rules apply to all ,stories1 irrespective of ,length ,you may tell me that all this does not apply to you personally1 as you are not so ambitious as to try your hand at a book2 you only write short stories4 ,the same rules apply to all stories1 whether #c1jjj or #ajj1jjj words in length1 the difference being that with a short story greater condensation is necessary4 ,instead of devoting a chapter to some contrasting episode1 you would give a paragraph to it2 and instead of having a dozen or so secondary characters1 you would be content with only two or three besides the hero and heroine1 and this in itself would reduce your number of minor episodes and your descriptive matter4 ,whatever the length of your story1 it is well to remember that there should be one main idea at the back of all 7apart from the wedding72 also a framework1 to which is added a certain amount of secondary matter that is well-balanced and introduced with a definite object in view2 the characters must bear a fixed relation to the whole2 and there must be a climax1 concealed from the reader1 so far as possible1 till the last moment1 but ever-present in the writer's mind as the goal towards which every incident1 indeed every paragraph1 in the story trends4 ,you will find it very useful to study the short stories of ,rudyard ,kipling1 ,sir ,james ,barrie1 and ,mrs4 ,flora ,annie ,steel4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,necessity for ,careful ,planning ,studying fiction in this way is exceedingly interesting1 and wonderfully instructive4 ,obviously every author has his own individual methods1 and no two work in exactly the same way4 ,but if you examine these main features1 which are common to most1 you begin to realise something of the careful planning and forethought that go to the making of a story that is to grip its readers1 and live beyond its first publication flush4 ,perhaps you may be inclined to think that the bestowal of such minute care on the details of a book would tend to make it artificial and stilted2 there are those who argue that the rough1 slap-dash style is the only method by which we can catch the fine frenzy of genius in its unadulterated form6 ,but all ,art calls for attention to detail2 anything that is to last must be the product of painstaking thought4 ,life itself is a mass of detail carefully planned by the ,master-,mind4 ,if you study your own life1 you will be amazed to find1 as you look back upon the past1 how every happening seems to be part of a wonderful mosaic1 that nothing really stands quite alone with no bearing whatever on after events4 ,that the slap-dash method is much easier than the careful1 thoughtful working-out of a story1 ,i admit4 ,but it does not wear--why8 because there is really no body in the work2 it is all on the surface1 and therefore quickly evaporates4 ,that which costs you next to nothing to produce1 will result in next to nothing4 ,of course1 you can elaborate your work1 and add a multitude of details all apparently bearing on the story1 till the readers 7and also the main features of the story7 are lost in a mass of small-talk and unimportant events4 ,but the secret of all good art is to know what to take and what to leave2 and the genius of a writer is evidenced in the way he knows just what incidents to put down in order to gain the object he has in view1 and what to omit as redundant1 or unnecessary to the direct working out of his theme4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,application ,i am not analysing any novel to give you concrete examples of the points ,i have named4 ,my object in writing these chapters is not so much to set down facts for you to memorise1 as to help you to find out things for yourself4 ,our own discoveries are among the few things of life that we manage to remember4 ,having dissected a novel1 and made notes on the way it was constructed1 turn to your own work 7whether a long or a short story71 and see what you have to show in the way of a main idea1 a good framework1 a purpose for each character1 a reason for each incident1 well-balanced secondary matter1 with a steady crescendo and accelerando leading to a good climax4 ,i need not point out the application4 ,it is for you to make your own stories profit by your study of the methods of the great writers4 ,,part ,,four ,,points ,a ,,writer ,,ought ,,to ,,note ,beautiful and striking thoughts are a common everyday occurrence2 the uncommon occurrence is to find the person who can reduce those thoughts to writing in such a manner as to convey1 exactly to another mind the ideas that were in his own4 ,practice ,precedes ,publication ,when you sit down pen in hand with the intention of writing something--,,write6 ,this may seem unnecessary advice to lead off with2 but it is surprising how much time one can spend in not writing1 when one is supposed to be engaged in literary work 7no one knows this better than ,i do74 ,it is so easy to gaze out of the window in pleasant meditation1 letting the thoughts wander about in a half-awake1 half-dreaming state of mind4 ,girls often sit and think all kinds of romantic things1 weaving one strand of thought with another1 letting the mind run on indefinitely into space and roam about aimlessly among pleasant sensations4 ,such girls sometimes think this an indication that they have the ability to write a novel2 whereas it is doubtful whether they could draft a possible plot for the simplest of stories2 their brain is not sufficiently disciplined to consecutive thought4 ,others are possessed of high1 noble impulses2 or they feel a sudden overwhelming sense of the beautiful in life2 or a desire to attain to some lofty ideal2 and forthwith they conclude this indicates a poetic gift of unusual calibre4 ,all such experiences are good1 they are also plentiful 7fortunately1 for the uplifting of human nature72 but they do not imply the ability to write good poetry1 even though they prove exceedingly useful to a poet4 ,sidenote3 ,beautiful ,thoughts do not ,guarantee ,beautiful ,writing ,most beginners think that the main essential for a writer is a fair-sized stock of beautiful or striking thoughts2 but it is quite as important to know how to write down those thoughts4 ,as a matter of fact1 beautiful and striking thoughts are of common1 everyday occurrence2 the uncommon occurrence is to find the person who can reduce those thoughts to writing in such a manner as to convey1 exactly1 to another mind the ideas that were in his own4 ,but how ought ,i to start with writing8 the novice sometimes asks4 ,there seems so much to say1 yet it is difficult to know where to begin4 ,when a student commences the study of ,art he does not begin with the painting of some big1 involved subject1 such as ,a ,scene from ,hamlet4 ,he spends some years working at little bits and making studies4 ,he practises on a profile1 or a hand1 or the branches of a tree2 he will sketch and re-sketch a child's head1 or one figure2 he will work away at a few rose-petals or an apple--always endeavouring to render small pieces of work well1 rather than large pieces indifferently4 ,when a great artist starts work on an ,academy picture1 he does not commence at one side of the canvas and work right across to the other side till the picture is finished4 ,he does not necessarily begin his masterpiece by painting on the canvas at all4 ,as a rule1 he makes a rough-out of his idea 7more than one1 very often71 merely blocking in the figures1 arranging and re-arranging the position of the main items1 then assigning the details to their proper places1 till he gets all properly balanced1 and to his liking4 ,then he dissects the picture-that-is-to-be1 making separate studies of the figures1 sometimes making several drawings of an arm1 or a piece of drapery1 or a bit of foreground1 expending infinite care and work on fragments1 and making dozens of sketches before a stroke is put on the canvas itself4 ,thus you see both the novice and the master specialise on detail before they tackle a piece of work as a whole4 ,some of the studies made by famous artists for their important pictures are positive gems1 and help us to understand something of the immense amount of thought and preparation that go to the making of any work of art that is to live4 ,the student who is training for authorship must work on the same lines4 ,all too often the amateur starts by putting down the first sentence of a story or an article1 and then writes straight on to the very end1 without any preliminary rough-out or separate study of detail2 and the result is a shapeless mass of words1 lacking balance and variety1 and either without any climax1 or with two or three too many4 ,sidenote3 ,it simply ,came6 ,when offering a ,,ms4 for publication1 the writer will often tell me--as though it were something to be proud of--,i merely sat down1 and without any previous thought1 wrote the whole of this story from beginning to end4 ,it simply came4 ,one can only reply3 ,it reads like it6 ,i have before me a letter and ,,ms4 from a would-be contributor1 who writes3 ,i just dashed this off as it first came into my head4 ,i do so love scribbling1 and ,i simply can't help jotting things down when the fit takes me4 ,this is very well to a limited extent4 ,there are times when all authors just dash things off when the fit takes them2 but1 if they have any sense 7and no one succeeds as a writer if they have not7 they do not regard the dashed-off scribble as the final product1 and rush with it to a publisher4 ,much ability may be evidenced in a hurried jot-down of this type2 and if written by a master hand1 it may be useful as an object lesson1 showing how a clever author makes his preliminary studies2 but as a finished piece of work it is of little value1 for the simple reason that it is not finished4 ,of course1 the greater the writer the less revision will his dashed-off-scribble need1 because experience and practice have taught him to know almost by instinct what to put down and what to omit4 ,nevertheless1 he is certain to go over it again1 making alterations and additions1 before sending it out to the reading public4 ,before you can hope to write anything worth publication 7much less worth payment71 you will require considerable practice in actual writing4 ,directly a beginner puts on paper a little study in observation1 or collects some facts from various already-published books1 or induces twelve or sixteen lines of equal lengths to rhyme alternately 7rhymes sometimes omitted1 however1 in which case the lines are styled blank verse71 that beginner invariably sends along the ,,ms4 to an editor1 and is surprised1 or grieved--according to temperament--when it is not accepted4 ,few would-be authors realise that what may be good as a study or an exercise1 is not necessarily of the slightest use to the general public4 ,and1 after all1 the final test of our work is its use to the public4 ,if the public will not take it1 it may just as well remain unwritten 7unless we are willing to regard it as practice only71 for it is certain our acquaintances will not listen while we read our declined ,,mss4 aloud to them6 ,but why shouldn't the public buy my first attempt8 some one will ask4 ,sidenote3 ,why first attempts have rarely any ,market ,value ,the public seldom is willing to pay some one else for what it can do quite as well itself4 ,and most people have made first attempts at writing4 ,rare indeed is the person who has not laboured out an essay1 or dreamed a wonderful love story1 or put together a few verses4 ,in the main1 all first attempts bear a strong family likeness one to the other1 and though the general public may not stop to analyse its own motives1 the truth is1 it will not buy immature work as a rule1 because it feels it can produce writing equally immature4 ,for this reason 7among other things7 first attempts have rarely any market value--unless you have been dead at least fifty years and have acquired fame in the interval6 ,of course there is always the remote chance that a genius may arise1 whose first attempt eclipses everything else on the market2 but as ,i have said before1 we need not worry about that exceptional person1 since some one has estimated that not more than two are born in any generation4 ,and even these two have to be divided between a number of arts and sciences2 they are not devoted exclusively to literature6 ,the average writer whose books have made his name famous1 had to write much by way of practice1 before any of it found a paying market4 ,and we humbler folk must not be above doing likewise4 ,begin to train yourself in writing by making studies1 in words1 just as the art student makes them in line or wash4 ,make studies of character1 of scenery1 of temperament1 of dialogue--of anything that comes to your notice and interests you4 ,to make a character study of someone you know intimately1 or with whom you are in daily contact1 is a useful exercise--but ,i don't advise you to read it to them afterwards1 that is if you feel you have been quite frank in your writing1 and you value their friendship6 ,aim to make each study a little word-picture1 embodying some idea1 or reproducing some trait1 or conversation1 or incident4 ,but do not be in too great a hurry to embark on a lengthy or involved piece of work4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,style of ,writing should ,vary ,according to the ,subject-,matter ,practise various styles of writing--serious1 conversational1 gay1 didactic1 colloquial1 etc42 and see that the style corresponds with your subject-matter4 ,watch good authors with this latter point in view4 ,for example1 the style of writing in ,kipling's ,barrack ,room ,ballads is not the style he used when writing ,the ,recessional4 ,often several styles of writing are necessary in one story1 if we are introducing contrasts in characters or in scenes4 ,and though we may think that one style is peculiarly our own1 it is most desirable that we should write just as readily in any style4 ,this gives variety and colour to our work2 also it reduces the risk of our acquiring mannerisms1 which are generally tiresome to other people1 though we are blandly unconscious of them ourselves4 ,but be sure that you do not appear to force an effect2 do not make an effort to be light-hearted1 for instance1 or overdo the sombre tone one would use at a funeral4 ,sincerity should underlie all your writings2 they should carry the conviction with them that what you say happened1 actually did happen1 and was not invented by you merely to heighten the gaiety or deepen the gloom1 as the case may be4 ,in order to make your style sincere and convincing1 you must study life itself1 not take your models from other people's books4 ,if you are to write in a joyous style that will infect others with your cheeriness1 you must enjoy much of life 7if not all of it7 yourself1 and be able to enter into other people's enjoyment4 ,if you are to make your readers feel the grief that surrounded the funeral of which you write in your story1 you must have shared in sorrow and sympathised with others in theirs4 ,once you enter into the very spirit of each happening1 you will find your style will soon shape itself according to the situation4 ,you will use the right words and expressions just as you would were you facing the situation in real life1 without having to stop to think out what is best suited to the occasion4 ,but the beginner has to learn to be natural when writing2 that is one of his hardest tasks1 ,i often think2 and he sometimes needs considerable practice before he acquires the power to write exactly as he thinks and speaks1 and convey precisely what he himself feels4 ,therefore practise your pen particularly in this direction if you find it an effort to be natural on paper4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,need for ,condensation ,all beginners need to practise condensation2 our tendency while we are inexperienced is to be diffuse1 and to over-load our subject with unimportant explanations or irrelevant side-issues4 ,it will help you if1 after a finished piece of writing has been put aside for a few days1 you go over it with a fresh mind1 and delete everything--single words or whole sentences--that can be omitted without lessening the force or the picturesque quality of your writing1 or blurring your meaning4 ,for example3--,if the hero's grandfather has no bearing on the development of the story 7and you are not seeking to prove hereditary tendencies71 spare us his biography4 ,do not tell the reader1 ,it is impossible to describe the scene1 if you straightway proceed to describe it4 ,it is waste of space to write1 ,it was a dull1 gloomy1 cheerless ,november day2 one takes it for granted that a gloomy ,november day is dull1 likewise cheerless4 ,if the colour of the heroine's eyes and the tint of her hair are immaterial to her career1 omit such hackneyed data4 ,of course these matters may be important--if the lady is the villainess1 for instance4 ,i have noticed that it seems essential the wicked female should have red hair and green eyes1 while the angel has violet 7or grey7 eyes1 with long sweeping lashes--in novels1 at any rate4 ,i cannot be so certain about real life1 for ,i have never met an out-and-out villainess in the flesh2 though ,i have known several really nice girls1 who were a joy to their aged and decrepit parents1 and who married the right man into the bargain--and all this on mere mouse-coloured hair1 nondescript eyebrows1 and complexions verging on sallow6 ,if1 after consideration1 you are bound to admit that it will make no difference to the working out of the story1 nor to its general interest1 if you omit some such trivial description1 or a word or a phrase1 take it out2 its deletion will probably improve the ,,ms4 ,in such a matter1 however1 it is very difficult for us to judge our own work4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,quest of the ,right ,word ,as a useful exercise in the art of condensation1 practise describing incidents as forcefully as you can1 using the fewest possible sentences4 ,this will also train you to select the word that best describes your idea4 ,you will soon realise that the one right word 7and there is always one right word for every occasion7 carries more conviction with it than half-a-dozen words when neither is exactly it4 ,the able writer is not the one who uses many words1 but he who invariably uses the exact word4 ,it is safe to say that1 as a general rule1 the more you increase your adjectives1 and qualifying or explanatory phrases1 the more you decrease the strength and vividness of your writing4 ,sidenote3 ,making ,plots ,the student should practise sketching out plots4 ,this is a very fascinating occupation1 and all seems to go easily here--until you examine them6 ,then you may be less elated4 ,when you have completed the plot to your own satisfaction1 look at it carefully in order to discover if you have1 by any chance1 used an idea or a theme that has been used by some one else before you4 ,this is a painful process1 for1 as a rule1 one's most admired plot crumbles to nothing under this test6 ,if you are quite honest about it1 you will be obliged to confess--until you have had a fair amount of practice--that your plots are nothing more than other people's plots re-shuffled4 ,do not delude yourself by saying that you will treat it differently4 ,perhaps you will2 but you will stand more chance of success if you determine to get a new plot that has not been used before1 and treat that differently4 ,the lack of any new idea or originality in the plot is the cause of thousands of ,,mss4 being turned down each year4 ,many amateurs seem to think that the plot is of next to no importance1 whereas it is the foundation upon which you raise the superstructure2 if there is no strength in the foundation1 the upper part is likely to be tottery4 ,sidenote3 ,learning and ,cleverness must not be ,obtrusive ,until you start to scheme out plots1 you have no idea how much there can be 7but often is not67 in this part of an author's business4 ,do not regard your writing as a medium for the exhibition of your own cleverness4 ,never try to show off your own learning or to impress the reader with your own brilliancy4 ,early amateur efforts often bristle with quotations1 foreign words1 stilted phrases1 pedantic remarks1 or references to classical personages4 ,the reason for this is clear2 when the amateur writes he invariably sees himself as the chief object of interest in the foreground1 rather than his subject-matter4 ,almost unconsciously the back of his mind is filled with the thought1 ,what will the public think of ,,me when they read this8 ,consequently he does all in his power to impress the public1 and his relations and friends 7and by no means forgetting his enemies7 with his attainments and unusual knowledge4 ,we are all of us like this when we start4 ,but as we gain experience--not merely experience in writing1 but that wide experience of the world and human nature1 which is such a valuable asset to the writer--we come to realise that the public pay very little heed to a writer personally 7until he or she becomes over-poweringly famous72 it is the subject-matter of a book that they trouble about1 and the way that subject-matter is treated4 ,readers do not care in the least if an author can read ,hafiz in the original 7unless he is actually writing about ,persian poetry1 of course72 but they do care if he has written a bright1 absorbing story that holds their interest from first to last1 or a helpful illuminating article on some topic that appeals to them4 ,therefore1 why make a special opportunity to drag in ,hafiz1 or some one equally irrelevant1 when he is but vaguely related to the subject in hand1 or possibly is quite superfluous8 ,do not think ,i mean by this that a knowledge of languages and the classics is immaterial or unnecessary for the writer4 ,quite the reverse4 ,the more knowledge we acquire of everything worth knowing 7and standard literature is the great storehouse of knowledge7 the better equipped we are for work1 and the greater our chance of success4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,well-,informed ,man does not use his ,learning for ,show ,purposes ,but remember this3 the really well-informed man does not use his learning for show purposes4 ,knowledge should not be employed for superficial ornamentation4 ,it must be so woven into the strands of our everyday life1 that it becomes as much a part of us as the food we eat and the air we breathe4 ,our reading should not be made to advertise our intellectual standing4 ,we do not read ,plato and ,shakespeare and ,dante that we may be able to quote them1 and thus let others know we are familiar with them4 ,we read them in order to get a wider outlook on life2 to see things from more than one point of view2 to look into minds that are bigger than our own2 to learn great facts and problems of life that might not otherwise come our way1 yet are necessary for us to know1 if we are to see human nature in right perspective4 ,in short1 we study great authors in order to arrive at a better understanding of our neighbour2 some take us farther than this1 and help us to a better understanding of ,god and ,his ,universe4 ,if we are reading the classics with any lesser aim1 we are missing a great deal4 ,the knowledge we absorb from such reading should work out to something far greater than a few quotations6 ,it should affect our thoughts and our life itself 7which obviously includes our writing71 because it has helped us to clearer1 altogether larger ideas of this world of ours and the people who are in it4 ,such knowledge will make its mark on our writing in every direction1 giving it depth and breadth--i4e41 we shall see below the surface instead of only recording the obvious2 and take big views instead of indulging in puerilities and pettiness4 ,likewise it should make us more tolerant and sympathetic and large-minded1 knowing that life is not always what it seems4 ,and it may help us to accuracy--a virtue of priceless worth to the writer4 ,of course1 the knowledge acquired from the reading of great books does not take the place of the knowledge we gain by mixing with living people2 we need the one as much as the other4 ,but it is a wonderful help in enlarging our power of thinking1 and the scope of our thoughts2 and it opens our eyes to much in the world around us that we might otherwise miss4 ,so much by way of precept4 ,now for an example of the type of writing that is overloaded with learning4 ,some years ago1 when ,i was assistant-editor of the ,windsor ,magazine1 a girl1 who had taken her ,b4,a41 came to me with an urgent request that ,i would help her to a start in journalism4 ,if only ,i would give her the smallest opening1 she was sure she would get on2 she was willing to try her hand at anything1 if only--etc4 ,at the moment we were proposing to publish an article on the nearly extinct ,london ,cabby4 ,i had already arranged with some typical cabmen to be at a certain cab-shelter on a given day1 to be interviewed4 ,as this girl was so keen to try her hand at writing up a given subject1 ,i asked her if she would care to tackle the ,cabmen article1 explaining that we wanted a simple straightforward account of their work and experiences1 the various drawbacks of the profession1 any curiosities in the way of passengers they had come across1 and similar particulars calculated to arouse public interest in the men4 ,she was charmed with the idea1 and grateful for the chance to get a start4 ,and she said she quite understood the simple1 chatty style of article ,i wanted4 ,a week later the article arrived4 ,and oh1 how that girl had slaved over it1 too2 it seemed to me she had tried to include in it everything she knew6 ,it started with an eight-line ,greek quotation4 ,it gave historical details of the city of ,london2 there were references to ,roman charioteers and the ,olympic games1 extracts from ,chaucer and other authors equally respectable4 ,indeed1 there seemed to be something of everything in the article--excepting information about the cabmen4 ,what little she had written about them1 poor men1 was swamped by the display of her own knowledge4 ,yet it was difficult to make her understand that there was something incongruous in the association of broken-down old cabmen with a ,greek extract2 that the one topic created a false atmosphere for the other2 while equally it was unsuitable to introduce ,greek into a general magazine1 seeing that the larger proportion of the grown-ups among the reading public had forgotten all the ,greek they ever knew4 ,unpractised journalists are apt to overload their articles with data that has no immediate connection with the subject in hand1 even though it may be distantly related4 ,such inclusions often weaken the whole1 as they confuse rather than enlighten the reader4 ,one other caution is necessary4 ,avoid quoting from other people's writings4 ,with some amateurs this amounts to a most irritating mania4 ,now and then1 an apt quotation may serve to enforce a point1 but the beginner should be sparing in their use4 ,remember that people1 as a rule1 do not care to pay for what they have already read elsewhere6 ,also1 a publisher only reckons to purchase original matter 7apart from books that are avowedly compilations74 ,in any case1 you are not gaining practice in original writing if you are merely copying out what some one else has written4 ,the ,reader ,must ,be ,interested ,the first essential in any publication is that it shall interest people1 especially the people who1 it is hoped1 will buy it4 ,every book does not appeal to the same type of reader2 but every book should appeal to some type of reader1 and it should interest that type of reader1 or it will prove a failure4 ,this does not necessarily mean that it must keep the reader wrought up to a high pitch of excitement1 or squirming with laughter1 or bathed in tears--though a judicious mixture of these things may contribute much to the success of your work4 ,it means that what you propose to tell people must be something they will want to hear2 and when you start to tell it to them1 you must tell it in such a way that they will be keen for you to continue4 ,beginners often think the main point is their own interest in what they write4 ,it is certainly desirable that we ourselves should be interested in what we write1 otherwise the chances are it will not be worth reading2 but it is still more important that what we write should interest other people4 ,i have known a book to sell well1 though the author was thoroughly bored when writing it2 but ,i have never known a book to sell well if the public were thoroughly bored when trying to read it6 ,sidenote3 ,if your ,writings do not ,grip1 they will not ,sell ,and this necessity for interesting the reader applies to every class of writing4 ,it is useless to write a scientific treatise in such a dull way that the student is not sufficiently attracted to read the second chapter2 it is useless to write a religious article in such a stereotyped1 conventional manner that nobody gets beyond the second paragraph1 and everybody is quite willing to take the rest as read2 it is useless to write such vague insipid verse that the reader does not even take the trouble to find out what it is all about2 and it is useless to write feeble fiction that lands the reader nowhere in particular1 at the end of several chapters4 ,if you cannot grip1 and then hold1 the reader's attention1 your writings will not be read4 ,and if they are not read1 they will not sell4 ,you may think this last remark a backward way of putting it1 and that a book must sell before it can be read4 ,but several people read it before a copy is actually sold1 and often a good deal depends on the verdict of these people4 ,it is read by the publisher1 or his editor 7sometimes several of them72 if they decide that it does not interest them1 and that it is not likely to interest the public--where are you8 ,even if you determine1 after your ,,ms4 has been declined by a few dozen publishers1 to pay for its publication yourself1 and in this way get it into print1 there are the reviewers to be thought of2 should they be of the same opinion as the publishers who declined it1 and find it so lacking in interest that they never trouble to finish it1 and ignore it entirely in their review columns--that1 again1 is unfortunate for you6 ,among other people who may read it1 there are the publisher's travellers4 ,if it fails to interest them they can hardly grow so enthusiastic over it1 when displaying it to the bookseller1 as they do over another book that kept them sitting up all night to finish it6 ,more than this1 a keen1 intelligent bookseller reads many of the books on his counter1 in order that he may know what to recommend his customers when they ask him for a book of a definite type4 ,indeed1 he is often supplied with advance copies by the publisher4 ,if he finds a volume engrossing1 you may rely on his introducing it to his customers2 and if the purchasers of the earliest copies are captivated by it1 they will certainly talk about it and urge their acquaintances to read it1 and send it to their friends on dates when gifts are due4 ,thus you see a book really must be read before it has a chance of any sale4 ,beginners often think the all-important thing is to get their ,,ms4 set up in type2 that once it is published the public will buy it and read it as a matter of course4 ,but the public won't1 unless it interests them4 ,and no matter how much money an author may be able to expend on the production of a book1 it will bring him little satisfaction if that book does not sell1 and he sees the major portion of the edition eventually cleared out as a remainder1 or dumped in stacks on his door-step1 when the publisher can give it shelf-room no longer4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,personal ,outlook must be ,taken into ,account ,to interest people you must write on subjects of which they know something1 or subjects which in some way make an appeal to them4 ,you seldom succeed in interesting them if you write of things quite outside their usual range of thought or ideals or aspirations4 ,to ensure some attention from your audience1 it is imperative that this matter of personal outlook be taken into account4 ,a subject may be of enthralling interest to you1 but if it is not in any way likely to interest your readers from a personal standpoint--if it has no connection with their spiritual or material life1 if it makes no appeal to them on the score of beauty1 if they cannot by any stretch of imagination see themselves in a leading part--then it is risky to make that the subject of an early article or book4 ,when you are well-established1 and recognised as a capable writer1 you can take your chance with any exotic subject you please2 but ,i do not advise it at the beginning of your career4 ,this does not mean that out-of-the-way subjects should never be chosen4 ,obviously life would be deadly monotonous if we were always trotting round the same circle4 ,novelty is most desirable2 monotony is fatal to success4 ,but it must be novelty that is linked in some way with the reader's life4 ,let us suppose you are absorbed in the study of a certain new germ--a germ that is responsible for much mortality among tadpoles4 ,not only have you discovered the existence of this germ but you have taken its name and address1 inspected its birth certificate1 secured its photograph1 insisted on knowing its age and where the family go to school1 ascertained its average food ration1 noted its climatic preferences1 and many other useful facts4 ,all this would be very interesting to persons who are rearing frogs2 but as such people are few in number1 it would scarcely attract the bulk of the reading public1 hence you could not expect a book on the subject to have a large sale2 nor would an article be likely to find a resting place in a magazine or newspaper that aimed to attract the general public4 ,the subject would have no interest for the majority of people1 because once we have left our unscientific youth behind1 tadpoles are generally as remote from our life as the ,north ,pole4 ,but1 suppose you suddenly discover that these same germs are communicated by tadpoles to water-cress1 and therefore directly responsible for hay fever or whooping-cough 7or something equally conclusive72 you will find the general public all attention in an instant1 since water-cress and whooping-cough make a personal claim on most of us4 ,and in that case your writings would find a market at once4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,novel must have ,grit ,somewhere in its ,composition ,the same ruling applies to fiction4 ,study any successful novelist1 and you will see how his knowledge of the things that appeal to men and women guided him in the choice of a subject1 and his manner of presenting it4 ,some beginners think a peculiar plot1 or a bizarre background1 or an eccentric subject is more likely to command attention than familiar topics2 but that depends entirely on what there is in it likely to appeal to the reader and rivet his attention4 ,mere eccentricity or peculiarity will not in itself ensure the reader's permanent interest2 behind the externals there must be something with more grit in it4 ,while newness of idea is much to be desired1 and a breaking-away from hackneyed scenes and types should be aimed for1 there must be a strong underlying link to connect the unusual idea with the reader's sympathies and mental attitude4 ,you may lay the scene of your story in the ,stone ,age1 or make your hero and heroine some never-heard-of-before dwellers in the moon2 but unless you can interweave some fundamental human trait1 or some soul longing that will make such a story understandable to ordinary humanity1 it will not interest average readers1 since they know very little about the tastes and manners and customs of the folks who lived in the ,stone ,age2 neither are they likely to be at all convinced1 nor particularly excited1 because you tell them certain circumstances about beings1 said to be in the moon1 who could never possibly come their way4 ,sidenote3 ,mere ,eccentricity will not hold the ,public ,even though a few people may at first be attracted by some eccentricity on your part 7and1 after all1 if we only shriek loud enough1 some one is certain to turn round and look at us71 there is no lasting quality in such methods of catching attention4 ,a troupe of pierrots at the seaside may get themselves up in a garb bizarre enough to give points to the cubists2 but unless they also provide a fair programme1 they will not retain an audience4 ,after the first glance at their peculiarities1 the public will stroll farther along the parade to the much plainer-looking company1 if that company provide a better entertainment4 ,there must be body in the goods you offer the public1 apart from qualities that are only superficial1 such as a weird or unusual setting4 ,in some cases an author's strong appeal to human interest has even borne him aloft over actual defects4 ,sidenote3 ,why ,fame has sometimes ,overlooked ,defects ,the verses of ,ann and ,jane ,taylor could never be called poetry2 yet most of the incidents recorded touch a sympathetic chord in every child's life1 and each moral emphasises exactly the claims of justice that are recognised with surprising clearness by even the youngest2 hence the poems have a personal interest for any normal1 healthy-minded child4 ,and1 in consequence1 they have lived for over a hundred years4 ,in certain of his books ,ruskin wrote much about pictures--pictures that could only interest a small proportion of the general public1 because so few are able to go and see the pictures in the ,continental churches and galleries4 ,moreover1 some of his art criticism is considered worthless by many artists4 ,yet ,ruskin has been1 and still is1 universally read4 ,why8 ,because1 in addition to his erroneous estimate of certain artists1 and his prejudices against others1 and his remarks about unfamiliar pictures many of his readers have never seen1 he continually touched on matters in which we all have a very personal interest--our duty to ,god1 our relations to our fellow-men1 the inner workings of our mind1 the problems of the soul1 the beauties and messages of ,nature1 and scores of other topics that are of the keenest interest to every thoughtful person4 ,ruskin himself complained that people did not read him for what he had to say1 but for the way in which he said it4 ,yet he was not quite correct in this4 ,people read him for something besides his style2 they often read him for the side issues1 the comments by the way1 the little vignettes and pen-pictures of scenery1 the great truths embodied in a few sentences--matters that strike home to us all1 even when the main purport of a book may appeal only to a few4 ,having recognised the need for interesting the reader1 decide next the means by which you hope to do this4 ,sidenote3 ,decide the ,means by which you will ,endeavour to ,interest ,it may be a merry jingle nonsense rhymes that you intend shall please by their very absurdity2 or it may be the voicing of some tragedy haunting many human lives that you rely on to touch the human heart2 or the description of some scene of beauty that you feel will be the main attraction of your writing2 or perhaps it is the unselfishness of the hero1 the strong courage of the heroine1 or the ingenuity of the villain that is to be its outstanding feature4 ,whatever it may be--keep it well in view1 and always work up to it4 ,the trouble with so many amateurs is their tendency to forget1 before they are half-way through their ,,ms41 the ideas with which they started6 ,sidenote3 ,settle on ,your ,audience ,the class of reader whom you hope to attract is another point to be taken into consideration4 ,the literature that appeals to the factory girl is not the type calculated to enthuse the business man2 the book that delights the ,nature lover might be voted insufferably dull by the woman who likes to fancy herself indispensable to smart society4 ,while we do not1 as a rule1 write only for one small section of society1 there are certain divisions1 nevertheless1 that must be recognised2 and the beginner who is not sufficiently versed in his craft to be able to work in broad sweeps on a big canvas that can be seen and understood by all1 is wise to observe definite limitations1 and work within a clearly-marked area4 ,you must decide whether a story is for the schoolgirl or her mother2 whether you are writing for those who crave sensation1 or for those who like quiet1 thoughtful1 restrained reading2 whether your article is for the student who already knows something about the matter1 or for the general reader whom you wish to interest in your theme4 ,having settled who are to be your readers--do not let them slip your memory while you address several other conflicting audiences from time to time4 ,writers of books for children are especial sinners in this respect1 frequently introducing passages that are quite outside the child's purview1 and obviously better suited to adults4 ,sidenote3 ,be sure of your ,object ,your object in writing should be definitely settled before you start on your ,,ms4 ,is it to instruct1 or to help1 or to entertain8 ,is it to provide excitement1 or to act as a soothing restorative to tired nerves and brain8 ,is it to expose some social wrong1 or to enlist sympathy for suffering and misfortune8 ,is it to make people smile1 or to make them weep8 ,is it to induce a light-hearted and care-free frame of mind1 or to make the reader think8 ,is it to pander to a vicious taste1 or to foster clean ideals8 ,inexperienced writers often seem to think there is no need for any defined purpose in their work1 unless they are issuing an appeal for charity1 or writing an article that is to combat some special evil4 ,yet everything we write should have a purpose4 ,unfortunately1 we have dropped into a habit of ticketing a work a book with a purpose when it deals particularly with religious or social propaganda2 whereas every book should be a book with a purpose1 or it will not be worth the paper it is written upon4 ,you must have some reason for what you write1 or some object which you keep in view1 if you are to make any impression on the reader4 ,many of you who are beginners will probably explain that your object in writing is solely to entertain 7and a very good object it is74 ,in that case1 see to it that your writing is entertaining4 ,don't let it be flat and colourless and tepid for pages at a stretch4 ,but you must remember that every book should be entertaining4 ,this is as much a primary necessity as that every book should be grammatical4 ,it is another way of saying that every book must interest people4 ,yet how few amateurs stop to consider whether what they write is really entertaining8 ,ask yourself1 after your ,,ms4 is completed1 ,if ,i saw this in print1 should ,i be so impressed with it that ,i should write off at once to my friends and urge them to buy it1 and mention it to all my acquaintances as something well worth their getting and reading8 ,if not--why not8 ,if you can criticise your own work dispassionately in this way1 it will help you to detect some of your own weak points4 ,but1 unfortunately1 so few of us can look dispassionately upon the children of our own brain6 ,form ,should ,be ,considered ,form which plays a very important part in the construction of literature1 means shape and order2 it means also definite restrictions4 ,though we do not realise it at first1 these restrictions are particularly desirable4 ,without them1 we might go writing on and on1 till no one could follow us in our meanderings1 the brain would be worn-out with the attempt4 ,yet these same restrictions are what the novice most resents1 or at any rate is inclined to flout4 ,nevertheless1 you must abide by certain rules if your work is to be readable and profitable4 ,sidenote3 ,established ,rules save our ,wasting ,time on ,experiments ,you may regard all rules as arbitrary4 ,i know how inclined one is1 when only just beginning to feel one's feet1 to kick down every sort or prop and barrier and sign-post and ledge1 in order to run riot1 without let or hindrance1 over all the earth4 ,but we cannot do this when we are only learning to walk1 without tumbling down and acquiring bruises2 and then we lose a certain amount of time in picking ourselves up and getting our bearings again4 ,while the thought of starting out on brand-new adventure1 without any one's advice or dictation1 is very enticing1 the wise person is he who first of all avails himself of the discoveries already made by other folk 7a time-saving policy to say the least of it74 ,then1 when he has assimilated as much as he can of what others before him have found out1 he can experiment on his own1 and start on a voyage of discovery into truly unknown lands4 ,but it is sheer waste of energy to go pioneering over land that has already been thoroughly investigated1 and mapped out1 by men and women who have gone before us4 ,and although we may consider the limitations of ,form in ,art as quite superfluous in our own particular case1 it is well to get thoroughly acquainted with them1 bearing in mind the fact that thousands of writers for centuries past have been handling the subject1 experimenting along these same lines1 often asking the same questions that we are asking4 ,and all whose opinions were worth anything came to the same conclusion1 viz3--that strict attention to ,form is necessary in all creative work1 if that work is to have lasting value4 ,therefore you might as well accept this at the outset1 at any rate until you have reached the stage where you can do exactly as you please and still command the attention of an admiring universe4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,three-,part ,basis ,all the master-minds seem to agree that a story1 whether long or short1 should consist of three main parts4 ,indeed most of the art-products of the brain are constructed on a three-part basis4 ,experience has shown that this form is the most satisfying to the mind--and remember1 one of the essentials of a work of art is that it shall satisfy the mind with that sense of fitness and completeness and appropriateness1 so very hard to define exactly in words1 and yet so necessary to our enjoyment of anything4 ,a painting has foreground1 middle distance and background4 ,a musical composition1 if short1 has generally a first part in one key1 a second part in the minor or a related key1 and a third part that is often an amplification of the first part with additional matter that brings it to a satisfactory conclusion4 ,if the composition be lengthy1 such as a sonata or symphony1 its ,first ,movement1 ,slow ,movement and ,finale are labeled for all to understand4 ,the three-volume novel of our grandmothers' day was a recognition of the desirability of definite division4 ,and although we do not now spread our stories over so much paper1 nor trim them with such wide margins and three sets of covers1 the three parts are still there1 and in many cases the author still marks them plainly for the reader1 by dividing his work into specified sections4 ,sometimes we find a #dth ,act1 and a #eth1 in a play1 just as we sometimes have four movements in a sonata2 but in most cases the extra act is really only an episode1 not a main division in itself1 and usually belongs to the second part4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,divisions of a ,story ,broadly speaking1 the divisions of a story may be ticketed-- #a4 ,starting things4 #b4 ,developing things4 #c4 ,accomplishing things4 ,the first part is devoted to introducing the characters2 starting them to work1 according to some pre-arranged scheme in the author's mind2 laying in the background1 and generally getting acquainted4 ,in the second part1 the scheme or plot is developed2 complications and side issues1 contrasting episodes and by-play may be introduced4 ,this is the place for the author to exercise all his ingenuity in seeming to wander farther and farther from the solution of the problem of the story1 while in reality he is ever drawing the reader towards it4 ,the third part is concerned with the actual solution of the problem1 and shows how all the previous happenings helped to bring about the climax with which the story should end4 ,sidenote3 ,length must be ,taken into ,consideration ,the three parts may1 or may not1 be about equal in length2 but if one is longer than the other1 it should be the middle part4 ,it is never well to introduce delays in the first part1 nor are they desirable in the last part4 ,to be complex or episodical at the start is unwise2 the reader likes to get well under way moderately early1 to know who everybody is and what they are after4 ,when your story is fairly launched1 you can lengthen it with diversions1 descriptions1 dialogues1 and episodes1 and1 granted they are interesting and have a direct bearing on the story1 the reader will not complain4 ,but once you reach the third part1 and start to gather up the scattered characters and far-flung incidents1 in order to unite them all into one convincing conclusion1 you must not dally1 nor divert the reader's attention from the main issue4 ,you will see from the foregoing that it is necessary to fix the length of your story before you start to work--otherwise you will not get it properly balanced4 ,i do not mean that you must tie yourself down to an exact number of words for each part1 any more than for the whole2 but you should settle1 before you start1 an approximate estimate of the amount of space you will allow to each part1 and then see that you keep somewhere near it4 ,for instance1 the probability is that1 unless you keep an eye on yourself1 you will overdo the detail in the first part4 ,so many novices start writing their story before they have half thought it out in all its bearings2 the result is that all sorts of new ideas come to them1 and fresh developments1 and different aspects of the plot2 and they add to their original plan1 work in fresh characters1 amplify those that are already there1 till all sense of proportion is gone4 ,or they may have a special liking for one particular character 7invariably it is the one who1 they secretly think1 represents their own tastes and aspirations71 and they will overdo this one with detail1 and unduly spin out that portion of the book4 ,then again1 when we are fresh1 and only starting a work1 we are more inclined to stroll leisurely among voluminous particulars1 and write all that comes into our head1 than we are when we have written forty thousand words1 and are wishing we could get the rest of it out of our brain1 and down on the paper1 with less physical1 as well as less mental1 effort6 ,therefore1 when you eventually revise your ,,ms4 as a whole1 overhaul the first section very thoroughly1 cutting it down ruthlessly if you find you have been unduly diffuse4 ,nowadays a story that drags at the outset is doomed4 ,sidenote3 ,form as ,applied to ,articles ,but fiction is not the only class of writing ruled by ,form2 articles1 essays1 verse are all subject to a certain order of presentation1 and certain restrictions1 which no writer can ignore without lessening the effectiveness of his work--and in the main the threefold basis applies to all4 ,when writing an essay or an article1 it is useful to make your divisions as follows-- #a4 ,state your theme and your reasons for its choice4 7,in other words3 make it quite clear to your readers what you are going to write about1 and why you decided to write about it47 #b4 ,say what you have to say about it4 #c4 ,give the conclusions to be drawn therefrom4 ,here1 as in the case of fiction1 it is desirable to get right into your subject quickly1 never side-tracking the readers' mind on to a subsidiary topic until they have a firm hold of your main theme4 ,ruskin was particularly tiresome in the way he would turn off at a tangent1 and start talking about some minor matter1 before the reader had grasped what subject he was proposing to deal with4 ,after you have turned your theme inside out1 in the second part1 and told all the points about it that you think will be new to your reader1 make your third part a climax1 in that it works up to a definite conclusion4 ,it does not matter what the subject of your article1 broadly speaking it should be built on these lines1 since this is the form in which the human mind seems best able to take in information4 ,you cannot expect people to follow your descriptions1 your arguments1 or your objections1 if they do not know what you are talking about2 hence the need for a very clear presentation of your subject at the beginning4 ,and1 in order to leave your reader in a satisfied frame of mind1 i4e4 with a sense of certainty that things were brought to their logical conclusion--also an essential in a work of art--the third section must be primarily occupied with the reasons for1 or the outcome of1 or the deductions to be drawn from1 that which has gone before4 ,this leaves the middle section of the article for digressions1 side issues1 or any other form of amplification4 ,once the student recognises how desirable are the laws of ,form1 how they give shape and proportion and cohesion to matter that would otherwise be void and hopeless1 he will realise how impossible it is to do good work without preliminary thought1 and careful planning4 ,and he will also understand how it is that ,,mss4 which are merely dashed off without any preparatory work1 those that just came of their own accord1 as the authors sometimes boast1 invariably fail to arouse a spark of enthusiasm in the soul of an editor4 ,right ,selection ,is ,important ,the mere fact that the sun never sets on the ,british ,empire does not necessitate our including the whole of it in one ,,ms4 ,yet some beginners seem most industriously anxious to do this4 ,amateurs may be divided roughly into two classes3 those who tell too little1 and those who tell too much4 ,the majority come under the latter heading4 ,the literary artist is he who knows exactly what to select from the mass of material before him 7in order to make the reader see what he himself sees72 and what to discard as non-essential4 ,i am inclined to think that the instinct for selection is largely born1 not made4 ,it is one of the channels through which genius betrays itself4 ,very few great artists can explain why they chose one particular set of items for their canvas1 or their book1 and ignored others2 or why that particular set conveys a sense of beauty to the observer1 when another set would make no such appeal4 ,yet the sense or instinct can be cultivated to some extent1 and the first step is to recognise the necessity for careful selection4 ,few beginners give a thought to the matter4 ,they imagine that all they have to do1 when they set out to tell a story1 or describe some incident or scene1 is to say all they can about it--the more the better4 ,i never spare myself where detail is concerned1 a would-be contributor wrote when offering a magazine article4 ,unfortunately she did not spare me either2 there were fifty-seven pages of close1 nearly illegible writing1 describing the tombs of some long-dead unknowns in an out-of-the-way ,continental church4 ,to enumerate every single item is not ,art2 it is cataloguing4 ,slight themes require but few details4 ,sidenote3 ,training ,yourself in the ,matter of ,selection ,look your subject well over before you write a line2 decide what are its outstanding features1 which are its most prominent characteristics1 and what it is absolutely necessary to say about it1 in order to give a clear presentment4 ,at the same time1 note what is irrelevant to the main purport of your writing1 and what is comparatively unimportant4 ,after all1 the mind can only take in a certain amount of detail1 a certain number of facts2 and as it cannot absorb everything1 a limit has to be placed somewhere4 ,common sense tells us that since something must be left out1 it is well to omit the colourless1 unimportant data that never will be missed6 ,in every scene there are always definite points that arrest the attention and give character to the whole1 and many other points that really do not make very much difference one way or the other4 ,the artist 7whether he be making word-pictures or colour-pictures7 selects those points that give the most character to the scene1 those incidents which convey the most comprehensive idea of the place and the people and their doings1 in the fewest words4 ,if you are writing a story1 it is seldom necessary to describe every thing appertaining to1 and every one connected with1 the heroine1 for example--at any rate1 not on her first appearance4 ,her home1 her relations1 her dress1 can often be dealt with in a few sentences2 but those sentences must contain just the facts that give the key to the whole situation4 ,probably it will not throw any vivid light on the lady if you state that her drawing-room was upholstered in old rose1 and she herself devoted to chocolate2 because the virtuous no less than the wicked1 the most advanced feminist as well as the silliest bundle of vanity1 might all have equal leanings toward old rose and be addicted to chocolate4 ,but if you state1 either that she was reading a first edition of ,dante1 or cutting out flannelette undergarments for the sewing meeting1 or powdering her chalky nose in public--the reader will have some sort of clue as to your heroine's personality4 ,an instinct for selection will tell you which item will characterise a person most accurately4 ,in the same way some incidents will directly affect the whole trend of a story1 others leave the main issues untouched4 ,select the incidents that matter1 and leave those that merely mark time without taking the reader any further4 ,sidenote3 ,caricature is not ,characterization ,but while it is desirable to record outstanding features1 it is not wise1 as a rule1 to emphasise mere peculiarities1 as this only tends to stamp one's writing as unnatural1 exaggerated1 or caricature4 ,far better seize on general topical characteristics1 only select those that are prominent1 colourful1 and vigorous1 rather than neutral1 insipid traits or happenings4 ,people reading ,kipling's story1 ,the ,cat that walked by itself1 invariably exclaim1 ,that's just like our cat6 ,yet in all probability ,kipling's cat was not at all like either of their cats4 ,he merely chose the typical characteristics common to all cats1 and each person immediately sees his own individual pussy in the picture4 ,a lack of an instinct for selection is one of the commonest failings in amateurs1 and is responsible for the rejection of an endless stream of ,,mss4 ,for this reason it is desirable that the beginner should pay special heed to the subject1 and note to what extent he is making actual selection1 or whether he is merely jotting down all and sundry in haphazard unconcern4 ,when ,writing ,articles ,there are two main difficulties in writing an article2 one is to get a good beginning1 the other is to get a good ending4 ,if you know your subject well 7and it is useless to write on a subject you do not know well71 it is wonderful how the middle portion takes care of itself in comparison with the care that has to be bestowed on the entrance and exit4 ,i have seen amateurs write and write and re-write their opening paragraphs 7with intervals of perplexed pen-nibbling in between71 crossing out a sentence as soon as they put it down1 interpolating fresh ideas that ran off at a tangent1 suddenly jumping back a hundred years or so in their anxiety to start at the very beginning of the subject--and finally tearing up their by-now-unreadable ,,ms41 and commencing all over again4 ,here are two methods by which you may more easily get under way--and the great thing is to get under way1 and write something1 then you at least have a concrete ,,ms4 to pull to pieces and re-arrange and hammer into shape4 ,it is the blank paper1 or the page you have crossed out and then torn up in despair1 that is so irritatingly non-productive6 ,sidenote3 ,settle your ,chronological ,starting-point--and ,stick to it ,decide1 before you write a line1 the exact point in the life-story of your subject at which you will start4 ,remember that it is impossible to say everything about it1 or give the whole of its history2 therefore settle quickly what can safely be left out concerning its antecedents and early childhood without detriment to the subject as a whole4 ,once you have made up your mind as to the precise chronological starting point1 stick to it 7half the initial trouble of getting into your subject will be over if you do72 and do not in the course of a few paragraphs hark back to some previous happening or era1 because you have suddenly remembered something that might be made to bear on the subject4 ,the way anxious writers will endeavour to tell every mortal thing that can be told regarding the most distant prehistoric family connections of their subject1 is on a par with a certain type of chairman at a meeting1 who will persist in dilating on the sayings and doings of his great-grandfather instead of dealing with the topic in hand4 ,if ,i ask the untrained amateur to write me an article on ,the ,use of ,pigeons in ,war1 the chances are all in favour of his starting with the ,ark1 and talking for several paragraphs round the ,dove with the olive branch4 ,by a natural and easy transition1 he would presently be quoting1 ,oh for the wings of a dove6 ,pliny's doves would have an innings1 the ,london pigeons of ,st4 ,paul's have honourable mention1 the ornithological significance of the botanical term ,aquilegia might be touched upon1 with other equally irrelevant or far-fetched allusions to the ,columbae as a whole2 and all this before any really serviceable information is forthcoming under the heading specified4 ,this is no exaggerated picture2 it is the type of article frequently submitted1 and is due to a writer's lack of an instinct for selection1 and his determination to leave nothing unsaid4 ,in the end1 he of course leaves a great deal unsaid1 because the inevitable limitations of an article make it impossible to give so much past history and still find room to say what should be said about the present-day aspect4 ,the space is gone before the writer has barely got there6 ,and because of this tendency to expend too much ink at the beginning on details that are too far removed from the central point of interest to be worth recording1 ,i will give another hint that may occasionally prove useful4 ,sidenote3 ,when in ,doubt--,begin in the ,middle ,when in doubt where to start1 begin in the middle2 i4e4 attack the subject where the interest seems to focus2 or launch out without any preliminary whatever1 into the very heart of the matter4 ,it is quite possible it may prove to be the beginning6 ,the desirability of shaping an article according to the definite rules of form was dealt with on page #acf4 ,a careful planning of the form beforehand will help the writer to keep his article properly balanced1 and to avoid over-weighting it unduly with unimportant data at the outset4 ,sidenote3 ,when you have ,finished--,leave off ,with regard to the wind-up of an article1 here again the writer has much in common with the speaker1 and happy is he who knows instinctively just when to leave off4 ,so few do6 ,failing an instinctive perception of the right ending1 or the desirable climax1 the writer can deliberately plan one and then work up to it4 ,and it is well to plan it fairly early1 in order to make the whole of the article gravitate toward this finale4 ,sidenote3 ,it is the ,final ,impression that ,counts ,in writing1 as in so many other things1 it is the final impression that counts4 ,the reader's attitude of mind1 when he comes to the end of the last page1 is a powerful factor in settling your success as a writer4 ,if you end lamely1 with non-effective sentences1 or with pointless indecision--if1 in short1 the reader does not feel he has got somewhere or achieved something by reading the article1 he will not be remarkably keen on anything else you may write4 ,the beginner seldom pauses to inquire3 ,what is my object in writing this article8 ,if ,i were to put the question to a number of would-be authors1 and they replied truthfully1 they would say1 ,to see myself in print1 or1 ,to make money2 yet ,i cannot reiterate too often that what we write must have more in the way of backbone than this4 ,the reason that thousands of ,,mss4 are returned to the senders every year is because those senders had no other object in view1 apart from money-making or getting into print4 ,decide therefore on a more useful object--useful1 that is1 from the reader's point of view4 ,the reader does not care one iota whether you are going to make money1 or whether you now see yourself in print for the first time4 ,the point he is concerned with is what he himself gets out of his reading--whether he has been amused and entertained1 or has gained information1 or a new light on an old subject1 or a spiritual uplift1 or useful facts1 or some fresh interest1 or a soothing narcotic for an anxious brain4 ,and you must have some such object in mind1 when you plan the shortest article1 no less than when you scheme out a novel4 ,in writing the article on ,the ,use of ,pigeons in ,war your object might be the giving of information that would be fresh to the public 7and we never need trouble to tell them that which they know already72 information calculated to increase their knowledge of the ways in which we waged the great war for the world's freedom1 and also to give them a new interest in these wonderful birds4 ,bearing all this in mind1 it will be seen at once that the preamble about the ,ark would be quite unnecessary1 since it would convey no new information whatever4 ,mere recapitulation of ancient well-known facts is never desirable1 outside a text-book4 ,sidenote3 ,keep an ,eye on ,topicality ,topicality has often much to do with the acceptance of an article2 but the beginner seldom takes this point into consideration4 ,the finest article one could write would be turned down if the subject were out of date--and twenty-four hours make all the difference4 ,we move at such express speed1 and events hurry past at such a rapid rate1 that the article an editor would jump at to-day may be useless to him to-morrow2 the book that would be marketable this season may be unsaleable next4 ,of course this does not apply to every ,,ms41 but it does to a good many1 and particularly in regard to articles for periodicals4 ,if you think your subject will have special interest for the public at the moment--send it at once1 and if it is the burning question of the day1 send it to a newspaper rather than to a magazine1 remembering that magazines have to go to press some weeks before the date of publication4 ,if a magazine editor receives your ,,ms4 ,january #ast1 the very earliest he could get it into his magazine would probably be ,april1 and the chances are he would have everything planned and set up until ,may4 ,in the ,girls' ,own ,paper and ,woman's ,magazine1 for instance1 the final sheet of the ,september number has to be passed for press the first week in ,june4 ,bearing these facts in mind1 you will realise that it is useless to send an article on a ,christmassy subject to an editor in ,november4 ,his ,christmas number was probably put together in ,august1 and by ,november it is travelling by train or steamer1 bullock-wagon or native carrier1 to distant parts of the world4 ,sidenote3 ,articles that are not ,wanted ,and ,i must mention another fault common with beginners4 ,it is useless to offer articles that are nothing more than a rechauffe of encyclopaedic facts4 ,any schoolboy can string together text-book information1 and compile facts from other people's works4 ,if your article is on an old-established theory1 or some well-known theme1 you must contribute some new personal experience1 if it is to be of any worth4 ,readers will not pay for books or articles that contain nothing but what they could write themselves1 given the time and the works of reference4 ,then1 again1 it is useless to choose a subject merely because it appeals to you personally2 if there is no likelihood of its appealing to the majority of the readers1 it is valueless to an editor4 ,sidenote3 ,study the ,readers' ,preference no less than your ,own ,the business of writing is like every other business in that self-effacement may contribute much to success4 ,the good business man does not spend his time talking about his own tastes and achievements and preferences2 he keeps an eye on what interests his customers and talks about that4 ,the good writer does not write merely to air his own likes and dislikes and grievances1 or to impress people with his own attainments and good fortune2 he keeps his eye on what interests his readers 7who are his customers7 and follows this up in some degree in his writings4 ,this need not mean any relinquishing of personal ideals1 or pandering to cheap tastes4 ,the readers' ideals may be as high--or even higher--than yours2 their tastes may be quite as refined--but they are not necessarily the same as yours4 ,therefore1 study what will interest them to read rather than what it will interest you that they should read4 ,think it out1 and you will find there may be a world of difference between the two4 ,sidenote3 ,send ,suitable ,articles to ,likely ,magazines ,writers are often told to study the type of articles appearing in the magazine in which they are anxious to see their own work published4 ,this is very sound advice4 ,the unsuitabilities that are offered at times are past counting4 ,a man wrote recently to the editor of a prominent ,missionary ,monthly3 ,i notice you have no chess columns in your paper4 ,i could supply one regularly1 and ,i assure you it would help your circulation considerably4 ,for the ,woman's ,magazine ,i have been offered murder stories of the most lurid and revolting character2 articles on ,seal-hunting in the ,arctic as a ,sport1 ,curiosities in ,kite-,flying1 ,the ,making of ,modern ,motor ,roads1 and others equally outside the range of women's activities even in these days of wide-flung doors4 ,sidenote3 ,editors do not want ,repeat-,subjects as a ,rule ,avoid offering articles on subjects that have already been dealt with in a periodical4 ,unless you have unique and valuable information to add to that already given1 space cannot be spared to repeat matter4 ,moreover1 the public does not want to pay twice for the same thing--and that is what it would amount to4 ,it is no recommendation to write to an editor1 ,i see you have an article on ',glow-worms as a ,hat-,trimming' in your last issue2 ,i am therefore sending you another article on the same subject4 ,unless you have some new and really informing data to contribute1 the probability is that you would only be covering the same ground as the previous writer4 ,neither are you likely to get your ,,ms4 accepted if you write1 ,i have read the article on ',glow-worms' in your last issue1 and disagree with many of the statements made therein4 ,far from glow-worms being things of elusive beauty and suggestive of fairyland1 as your contributor calls them4 ,i regard them as noxious pests4 ,i have written my views in detail1 and hope you will be able to publish the article in your next issue to counteract the wrong impression that the other one conveyed4 ,now1 an editor to a large extent identifies himself with the views expressed in the pages of the paper he edits4 ,and had he not approved of the statements made1 he would not have been inclined to print them in an ordinary non-controversial paper4 ,is it likely1 then1 that he would want another contribution calmly informing his readers that the previous article was entirely wrong and unreliable8 ,sidenote3 ,on ,the ,subject of ,how to---- ,most editors are overdone with the usual ,how to-- articles4 ,the public has by now been told ,how to do everything under the sun1 ,i am inclined to think2 but if you feel it laid upon your soul to impart still further instruction--try to find a fresh form of title4 ,do not choose too big a subject4 ,heaven1 ,human ,nature1 ,eternity1 and kindred themes are beyond the powers of any mortal--much less the beginner4 ,get right away from hackneyed phrases and allusions4 ,so many ,,mss4 are peppered throughout with such expressions as all sorts and conditions2 common or garden2 let us return to our muttons2 tell it not in ,gath2 but we must not anticipate4 ,if you feel drawn to write an essay on ,friendship1 it is not necessary to start with ,david and ,jonathan2 they have already been mentioned--more than once1 in fact--in this connection4 ,neither is it desirable1 when writing about ,jerusalem to quote1 a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid4 ,variety is always pleasing1 and editors do like to come upon something1 occasionally1 that they have not read more than a dozen times before4 ,suggestions for ,style ,if you are writing with the object of giving information1 avoid the indefinite style4 ,either make a clear1 decided statement 7if you are competent to do so71 or leave the matter alone4 ,you not only weaken the force of your statements1 and smudge your meaning1 by beating about the bush and walking round your subject1 but you cast doubts in the reader's mind as to whether you are fully qualified to write about it at all4 ,here is an extract from an article sent to me on ,the ,cultivation of ,broad ,beans4 ,speaking of blight1 the writer says3 ,i would not presume to dictate to the experienced gardener1 who doubtless has his own method of dealing with the black blight that is so common on these plants2 but for the benefit of the novice ,i would say that1 personally1 ,i always find it a good plan to nip off the tops of the beans so soon as the black fly appears4 ,and1 failing a better plan1 the amateur might try this4 ,articles written in this strain are fairly common1 and are often the outcome of modesty on the part of a writer who does not wish to appear too dogmatic1 or to take too much upon himself4 ,but from the utility point of view they are poor stuff1 and are suffering as much from blight as the unfortunate beans1 since each statement seems to be disparaged in some way by the over-diffident author6 ,either the remedy suggested for the black fly is a remedy1 or it isn't4 ,if it is a remedy1 then it is as applicable to the bean owned by the experienced gardener as to the one owned by the novice4 ,in short--if it be advantageous to nip off the tops of blighted broad beans1 the writer should have said so in simple ,english1 without apologising for his temerity in making the statement1 and thereby discounting all he says4 ,sidenote3 ,ambiguity must not be ,allowed to ,pass ,aim at writing with accuracy1 clearness and precision4 ,ambiguity should never be allowed to pass4 ,any sentence that you feel to be in the slightest degree uncertain1 or obscure1 as to meaning should be reworded so as to leave no doubt whatever as to your meaning4 ,if1 on re-reading your article1 you are not quite sure what you meant when you wrote any passage1 take it out altogether4 ,do not leave it in to puzzle the reader1 even though you add a footnote--as ,ruskin did--explaining that you have no idea what you meant when you wrote it4 ,in order to avoid an ambiguous style1 two things are necessary3 the ability to think clearly and concisely1 and the ability to write down exactly what one thinks4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,subject ,should ,regulate the ,choice of ,words ,the choice of words should be influenced by the subject of your writing4 ,a dignified subject calls for dignified language4 ,a racy subject calls for racy language2 and so on4 ,if your theme be a lofty one1 do not let down the train of lofty thought it should engender1 by introducing some word or phrase that induces a much lower--or a different--plane of thought and ideas4 ,it is a backward policy1 to say the least of it1 to weaken1 or obliterate1 by ill-chosen language1 the ideas you set out to foster in the reader4 ,it is no extenuation to plead that the jarring phrase is particularly expressive2 if it actually counteracts the ideas you seek to convey1 it cannot be expressing your meaning4 ,the beginner often gets himself tied up in a knot with negatives2 and even if he steer clear of actual error1 he is apt to overdo himself with double negatives4 ,it is better to make a direct statement in the affirmative if possible1 than to involve it in negatives4 ,instead of saying a not uncommon fault1 it is clearer at first sight if you say a common fault1 or a fairly common fault4 ,i know it does not always follow that the exact reverse fulfils the purpose of the double negative2 a fault may be not uncommon and yet not exactly common4 ,nevertheless it is always possible to get the precise shade of meaning in the affirmative2 and until a writer is quite fluent1 it is better not to risk confusing the reader's mind by the introduction of too many negatives4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,tendency to ,use ,involved ,sentences ,in the praiseworthy desire to use fine ,english1 the beginner is very apt to get a sentence such a mixed-up maze of words that there seems little hope of the meaning ever getting out alive at the other end6 ,i take this from a ,,ms4 just to hand3-- ,not that her parents would have entirely agreed with the supposition that there might have been that in his character which1 had he not felt himself unequal to the task which affected him not a little in its apparent issue1 even though actually simple in its ultimate object1 it would have been possible for him to utilise to such an extent that he might not have entirely disappointed their none too sanguine estimate of his ability4 ,i admit that all amateurs do not rise to such cloud-wrapped heights2 but many are nearly as bad6 ,then1 again1 ,i have known the idea the author had in view when he started a paragraph1 to get lost half-way through6 ,this is due to the fact that the mind has not been trained to sustain consecutive thinking1 but is permitted to veer round to all points of the compass like a weather-cock4 ,sidenote3 ,every ,why hath a ,wherefore ,if you enunciate a problem1 see that you give the solution4 ,if you start to elucidate some theory 7or the reader is led to believe that you are going to elucidate it71 do not forget all about it1 and switch off to something else4 ,if you have no solution to offer1 it is wiser and more satisfactory1 as a general rule1 not to put forward a problem at the close4 ,a sense of incompleteness--or of something still awaiting fulfilment--is as disastrous to the success of an article as it is to the success of a book4 ,sidenote3 ,undesirables ,beware of labouring a thought4 ,if your point is only a slight one1 do not reiterate it in various forms or over-embellish it4 ,if no big idea lies behind your sentences1 no amount of impressive1 ornate language will make your writing great4 ,people sometimes think that a fanciful style of writing will hide defects2 whereas1 on the contrary1 it often emphasises them4 ,avoid using many quotation marks and italics2 they make a page look fidgety4 ,also they indicate weakness4 ,if your remarks are not strong enough to stand alone1 without words or phrases being propped up by quotes or underlinings1 they are no better when so decorated4 ,a lavish use of extracts from other people's writings is undesirable4 ,as ,i have said elsewhere1 neither the publisher nor the reader is keen to pay for what they can read--and probably have already read--elsewhere4 ,a pedantic style of phraseology1 and a desire to let other people see how much one knows1 are amateur failings4 ,some beginners go to the other extreme1 and adopt a slangy1 purposely-ungrammatical style1 with the beginnings and finals of words clipped away1 and a cultivated slovenliness that they imagine gives a picturesque quality1 or an ultra up-to-dateness1 to their writing4 ,but no good work is ever built on such foundations4 ,the first thing to aim for is clarity1 and the ability to express yourself in an easy1 natural and concise manner1 always using the fewest and the best words for the purpose1 and employing them according to modern methods4 ,sidenote3 ,improbabilities1 misnamed ,imaginative ,writing ,amateurs often lean towards the improbable--calling it imaginative work--partly because they fancy they are less hampered by rules and restrictions than if they take everyday1 mundane subjects4 ,yet--paradox though it may seem--the improbable must be bounded by probability in its own sphere2 and imagination must be kept within definite limits and work according to definite forms--else it is no better than the gibberings of an unhinged mind4 ,beginners frequently choose the moon1 the stars1 or the ether as the background for their imaginary characters2 or they revel in after-death scenes that are supposed to represent the next world--either of suffering or of happiness4 ,and a favourite ending is something like this1 ,suddenly ,i awoke1 and lo1 it was only a dream1 etc4 ,avoid all these hackneyed themes1 and obvious tricks4 ,it takes a ,dante to lead us convincingly through the mazes of an unknown world4 ,perhaps you feel that you are a ,dante8 ,possibly you are3 greatness must make a start somewhere4 ,but in that case1 there will be no need for you to strain after effect2 genius can be evinced in the treatment of the simplest subjects4 ,therefore experiment at the outset with everyday themes1 and perfect your style in this direction before embarking on a very ambitious programme3 we must learn to walk before we can run4 ,the airman does not start turning somersaults the first time he goes aloft 7or1 if he does1 that is the last time we hear of him1 poor fellow74 ,it is a mistake to think that the undisciplined wanderings of an untrained mind betoken imaginative genius4 ,it is the way one handles the commonplace that reveals the true artist2 and style plays an important part in this1 though it is by no means everything6 ,the question of imaginative work is big enough to deserve a volume to itself3 much has already been written on the subject1 and much remains to be said--too much to make it possible to do it justice in a book of this description4 ,but ,i mention it here1 in passing1 to warn the beginner against spending much time on work that is not imaginative but merely impossible1 until thoroughly grounded in the rudiments of his craft4 ,sidenote3 ,pecularity is not ,originality ,literature seldom gains by peculiarities of style or marked mannerisms1 even though these are to be found in the works of certain writers who are of unquestionable ability4 ,such devices tend to become monotonous1 and as a rule the public will only tolerate them when the subject matter of a book is so good that it is worth while to plough through the writer's mannerisms to get at it--i4e4 mannerisms are put up with only when the writer is great in spite of them3 no one is great because of his mannerisms2 they are only superficial disturbances4 ,i am not saying this to discourage any attempt at originality of style2 real originality is usually most desirable2 what ,i am anxious to impress on the beginner is the fact that mere peculiarity is not originality4 ,nor will it benefit anyone's work to copy the mannerisms of great writers--since these are often their defects4 ,sidenote3 ,mannerisms are soon ,out of ,date ,it must also be remembered that many mannerisms are nothing more than fashions of the moment1 just as most slang is2 and in these rapid times they quickly become out of date1 whereupon they give a book an antiquated touch4 ,and few things are more difficult to survive than an atmosphere that is merely old-fashioned and nothing more4 ,it will be quite time enough1 when you are expert at writing clear1 understandable ,english1 to decide whether your genius can best find expression in long and complicated sentences as used by ,henry ,james1 or in such cynical scintillations as those favoured by ,bernard ,shaw1 ,,of in the paradoxical methods of ,g4 ,k4 ,chesterton1 or what you will4 ,no limit need be set once a person has ideas to give the world1 and can write them down in simple1 direct1 well-chosen language4 ,the ,ubiquitous ,fragment ,amateurs often think it is much easier to write a fragment than to write a complete anything4 ,the one who hesitates as to whether he has the ability to write a long story1 is quite sure he is capable of writing a fragmentary bit of fiction--one of those vague scraps with neither beginning nor ending that are always tumbling into the editor's letter-box--and he feels that all vagueness1 and lack of finish1 and the fact that the ,,ms4 gets nowhere1 are sanctioned because he adds1 as a sub-title some such qualification as ,an ,episode1 or ,a ,character ,study1 or ,a ,glimpse4 ,in the same way a writer who is too diffident to attempt a volume of essays1 will feel perfect confidence in sending out a ,,ms4 labelled ,a ,reverie1 or ,a ,meditation1 even though it be nothing more than a rambling collection of platitudes on the sunset4 ,in most cases it is a distrust of his own powers that inclines the amateur to embark on writing of this type4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,fragment may be ,incomplete1 but it should not be ,formless ,fragments may be exceedingly beautiful2 they are really most acceptable in this hurrying age when life often seems too crowded with work-a-day cares to leave us much leisure for sustained reading4 ,but they must embody the fundamental principles of ,form2 and they must be constructed with even more attention to artistic presentment1 7or the means used to captivate the reader71 than would be necessary for a lengthier work4 ,also1 though they are but fragmentary1 they must appear to be portions of a desirable whole1 sections of a well-finished piece of work4 ,their apparent incompleteness should seem due to the author having insufficient time--not insufficient knowledge--to finish them4 ,what is set down must not only be good work in itself1 but it must suggest other good work as a completion4 ,you have probably seen some reproduction of a fragmentary pencil or pen-and-ink sketch1 by an experienced artist1 showing only a portion of a figure or a building2 yet so suggestive that the onlooker instinctively fills in the remainder1 and constructs out of the artist's unfinished drawing a picture complete and beautiful4 ,i have several such sketches before me on my study wall4 ,one shows a corner of a quadrangle in the precincts of a cathedral4 ,in the background there is a ,gothic west window1 a buttress1 and a piece of a tower2 while a flight of steps in a corner of the quadrangle1 a bit of old-world stone-work around a doorway and window1 a fragment of roof and a cluster of chimneys1 with half a dozen lines indicating an ancient flagged walk1 comprise the remainder4 ,only a few inches of paper and a few pen-strokes--nevertheless instinctively the mind runs on1 and sees the whole of the cathedral in the shadowy background2 the side of the quadrangle past the old doorway2 even the street beyond with its cobble stones and market women4 ,indeed1 you can visualise all the life of the quaint sleepy1 ,french town if you look long enough at the little fragment2 not because it is all indicated by the artist and left in an incomplete state1 but because what he did put down is so vital1 so suggestive1 so fraught with possibilities1 that the mind fills in all the blanks1 and fills them in with beauty corresponding with the specimen he has shown us4 ,and while we are studying the sketch1 it may be noticed that though this is but an unfinished fragment1 it is perfectly balanced1 and shapely and proportionate as it stands4 ,the patch of light on the flagged path is balanced by the shadow in the doorway4 ,the flight of crumbling stone steps1 the most conspicuous feature in the foreground1 has been drawn with the utmost pains in every detail4 ,even the cathedral window looming in the background has its exquisite tracery carefully drawn1 no scamping the work because it was only the background of an incomplete sketch4 ,in the same way1 a fragmentary word picture should be properly constructed1 and absolutely accurate in detail 7so far as that detail goes71 well proportioned1 carefully balanced1 containing distinct charm in itself4 ,the background may be only lightly indicated1 but even so1 it should contain possibilities--7the cathedral may be in misty shadow1 but you must be able to see enough of it to know that it is a cathedral1 and a great cathedral at that74 ,the central idea must be placed well in the foreground1 it should be clearly stated1 and be something worth calling an idea4 ,the points you mention1 but leave unamplified should be something more than windowless1 blank walls1 or blind alleys leading nowhere2 they should open up fresh vistas of thought1 and send the reader's mind out and beyond the limits of your sentences4 ,your word-picture must be satisfying in itself1 even though one realises that it is but a small part of a much larger whole that might have been written1 had time and space permitted4 ,certain literary fragments extant are probably portions of large works the authors had in view but did not finish2 ,coleridge's ,kubla ,khan1 for instance4 ,the type of fragment ,i am talking about in this chapter1 however1 is actually finished1 so far as the author's handling is concerned2 but unfinished in detail and setting1 or with only a vignetted background4 ,some writers have set down a few lines with neither introduction nor development plot1 yet such is the force and the revealing quality of the sentences they put down1 and the accuracy of their sense of selection1 that they have conveyed as much1 and suggested as much1 to the mind of the reader as if they had written pages4 ,the following verse of ,william ,allingham is an example ,here is a volume of suggestion in seven lines4 ,four ducks on a pond1 ,a grass bank beyond1 ,a blue sky of spring1 ,white clouds on the wing3-- ,what a little thing ,to remember for years-- ,to remember with tears6 ,tennyson wrote some beautiful fragments4 ,flower in a ,crannied ,wall contains a world of thought1 and could easily furnish a theme for a row of ponderous books2 ,break1 break1 break1 has poignant possibilities4 ,william ,sharp1 as ,fiona ,macleod1 wrote some charming prose fragments2 but behind each you will invariably find a complete idea1 and an idea that suggests others4 ,practise writing fragments by all means1 but see that they are shapely1 and suggestive of greater space and a bigger outlook than can be measured by the number of sentences4 ,above all1 let each embody some idea--and let there be no uncertainty as to the whereabouts of that idea1 no ambiguity as to what you are driving at4 ,to produce a good fragment you must do some intensive thinking1 because you have not space to spread yourself out4 ,this will be a gain to all your writing4 ,the rambling1 formless habit of thinking is the bane of the amateur1 and the type of ,,mss4 resulting therefrom is the bane of the editor4 ,concerning ,local ,colour ,local colour can be a powerful factor in enhancing the charm of a story or article4 ,it may be introduced as the background against which the scene is laid2 or as a sidelight on the scenery1 customs1 and types of people peculiar to a district4 ,anything can be utilised that conjures up in the reader's mind the idiosyncrasies of a definite locality--only it must be something that will conjure up the scene4 ,one advantage of local colour is the opportunity it gives the writer of a double hold on the reader's interest--he may captivate by the setting of his theme no less than by the theme itself4 ,also it enables him more effectually to take the reader out of himself1 and place him in a new environment--an essential point if that reader is to become absorbed in what he is reading4 ,mere verbatim description of scenery is not the best way to work in local colour2 it is liable to become guide-booky4 ,neither is a catalogue of the beauty spots of a locality any better4 ,usually the most advantageous method is a judicious1 illuminating touch here and there1 revealing outstanding characteristics1 and emphasising the material things that give colour1 i4e41 variety and vivid distinction1 to a scene4 ,they may be topographical characteristics or they may be personal characteristics4 ,beginners think that local colour is primarily a matter of hills and hedgerows1 sunbonnets and smocks--the picturesque element that we look for in the countryside4 ,but conversation can give local colour to a story without a single descriptive sentence4 ,pett ,ridge can transport you in an instant to the heart of ,hoxton or the ,walworth ,road1 by means of some bit of cockney dialect4 ,w4 ,w4 ,jacobs will give a salty1 far-sea-faring flavour to the most untravelled public-house in ,poplar1 in merely recounting a trifling difference of opinion between some of the customers6 ,local colour has justified the existence of more than one book that is thin both in literary quality and in plot2 ,the ,lady of the ,lake is an instance4 ,but ,i do not advocate a writer aiming for success on similar lines4 ,some words and expressions open up a much wider vista to the mind's eye than do others4 ,consider your descriptive passages critically1 and see if1 by a different choice of words1 you can1 in the same length of sentence1 give the reader a larger outlook4 ,sidenote3 ,american ,writers excel in the ,handling of ,local ,colour ,some ,british writers appreciate to the full the artistic value of local colour 7,rudyard ,kipling and ,mrs4 ,f4 ,a4 ,steel can make one feel as well as see ,india2 ,blackmore's books breathe ,devonshire2 ,lafcadio ,hearn--if one can call him ,british6--envelops one in the ,oriental odour of ,japanese temples2 ,shan ,f4 ,bullock's stories are ,ireland herself72 but many ignore its possibilities and set the scene with a nondescript society background1 or an equally non-commital rural haze4 ,american writers make rather more use of local colour4 ,and the reason is clear3 no other country presents so great a variety in the way of climate1 scenery1 and human types as does the ,united ,states4 ,an ,american author need only sit down and write of what he sees immediately around him1 and1 so long as he keeps away from such modern items as the ubiquitous commercial traveller and advertisement signs1 and devotes his attention to natural objects and local paraphernalia 7human and otherwise71 he is certain to be recording what is novelty to a large proportion of his fellow-countrymen4 ,moreover ,americans are more given to dealing with things in a straightforward1 unconventional manner than are the ,british writers1 writing of what they actually know and see around them1 unhampered by classical traditions and age-old literary usages4 ,hence1 there is often a freshness1 a vividly-alive quality in their descriptions1 that can only be obtained by writing with a subject red-hot in the mind4 ,the author who merely rushes into the country for a few days1 or spends a couple of weeks on the ,continent1 or sprints through the ,european ports of ,china1 to obtain local colour1 for a story1 usually gets about as stagey and artificial a result as does the home-keeping1 middle-class girl1 who has her heroine presented at the ,court of ,st4 ,james1 and draws the local colour from the ,society columns of a daily paper6 ,you must know your locality well yourself if you are to make the local colour real to your readers2 second-hand or hastily collected data are no good4 ,the would-be author will do well to study typically-,american authors1 with a view to observing their use of local colour--particularly those who wrote some of their best work before the motor-car and telephone exercised their levelling and linking-up influences4 ,to name one or two3 ,mary ,e4 ,wilkins and ,sarah ,orne ,jewett have specialised on ,new ,england village life2 ,charles ,egbert ,craddock 7,miss ,murfree7 on the ,great ,smoky ,mountains of ,tennessee2 ,george ,cable on ,louisiana2 ,james ,lane ,allen on ,kentucky2 ,amelie ,rives1 in her earlier books1 on ,virginia2 etc4 ,and it is worth while noting that such writers give1 not only pictures of the scenery about them1 but also an insight into the native character4 ,thus both ,mary ,e4 ,wilkins and ,sarah ,orne ,jewett depicted the rigid pride of the ,new ,englanders1 as well as the poor but picturesque quality of the soil4 ,george ,cable showed the temperament of the ,southerner as well as the tropical glamour of the ,southern ,states4 ,owen ,wister has made us love the large-hearted1 child-like1 primitive cowboy1 as well as feel the vastness and the very air of the plains and the mountains of ,wyoming4 ,such work is local colour at its best1 since it gives us the human traits as well as the scenic conditions predominating in a locality1 and enables us to form a mental picture of the people and the place as a whole4 ,closely allied to this1 is that most fascinating study--the effect of climate1 scenery1 and general environment on character4 ,but as that subject is outside the purview of this book1 ,i merely suggest it to the student as something well worth following up1 if there be an opportunity for first-hand observation4 ,for the novelist who specialises on temperamental delineation1 it has wide possibilities4 ,creating ,atmosphere ,have you ever seen a landscape painting that was one expanse of correctness in detail1 and yet seemed either utterly dead1 or to walk out of the canvas at every point and hit you violently in the eye8 ,such a painting often has a bright-red tiled roof--every tile visible and in its proper place2 a violently blue sky decorated here and there with solid masses of apparently unmeltable snow2 grass an acute green2 trees emphatic as to outline1 every branch clearly defined in its appointed place2 sheep standing out like pure-white snowflakes on the acute grass2 the smoke from the cottage chimney a thick grey mass suggesting a heavy bale of wool2 each brick1 each window frame1 each paling emphasised with careful exactness4 ,the amateur who produces a painting after this style is usually very pleased with it1 and attributes any adverse criticism1 that a competent artist may pass upon it1 to professional jealousy6 ,what is wrong with it8 ,i have heard a student ask1 when a master has condemned such a canvas4 ,it was all there1 every detail1 exactly as ,i have painted it4 ,yes1 it may have been all there1 but something else was there which the artist omitted to include1 and the something else was atmosphere4 ,the artist may put in every twig and tile1 every plant and pane of glass2 but if he omit the play of light1 the glamour of haze1 the mystery of shadow1 the marvellous suggestiveness of the undefined1 his painting will be lifeless and wooden1 or altogether unbalanced1 no matter how accurate the drawing4 ,equally1 the author needs atmosphere if his writing is to rise above the dead level of the uninspired2 but while one can define to some extent 7though not entirely7 what is atmosphere in a painting1 it is next to impossible to give an exact definition of atmosphere in writing4 ,it is an elusive quality difficult to describe off-hand4 ,so intangible is it that you can seldom put your finger on a passage and say1 ,here it is6 yet all the while you may be fully conscious of there being--back of the writing--something more than plot1 or purpose4 ,the atmosphere of a book may appertain to matters moral or material2 it may affect the mind or the emotions2 it may be beneficial or baneful2 it may give colour or glamour1 light or shade2 it may be mysterious or mesmeric4 ,but whatever its trend1 in the main it lies in suggestiveness rather than in definite statement4 ,like its prototype1 atmosphere in writing is an unseen environment1 yet it permeates and influences the whole1 giving it character and even vitality4 ,sidenote3 ,atmosphere is ,invaluable as a ,time ,saver ,in writing it is possible to suggest a great deal that could not be described in detail within the limits imposed on you by the length of your book and the consideration of balance4 ,moreover1 the things suggested may be of secondary importance beside the main action of the story1 and yet be very useful in furthering the idea you have in mind1 or in helping to convey a particular impression4 ,in such cases the introduction of atmosphere may do much for you4 ,while you give only a hint here and there1 or a few sidelights in passing1 you may yet manage to convey to the readers a feeling that carries them beyond the cut-and-dried facts you may be handling1 or lifts them above the mere working-out of a plot4 ,it is the haze that may hide1 and yet indicate1 a something in the distance1 just beyond the range of sight--and the suggestion of something still beyond is always alluring2 the infinite within us rebels against finite limitations1 and welcomes anything that points to further ideas1 further possibilities4 ,thus atmosphere is invaluable as a time saver4 ,life is too short 7and the publisher too chary of his paper and printing bill7 to allow any of us1 save the truly famous1 to describe minutely the whole background of our writing1 spiritual1 mental1 or material4 ,if we can1 by a few expressive words1 or phrases1 create an atmosphere that shall reproduce in the reader's mind the train of thought1 or the scene1 that was in our own mind as we wrote1 we shall1 obviously1 be spared the making of many sentences1 and the covering of much paper with descriptive matter and soul analyses1 that might otherwise overweight our main theme4 ,sidenote3 ,abstract ,qualities are ,usually ,suggested ,atmosphere usually suggests some abstract quality rather than a concrete item4 ,we say that a work has an outdoor atmosphere or an old-world atmosphere or a healthy atmosphere2 or we may merely say it has atmosphere1 meaning a subtle over- 7or under-7 current that clothes the framework of the narrative with a glamour or a spiritual quality that will help to reinforce1 or mellow1 or illuminate the author's picture4 ,but we do not say a book has a millionaire atmosphere1 or a detective atmosphere1 even though the book be about these people4 ,they correspond with the solid objects in the landscape1 and are quite distinct from the atmospheric effects that can do so much to enhance the charm1 or subdue the sordidness1 of these solid objects4 ,it does not necessarily follow that the atmosphere of a book is a wholesome one4 ,there are some writers who create a positively poisonous atmosphere for the mind2 but1 fortunately1 the trend of humanity is in the direction of clean thought and wholesome living1 even though our progress be slow and we encounter set-backs2 and vicious books are seldom long-livers1 while those the public call for again and again are invariably books with a healthy atmosphere4 ,the student might make a special note of this6 ,atmosphere in a well-written book is often so unobtrusive that the reader fails to recognise it as a specific element in the make-up of the story that did not get there by accident4 ,it is so easy to fall into the error of thinking that this or that characteristic or ingredient is due to the author's style1 or temperament1 or genius2 certainly it may be due to either or all of these things1 but if it is worth anything it is also due to a well-thought-out scheme on the part of the writer4 ,in other words1 atmosphere only gets into a work if it is put there4 ,it does not merely happen along1 and if you want your writing to be imbued with atmosphere1 you must supply it2 it won't come of itself4 ,and before you can supply it1 you must first think out what you want that atmosphere to be and then decide how best you can secure it4 ,sidenote3 ,atmosphere covers a ,wide ,range of ,suggestion ,it may have to do with spiritual aspects of life--high ideals1 faith1 healthy thought1 right living4 ,ruskin's ,sesame and ,lilies comes under this head1 even though the subject-matter is not religious according to our ordinary use of the word4 ,from beginning to end one is thinking on a higher plane than that of material consideration2 one's thoughts are continually branching out beyond the actual purport of the book as set forth by the author4 ,an old-world atmosphere has a special charm for many readers4 ,we find it in ,cranford1 ,jane ,austen's books1 and many others of a bygone period--though it should be noticed that in these cases the authors did not purposely incorporate it in their work4 ,they put atmosphere1 certainly2 but it has only become an old-world atmosphere by the courtesy of ,father ,time3 in their own day1 these books were quite up-to-date productions4 ,certain modern books have an old-world atmosphere--,the ,broad ,highway and ,our ,admirable ,betty1 by ,jeffery ,farnol2 ,when ,knighthood was in ,flower1 by ,charles ,major 7and many others will occur to the mind72 but in each case the old-world atmosphere had to be put there very carefully by the author4 ,the hysterical atmosphere needs no description4 ,we know too well the type of book that keeps its characters 7and aims to keep its readers71 from the first chapter to the last1 keyed up to an unnatural pitch of emotionalism1 with copious details about everybody's soulful feelings and temperaments and lingerie4 ,books with this atmosphere were constantly striving to get their heads above water in the years of this century preceding the war4 ,they are interesting from one1 and only one1 point of view3 they indicate the diseased mentality that has always come to the surface in periods of the world's history prior to some great human upheaval4 ,a pessimistic atmosphere is fairly common--especially does it seem to find favour with young writers4 ,one of the best examples of a book with a really pessimistic atmosphere is the ,rubaiyat of ,omar ,khayyam4 ,atmosphere has sometimes transformed the commonplace into something rare and delightful4 ,our ,village1 by ,miss ,mitford1 is an instance4 ,here you have the most ordinary of everyday events described in such a way that they are invested with a halo of charm4 ,sidenote3 ,to ,create an ,atmosphere ,to create the atmosphere you desire1 you must be thoroughly imbued with it yourself--you cannot manufacture it out of nothing4 ,it must so possess you while you are at your work that it is liable to tinge all you write4 ,you will never make other people sense what you do not sense yourself4 ,for instance1 it would not be possible for an out-and-out pagan to write a book with a sympathetic evangelical atmosphere1 any more than the ,kaiser could write a book imbued with the spirit of true ,democracy4 ,then you must insinuate your atmosphere at times and seasons when it will make the most impression on the reader without interfering with1 or hindering1 the development of the story2 remembering that it is always better to suggest the atmosphere than to put it in with heavy strokes4 ,you may wish to make a story the very breath of the out-doors4 ,but in order to do this1 it would not be necessary to stop all the characters in whatever they were saying or doing1 while you describe scenery and sunsets1 or explain to the reader how out-doory everything and everybody is6 ,this would easily spoil the continuity and flow of the whole1 by switching the reader's mind off the plot and on to another train of thought4 ,instead1 you would make the whole book out-doory without any pointed explanation--setting the stage in the open air as much as possible1 emphasising the features of the landscape rather than boudoir decorations1 mentioning the sound of the soughing trees or the surging sea1 rather than the tune the gramophone was playing2 introducing the scent of the larches in the spring sunshine rather than the odour of tuberoses and stephanotis in a ballroom4 ,in each case the one would suggest freedom in the open air1 while the other would suggest conventionalities indoors4 ,in some such way1 you would rely on touches in passing to produce the desired effect1 always bearing in mind the importance of getting these touches as telling as possible4 ,such allusions 7often merely hinted at1 rather than spoken7 should be equal in effectiveness to long paragraphs of detailed description2 therefore1 choose carefully the means by which you hope to secure your end4 ,your touches must be so true and so sure that they instantly convey to the reader's mind your own mental atmosphere4 ,in this1 as much as in any other phase of writing1 you need an instinct for the essentials1 i4e4 a feeling that tells you instantly what will contribute most surely to the making of the atmosphere you desire1 and what is relatively unimportant4 ,atmosphere is the element in your work that can least of all be faked without detection--or cribbed from other writers4 ,it must permeate the whole of your story whether long or short1 and be something beyond the mere words you write down4 ,the readers must feel1 when they finally close the book1 that they have got more from you than what you actually said2 that you led their thoughts in directions that carried them off the highway of the obvious1 giving them visions of things that were unrecorded4 ,the ,method of ,presenting a ,story ,the method of presenting the story needs a little consideration4 ,the most common1 and the most desirable as a rule1 is the narrative1 told in a third person2 i4e4 the writer relates a story about certain people1 but does not himself pose as a character involved in the story4 ,beginners will do well to adhere to this type of story1 until they have attained to a certain amount of fluency with their ideas4 ,sidenote3 ,writing in the ,first ,person ,another popular method is the narrative told in the first person1 i4e4 the writer relates a story about certain people1 in which he also plays a more or less important part4 ,if well written1 this form makes a pleasant change from the story written in the third person2 but it necessitates a certain amount of experience on the part of the writer1 if it is to be saved from dulness4 ,moreover1 its limitations are hampering to the beginner4 ,if you are writing in the third person1 you1 as the author1 are allowed 7by that special concession granted to makers of fiction7 to know everything that every character in your story thinks or does4 ,you may relate in one paragraph what the hero was thinking and doing in ,san ,francisco1 and in the next what the heroine was thinking and doing at the same moment in ,new ,york4 ,but if you are writing in the first person1 you have not the same licence to roam all over the universe1 penetrating the deepest recesses of people's lives and laying bare their secret thoughts to the glare of day4 ,you are supposed to stick to your own part and mind your own business4 ,if you manage to find out other people's business as the story proceeds1 there must be some sort of circumstantial evidence as to how you found it out2 it will not be enough merely to state that it is so1 as you could do were you writing in the third person4 ,for instance1 in a ,,ms4 ,i pick up from the pile on my table ,i read3 ,he paused when he reached the drawing-room door and glared at her1 livid with rage4 ,she returned his look with one of haughty indifference4 ,then he left the house1 and as he walked along the cheerless streets1 he clenched his fists and hissed between his teeth1 ',you shall suffer for this4' ,she1 meanwhile1 rang the bell for tea and resumed the novel upon which she had been engaged when he arrived4 ,told in the third person1 it is easy to let the reader know what he and she were thinking and saying and doing at the same moment4 ,but supposing you were writing all this in the first person with yourself as the heroine1 it would not be so easy to convey the same information to the reader4 ,you could write3 ,he paused when he reached the drawing-door and glared at me1 livid with rage4 ,i returned his look with one of haughty indifference4 ,then he left the house1 and ,i rang the bell for tea and resumed the novel upon which ,i had been engaged when he arrived4 ,but if you wished to let the reader know how the bad-tempered creature clenched and hissed1 you would have to get at it by some round-about means--your dearest friend might call at the moment and tell you that she had just passed him in the cheerless street clenching and hissing2 or some other such device could be employed4 ,but all this involves extra thought and care in the construction of the story4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,stumbling-block to the ,amateur ,amateurs are much given to story-writing in the first person2 it seems such an easy method 7when they know nothing about it72 they invariably see themselves in a leading part1 and make the hero or heroine do and be all they themselves would like to do and be4 ,but they never go far before they trip up against this block of stumbling--the impossibility of the first person singular ,i being in two places at the same time1 and seeing inside people's hearts and brains1 to say nothing of their locked cupboards and secret drawers4 ,also1 the beginner is apt to forget the role he is supposed to be playing when he puts himself into a story1 and he lapses1 at intervals1 into the third person4 ,sometimes1 in order to dodge the difficulties1 an author will write one part in the form of a diary1 thus enabling a character to talk about herself 7it is usually a feminine character who keeps a diary674 ,then1 when the limitations of the first person singular hamper the progress of the story1 the diary is dropped for a time1 while the author revels in the all-embracing freedom of writing in the third person4 ,this is a weak method1 however1 and plainly a subterfuge2 being practically an announcement that the author could not or would not take the trouble to work the story through in correct form4 ,it is also bad from an artistic standpoint2 it does not hang together well2 past and present tenses are apt to get mixed2 it produces an unsatisfactory feeling in the mind of the reader1 who so often is in doubt as to whether the author is writing as a character in the story or merely as the author--and anything that leaves a confused1 unsatisfactory feeling in the reader's mind is poor art4 ,sidenote3 ,writing a ,story in the ,form of a ,diary ,a story written entirely in the form of a diary is sometimes attempted4 ,and closely allied to this is the story written as a series of letters4 ,both methods are popular with amateurs4 ,most people regard a diary as the simplest type of writing1 requiring neither style nor sequence1 nor even the thinnest thread of connection running through the whole1 unless the author so desires4 ,moreover1 though every one does not feel competent to write a book or even a short story1 we all feel competent to keep a diary--most of us have kept one at some time in our career4 ,what can be easier therefore than to write a story in diary form8 ,and we proceed to write our story as we wrote our own diary1 with this difference that we put into the fiction diary the sort of happenings we used to deplore the lack of1 when we wrote down our own daily experiences4 ,until we have given some study to the subject we do not recognise that1 while a series of somewhat disconnected sentences and brief entries may be very useful as records for future reference1 likewise may be moderately serviceable as safety-valves for overwrought1 self-centred temperaments1 they are seldom of interest to any one save the writer1 and if put forward as recreational reading1 may easily prove uninteresting in the extreme1 even with the addition of a love episode6 ,a story in diary form needs to be written by an experienced pen if it is to resemble a genuine diary1 and yet hold the reader's interest throughout1 and culminate in a good climax4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,story told in ,letters ,a story told in a series of letters can easily be the dullest thing imaginable4 ,what is an excellent letter seldom makes an excellent chapter in a novel4 ,a letter1 if it is to seem a real letter1 should be discursive2 and this is the very thing the amateur needs to guard against when writing a story1 if that story is to show force and action2 he is prone to be too discursive as it is4 ,in any case1 unless it is remarkably well done1 the reader chafes at the delay inevitably caused by the irrelevant small talk that is the hallmark of most letters4 ,some writers have managed to handle the letter-form in an interesting manner1 by relying on descriptive narrative1 rather than any striking plot1 to hold the reader4 ,the ,lady of the ,decoration by ,frances ,little1 is a good example4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,introduction of ,dialect ,dialect should be approached with caution4 ,it is so easy to be tedious and unintelligible in this direction4 ,remember that you are writing in what is almost a fresh language to most people1 when you employ a dialect that is purely local2 hence you are imposing an extra mental strain on the reader2 and in order to compensate for the additional demand you make on his brain1 you must give him something above the average in interest4 ,no one1 in these days of hustle1 is going to take the trouble to wade through a species of unknown tongue1 and wrestle with weird spelling and unfamiliar idiom1 unless there is something remarkably worth while to be got out of it4 ,and for one who will spare the time to fathom the mysteries of the dialect1 there are thousands who will give it up4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,object ,of ,writing a ,book is not to ,befog the ,reader's ,mind ,if it be necessary to write in a particular dialect1 avoid so far as possible the use of expressions that in no way explain themselves1 and crowding the pages with the more obscure colloquialisms of the district4 ,the object of writing a book is not to befog the reader's mind4 ,one knows that dialect is sometimes imperative in order to create the right atmosphere and to state things as they actually occurred4 ,in such cases it is usually best to use it only in small quantities--as where a native strolls across very few pages1 and is on view for only a short while4 ,yet you must see that your dialect is correct4 ,merely to write a few words phonetically1 and put a z in place of an s 7as is sometimes done1 for instance1 when making a native of ,somerset speak71 is not convincing4 ,to write a story throughout in dialect calls for exceptional skill2 and1 as a rule1 it can only be done successfully by those who have known a dialect from childhood1 or at any rate have spent some years in its company4 ,the names of ,sir ,james ,barrie and ,s4 ,r4 ,crockett naturally come to one's mind in this connection4 ,sidenote3 ,an ,honest ,tale speeds best being ,plainly ,told ,the beginner will be wise to write his early experiments in plain ,english and in the third person4 ,fiction that is free from confusion of style1 mixed methods1 and uncertainty of handling always does the best4 ,the story that is related in a clear direct manner is most popular with the public--likewise1 it is the most difficult to write well1 though few beginners believe this3 it looks so very simple6 ,fallacies in ,fiction ,i have come to the conclusion that the contrariness of human nature is largely responsible for the rejection of many of the ,,mss4 that never get into print2 but not the contrariness of the editor 7as the unsuccessful writer generally thinks when he sees his ,,ms4 back once more in the bosom of his family74 ,most of us1 at one period or another1 feel we could shine much more brilliantly in some other environment than the one in which we find ourselves4 ,it has been described as a divine discontent4 ,there is plenty of discontent about it1 ,i allow2 but ,i am not so sure that it is divine4 ,while it may be1 and often is1 the expression of a real need for a little more growing space1 it is sometimes the outcome of mere restlessness1 or a lazy1 selfish desire to escape the irksome things that are in our own surroundings1 vainly imagining that we can find some pathway in life where there are no disagreeables to be faced4 ,but whatever the motive may be1 there is a universal idea among the inexperienced that some other person's job is preferable to their own2 some one else's circumstances more interesting and romantic and dramatic and enthralling than theirs could ever be4 ,and the result is--much wasted opportunity4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,amateur so ,seldom has ,first-hand ,knowledge of his ,subject ,now the sum-total of this1 in regard to story-writing1 is the fact that fully #hj per cent4 of the fiction submitted to editors deals with situations of which the writer has practically no first-hand knowledge2 as a natural consequence it is unconvincing and often incorrect4 ,the schoolgirl who has never travelled beyond ,folkestone or ,boulogne1 and whose knowledge of fearsome weapons is limited to a hockey-stick1 riots one across the ,continent on a ,prisoner of ,zenda chase1 directly she starts to write4 ,the girl of twenty1 living a quiet1 useful life in some small provincial town1 in close attendance upon a kindly invalid aunt1 devotes the secret midnight candle to writing the life-story of a heartless butterfly of a faithless wife3 while the kindly invalid aunt is surreptitiously writing decorous mid-,victorian stories of very1 very mild wickedness coming to a politely bad end1 and oppressively good virtue arriving at the top 7with more moral advice than plot1 or anything else74 ,the niece imagines she is writing just the type of story that the public craves2 and the aunt is under the delusion that hers is just the sort of literature that is wanted for distribution among factory girls4 ,the maiden of high degree writes of the lily-white beauty of the girl in the grimy garret4 ,the democratic daughter of the colonies invariably sprinkles a few titles about her ,,ms4 ,before the war1 the anaemic young man in a city office1 who spent most of the year in a crowded suburb and his short vacation at some crowded seashore resort1 persistently wrote of the exploits of a marvellous detective who ran ,sleuth-hound ,bill to earth in ,gory ,gulch4 ,since #aiad1 he 7the young man7 has sent me many ,,mss4--from ,france1 ,salonika1 ,egypt1 ,india1 and ,flanders--and these are generally love stories1 and seldom bear a trace of battle-smoke or high adventure4 7,i am speaking of amateur work1 remember47 ,i have nothing to say against a desire for new horizons2 it is a legitimate part of our development4 ,and ,i can understand that for a certain type of weakly and rather starved personality there is a slight compensation for the lack of change they crave1 in putting down on paper their longings and ideals1 and in writing romance in which they secretly see themselves in the leading part4 ,but this is not saleable matter2 neither is it particularly readable matter1 as a general rule 7though there are occasional exceptions1 of course74 ,because in such cases the writers are invariably dealing with situations the inwardness of which they know really nothing4 ,or else all their knowledge has been obtained from the writings of others2 they are merely repeating other people's ideas and other people's descriptions4 ,sidenote3 ,choose your ,topic from your own ,environment ,you cannot write convincingly on topics about which you know little4 ,you can cover reams of paper--amateurs are doing it every day of the year6--with descriptions of people1 and houses1 and scenes1 and walks of life with which you have only a hearsay acquaintance2 but such writing is scarcely likely to be worth printing and paying for4 ,if the schoolgirl1 instead of wasting her time on something that reads like a washedout rechauffe of ,the ,scarlet ,pimpernel1 would try her hand at a story of schoolgirl life1 she might produce something really bright and alive1 even though it lacked the symmetry and finish that years of practice bring to a writer4 ,and though the ,,ms4 did not find a market at the time1 on account of immaturity of style1 it might prove valuable later on when the writer had gained experience4 ,it would give her data she had forgotten in the intervening years4 ,and the girl who spends her ink on the philanderings of the faithless wife 7a species1 by the way1 that she has probably never set eyes on1 having been brought up like most of the rest of us in a decent circle of sane relations and friends7 might1 perhaps1 have done some charming pictures of domestic life1 as did the authors of ,cranford and ,little ,women in their day4 ,if the aunt1 instead of hoping to influence factory girls of whom she knows absolutely nothing1 and whose conversation1 could she but hear it1 would be an unintelligible language to her1 had turned her invalidism to practical account1 and passed on useful hints and ideas to other invalids1 she might have written something that would have been welcomed by others similarly handicapped4 ,and so on1 down to the city clerk1 who never can be made to realise that a type of story most difficult to lay hands on is the one that deals1 accurately1 with the inside of that world peopled by the bankers and stockbrokers and money magnates4 ,the detective tracking ,sleuth-hound ,bill has the tamest walk-over in comparison with the daring1 and tense excitement1 surrounding some financial deals4 ,sidenote3 ,original ,work is rare3 the ,universal ,tendency is to ,copy ,i do not say that these writers would necessarily have placed their ,,mss4 had they written on the lines suggested2 it takes something besides the theme and background to make a good story4 ,but ,i do say that they would have been many degrees nearer publication1 had they dealt with types and circumstances that had come within their personal cognisance1 rather than with those they only knew by hearsay4 ,the outsider would scarcely credit how rare it is for an editor to receive a piece of really original work2 the universal tendency is to copy other people's productions rather than trouble to discover original models4 ,the schoolgirl1 studying water-colour drawing1 prefers to work from a copy1 showing some other person's painting of a vase of flowers1 rather than have her own vase filled with real flowers before her4 ,some one else's work saves the inexperienced the responsibility of selection--and selection is always a difficult point for the beginner1 who finds it hard to decide what to include in1 and what to leave out of1 a picture4 ,sidenote3 ,beginners are ,seldom ,aware that they are ,copying others ,in the same way1 inexperienced fiction writers find it easier to copy other people's stories2 though1 unlike the schoolgirl and her painting-copy1 they are quite unconscious that they are doing so2 they usually imagine that what they have written is entirely original4 ,it is difficult to get the novice to distinguish between writing anything down on paper1 and creating it in his own brain4 ,so many think the mere passing of thoughts through the brain1 and the transmitting of those thoughts to paper1 are indications of their ability to write2 and that what they write must be original4 ,and yet in most beginners' ,,mss4 scarcely any of the incidents1 or situations1 or plots ever came within the writer's own purview2 the majority are hashed up from the many stories one reads nowadays--though the author has no idea that he is only stringing together selected ideas that originated in other people's brains4 ,there are many reasons to account for this4 ,for one thing1 the novice feels safe in using the type of material that has already been published4 ,the world is wide1 human nature is varied1 and it is not easy to decide what to take2 therefore the writer who plans his story on time-honoured lines is relieved of the responsibility of selection4 ,then1 again1 if a particular type of story has been accepted and published1 it has received a certain hall-mark of approval1 and forthwith others tread the same path2 there is less uncertainty here than in breaking new ground4 ,there is yet another reason3 to evolve anything that is new and unhackneyed necessitates our taking trouble2 and some amateurs will not take any more trouble than they can possibly help2 they do not recognise that writing stands for hard work4 ,sidenote3 ,tried ,old ,friends we have ,met before ,i cannot spare the space to touch on well-worn plots1 but here are a few of the sentences and expressions that haunt amateur ,,mss4 ,have you ever read a story that opened1 ,it was a glorious day in ,june1 followed by a page of blue sky1 balmy breezes1 humming bees1 not a leaf stirred1 and scent of roses heavy on the air8 ,of course you have4 ,we all have4 ,that glorious day in ,june is one of the most precious perennials of the story-writer's stock-in-trade4 ,you know at once that twenty summers will have passed o'er her head1 and that he is just round the corner waiting to come upon her all unawares1 so soon as the author can quit cataloguing nature's beauties4 ,and have you ever read a story that opened with ,a dripping ,november fog enveloped the city8 ,of course you have2 and you know at once1 before you get to the next line1 which describes its denseness and the slippery pavements1 and a host of other discomforts1 that you are going to be ushered into an equally dismal city boarding-house1 and introduced to a lovely-complexioned girl whose frail appearance is only enhanced by her deep mourning1 and hear the sad story of the pecuniary straits that necessitated her bringing her widowed mother 7often fractious71 or it may be a younger sister 7always sunny and the lodestar of her life71 from their lovely old home in the country1 while she earned a living in town4 ,and1 without fail1 she has always imagined that they were well provided for1 till the family lawyer 7always old7 broke the news after the funeral that the place was mortgaged up to the hilt1 and even her father's life insurance had been allowed to lapse4 ,you know all the rest--the dreary tramp round in search of work1 and the way she irons out her threadbare garments to make them last as long as they can 7irrespective of the fact that the mourning was new only a few weeks before1 and she presumably had a good stock of underwear in her prosperous days71 and a host of other harrowing experiences until--it comes right in the end4 ,and all because the story opened with a dripping ,november fog6 ,why1 ,i believe the average amateur would consider it almost improper to start a desolate orphan on a quest for work in the metropolis in anything other than a dense ,november fog6 ,and yet--how much more cheerful for her1 poor dear1 could she but begin her career on a dry day--and some ,november days in ,london are quite sunny and bright--so much better for her in the thin jacket she always wears on such occasion1 and her worn-out shoes6 ,it would be such a blessed thing if we need not start with the weather1 nor the number of summers that had floated over the sweet young heroine's head 7or winters1 if the central figure be an old man74 ,but the amateur clings to these openings4 ,then take the boudoir4 ,after the weather ,i don't think anything haunts me more persistently than the boudoir4 ,lady ,gwennyth was sitting reading a letter in her luxurious 7or cosy1 or dainty7 boudoir1 when---- etc4 ,now why is it that the girl who starts out to write fiction loves to introduce her heroine in this wise8 ,it is most unlikely that the amateur knows much about a boudoir--few of us do4 ,it is a room that appertains solely to the rich1 and to only a small proportion of the rich at that4 ,i know many wealthy women and many well-born women who haven't a boudoir1 simply because the cramped conditions of modern living seldom leave them a room to spare for this purpose4 ,the fact is the boudoir proper does not really belong to this purposeful age4 ,it is a relic of the more leisurely ,victorian times and the ease-loving1 well-to-do ,frenchwoman of pre-war days4 ,most modern women have very little time to spend in a boudoir if even they need one2 nevertheless it appears with unfailing regularity in stories dealing with the richer ranks of life1 till you would think it was as necessary to a woman's entourage as--an umbrella6 ,why is it that the heroine has usually refused a couple 7if not more7 offers of marriage1 before she is brought to our notice1 with yet another offer looming on the horizon8 ,in real life1 as we know it in this twentieth century1 it is most unusual for a girl to be constantly turning down offers of marriage like applications for charity subscriptions though there are exceptions here and there1 certainly4 ,yet ,i scarcely open a love-story that does not state that the heroine had already refused every eligible man in her circle2 though the reader can seldom see why one man should have proposed to the damsel1 much less a crowd6 ,the heroine presented to us by the amateur is invariably a most ordinary young person1 often quite uninteresting1 and lacking the faintest streak of distinctiveness4 ,and then the question arise--,why should all the eligible men in the town have proposed to her8 ,perhaps one explanation is the fact that inexperienced writers have not learnt the art of depicting character2 as they do not know how to convey an idea of her attractiveness1 they think if they state that she was attractive that is sufficient4 ,but statements are not sufficient2 she must be attractive4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the youthful heroine and the aged grandmother may also be quoted as evergreen types that long ago had become monotonous4 ,whether girls married in their teens as a matter of course1 a couple of generations ago1 ,i do not know1 as ,i was not there2 but the youthful heroine was a sine qua non in ,victorian fiction4 ,she is not a sine qua non now1 however2 anything but2 the seventeen-year-old bride is by no means the rule in these times2 there is practically no limit nowadays to the age at which a woman may receive offers of marriage4 ,nevertheless1 the amateur persistently follows bygone models1 and still clings to the very young heroine2 no more than eighteen summers are1 at the outside1 allowed to pass over her lovely head before she is introduced to our notice4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and certain traditions are still followed in regard to other details4 ,her complexion is always of the rose-petal order1 her hair is always escaping in a series of stray curls about her neck and forehead 7and1 by the way1 these stray curls of fiction are sadly responsible for many of the untidy lank locks of to-day674 ,if you read as many ,,mss4 as ,i do1 you would think that no straight-haired1 ordinary complexioned girl had the least chance of a personal love-story1 despite the fact that most of the girls one knows in real life1 who have married and lived happy ever after1 have been either sallow or sunburnt or colourless1 or just healthy-looking4 ,if you doubt whether a successful heroine can be evolved out of a woman no longer in her teens1 and with a complexion that would not stand pearls1 remember the ,hon4 ,jane1 in ,the ,rosary4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in addition to the youthful heroine1 the aged grandmother needs to be given a long rest4 ,when the young wife who married in her teens visits her old home in company with her one-year-old infant1 it is invariably the dearest old lady who comes forward to embrace her first grandchild2 and from her own conversation and the description of her general appearance1 the sweet old soul must be at least eighty1 despite all that ,nature might rule to the contrary1 to say nothing of the dressmaker6 ,tradition has it that grandmothers must have white hair1 and spectacles1 voluminous skirts1 and knitting in their hands as they sit in an easy-chair with comfortably slippered feet on a hassock2 and that is the sort of grandmother the amateur brings on the scenes1 irrespective of the fact that the grandmother of to-day is skipping about in girlish skirts and high-heeled shoes1 with hair and complexion as youthful as she likes to pay for4 99 99 99 99 99 ,nothing in the way of fiction is more difficult to write than a thoroughly good love story4 ,and yet the beginner invariably starts with a love story1 and continues with love-stories1 as though there were no other possible selection4 ,i do not think it is often possible to write a good love-story until one has had some experience of life4 ,it is so easy to mistake neurotic imaginings and over-strung emotionalism for love2 and it is still easier to fall back on the conventional things that the conventional hero and heroine do and say in the conventional novel1 and imagine that we are recording our own ideas and experiences4 ,there are several reasons why the love-story appeals to the girl who is starting out to write4 ,she is looking forward to a love-story of her own1 if she be a normal girl1 and has already seen herself in the part of her favourite heroine4 ,naturally it is not surprising that love-stories are of absorbing interest to her4 ,and a girl usually sees herself as the heroine of her own early love-stories2 and she invariably makes her heroine do and say what she would like to do and say under the circumstances1 and at the same time she makes the hero do and say what she would like her own lover to do and say--but it does not follow that this is true to life2 or that her lover would say the things she credits him with in her story4 ,very few proposals in real life ever resemble the proposals in fiction6 ,a girl will often introduce her heroine in a picturesque pose against some lovely background of hills1 or woods1 or garden flowers2 and the hero coming upon her suddenly is made to pause1 lost in admiration of the exquisite picture she makes4 ,the girl writes this because--unconsciously1 perhaps--she sees herself in the part1 and likes to think she would make a very attractive picture that would rivet a man's attention4 ,but it is not true to life4 ,in reality1 the average man seldom notices the scenic fittings under such circumstances4 ,he either sees the girl--or he doesn't4 ,unless he is an artist looking for useful subjects for his pictures1 the background is not often seen in conjunction with the girl4 ,i merely give this as an instance of the way amateurs are apt to see themselves in an imaginary part that in reality is at variance with things as they are2 and their writings become artificial in consequence4 ,there is another reason why the love-story is the beginner's choice3 it calls for so few characters4 ,the simplest ingredients are--a nice1 beautiful girl and a strong1 manly1 deserving masculine4 ,of course1 you can vary the flavour by making them rich or poor1 misunderstood1 down-trodden1 capricious1 and what not4 ,and you can amplify it by introducing the bold1 bad rival 7masculine72 the superficial1 fascinating butterfly rival 7feminine72 the irate forbidding parent 7his1 if he is rich and she is poor2 hers1 if he is poor and her mother is ambitious and money-grabbing72 the designing mischief-maker 7a black-eyed brunette1 or a brassy-haired blonde72 and a host of other well-worn familiar types4 ,but when all is said and done1 you need have but two characters to delineate1 if you do not feel equal to more--and there is a distinct save of brain in this6 ,when you reach the climax in any other than a love-story1 you are expected to make the denouement something of a slight surprise at any rate1 if no more2 and we all know that surprises--slight or otherwise--are not altogether easy to manufacture for purposes of fiction4 ,it is simple work to go on talking and describing and making the people talk--about nothing--for pages and pages2 but by no means simple to lead it all up to a definite point of culmination4 ,there must be some sort of point to a story2 and that point is the trouble as a rule6 ,but with a love-story1 the amateur thinks he need not worry about hunting for a climax--every one knows what the climax must be4 ,all you have to do is to bring them along the road of life to a suitable spot where they can fall into each other's arms--thus the novice argues1 and proceeds to do it4 ,another save of brain wear and tear6 ,in any other situation the dramatis personae are bound to do at least a little talking1 to explain how the thing has worked out1 or to let you know how matters finally adjusted themselves4 ,but not so our happy lovers6 ,about the longest sentence he is called upon to construct is1 ,at last6 as he clasps her to him2 while her contribution to the duologue need only be1 ,darling6 which she whispers1 resting her head on his shoulder4 ,and they need not say even this much3 for one very favourite method of conclusion1 with inexperienced authors1 is to bring the hero and heroine suddenly face to face with some such final sentence as1 ,what they said need not be recorded here3 such words are too sacred to be repeated--a finale that always annoyed me in my young days6 ,amateurs are generally very weak in character-drawing1 and nowhere is this more noticeable than in love-stories4 ,there is a time-honoured notion that the chief requisites in the heroine are youth and beauty1 as ,i have already said1 while the hero must of equal necessity be clean-cut1 manly and masterful4 ,with these ideas already fixed in his head1 the novice seldom sees any necessity for character-delineation4 ,he explains that the heroine is lovely and the hero in every way a desirable young man1 and leaves it at that2 forgetting that the mere statement that she is winsome1 or wistful1 or possessed of clear grey eyes that are the windows of her soul1 does not necessarily make her all these things4 ,in the majority of amateur ,,mss4 the heroine1 as she depicts herself by word and deed1 is a most colourless1 stereotyped nonentity2 and by no means the glowing1 fascinating thing of originality and beauty that the author's adjectives would have us believe2 and the hero is frequently no more animated1 no more human1 than the elegant dummy in a tailor's window4 ,this may be taken as a fairly safe ruling3 ,if it be necessary for you to label your characters with their chief characteristics1 your writing is unconvincing and weak4 ,their actions should speak louder than your adjectives4 ,one of the prominent novelists of to-day--who is clever enough and experienced enough to know better--has a trick of letting some one of his characters make a semi-witty remark2 after which he adds1 ,and everybody laughed4 ,this last should be quite unnecessary4 ,if the remark be sufficiently laugh-at-able1 it will be self-evident that people smiled2 if it is not sufficiently witty to suggest a laugh to the reader1 no amount of ticketing will raise a smile1 either in the book or out of it4 ,the same principle should be applied to the presentation of one's characters4 ,if they are to have anything more than a mere walk-on part1 they should very quickly explain themselves4 ,the bald statement that the hero is a fine1 manly fellow means nothing in reality4 ,what is important is whether his actions and speech suggest a fine1 manly character4 ,if they do not1 no amount of descriptive matter on the part of the author will conjure up a fine1 manly fellow in the reader's imagination4 ,some ,rules for ,story-,writing ,in presenting a story it is essential that the reader shall have some idea as to what it is about4 ,to start by keeping the reader roaming along for a page or two among unintelligible remarks1 and references to unknown or unexplained events1 is to give him strong encouragement to shut up the book without troubling to go any further4 ,there is something very exasperating about a writer who gives no clue as to who anybody is or what anything is2 he is every bit as irritating as the one who goes to the other extreme1 and drags the reader through the babyhood and school days of the hero's parents4 ,these are the opening paragraphs of a ,,ms4 offered to me4 ,it is quite a short story1 hence there was every reason why space should not have been wasted on unintelligible preamble4 ,it happened in this way3 through the lions4 ,no1 that isn't exactly right though2 the lions didn't really do it1 would never have thought of doing such a thing2 but if ,i had not gone to see them1 it would never have happened4 ,so1 you see1 they were to some extent responsible4 ,i expect you are saying to yourself1 ',what was it that happened8' ,well that is what ,i'm going to write about4 ,but first ,i must tell you that one of my failings from childhood upwards has been the habit of starting to tell my story right in the very middle2 and then ,i always feel so annoyed when1 after ,i've been chattering away for ,i don't know how long1 people look at me and say1 ',perhaps you will try and be lucid and explain what you are talking about6' ,it never seems to occur to them that it is they who are so stupid4 ,but ,i will tell you at once about 'me' and then tell you about 'it4' ,i'll begin at the very beginning1 and try to tell you everything in proper orthodox style4 ,after much more of this description1 it turns out at last that the lions were celebrities at a dinner-party where the narrator met the man she ultimately married4 ,that was all6 ,it is foolish to keep the reader dangling in suspense1 unless the subsequent revelations are to be sufficiently striking to warrant the suspense4 ,a long explanatory deviation from the actual theme is seldom satisfactory or desirable1 in a short story1 even when the theme is a big one 7unless it be absolutely necessary1 in order to elucidate some important detail73 but it is inexcusable when the subject is trivial and obvious4 ,the more body there is in your ,,ms4 the more it will stand digressive or dilutive passages2 the lighter your main theme1 the less can you afford to allow the reader's interest to be dissipated over extraneous matter before you reach the main theme4 99 99 99 99 99 ,until you are an experienced craftsman1 introduce the important characters as early as possible4 ,the reader should know them as long as possible if he is to take a keen personal interest in them4 ,it is better not to describe your characters more than is necessary for actual identification2 they should describe themselves by their actions and conversation1 as the story proceeds4 ,to save the monotony of long descriptive passages1 that always hamper the movement of a story1 it is often possible to make one of the characters1 in the course of conversation1 give the information that the author is anxious to convey to the reader4 ,but in order to effect this1 do not fall into the error of making a character say things that in real life there would be no reason for his saying4 ,you may want to convey the information to the reader that the heroine's ancestors were eminently respectable2 but it would be bad art to make her remark to her own parent 7or a relative73 ,as you know1 mother dear1 grandfather was a distinguished general4 99 99 99 99 99 ,beginners imagine that the strength of a story is in direct proportion to the way they crowd together incidents1 or multiply their characters4 ,but this entirely depends on the quality of the incidents and the importance of the characters4 ,the whole is greater than a part--always has been and always will be2 and if each individual character is weak1 and each episode is feeble1 no matter how you may elaborate your story1 the whole will be weaker than each part4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is time-saving1 when writing a story1 to lay the scene in some locality you know well1 even though you change the name and preserve its incognito4 ,it is most useful to have a fixed plan of the streets and lanes and buildings and railway station in your mind when writing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,try to distinguish between a longing to voice your own pent-up emotions1 and a desire to give the world something that you think will interest or instruct them4 ,three-quarters of the love-stories girls write are merely outlets for their own emotions2 and picture what they wish would happen in their own lives--with no thought whatever as to whether the ,,ms4 contains anything likely to interest the outsider4 99 99 99 99 99 ,short sentences and short paragraphs are usually an advantage in stories as well as in articles2 they give crispness and brightness to the whole4 ,whereas long sentences and long paragraphs are both stodgy to read and uninteresting to look at1 7and it must not be forgotten that the look of a page sometimes counts a good deal with the public74 ,i know that instances can be cited where celebrated people have written long sentences and ungainly paragraphs1 and yet have been read4 ,president ,wilson1 in his most famous ,note to ,germany1 led off with a sentence of one hundred and seventy-one words1 while there were only twelve full-stops in the whole message4 ,but ,president ,wilson1 at that particular date1 scored heavily over every other writer1 in that the whole world was eagerly willing to read anything he wrote--even though he had omitted all stops and capital letters6--whereas the majority of us1 alas1 have to persuade or coax or beguile the public into looking at our words of wisdom1 and we have to make the reading as easy for people as we can4 ,otherwise they will not bother their heads about us6 ,people were willing to put up with ,president ,wilson's diffuse and trailing manner of writing1 because at the moment he was the mouthpiece of the inhabitants of the ,united ,states4 ,any one who is the mouthpiece of over ninety millions of people can cease to worry about style--some one is sure to read him no matter how he expresses himself4 ,but so long as we manage to avoid having positions of such greatness thrust upon us1 we shall do well to keep our sentences terse and short1 and our ,,mss4 broken up into paragraphs4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,question of ,polish ,there is much divergence of opinion as to how far it is desirable to polish one's work4 ,personally ,i think it all depends upon the work4 ,some authors put down their ideas in a very rough form1 and seem unable to realise the possibilities of those ideas and their development1 till they see them on paper4 ,others are able to think in minute detail before they put a line on paper4 ,some people can never leave anything alone1 and will tinker with half a dozen fresh proofs 7if they can induce the publisher to supply them74 ,others are more sure of themselves1 or disinclined to alter what they have written4 ,the late ,guy ,boothby used almost to re-write his stories1 after they were set up in type2 the margins of most of the slip proofs being so covered with new matter and alterations that they had often to be entirely reset4 ,so expensive did this become1 that at last ,i decided to keep his typed ,,ms4 in a drawer for a week or two1 and then send it back to him1 asking him to do whatever rewriting was necessary before it was set up4 ,of course1 writers may alter a good deal in their first ,,ms41 before ever it gets to the publisher2 but my experience has been that the author who worries his proof is the one who has previously worried his ,,ms4 7and sometimes his family too76 ,it is primarily a matter of mind-certainty1 combined with the question of temperament4 ,one thing is undeniable3 some writers will polish their ,,mss4 into things of beauty2 others will polish all the individuality and life out of theirs4 ,in the latter case1 however1 ,i am inclined to think there was not much individuality and life to start with6 ,so far as the beginner is concerned1 my advice is ,polish2 most of us can stand a good deal of this without losing anything worth keeping1 or coming to a bad end6 ,sidenote3 ,to get under way1 ,start where you are ,do not waste time in waiting for something extraordinary or sensational to turn up1 in the way of a plot1 or you may have to wait a long while4 ,begin with some everyday happening and invest it with personality4 ,if you can1 avoid making your early ,,mss4 love stories4 ,the denouement of a love story is so obvious3 try to write something on less obvious lines2 it will be better practice for you4 ,study some of the many delightful books that have been written in other than love motifs1 yet dealing with events of ordinary life2 such as ,the ,golden ,age1 and ,dream ,days1 by ,kenneth ,graham2 ,a ,window in ,thrums1 by ,sir ,james ,barrie2 ,the ,country of the ,pointed ,firs1 by ,sarah ,orne ,jewett2 ,timothy's ,quest1 by ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin4 ,genius is shown in the ability to take simple themes1 and treat them greatly4 ,about the ,climax ,the most important part of a story should be the climax 7,i use the word climax in its modern sense1 meaning the terminal point where all is brought to a conclusion1 the denouement1 the final catastrophe74 ,the climax must be in the author's mind from the very first sentence1 and everything he writes should be with this in view--i4e41 his own view1 not that of the reader2 it must be his aim throughout the story to conceal the climax from the reader till the last moment4 ,nothing with an obvious solution will hold the reader's interest4 ,every piece of writing should have some sort of a conclusive ending--a satisfactory one if possible4 ,writers sometimes make their fiction terminate in an abrupt1 unsatisfactory manner1 which is no real finish1 and leaves the reader wishing it had not all ended like that1 and wondering if there is more to come4 ,when such defects are pointed out1 the amateur invariably replies1 ,but it must end like that1 because that is what actually happened4 ,they forget that the fact a circumstance actually happened is no guarantee that it was worth recording2 nor is the circumstance necessarily the symmetrical finish to the story1--and a piece of writing should be symmetrical1 and in well-balanced design4 ,you cannot always detach an incident from contingent happenings1 and then say it is complete4 ,the larger proportion of our actions are linked with1 and interdependent upon1 other actions4 ,therefore see to it that your story terminates in a satisfactory manner4 ,that which apparently ends in failure to-day1 may take a new lease of life to-morrow and prove to be merely a stepping-stone to new developments4 ,it is not bound to be a happy ending 7though if there be a choice1 happy endings are by far the best1 in a world that has enough of sorrow in its work-a-day life72 but it must be an ending leaving a sense of right completion with the reader--the conviction that this is the logical conclusion of the whole4 ,all great works of art leave behind them a sense of fulfilment1 the something attempted1 something done1 that is always the desirable finale to the human heart and mind4 ,we hate to be left in a state of never-to-be-satisfied suspension2 and we invariably reject and condemn to oblivion the work that deliberately leaves us thus4 ,some people have an idea that it is artistic to leave a story in a half-finished condition1 or with a disappointing ending1 or a general feeling of blankness4 ,a few years ago there was a mania for this type of story among small writers3 those who were not clever enough to produce originality of idea1 and at the same time get their work logical1 symmetrical and conclusive1 would seize on some miserable1 or at any rate uncomfortable1 ending--drown one of the lovers the day before the wedding2 part husband and wife irrevocably1 and possibly kill their only child in a railway accident in the last chapter--anything in fact that would produce what one might call a never-more finale4 ,and then a certain section of the public 7who really did not like it at all1 but feared to say so lest they should appear to be behind the times67 would exclaim1 ,so artistic6 ,yet it was anything but artistic2 three-quarters of the time it was logically and morally bad2 logically bad because it was seldom the true and natural conclusion that one would have seen in real life2 morally bad because it is actually wrong to manufacture and circulate gloom unnecessarily4 ,i repeat again ,i would not imply that all endings must be happy2 great tragedies need tragic conclusions2 suffering is as much a part of real life as joy2 a certain course of action must inevitably lead to a sorrowful ending1 and there is no getting away from the unalterable truth1 ,the wages of sin is death4 ,but the type of story to which ,i am alluding is seldom great or tragic3 it is not even painful2 it is more often weak and washy1 and ends with unsatisfactory incompletion because the author fancied it was brilliantly original6 ,always work steadily towards the climax1 speeding up the movement as you near the end4 ,make big events come closer and closer together1 with less detail between1 the nearer you are to the conclusion4 ,do not anticipate your climax1 and get there too soon1 and then try to make up the book to the required length by adding on an after-piece4 ,the climax should be such that it leaves in the reader's mind a sense of absolute fitness1 a certainty that it was after all the one right ending--even though it came as a great surprise4 ,the ,use of ,curtains ,when a story is presented in sections1 as in a serial or a play1 it is advisable to make each section end--so far as possible--in such a manner that the reader is set longing for the next part4 ,thus1 while the climax is generally the solution of a problem1 a curtain is usually a problem needing solution 7literally1 a good place for ringing down the curtain1 since the audience will be on tenterhooks to know what happens next74 ,this arrangement is sound business as well as a good mental policy4 ,it is wise to make an instalment leave some final1 incisive mark on the mind of the readers1 if there is to be an interval before the story is resumed1 otherwise it may be difficult for the public to recollect what went before1 and the thread of continuity will be lost4 ,more than this1 an editor1 despite the usual backwardness of his intelligence1 realises the desirability of securing readers for subsequent issues of his periodical1 no less than for the current number4 ,if each instalment of the serial terminate with some mystery unsolved1 or some hopeless entanglement needing to be straightened out1 or some problem that baffles everybody 7most of all the readers71 it is much more likely that people will rush to secure the next number to see how things turn out1 than if the instalment merely ends with the hero indulging in a tame1 lengthy soliloquy on artichokes1 and leaves nothing more exciting to be settled than whether these same artichokes shall1 or shall not1 be cooked for the heroine's lunch4 ,on more than one occasion ,i have had readers write protestingly because an instalment of a serial has left off cruelly just when one was frightfully anxious to know what would happen next6 ,but that is the very place for an instalment to end3 good curtains are worth as much to a serial as a good plot2 and if a story lack good curtains1 an editor thinks twice before purchasing it for serial publication1 even though it has undoubted literary merit and will make a good volume4 ,inexperienced writers overlook this necessity for holding the reader's attention from section to section1 and sometimes offer an editor serial stories without sufficient backbone or dramatic interest to hold the readers' attention from the first instalment to the second1 much less for twelve or more detachments4 ,or they crowd several excitements into a couple of chapters1 and then run on uneventfully for a dozen or so4 ,this does not mean that problems must crop up mechanically at stated intervals1 and the serial be produced on a mathematical basis of one murder1 or mystery to so many words6 ,but it does mean that the author must see to it that his important incidents are fairly distributed throughout the work as a whole1 and that each chapter ends at the psychological moment4 ,this gives an editor a chance to break the story at places where the excitement runs highest4 ,careful attention to balance will help the writer to get the action fairly distributed4 ,if the ,,ms4 be examined as a whole1 with this question of balance in mind1 the writer will be able to detect if too much movement has been concentrated in one part1 with undue expanses of uneventfulness stretching between4 ,sidenote3 ,dickens was an ,adept at ,curtains ,no one knew better than ,charles ,dickens how to keep the reader on the qui vive for the next chapter4 ,joseph ,h4 ,choate says in his ,memoirs3 ,as ,dickens' books came out they were eagerly devoured in ,america4 ,dombey and ,son came out in numbers long before the laying of the first ,atlantic cable1 and several numbers went over in fort-nightly steamers1 the most frequent communication of that day4 ,in an early part of the story little ,paul was brought to the verge of the grave1 the last number to hand leaving him hovering between life and death1 and all ,america was anxious to know his fate4 ,when the next steamer arrived bringing decisive news1 the dock was crowded with people4 ,the passengers imagined some great national or international event had happened4 ,but it was only the eager reading public who had hurried down to meet the steamer1 and get the first news as to whether little ,paul was alive or dead4 ,the late ,dr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,green has told how1 at the day school he attended as a boy1 work was suspended once a month on the publication of the instalment of ,pickwick ,papers1 which the head master read aloud to the assembled and eager boys4 ,when ,mr4 ,pickwick was released from the ,fleet ,prison1 a whole holiday was given1 to celebrate the event6 ,this is the type of serial story an editor yearns for3 one that will end with so dramatic a curtain each month1 that the public suspend all employment in order to secure copies of the following issue1 and learn what happened next6 ,even the final sentences of an instalment with a good curtain can be made to do wonders in whetting the reader's appetite for more4 ,but it is advisable to see how they read in connection with the words that inevitably follow4 ,for instance1 there was a lurid serial in a daily paper which ended one day with the words3 ',cat1' she cried1 'vile1 odious1 contemptible cat4' ,to be continued to-morrow4 ,but1 commented ,punch1 could she do any better than that even after she had slept on it8 ,on ,making ,verse ,most of us break out into verse at one period of our life4 ,youth starting out to explore a world that seems teeming with new discoveries1 generally tries to voice his emotions in poetry--not because youth has any special aptitude for this form of literature1 but because the poet has expressed1 as no other writer has done1 the hopes and ideals1 the craving for romance and the thirst for beauty1 that are among the characteristics of our golden years4 ,and youth1 wishing to voice his own emotions1 naturally selects the literary form in which such emotions have already been enshrined4 ,verse-writing is a very useful exercise for the student--as ,i have already stated in a previous chapter2 but until we are fairly advanced1 it is well to avoid regarding our efforts too seriously4 ,to string together certain sets of syllables with rhymes in couples1 is an exceedingly simple matter2 but to write poetry is the highest and the most difficult form of literary art4 ,it is hard to convince the beginner that the verses he has put together are not poetry--even though they may be technically correct as to make-up1 which is by no means always the case4 ,he is inclined to argue that he has dreamed dreams1 and seen visions1 and travelled far from the prose of life2 what he writes1 therefore1 must be scintillating with star dust1 if with nothing more heavenly4 ,for the making of poetry1 the dreams of youth are valuable2 take care of them1 they are among the precious things of life1 and they vanish with neglect or rough handling2 but something more than dreams is needful4 ,sidenote3 ,study the ,laws governing ,metrical ,composition ,if you feel you can best express yourself in verse1 make a comprehensive study of the laws governing metrical composition4 ,such knowledge not only enables you to write in a shapely1 orderly1 pleasing form1 but it may also help you to ascertain what is wrong1 when something you have written seems jarring1 or halting1 or lacking at any point4 ,to many amateurs1 laws and rules suggest a cramping influence2 they feel sure they could do far better work if unhampered by any restrictions4 ,in reality1 however1 the limitations such laws impose are a gain to the poet1 since they compel him to sort out his ideas1 to differentiate between essentials and non-essentials1 to condense his thoughts and measure his words4 ,and if properly carried out1 all this should result in the reduction of verbosity to the minimum1 and a moderately clear presentation of a subject--it does not always1 ,i know1 but it ought to do so4 ,i am neither enumerating nor discussing these laws in this volume1 since excellent books on the subject have been published4 ,i merely wish to point out to the student the necessity for giving the matter attention4 ,some people think the fact that the idea embodied in their verse is good and ennobling1 should condone weak or faulty workmanship4 ,but1 alas6 in this callous world it doesn't1 as a rule4 ,the ideal verse is that which presents beautifully a great thought in a small compass4 ,sidenote3 ,ideas are more ,important than ,rhapsodies ,a poem should centralise on some special thought or idea4 ,rhapsodies1 no matter how intense1 do not constitute poetry2 every poem1 be it ever so short1 should suggest some definite train of thought4 ,haphazard statements or description are no more permissible in a poem than in a novel4 ,all nonsense verse1 even1 must have an underlying semblance of a sensible idea1 though when you come to analyse it1 it may turn out to be the height of absurdity4 ,sidenote3 ,moreover the ,ideas should be ,poetic ,not only must a poem contain a definite idea1 it must be a poetic idea1 something that will lift the reader above the prose of life4 ,try to make him see beauty if you can2 and to hear beauty in the music of your words4 ,poetry should be beautiful and suggest loveliness1 whenever possible4 ,however simple and ordinary the subject of your verse1 try to carry the reader beyond superficialities1 to the wonderful and the unordinary that so often give glory to life's commonplaces4 ,take a well-worn subject like the incoming tide2 how many people have been moved to write on this topic6 ,i could not possibly reckon up the number of times ,i have seen ocean's roar rhyming with rocky shore4 ,the writer who is nothing more than a versifier is content with a description of the sights and sounds of the beach2 but the poet looks further than this4 ,read ,mrs4 ,meynell's ,song1 and you will better understand my meaning when ,i say that the poet must endeavour to show us1 through the substance of things material1 the shadow of things spiritual4 ,,song ,by ,,alice ,,meynell ,as the unhastening tide doth roll1 ,dear and desired1 upon the whole ,long shining strand1 and floods the caves1 ,your love comes filling with happy waves ,the open sea-shore of my soul4 ,but inland from the seaward spaces1 ,none knows1 not even you1 the places ,brimmed at your coming1 out of sight --,the little solitudes of delight ,this tide constrains in dim embraces4 ,you see the happy shore1 wave-rimmed1 ,but know not of the quiet dimmed ,rivers your coming floods and fills1 ,the little pools1 'mid happier hills1 ,my silent rivulets1 over-brimmed4 ,what1 ,i have secrets from you8 ,yes4 ,but1 ,o my ,sea1 your love doth press ,and reach in further than you know1 ,and fill all these2 and when you go1 ,there's loneliness in loneliness4 ,by ,courtesy of ,the ,walter ,scott ,publishing ,co41 ,ltd4 ,sidenote3 ,amateur ,verse usually falls under these ,headings ,putting on one side religious verse 7which one does not wish to dissect too brutally1 since one recognises and respects the spirit underlying it1 despite its sometimes poor technique71 amateur verse usually falls under one of four headings3 #a4 ,lovers' outpourings4 #b4 ,baby prattle4 #c4 ,nature dissertations4 #d4 ,stuff worth reading4 ,the first of these explains itself1 and includes perennial poems entitled ,blue ,eyes2 ,parted2 ,to ,daphne 7or ,muriel1 or ,gladys1 or some other equally nice person72 ,absence2 ,my ,lady2 ,twin ,souls1 etc4 ,in these the following are generally regarded as original and delightful rhymes3 ,love and dove2 mourn and forlorn2 girl and curl2 moon and ,june2 eyes and skies4 ,without wishing to hurt any sensitive feelings1 truth compels me to state that it is rare for such productions to have any literary value4 ,the verses coming under the second heading are frequently written by young girls1 unmarried aunts1 and very new fathers2 occasionally mothers give vent to their maternal affection in this way1 but more often they find their time fully occupied in attending to the little ones' material needs4 ,such poems 7often entitled ,lullaby7 are usually characterised by an entire lack of anything that could possibly be called an idea4 ,they will apostrophise the infant1 and tell it how lovely it is1 begging it to go to sleep1 and assuring it that mother will keep watch the while--which no up-to-date mother would dream of doing in these busy1 servantless days6 ,but as to any concrete reason why the verses were penned1 one looks for it in vain4 ,i do not think such effusions serve any useful purpose4 ,they are not even desirable as an outlet for the feelings1 since there are better ways in which one can work out one's affection for a child--woolly boots1 pinafores1 personal attention1 and the like4 ,nevertheless every woman's paper is deluged with ,,mss4 of this type4 ,the ,nature dissertation is a trifle better than the preceding1 because it does offer a little scope for looking around and noting things4 ,but the weakness here is this3 the writers do not always look around2 they as often sit at a comfortable writing-table indoors and amalgamate other people's observations2 and the outcome is a recital of the obvious1 with oft-repeated platitudes4 ,the following are well-worn titles3 ,a ,spring ,song2 ,bluebells2 ,twilight ,calm2 ,sunset2 ,autumn ,leaves2 occasionally they take a ,wordsworthian turn1 ,lines written on the shore at ,atlantic ,city or ,thoughts on seeing ,stratford-on-,avon for the first time 7such a poem naturally beginning ,immortal ,bard1 who-- etc474 ,at best1 the majority of nature poems1 as written by the untrained1 contain little beyond descriptive passages4 ,this again results in a pointless production that seldom embodies any idea worth the space devoted to it4 ,you may record the fact that the sun is setting in a blaze of colour2 but there is nothing sufficiently remarkable about this to warrant its publication3 most people know that the sun occasionally sets in this fashion4 ,if the beauty of the sunset affected you strongly1 lifting you above earthly things1 and giving you a vision--dim perhaps1 but nevertheless a vision--of the ,glory that shall be revealed1 then it is for you so to describe the beauty of the sunset that you convey to your readers the same feelings1 the same uplifted sense1 the same vision of the yet greater ,glory that is to be4 ,when you can do this1 the chances are that you will be writing poetry4 ,but until you can do this1 you may be writing nothing better than fragments of a rhyming guide-book4 ,you may argue that not only did you feel an uplift when you gazed on the sunset1 but you re-experience it as you read the poem you wrote upon it4 ,sidenote3 ,you see the ,scene you are describing3 the ,reader does not ,possibly so2 because to you the lines conjure up the whole scene2 i4e4 they serve to remind you of much that is not written down4 ,one word may be enough to recall to your mind the overwhelming grandeur of the sundown in every detail2 but it will not be sufficient to spread it out before the eyes of those who did not see the actual occurrence2 neither will it reveal to them the uplift of the moment4 ,the novice so often forgets that his own mind fills in the details of what he has seen1 and makes a perfect picture out of an imperfect description4 ,but the reader cannot do this2 he has nothing to help him beyond the written words4 ,therefore the writer must take care to omit nothing that is essential1 nothing that will enforce the mental and spiritual conception of a scene4 ,and in order to do this1 he must analyse the scene1 and ascertain 7if he can7 what it was that aroused such deep emotion within him4 ,if he can tabulate these items 7sometimes it is possible to do so1 sometimes it is not71 then he must give them special emphasis in his description1 no matter what else is omitted4 ,whether you are writing descriptive matter in verse or prose1 it is well to bear in mind that memory helps you to visualise the whole scene1 whereas the reader will have no such additional aid4 ,sidenote3 ,poetry should ,voice ,worldwide1 rather than ,individual1 ,need ,the primary object of the beginner1 in writing verse1 is often to voice his own heart's longing2 whereas1 if his verse is to be of interest to others besides himself1 it must voice the longings of other people1 ,poetry of the longing kind should touch on world-wide human need1 not merely on an individual want1 if it is to waken response in the reader4 ,of course the individual want may be a world-wide human need3 it very often is2 but it is not wise to trust to chance in this particular4 ,look about you1 and see if your experiences are likely to be those of your fellow-creatures4 ,if so1 there is more probability that your work will appeal to others than if you take no count of their requirements and centre on your own4 ,the poet1 among other qualifications1 has the ability to recognise what humanity wants to say but cannot1 and is able to set it down in black and white1 so that when the world reads it1 it exclaims3 ,why1 that is just what ,i think and feel6 ,only ,i could never put it into words6 ,when ,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning wrote the ,sonnets from the ,portuguese1 she was writing of her own love for one particular man4 ,so far she was dealing with her own experiences2 and if that had been all1 the matter might have ended there4 ,but because uncountable women in every land have loved in that same way1 have thought those thoughts1 and experienced those identical emotions1 though they were not able to write of them as ,mrs4 ,browning did1 her ,sonnets found an echo in hearts the world over3 they voiced a great human experience1 a universal human longing4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,so-called ,new ,poetry ,one modern phase of verse-making has had a very demoralising effect on the amateur4 ,i refer to the outbreak of shapeless productions--devoid of music1 beauty1 rhythm1 and balance1 and often lacking the rudiments of sense--that developed before the war1 and has been with us ever since4 ,the followers of this cult advocate the abolition of all law and order3 each goes gaily on his own way1 writing whatsoever he pleases1 no matter how crude1 or banal1 or incoherent1 or loathsome2 lines any and every length2 unlimited full stops1 or none at all2 just what is in his brain--and what a state of brain it reveals6 ,this so-called new poetry resembles nothing in the world so much as the ,,mss4 an editor occasionally receives from inmates of lunatic asylums6 ,literary effusions of this type are on a par with the cubist and futurist monstrosities that have tried to imagine themselves a new form of pictorial art4 ,unfortunately1 the desire to kick over all laws and rules1 and everything that betokens restraint and discipline1 is no new one4 ,periodically the world has seemed to be attacked with wholesale madness1 as history shows2 and a pronounced feature of each upheaval has been the attempt of certain deranged imaginations to abolish that order which is ,heaven's first law 7and which cannot be abolished without wide-spread ruin71 and in its place to exalt the deification of self4 ,the years preceding every outbreak have invariably been marked by excesses1 licence and extravagance of all kinds2 while real art1 wholesome living1 serious thinking1 and steady1 well-regulated work1 have been at a discount4 ,do not be misled by high-sounding statements1 that all the incoherency and carelessness and indifferent workmanship exhibited in recent travesties of ,art was a groping after better things1 the breaking of shackles that chained the free heaven-born spirit of man to miserable mundane convention4 ,it was nothing of the sort4 ,rather1 it was a form of hysteria that was the outcome of the soft living1 the feverish quest of pleasure1 the craving for notoriety at the least expenditure of effort1 the longing to be perpetually in the limelight1 and the absence of self-discipline that was all too noticeable in the earlier years of this century4 ,,the ,,limitations ,,of ,,youth ,by ,,eugene ,,field ,i'd like to be a cowboy an' ride a fiery hoss ,way out into the big and boundless ,west2 ,i'd kill the bears an' catamounts an' wolves ,i come across1 ,an' ,i'd pluck the bal-head eagle from his nest6 ,with my pistols at my side1 ,i would roam the prarers wide1 ,an' to scalp the savage ,injun in his wigwam would ,i ride-- ,if ,i darst2 but ,i darsen't6 ,i'd like to go to ,afriky an' hunt the lions there1 ,an' the biggest ollyfunts you ever saw6 ,i would track the fierce gorilla to his equatorial lair1 ,an' beard the cannybull that eats folks raw6 ,i'd chase the pizen snakes1 ,an' the 'pottimus that makes ,his nest down at the bottom of unfathomable lakes-- ,if ,i darst2 but ,i darsen't6 ,the new poetry was a manifestation of the decadence undermining pre-war ,art4 ,do not be deluded into thinking that the aberrations of ill-trained minds that sometimes flaunt themselves before your bewildered eyes1 in some very thin volume of verse1 or in some freakish periodical1 are art1 or even worth the paper they are printed on4 ,they are not4 ,very probably they would never have got into print at all1 but for the fact that those who affect the cult are1 for the most part1 people with more money than discrimination1 who can afford to pay for publicity4 ,just as a certain type of eccentricity of action may be the precursor of mental disease1 so a certain type of eccentricity of thought may be the forerunner of moral and spiritual disease4 ,avoid unnecessary abbreviations3 th' for the1 o' for of1 and similar curtailments4 ,these are often mere mannerisms1 and introduced with the idea that they are distinctive3 but they are not4 ,sidenote3 ,some ,general ,hints worth ,noting ,long lines are better for descriptive verse than short ones4 ,a stately metre1 with well-marked cadence1 is best suited to a lofty theme4 ,this is illustrated in ,the ,valley ,song1 by the late ,mable ,earle1 which we reprint by courtesy of the ,american ,sunday ,school ,times4 ,a ,,valley ,,song ,by ,,mable ,,earle ,because the ,syrians have said1 ,the ,lord is ,god of the hills1 but ,he is not ,god of the valleys4 ,god of the heights where men walk free1 ,above life's lure1 beyond death's sting2 ,lord of all souls that rise to ,thee1 ,white with supreme self-offering2 ,thou who hast crowned the hearts that dare1 ,thou who hast nerved the hands to do1 ,god of the heights6 give us to share ,thy kingdom in the valleys too4 ,our eyes look up to those who stand ,vicegerents of ,thy stainless sway1 ,heroes and saints at ,thy right hand1 ,thy priests and kings of glory they4 ,not ours to tread the path they trod1 ,splendid and sharp1 still reaching higher2 ,not ours to lay before our ,god ,the crowns they snatched from flood and fire4 ,yet through the daily1 dazing toil1 ,the crowding tasks of hand and brain1 ,keep pure our lips1 ,lord ,christ1 from soil1 ,keep pure our lives from sordid gain4 ,come to the level of our days1 ,the lowly hours of dust and din1 ,and in the valley-lands upraise ,thy kingdom over self and sin4 ,not ours the dawn-lit heights2 and yet ,up to the hills where men walk free ,we lift our eyes1 lest faith forget ,the ,light which lighted them to ,thee4 ,god of all heroes1 ours and ,thine1 ,god of all toilers6 keep us true1 ,till ,love's eternal glory shine ,in sunrise on the valleys too4 ,short lines1 irregular metre and unusual construction1 are best for light or whimsical subjects4 ,the ,limitations of ,youth1 by ,eugene ,field1 is an example4 ,to put it another way3 when the subject is dignified1 the lines should roll along2 when the subject is light and airy1 the lines should ripple past4 ,the more peaceful the subject1 the more need for mellifluent treatment4 ,stern or tragic subjects can stand rugged wording and shape4 ,verses written for children1 or on childish themes1 should be simple in construction1 with rhymes near together1 and lines of not more than eight syllables as a rule4 #h4f's1 rhyming alternately1 are the easiest to memorise1 and therefore the most popular with children4 ,examine the poems in ,stevenson's ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verses1 and note the simplicity of their construction1 the music of their rhymes1 and their clear1 direct method of statement--the latter an essential if children are to be interested4 ,one of the reasons for the appeal that ,hiawatha makes invariably to children is its direct form of statement1 with few involved sentences2 and its eight-syllable lines4 ,eugene ,field's poems on childhood themes1 and some of the passages in ,the ,forest of ,wild ,thyme1 by ,alfred ,noyes1 are delightful examples of the possibilities of #h4f lines with alternate rhymes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,merely to break up prose into lines of irregular length1 is not to produce poetry4 ,there must not only be beauty in individual lines and phrases1 but there must be beauty of idea and form in the verses as a whole4 ,at the same time1 never sacrifice sense to sound4 ,young writers sometimes say to me1 ,i see so much1 and feel so much1 yet ,i cannot put it into words3 the thoughts are beautiful while they are inside my brain1 but there seem no words adequate to express them2 ,i am baffled directly ,i try to put them down on paper4 ,don't despair4 ,every poet has felt the same3 but let it encourage you to recollect that many have got the better of the feeling1 by hard work and sheer determination4 ,after all you have all the words there are1 and the most famous of poets had no more than this to work with4 ,we sometimes forget that in the end1 the greatest writer that ever lived had to reduce everything to the same words you and ,i are free to use4 ,you may remember that ,mark ,twain once went to a well-known preacher1 who had delivered a magnificent sermon1 and1 after extolling it and thanking him for it1 the humourist added1 ,but ,i have seen every word of it before1 in print6 ,the astonished preacher asked1 indignantly1 ,where8 ,in the dictionary1 replied ,mark ,twain4 ,the ,function of the ,blue ,pencil ,just as we all know that a king would be no king without a crown1 and the ,lord ,mayor of ,london would be but a mere mortal man without his mace and his gorgeous gilt coach1 so no self-respecting editor is supposed to exist apart from a blue pencil4 ,and ,i admit it is a serviceable article1 but1 personally1 ,i prefer that it should be used by the contributor4 ,i do not want to have to spend time in revising a ,,ms41 to get it into publishable shape2 neither does any other editor4 ,the blue pencil stands for deletion4 ,practically every writer needs to cut down the first draft of a story or article4 ,some prune more severely than others1 but all experienced workers reduce and condense before they finally pass a ,,ms4 for publication4 ,it is not until a ,,ms4 is completed--roughly--that one can actually tell where it is balanced1 and where it is light-weight or top-heavy4 ,things expand in unexpected directions as we go along2 developments suggest themselves temptingly when we are halfway through1 and then throw the earlier chapters quite out of proportion to the story as a whole2 matters that seemed of great moment when we were in ,chapter #b have toned down to the very ordinary by the time we have piled on ten more chapters of stress and thrills and emotion4 ,one cannot stop to adjust it as one goes along1 because no one can say whether the re-adjustment itself may not be out of gear by the time the finale is reached4 ,consequently1 the best way is to go right on1 letting everything fall as it happens 7but keeping as near as you can to your original plan1 unless there is just cause for a departure therefrom74 ,when you have written ,finis1 overhaul the ,,ms4 from beginning to end1 sparing neither your blue pencil nor your feelings1 if common sense1 and knowledge of your craft1 tell you that certain portions or sentences would be better omitted4 ,it is neither an easy nor a pleasing task--especially to the novice4 ,the early children of our brain seem of such priceless worth1 that we regard them with a certain sense of awe4 ,did ,i write that beautiful passage about the moon silvering the tree-tops8 ,then it must belong just where ,i put it4 ,cut it out8 ,certainly not6 ,i consider it the most exquisite paragraph in the whole story4 ,this is the way we look at our work when we have not many published items to our name4 ,later1 experience and the training that comes from practice1 teach us to arm ourselves as a matter of course with a blue pencil1 ignore personal sentiment1 and look at our ,,mss4 with a coldly critical eye4 ,then we may discover that a sentence or paragraph1 though of undoubted merit and beauty--7we need not deny it that much67--does not quite fit in where we originally placed it4 ,possibly it is superfluous1 in view of what follows later2 or redundant1 in view of what went before2 or it may have lost life and colour with the passage of time2 or it may seem hackneyed1 or weak1 7though we do not use such insulting words to our own writings till we are fairly advanced74 ,but whatever the reason1 if on examining a sentence1 it does not appear to serve any vital purpose1 take it out4 ,if you think there is worth in it1 save it for a possible use at a later date in some other ,,ms41 though1 personally1 ,i do not believe in any sort of rechauffe of old matter1 simply because as time goes on we change in our style of writing as we do in our tastes and preferences in neckties4 ,and what you write this year1 will not necessarily dovetail in with what you write in a few years' time4 ,still1 if you feel it would be wasting flashes of genius to destroy it1 and it would be any comfort to you to hoard it--do so2 the main thing is to delete it from the ,,ms4 you are revising1 if there be any doubt about its value4 ,a beginner's ,,ms4 usually needs to be cut down to about half its original length4 ,hard luck1 for the beginner1 ,i know1 considering the way he will have laboured lovingly over every sentence4 ,sidenote3 ,,mss4 need to be ,pulled ,together ,nevertheless1 it pulls the work together if the blue pencil be applied generously4 ,some articles and stories appear to sprawl all over the place 7sprawl is not a pretty word1 but it is expressive74 ,the writer does not seem able to follow up any idea to a logical conclusion1 without interpolating so much irrelevant matter that the main theme is nearly smothered by the extraneous items1 and the reader gets only a confused impression of what it is all about4 ,such work needs pulling together1 i4e4 the essential portions that should follow each other in natural sequence need to be brought closer together2 and this can only be done by clearing away the non-essentials that separate them4 ,sidenote3 ,the way ,phil ,may made his ,sketches ,the late ,phil ,may once showed me how he drew his inimitable sketches1 that always looked so simple1 oh so simple6 to the uninitiated4 ,first he made a sketch full of detail1 with everything included1 much as other people make sketches4 ,when this was finished to his satisfaction1 he started to take out every line that was not actually necessary to the understanding of the picture4 ,finally he had left nothing but a few strokes--yet1 such was his genius for seeing what to delete and what to leave1 the picture had gained rather than lost in character1 force1 and comprehensiveness4 ,the secret of the matter is this4 ,by removing everything that is not of vital importance to the whole1 7whether in painting or in writing71 there is less confusion of vision1 less to distract the mind1 or switch it off to side issues4 ,this does not mean that everything is better for being given in bare outline4 ,undoubtedly certain additions and decorations and descriptions can be made to emphasise the author's meaning1 to impress a scene more vividly on the mind4 ,we do not want all our pictures to be modelled on the lines of ,phil ,may1 clever as his work was4 ,there is room for endless variety4 ,the author should remember1 however1 that it is better to err on the side of drastic deletion1 rather than leave in matter that is no actual gain to the picture1 and only serves to distract and confuse and overload the reader's mind4 ,sidenote3 ,beware the ,plausible ,imp ,there is a ,plausible ,imp who perches on the top of every beginner's inkstand1 and passes his wicked little time assuring them all that they are too clever to need hedging about by rules1 that their work cannot be improved upon1 and would only be spoilt if it were altered in any way4 ,don't heed him6 ,the beginner's work is never spoilt by condensation2 rather it is invariably improved by cutting down4 ,in the main1 every writer's work needs pruning1 until he has had sufficient practice to know what is not worth while to put down in the first place--and one needs to be exceptionally gifted to know this4 ,if1 on reading your ,,ms4 after its completion1 you feel your work is so good that it needs no blue pencil--beware6 ,you have not got there yet6 ,,part ,,five ,,author1 ,,publisher1 ,,and ,,public ,everything resolves itself down1 in the publisher's mind1 to the one simple question3 ,is this ,,ms4 what the public wants8 ,when ,offering ,goods for ,sale ,supposing--that when you go into the fishmonger's1 he offers you a cod that is slightly off2 and1 while apologising for its feebleness1 begs you to take it1 as he has an invalid daughter suffering from spinal complaint1 who needs a change at the seaside4 ,or--that the assistant in the men's hosiery shop begs you to take half a dozen extra neckties1 as he is anxious to buy the baby a much-needed pram1 and his salary depends primarily on his commissions4 ,or--that the sewing-machine agent1 when sending around circulars1 adds a devout hope1 as a ,p4,s41 that you will purchase a machine1 since he is anxious to increase his subscription to foreign missions4 ,or--that the incompetent dressmaker beseeches you to take a garment that would fit nobody and suit nobody1 because she has a widowed mother to support4 ,preposterous6 you say4 ,such things would never occur4 ,and yet this is precisely what is happening every day of the year in the literary business6 ,here are some sentences from letters accompanying ,,mss4 sent to my office the week ,i am writing this4 ,i should esteem it a great kindness if you could stretch a point in favour of my story1 even though it may not be quite up to your standard 7and ,i can see1 on re-reading1 that it has defects72 but ,i am anxious to make some money in order to take a friend in whom ,i am deeply interested to the seaside for a much-needed change4 ,she is an invalid1 and---- here follow copious details about the friend4 ,another writes3 ,i must ask you to give this every consideration1 as ,i devote all the money ,i make by my writings to charity4 ,a third says frankly1 you really must accept this story1 as ,i need money badly4 ,and for a truly nauseating letter1 ,i think the following is as objectionable as any ,i have received in this connection3 ,my dear wife has recently passed away1 after years of acute and protracted suffering4 ,my heart was rent with sympathy for her while she lived1 and now the blank caused by her death is almost intolerable4 ,how ,i shall face life without her ,i do not know2 for she was indeed a help-meet in every sense of the word1 ,in order to divert my mind from this well-nigh insurmountable sorrow1 ,i have written a story ',the ,forged ,cheque1' which ,i feel is just the thing for your magazine4 ,i ask you to regard it leniently1 remembering that it is written with a breaking heart1 etc4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,problem of ,youth ,then there are other reasons advanced why the editor should accept a ,,ms41 the youthfulness or the inexperience of the author being frequently mentioned4 ,while it is no crime to be young1 it is no particular advantage when one is seeking to place a story4 ,inexperience1 on the other hand1 might be regarded as a distinct drawback4 ,but in any case1 the editor does not purchase ,,mss4 merely because they are the writers' first attempts4 ,however good they may be for first attempts1 or however promising they may be considering the age of the writer1 all that has practically nothing to do with the editor's decision1 unless he is running any pages in his periodical for the exploitation of immature work or juvenile effort4 ,and in these days of high-priced paper and expensive production1 very few papers do this4 ,sidenote3 ,the way ,phil ,may made his ,sketches ,it is hard to make the amateur understand that a magazine is first and foremost a business proposition1 as much as a shop or a factory4 ,the editor must make it pay2 and in order to do this1 he must publish the type of matter that his readers are willing to purchase4 ,each magazine appeals to a definite section of the public 7or it should do so1 if it is to be a success74 ,no one magazine appeals to every human being4 ,some want sensation1 some want art1 some want fashions1 and so on4 ,and as it is impossible to include everything in any one publication1 each editor aims to please a certain class of tastes--good1 bad or indifferent1 according to the policy of his paper4 ,and he knows to a fraction almost1 what will suit his public1 and what they will not care about4 ,how does he know8 ,it is part of his mental and business equipment3 the knowledge often costs him years of study and observation2 and it is one of the qualifications for which he is paid his salary4 ,and because he knows what his public will buy1 and what they do not want1 he purchases ,,mss4 accordingly4 ,it is immaterial to him whether the writer needs money for charity1 or to support an aged relative1 or merely to soothe a bereaved soul3 the only question he considers is whether the public will want a certain ,,ms4 or not4 ,he is not engaged by the proprietors to aid charity1 or to minister to the necessitous2 his work is to provide goods that the public will buy--just like any other business man4 ,and he is unmoved1 therefore1 by irrelevant appeals4 ,of course he has other matters to look to as well as the providing of goods the public will buy2 he helps to shape public opinion1 for instance1 and raises1 or lowers1 the public taste4 ,but so far as the amateur is concerned1 the point to remember is the fact that an editor is in no way influenced by the writer's need for pecuniary assistance4 ,if he were1 his post-bag would be a hundred times heavier than it is already1 and it is quite heavy enough as it is6 ,sidenote3 ,a ,publisher is not an ,agent for ,philanthropy ,in the same way1 only more so1 a publisher is concerned with the selling qualities of a ,,ms4 rather than with the writer's private affairs4 ,he is running a business concern with a view to some margin of profit4 ,presumably he has a wife and family to support1 rent1 rates and taxes to meet 7in addition to helping to pay for the war7--like any other man4 ,and he spends his days in the dim1 fusty airlessness of a publisher's office for the purpose of making a living out of the books he publishes4 ,therefore1 he is not likely to be inclined to bring out a book1 which his business experience tells him the public will never buy1 merely because 7as one sender of a ,,ms4 recently put it7 the moral of my essays is really beautiful1 and it will do people good to read them1 if even they do not bring in profit4 ,read them yourself and you will see that ,i am not exaggerating4 ,possibly the moral of a ,,ms4 is quite good3 but it may not be the particular brand of goodness that the public is willing to purchase at the moment2 and the publisher knows it is hopeless to put it on the market in that case4 ,equally it is useless to expect him to be influenced favourably simply because your earnings are ear-marked for charity4 ,at the end of the year1 should he see that the money he paid for a certain item was a dead loss1 it would be no consolation to him to remember that the author had devoted the cash to a ,seaside ,holiday ,home for ,men on ,strike in which she was interested4 ,therefore spare him all such data4 ,the less you add to what he has to read daily1 the better4 ,an accompanying letter is really unnecessary--only it is useful to affix the stamps to1 for the return of the ,,ms4 if rejected4 ,profuse explanations are all beside the mark1 and give an amateurish1 unbusiness-like look to a communication4 ,whatever you may write about yourself on your ,,ms41 in praise thereof1 or in extenuation1 everything resolves itself down--in the publisher's mind--to the one simple question3 ,is this what the public wants8 ,sidenote3 ,we think we can ,judge the ,value of our ,work better than a ,publisher can ,many a beginner is convinced his ,,ms4 would sell1 if only it were printed4 ,it is natural that we have a certain amount of belief in our own work1 more especially if we have given much time and thought to it4 ,moreover1 we possibly see points in it that no one else can2 we see what a we meant to put down1 without in any way realising how far our actual writing falls short of the ideas that were in our brain4 ,the outcome of this partiality for our own writing1 is a certainty that people are not able to do us justice if they do not think as highly of it as we do4 ,but the publisher is better able to judge of the selling possibilities of a work than the author2 it is his business2 he is at it all day long4 ,he has no personal feelings involved1 his main concern being to make a book a profitable concern2 and his experience teaches him pretty accurately what the public will buy and what it will leave on his hands4 ,he may occasionally make a mistake 7though it is surprising how seldom an expert publisher does make a wrong estimate1 considering how various are the ,,mss4 that pass through his office72 but when he does1 he more often errs on the side of being over-sanguine1 and giving the author the benefit of the doubt1 than in the direction of turning down anything that might have made his1 and the author's1 fortune4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,consoling ,thought--no doubt ,some writers are convinced that the style of their ,,ms4 was too good for the editor who rejected it1 and altogether above his intelligence4 ,this is a consoling thought1 no doubt2 but unfortunately it does not take one any further4 ,i know that instances are occasionally quoted 7always the same instances1 by the way71 where books that ultimately achieved some success were declined by several publishers before they were finally landed4 ,but in some of these cases the books in question were so very much off the beaten track as to be verging on freakishness--and no one living can guarantee a forecast of how the public will receive a freak6 ,here and there one finds a publisher who enjoys a gamble1 and will risk a little on such uncertainties2 7sometimes he gets his reward1 more often he doesn't72 but the majority prefer a safer1 even though less exciting1 course6 ,one other matter may have contributed to the refusals these ,,mss4 met with--possibly they were offered to publishers who did not handle that particular type of work4 ,publishers usually specialise in fixed directions1 just as magazine editors do4 ,no one attempts to cover the whole range of reading2 a glance at any publisher's catalogue will show this4 ,a ,,ms4 turned down by one1 as being useless to the section of the public in which he is interested1 may be taken by another1 who reaches a totally different class of reader4 ,therefore do not despair1 if your story does not get accepted the first time of asking4 ,there may be a variety of reasons why that particular publisher or editor did not want that particular ,,ms4 ,but in any case1 don't sit down at the first rebuff and say1 ,what's the good of anything8 ,a genius has no chance nowadays any more than poor ,chatterton had6 7,by the way1 ,i have heard several desperate1 would-be authors mention ,chatterton and liken their own predicament to his1 but not one has ever chanced to be able to quote me a line of his work67 ,there is no need to feel that the bottom has dropped out of the universe1 because your ,,ms4 has been returned4 ,try elsewhere4 ,if it is declined by five or six different publishers1 then you may safely conclude that it is not the kind of work the public will buy at the moment2 or it may be that your writing is not sufficiently mature4 ,in that case1 put that ,,ms4 aside1 and tackle another1 something quite fresh4 ,i never think it is worth while to try and re-write or re-construct the rejected ,,ms4--at any rate1 not till you are tolerably advanced4 ,it really takes no more time to write something entirely new4 ,if only ,i could get an introduction to an editor1 ,i am sure ,i could get my work taken4 ,one often hears this said4 ,yet there never was a greater delusion than this idea that introductions work the oracle4 ,it would be a different matter if an editor1 or publisher1 had a surfeit of good work1 and really did not know what to discard3 in such circumstances 7which won't occur this side of the millennium67 an introduction might help to secure attention for an individual writer4 ,but as it is1 the editor is only too anxious to purchase good work when it comes his way2 he does not wait for any introduction4 ,if a ,,ms4 strays into his office that possesses the qualities he is looking for1 he writes the author forthwith1 his one desire being to purchase the ,,ms4 ,still1 if you really feel you must be armed with some such document1 it is as well to be quite sure that the introduction is a desirable one4 ,here are two letters that reached me by the same post4 ,the first was from ,miss ,blank1 a stranger1 who said-- ,my friend ,mr4 ,dash1 who thinks very highly of my work1 has urged me to let you see some of it1 as he thinks it is just the sort of thing you will be glad to have for your magazine4 ,he is writing a letter of introduction4 ,i shall be glad if you will name a time for a personal interview1 as ,i can better explain--etc4 ,the second was from ,mr4 ,dash1 an acquaintance of long standing1 who said-- ,there is a certain ,miss ,blank who is anxious ,i should write her a letter of introduction to yourself--which ,i do herewith4 ,i know nothing whatever about her1 save that she seems to be a first-class nuisance4 ,i have never seen her1 haven't a ghost of a notion if she can write3 probably she can't4 ,but she happens to be the sister of the fiance of the daughter of my mother-in-law's dearest and oldest friend2 and any man who values the peace and happiness of his home endeavours to propitiate his mother-in-law1 especially when she has mentioned the matter six times already4 ,therefore ,i trust this introduction is in order4 ,sidenote3 ,personal ,interviews are seldom desirable as a ,preliminary ,the desirability of a personal interview with an editor is another delusion to which the amateur clings4 ,as a rule nothing is gained 7but a good deal of time is lost7 by talking a contribution over before the preliminary ,,ms4 is read4 ,after all1 the ,,ms4 is the item by which the author stands or falls4 ,if it is good1 and what the editor wants1 he will take it--and take it only too gladly2 if it is not good1 or not what he wants1 no amount of preliminary conversation will secure its acceptance2 for no matter how delightful the conversation may have been1 he does not print that2 it is the ,,ms4 itself that decides the crucial question of publication or no publication4 ,in some cases a preliminary letter is desirable3 it may be advisable to ascertain beforehand whether an editor is open to consider an article on a doubtful subject4 ,but if you wish to avoid inducing a sense of irritation in his soul1 do not ask for a personal interview1 since in all probability1 if he is as rushed as most editors are nowadays1 he will turn down the matter forthwith1 rather than spend time on talk that may lead nowhere4 ,it must always be borne in mind that these are overworked1 understaffed1 hustling times in a very complex age2 and the newspaper and magazine office feels this more keenly than any other branch of the business world1 simply because periodicals must reflect the spirit of their day and generation1 and keep the readers in touch with all that is going on1--and all is a large1 and constantly changing1 order at present4 ,this means that the editorial offices are always more or less in a state of tension2 there is no time to spare for interviews that may prove fruitless2 the day is seldom long enough to get in all that is certain to be profitable to the paper4 ,therefore1 say what you have to say by letter--and say it clearly and briefly4 ,the editor forms his judgment by what you say1 and if he wants to talk the matter over with you1 he will soon let you know4 ,but ,i always feel ,i can explain myself so much better in a conversation--no matter how brief--than in a letter4 ,this is a frequent plea4 ,the public1 however1 will judge you by what you write1 not by what you say2 if you cannot express yourself well in writing1 you may speak with the tongues of men and of angels yet it will avail you nothing where the publication of your ,,ms4 is concerned4 ,if you cannot write about it so that the editor can understand1 the public are not likely to be able to comprehend it any better4 ,women are particularly prone to ask for an interview1 and this because they instinctively rely to some extent on the appeal of their personality in most of their business transactions4 ,by far the wiser course1 however1 is for a woman to express herself so well in her writing that the office simply tumbles over itself in its anxiety to make her personal acquaintance4 ,and ,i have known this to happen on more than one occasion4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,irrepressible ,caller ,nevertheless1 men can also distinguish themselves when making calls4 ,the card of a stranger1 bearing a ,nebraska address1 was brought to me one afternoon4 ,he urged that his business was of great importance4 ,finally ,i saw him4 ,he was a most intelligent-looking ,american1 and1 like the majority of his countrymen1 was not long in coming to the point4 ,he said he had written some poems1 and promptly placed before me a sheaf of ,,ms4 ,i told him ,i would look at them if he would leave them4 ,just you run your eye down these1 he said4 ,i protested that ,i could not possibly do his work justice if ,i skimmed it in any such manner4 ,then he explained that these were not poems--the masterpieces would come later--these were press notices of some poems he had had printed in a ,nebraska paper4 ,i read a few2 ,i had never even heard of the majority of the papers that reviewed his work2 but he seemed to take himself very seriously1 one had not the heart to shatter his illusions4 ,then he produced the bales of poems4 ,he watched me so eagerly ,i was obliged to read some4 ,i besought him to leave the rest with me1 as ,i could not decide so important a matter hurriedly4 ,oh1 but just read this one1 he persisted4 ,mr4 ,blank of our city--never heard of him8 ,you do surprise me6--he says he considers it as fine as anything your ,percy ,b4 ,shelley ever wrote4 ,in a moment of abject weakness ,i said the poem was fair4 ,then the heart of that man warmed towards me2 he told me of his hopes1 his plans and his aspirations1 and ,i tried to sympathise with them4 ,i could not do less1 since ,i owe ,america much for kindness and hospitality it has shown me on many occasions4 ,when at last he rose1 reluctantly 7he had stayed an hour and a quarter71 ,i offered him my hand4 ,he took it with a hearty grip4 ,well1 ,i'm real glad to have known you1 he said4 ,it's been a genuine pleasure to have this talk with you1 for you are1 without exception1 the most informed and intellectual person ,i've met since ,i've been in your country4 ,i felt immediately remorseful that ,i had grudged him the little chat2 he was evidently a discerning young man4 ,the pleasure has been mine1 ,i assured him1 and inquired how long he had been in ,england8 ,i landed at ,southampton at ten o'clock this morning1 was the response4 ,i smilingly tried to disguise the sudden lapse of my enthusiasm4 ,i must have succeeded1 for he next said3 ,and now ,i guess ,i'll go down and fetch up my wife4 ,she's been waiting in the street outside while ,i came up to see what you were like4 ,i size it she'll just enjoy making a little visit with you4 ,sidenote3 ,,mss4 cannot always be ,read as ,soon as they are ,received ,it is only natural that an author should be keen to know the verdict on his work1 once he has sent it out to try its fortune4 ,but it is useless to get impatient because no news of it is forthcoming next day4 ,sometimes weeks elapse1 sometimes months1 before a ,,ms4 can be read4 ,but since the publisher makes no charge for reading a ,,ms4 7and the reading costs money3 some one's time has to be paid for1 and it is some one who draws a fair salary1 too71 he must be allowed to do it at his own convenience4 ,if he has not asked you to send a ,,ms41 you cannot exactly dictate how soon it should be read4 ,naturally1 it is read as quickly as possible2 this is to every one's interest2 but this does not mean that it can be read the next day1 or even the next week4 ,other authors may have preceded you4 ,the amateur who sends letters of inquiry before one has scarcely had time to open the envelope1 is doomed to have his work rejected4 ,no office has time to write and explain that the matter will be considered in due course1 etc41 so the ,,ms4 is merely returned4 ,it seems impossible to make the average beginner understand that his is not the only story offered1 and that things have to take their turn4 ,moreover1 it is as difficult to please everybody as it was for the old man with the donkey in the fable4 ,if ,,mss4 are not returned immediately1 the editor is bombarded with complaints from one set of aggrieved authors2 if he is able to read them at once1 and he returns them quickly1 he is the recipient of uncharitable letters accusing him of having discarded the ,,mss4 unread4 ,there is an interesting story of a suspicious lady who prided herself on laying traps for the negligent editor--pages put in the wrong order1 others upside down1 and suchlike devices with which every magazine office is familiar4 ,at last she succeeded in proving that the monster who sat at the receipt of ,,mss4 in one particular publishing house was a consummate rascal4 ,,sir1 she wrote1 ,i have long suspected that you basely deceive the public into believing that you read their works1 while in reality you return them unread4 ,but at last ,i have caught you hot-handed in the very act4 ,it will doubtless interest you to know that ,i purposely gummed together pages #if and #ig1 very slightly1 in the top right-hand corner4 ,had you fulfilled your duty and done the work for which your employer pays you a salary1 you would have discovered this and detached the pages in question4 ,the editor replied3 ,,dear ,,madam1--,if you will take a sharp pen-knife1 and remove the fragment of gum between pages #if and #ig1 in the top right-hand corner1 it may interest you to discover my initials underneath4 ,should all ,,mss4 be typed8 is a question often asked4 ,sidenote3 ,if you wish your ,,ms4 to be ,read3 make the ,reading ,easy ,it is advisable to have them typed if possible1 as this enables them to be read more quickly than if sent untyped4 ,remember that your object in sending a ,,ms4 to a publisher1 or editor1 is to get it read3 therefore it is policy to do all in your power to facilitate the reading4 ,owing to the widespread interest in literature1 and the universal desire to see oneself in print1 the number of ,,mss4 that reach the office of any general periodical of good standing1 is immense2 and the eye-strain entailed in reading is very great4 ,it has therefore become necessary to ask for ,,mss4 to be typed when possible2 though anything that was clearly written1 in a bold readable hand1 would never be turned down because it was not typed4 ,what is desired is that a ,,ms4 shall be legible1 so that it can be read with the least amount of detriment to the eyesight4 ,whereas some of the untyped work that is sent is a positive insult4 ,i have seen tiny1 niggling writing1 crossed out and re-crossed out1 till even the compositor 7who is a perfect genius for reading the utterly illegible7 could scarcely have made it out4 ,and in all probability1 such a ,,ms4 would be not over-clean1 and would be rolled to go through the post4 ,sidenote3 ,why ,editors do not ,criticise ,if you are unable to make use of my ,,ms41 ,i shall be glad if you will kindly criticise it1 and tell me exactly what you think of it4 ,this request is frequently made by senders of ,,ms4 ,and when they receive back their work without any comment they will write and say1 ,at least you might have sent one word by way of criticism4 ,if you had only written 'good' or 'bad1' ,i should have some idea why you declined it4 ,i sympathise heartily with those who want advice2 ,i know how very difficult it is to get any guidance or criticism that can be relied upon to be disinterested4 ,nevertheless1 ,i wish the student could see the number of queries1 and the amount of work1 and the heap of ,,mss4 that arrive at the office of any prosperous periodical2 he would then begin to realise how utterly impossible it would be for ,,mss4 to be criticised in writing4 ,it would entail an extra staff1 and an expensive staff at that1 since such criticism is not work1 like card indexing1 that can be relegated to a junior clerk4 ,indeed1 the sender of the ,,ms4 would probably be highly indignant if any one but the editor did this work6 ,when ,i explain to beginners that we have no time to write criticisms on rejected work they say1 ,but it wouldn't take a minute to write down a few words1 seeing that the ,,ms4 has already been read4 ,unfortunately1 it would take a great many minutes4 ,in any case it takes some time 7if only a little7 to sum up concisely the merits and defects of anything4 ,more than that1 experience has proved again and again that one little word of criticism will lead to more letters from the writer4 ,and one has not time to read them6 ,the children of our brain are very dear to us2 and so sure as any one passes an adverse criticism on them1 our feathers stand on end1 and we prepare to defend our one little chick like the most devoted hen that ever lived4 ,neither is it wise1 ,i have found1 to suggest a little alteration with a promise of publication attached4 ,two years ago ,i wrote to some one who had only had one short story published1 indicating a new ending that would have improved her ,,ms4 immensely1 and made it possible for me to take it4 ,my temperament requires that it shall end as ,i have written it4 ,kindly return my ,,ms4 if you cannot use it1 replied the lady loftily4 ,i did so4 ,last week the same ,,ms4 came back to me--much aged and the worse for wear--with a note that the author did not mind if ,i altered the ending as ,i had suggested4 ,but two years is two years4 ,and in the interval1 while the ,,ms4 was travelling round to every other office1 the subject-matter had got out of date4 ,it is never politic to be touchy if by chance some misguided editor does offer a word of criticism6 ,if you want your work published1 and there is no loss of principle involved1 conform to the publisher's requirements as gracefully as you can1 even though1 in your heart of hearts1 you consider him woefully lacking in discernment4 ,and you can comfort yourself1 meanwhile1 with the thought that when you are safely ensconced upon ,olympian heights1 you will even things up a little1 and get back all of your own4 ,i know one proprietress of several rejected ,,mss4 who vows that whenever she gets there1 she will sit on the topmost pinnacle1 and make all publishers and editors 7including myself7 walk up to her on their knees1 dropping curtsies all the way6 ,sidenote3 ,a ,popular ,delusion ,i was making for my office one day when a sportive-looking girl stopped me on the stairs4 ,just give this story to the editor will you1 please8 she began4 ,give it right into her hands1 won't you2 don't let any underling get hold of it4 ,i agreed4 ,and--,i say--just tell her from me that she's to read it herself1 every word of it2 ,i won't be put off with some assistant tossing it aside half read4 ,i know their tricks4 ,one very popular delusion is that there is a conspiracy among the assistants in an office to keep ,,mss41 and especially good ,,mss41 from the eye of the chief6 ,people will resort to all sorts of devices with the idea of ensuring ,,mss4 reaching the editor's own hands4 ,they are marked personal1 and strictly private1 or please forward1 if away2 and ,i had one endorsed1 ,not to be opened by any one but the ,editor4 ,yet what is gained by all this1 save a definite amount of delay8 ,in any well-organised office1 work has to follow a certain routine2 ,,mss4 have to be entered up by clerks as received1 the stamps sent for return postage have to be checked and duly noted by the proper department1 etc4 ,why delay the handling of the ,,ms4 for a few weeks by having it so addressed that it may follow the editor to the ,north ,pole1 and back1 before it is opened1 if the endorsements were obeyed8--which of course they are not4 ,let a ,,ms4 take its proper course4 ,no one in the office desires to suppress genius2 on the contrary1 great indeed is the elation of any member of the staff who discovers something worth publishing4 ,it is one great object of our business lives4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,little ,tact and how much it is6 ,if you feel you must call at an office in person1 remember that the display of a little tact is a desirable accomplishment4 ,when seeking a post on his paper do not start by telling the editor that his magazine is poor stuff1 and will soon be on the rocks1--as ,i once heard a lady tell the editor of one of the most famous monthlies in existence4 ,when he inquired as to her experience1 it transpired that she had had one story--and one only--printed1 and it had appeared in a child's magazine4 ,and it was another tactful caller who said1 on leaving1 after having absorbed five and twenty minutes of a busy assistant's time3 ,well1 perhaps you'll explain these suggestions of mine to the editor2 though it would have been so much more satisfactory if ,i could have talked to some properly qualified individual4 ,occasionally1 however1 a caller contributes something to the gaiety of nations1 as in the case of the lady who came to inquire after the welfare of a ,,ms4 she had left with some one in our building only the day before4 7,and1 incidentally1 she wanted to alter a word in it1 as she had thought of one she liked better74 ,i was passing through the ,inquiry ,office as she entered1 and she straightway explained to me her mission4 ,i will find out who took it1 ,i said1 ,i do not think you left it with me4 ,oh no6 it wasn't you1 she replied emphatically4 ,i left it with quite a nice-looking person6 ,the ,responsibility ,the responsibility attached to the business of writing is greater than in any other department of work4 ,the influence of the printed page is so far reaching1 that no writer can gauge to what extent he may be furthering good 7or harm71 when he puts pen to paper4 ,you can calculate exactly an author's cash value by his sales3 but this does not give an equally accurate estimate of his moral value4 ,who would dream of measuring the influence of ,punch1 for instance1 by the figures of its circulation8 ,no one can say how many people will handle one single copy1 or how many people will find in that single copy bracing laughter and healthy humour4 ,the numbers printed each week can only represent a fraction of its actual readers4 ,and the same applies to a good many books3 they pass from one to another1 are borrowed from libraries1 borrowed from friends 7often without being returned1 alas671 and by varied routes they penetrate to out-of-the-way corners of the world where the authors would least expect to be able to reach the inhabitants4 ,the most famous preacher living has not the possibilities of power that lie in the hands of a popular writer2 and the gravity of this responsibility cannot be over-estimated4 ,while this does not mean that we must take ourselves too seriously1 it does mean that we must take our work seriously1 and recognise that it stands for something more than money-making1 even though money-making is not to be despised4 ,to the beginner this may seem a weighty subject and rather outside his orbit4 ,but in reality this point needs to be taken into consideration from the very earliest of our literary experiments4 ,we must induce a certain attitude of mind1 and keep definite ideals before us1 if our work is to shape in any particular direction4 ,and the probability is that you will have to choose between good and ill when selecting the theme for your first story4 ,you will naturally look around and study the type of fiction that seems to be selling well1 and perhaps you may light on something peculiarly noxious1 since there is an assortment of such books being published nowadays4 ,the book in question may have been designated strong 7the word reviewers often fall back upon1 when they cannot find any adjective sufficiently truthful without being libellous1 to convey an idea of a book's malodorous qualities672 or you may have heard the book lauded by people who make a boast of being modern1 up-to-date1 or advanced4 ,and as we none of us aim at being weak1 or old-fashioned1 or behind the times1 it is not surprising if the beginner feels that he1 too1 had better try his hand at something strong1 if he is to get a reputation for ultra-modernity4 ,quite a number of novices choose unpleasant topics because1 and only because1 they fancy such themes show advanced1 untrammelled thought1 and a knowledge of the world4 ,they forget that of far greater importance than the extent of the writer's ability to defy the conventions1 is the moral effect of a book on those who read it4 ,sidenote3 ,wider ,views are ,needed when ,characterising ,literature ,i use the word moral in its widest sense4 ,it is unfortunate that we have got into the habit of pigeon-holing literature--and especially fiction--in very narrow compartments4 ,when we speak of a book as good1 or helpful1 or uplifting1 we usually mean that it contains specific religious teaching in one form or another4 ,yet a book may be very good and helpful and uplifting without a single sermonic sentence1 or anything approaching thereunto4 ,in the same way1 when we say that a novel is undesirable or immoral1 we generally mean that it deals with one particular form of evil3 yet there are books having little or nothing to do with promiscuous sex relationships that are pernicious and unhealthy in the extreme1 and possibly all the more dangerous because their immorality is not of the kind that is definitely ticketed for all to see1 and beware of1 if need be4 ,everything tending to lower the tone of the soul is immoral2 everything that debases human taste is unhealthy2 everything that gloats on unpleasantness1 for the mere pleasure of gloating1 is as devastating as poison gas2 everything that preaches a doctrine of hopelessness1 that spreads the black miasma of spiritual doubt over the mind is bad--fiendishly bad4 ,but do not misunderstand me3 ,i would not seem to imply that only fair things should be chronicled4 ,there are certain facts of life that must be faced3 sin cannot be ignored--but it must be recognised as sin1 not be touched up with tinsel1 and placed in the limelight1 to look as attractive as possible4 ,poverty1 grime1 sickness1 gloom cannot be banished from every horizon2 but they need not be dwelt upon exclusively without any alleviation1 to the shutting out of all else4 ,the wave of so-called realism that has swept over fiction of recent years has been a very injurious element in modern literature4 ,it is bad from an artistic point of view1 since it is one-sided1 unbalanced1 and not true to life itself1 which invariably provides that compensations go hand in hand with drawbacks4 ,some people speak of realism as though the only realities were sordidness and crime2 whereas the earth teems with lovely realities--beauty of spirit1 beauty of character1 beauty of thought1 no less than beauty of form and colour4 ,the slum at first glance does not look a pre-possessing subject2 yet read ,angel ,court3 the writer who is a real artist can find gold even here6 ,,angel-,,court ,by ,,austin ,,dobson ,in ,angel-,court the sunless air ,grows faint and sick2 to left and right ,the cowering houses shrink from sight ,huddled and hopeless1 eyeless1 bare4 ,misnamed1 you say8 for surely rare ,must be the angel-shapes that light ,in ,angel-,court6 ,nay6 the ,eternities are there4 ,death at the doorway stands to smite2 ,life in its garrets leaps to light2 ,and ,love has climbed that crumbling stair ,in ,angel-,court4 ,from ,london ,lyrics1 by permission4 ,those who acclaimed these recent books of so-called realism as works of exceptional genius1 did not see that1 far from being any such thing1 they were1 in most cases1 preliminary manifestations of a hideous malady1 which has since culminated in all we understand by the word ,bolshevism4 ,to dilate on ugliness1 coarseness1 harshness1 without showing the counteracting forces at work1 and to dabble continuously in dirt without showing the way to cleanliness1 is not art1 no matter how accurately every detail may be portrayed3 it is merely systematised brutishness4 ,even themes with a rightful motive may be exceedingly harmful under some circumstances4 ,studies of dipsomaniacs1 drug-victims1 and the like1 may be necessary as matters of psychological or medical research1 just as studies of any other diseases are necessary2 but they should be issued as such1 and not put forward in the guise of fiction intended for all and sundry among the general public4 ,i have enlarged on this matter1 because there has been a great tendency on the part of amateurs lately to revel in descriptions of crudity and repulsiveness1 with never a thought as to the effect of such literature on the reader4 ,at no time is it desirable to circulate indiscriminately1 much less as fiction1 reading matter that can only induce morbidity1 neuroticism1 depravity1 doubt1 or depression4 ,but in an age like the present1 when most of the civilised world is bowed beneath an overwhelming weight of sorrow1 shattered nerves and physical weakness1 it is positively criminal to manufacture pessimism1 gloom and horrors1 and scatter this type of literature broadcast without any sense of the appalling responsibility attaching thereunto4 ,sidenote3 ,qualities which cannot be ,dispensed ,with ,there are three qualities which all authors should aim to incorporate in their writings if they are to be a blessing rather than a curse to humanity3 these are cleanness1 healthiness and righteousness4 ,they may be introduced in many and various forms2 and are often to be found in wholesome laughter1 spontaneous gaiety1 good cheer1 breathless adventure1 revelations of beauty1 as well as in direct appeals to the higher nature4 ,anything that will arouse sane emotions1 and divert the mind from self1 is to be welcomed as a benefaction in this world of many sorrows4 ,the late ,charles ,heber ,clarke--better known to the public as ,max ,adeler--enjoyed great popularity at one time as a humorist4 ,he was a man of strong religious convictions2 and there came a day when he ceased to write his humorous pleasantries1 seeming inclined to regard them as so much wasted opportunity4 ,on one occasion however1 a clergyman whom he met while travelling1 on discovering his identity1 grasped his hand and said1 ,you have made me laugh when there seemed nothing left to laugh about2 you have helped me to get over some of my darkest days4 ,i owe you more than ,i owe any other man in the world4 ,and when he had finished pouring out his gratitude1 said ,max ,adeler1 7who told me this himself71 ,i began to wonder whether1 after all1 one might not be doing as much good in the world by making people smile and forget their troubles1 as by preaching at them4 ,to help humanity ,god-ward is the greatest privilege we can aspire to2 but this can be done by other means besides the writing of hymns and commentaries4 ,everything that tends to lift humanity from the low-lands of sorrow or sordidness or suffering1 and to point them to the great ,hope2 everything that will aid them to live up to the best that is in them1 and to strive to recapture some long-lost ,vision of the ,highest1 will be helping in the great work of human regeneration that was set on foot by the ,one who came to give beauty for ashes4 ,while only a few are entrusted with the message of the prophet or the seer1 we all can specialise on whatsoever things are lovely and pure and of good report2 and we shall be of some use--if only in a quiet way--to our day and generation if we can help others also to think on these things4 ,sidenote3 ,goodness does not excuse ,dulness ,but one point must not be overlooked--and in saying this ,i am summing up most that has gone before3 ,if a book is to succeed1 it must be well written4 ,because a certain number of highly unpleasant books have succeeded1 and a certain number of highly moral books have failed1 beginners sometimes consider this as an indication of public preference4 ,what they forget1 or do not know1 is this3 ,the nasty book succeeded1 in spite of its nastiness1 because it was well and brightly written2 while the moral book failed1 in spite of its goodness1 because it was badly written and superlatively dull4 ,if the moral book that failed had been as well written as the nasty book that succeeded1 it would not only have done as well as the nasty book1 it would have done a great deal better4 ,all but a small degenerate section of the public prefer wholesome to vicious literature--but nobody wants a dull book6 ,and the amateur writer of good books often overlooks this latter fact4 ,therefore1 bear in mind that it is not sufficient that you make a book clean and healthy and good2 you must endeavour to make cleanness as attractive as it really is1 and healthiness as desirable as it really is1 and ,god-ordained ,righteousness the most satisfying of all the things worth seeking4 ,when you can do this1 you will find a fair-sized public waiting1 and anxious1 to buy your books4 ,you will not know what good you may be doing--it is never desirable for any of us to hear much on this score1 humanity is so sadly liable to swelled head6 ,but occasionally some one in the big outside world may send you a sincere ,thank you4 ,when this comes you will suddenly realise1 though you cannot explain why1 that there are some things even more worth while than the publisher's cheque4 ,,index ,a ,abbreviations to be avoided in verse1 #bdg ,abstract qualities to be gauged1 #be ,alexander1 ,mrs41 ,burial of ,moses1 #ge ,allen1 ,james ,lane1 and local colour1 #agf ,allingham1 ,wm41 poem by1 #agj ,allusions1 hackneyed1 #aee ,amateurs1 what they need to cultivate and avoid1 #dg ,amateurs1 two classes of1 #aci ,amateurs copying unawares1 #bjc ,amateurs and marriage offers in stories1 #bji ,amateurs' lack of first-hand knowledge1 #aih ,ambiguity1 avoid1 #aeg ,american writers and local colour1 #agd1 #age ,ancient facts undesirable except in text-book1 #adi ,angel ,court1 ,austin ,dobson1 #bij ,anthologies1 verse1 #ge1 #gf ,antiquated expressions1 #eb ,arnold1 ,matthew1 #ge ,article1 settle object in writing it1 #adg ,articles that are not wanted1 #aea2 big subjects to be avoided1 #aee2 ,how to ----1 editors overdone with1 #aed2 which fail1 #ach2 useful divisions1 #acf2 ruled by form1 #acf2 on subjects already dealt with1 #aec2 study type of1 in magazine you are writing for1 #aeb2 must be sent to editors in time1 #aej2 must be topical1 #aej2 starting in the middle1 #adg ,artist and detail1 #ajj ,artist's fragments1 an1 #afg ,artistic atmosphere1 #agh ,artistic training and literary first attempts1 #d1 #ih-ajj ,atmosphere1 healthy and otherwise1 #aha2 as a time saver1 #ahj ,atmospheric purpose of story writer1 #hi ,audience1 settle on your1 #abf ,austen's1 ,jane1 old-world atmosphere1 #ahd ,author's aim to help readers ,god-ward1 #bic ,authors must have something in their heads to write down1 #aa ,authorship compared with dressmaking1 #e1 #g ,b ,baby prattle in amateur verse1 #bci ,barclay1 ,mrs41 ,white ,ladies of ,worcester1 #da2 ,the ,rosary1 #baj ,barrie1 ,sir ,j41 and dialect1 #aie 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characteristics to be studied1 #ah ,human heart1 pivot of great stories1 #bh ,hysterical atmosphere1 #ahd ,i ,idea1 original1 lost1 #afj2 ornate language cannot cover lack of1 #afj2 starting1 forgotten by amateurs1 #abf2 the central1 #gi1 #ha ,ideas and words1 #ei2 as varied as human nature1 #ha2 more important than rhapsodies1 #bcf ,imaginative writing1 #afb ,immoral fiction1 #bhh ,improbabilities1 #afb ,inaccuracy in detail fatal to success1 #bc ,incidents should not be crowded1 #bbj ,income expected without training1 #d ,indefinite style to be avoided1 #aej ,ingelow1 ,jean1 #ge ,inner workings of mind and heart to be studied1 #bf ,interest readers1 the need to1 #aaf ,interviews with editors undesirable1 #bgb ,introductions to editors useless1 #bgj ,invisible ,playmate1 #db ,involved sentences1 #aei ,isolation foolish for an author1 #ca ,j ,jacobs1 ,w4 ,w41 and local colour1 #agc ,james1 ,henry1 long sentences of1 #afe ,jewett1 ,sarah ,orne1 #agf2 ,country of ,pointed ,firs1 #bbd ,journalists as models for the amateur1 #eg ,k ,kernahan1 ,coulson1 #fe ,keynote of story1 #gi ,kipling1 ,rudyard1 and local colour1 #agd2 short stories1 #ia2 ,the ,recessional1 #ge ,kipling's ,cat that walked by itself1 #adb2 varied styles1 #ajd ,know your characters1 #bi ,kubla ,khan1 #ge1 #agj ,l ,lady of the ,decoration1 #aid ,lady of the ,lake1 #agc ,landscape painting1 #agh ,language1 pleasing1 #ga ,learning must not be obtrusive1 #ajh ,leave off when finished1 #adg ,length of story must be considered1 #acd ,letters1 story in the form of1 #aic ,life ever offering new discoveries1 #bi ,literary student at disadvantage compared with students of arithmetic1 #f ,literature1 an elusive business1 #g2 good1 what constitutes it1 #g2 intangible1 #h ,little1 ,frances1 ,lady of the ,decoration1 #aid ,little ,women1 #bja ,local colour and ,american authors1 #agd ,local colour subordinate to personality1 #bh ,locality should be known to story writer1 #bbj ,longfellow1 ,bryant and ,swinburne1 #gf1 #gg ,lovers' outpourings in amateur verse1 #bci ,love-story difficult for amateur1 #baa1 #bbd ,love-story1 need for character delineation1 #bae ,love-stories outlets for girls' emotions1 #bba ,m ,magazine is a business proposition1 #bfd ,main theme should make universal appeal1 #bg ,major1 ,charles1 #ahd ,mannerisms not tolerated1 #afd ,mark ,twain and preacher1 #bea ,marriage offers in amateur stories1 #bjg ,max ,adder's humour helpful1 #bic ,men and women as they really are1 #bi ,mental atmosphere1 conveying our own1 #ahg ,mental food needed1 #ab ,mental indigestion1 #cg ,metrical composition1 laws to be studied1 #bce ,meynell1 ,alice1 ,song1 #bch ,minor details in stories1 two purposes of1 #hf ,mitford1 ,miss1 ,our ,village1 #ahe ,modern ,english seldom used by amateur1 #dh ,modern style gained by reading modern stuff1 #ed ,modernity of style desirable1 #ej ,money-making should not alone be object in writing1 #adh ,monotony fatal to success1 #abj ,moral books should be as well-written as nasty ones1 #bie ,morley1 ,viscount1 and prize poem1 #gc ,motif important1 #ha ,motives that prompt actions1 #bf1 #bg ,,mss41 proportion of accepted1 #c ,,mss4 rejected1 reasons why1 #aj1 #adh1 #aig ,,mss4 should be typed1 #bgh ,music and art compared with literature1 #d1 #e1 #f1 #acb ,n ,nature dissertations in amateur verse1 #bci ,nature and mind1 effects of nutriment1 #aa ,nature's revenge for misuse of brain1 #cf ,negatives1 double1 #aei ,new reliable matter will find acceptance1 #df ,newspaper leading articles for style1 #ed ,notes of observations1 #ag1 #bj1 #ba ,novel1 grit necessary for1 #abb ,novel1 three-volume1 #acb ,novel1 wedding need not be chief aim of1 #hj ,novelty desirable1 #abj ,novice must train himself1 #f ,noyes1 ,alfred1 #ge1 #bej ,o ,object1 be sure of your1 #abg ,observation saves from pitfalls1 #bb ,observation to begin just where you are now1 #cb ,obvious not the whole of the story1 the1 #bf ,old-fashioned style not wanted to-day1 #eb ,old-world atmosphere1 #ahc ,omar ,khayyam1 pessimistic atmosphere of1 #ahd ,one-sided view of life due to isolation1 #ca ,other people's brain-work not acceptable1 #df ,originality necessary1 #df ,originality not peculiarity1 #afd ,original work is rare1 #bjb ,our ,admirable ,betty1 atmosphere of1 #ahd ,our ,village1 ,miss ,mitford1 #ahe ,out-doory atmosphere1 #ahe ,p ,padding stories1 #he ,painting1 three-part basis of1 #acb ,peculiarity not originality1 #afd ,peculiarity will not secure permanent interest1 #abb ,pedantic style1 avoid1 #afa ,people1 study of1 needed1 #cj ,personal marking does not carry to editor1 #bhc ,personal outlook of readers1 #aai ,pessimism manufacture is criminal1 #bib ,pessimistic atmosphere1 #ahd ,pett ,ridge and local colour1 #agc ,phil ,may's methods1 #bee ,pickwick ,papers and school holiday1 #bcb ,picture palaces versus reading1 #ci ,pigeons in war1 amateur article on1 #adf1 #adi ,plato1 why we read1 #aaa1 #aab ,plausible imp1 the1 #beg ,plots1 making1 #ajh ,plots1 well-worn1 #bjd ,poems for comparison1 #gf ,poems should have some definite thought1 #bcf ,poetic idea in every poem1 #bcg ,poetry anthologies1 #ge1 #gf ,poetry leads to good prose1 #gb ,poetry1 reading aloud1 #gd ,poetry1 the so-called new1 #bdd ,point1 necessary to a story1 #bad ,polish1 #bbb ,preliminary studies for perfect work1 #aja ,press dates are long before publication1 #aej ,proposals in fiction and real life1 #bab ,psychological bearings to be noted1 #bd ,publisher better judge than author1 #bfg2 not a philanthropic agent1 #bfe ,publisher's requirements must be conformed to1 #bhb ,publishers specialise in fixed directions1 #bfi ,pull together your ,,ms41 #bee ,punch and a curtain1 #bcc ,punch1 influence of1 #bhf ,purpose1 all writing should have a1 #abh ,q ,quiller-,couch1 ,sir ,a41 #fe ,quotation marks1 #afa ,r ,reader's choice1 rather than yours1 for the reader1 #aea1 #aeb ,reading1 aloud1 #ee1 #gd2 helps you to judge the worth of information1 #dc2 loss of the power of1 #ci2 and nibbling1 #dj2 necessary for historical stories1 #da ,read only what you can read thoroughly1 #dj ,realism in fiction1 #bij ,reliability essential1 #df ,return of ,,mss41 #bgg ,reviewers1 #aah ,rhapsodies do not constitute poetry1 #bcf ,rich sonority1 #ed ,righteousness1 authors should aim at1 #bic ,rives1 ,amelie1 and local colour1 #agf ,rosary1 ,the1 heroine of1 #baj ,rossetti1 ,christina1 #ge2 and ,mrs4 ,browning1 and ,tennyson1 #gf1 #gg ,rough-hewn method1 #gj ,routine in editors' offices1 #bhc ,rubaiyat1 pessimistic atmosphere of the1 #ahd ,rules1 established1 save our wasting time1 #acj ,ruskin's ,chapter on ,chimney-,pots1 #dd2 defects overlooked1 #abd2 ,poetry of ,architecture1 ,queen of the ,air1 ,preterita1 #fe2 ,sesame and ,lilies1 #fe1 #ahc2 tangents1 #acg ,s ,schools for literature needed1 #e ,scott's ,lady of the ,lake1 #agc ,secondary matter in story1 #he ,seeing yourself in print should not be alone the object in writing1 #adh ,selection1 instinct for1 #aci1 #adf ,self-expression1 craving for1 #i ,selling1 the essential of book production1 #aai ,sensational1 the demand for1 #ch ,sentences should be short1 #bba ,serial publication necessitates curtains1 #bca ,sesame and ,lilies1 #ahc ,settle your chronological starting point1 #ade ,shakespeare language not necessary to amateur1 #ej ,shakespeare and spiritual values1 #bh1 #bi2 why we read1 #aaa1 #aab ,sharp1 ,wm41 #aga ,shaw1 ,bernard1 cynical scintillations of1 #afe ,shelley's ,cloud1 #ge ,short sentences an advantage1 #bba ,short stories need same rules as long ones1 #ij ,shrieking books1 #ch ,skimming1 danger of1 #cf ,slang indicates ignorance1 #fb ,slang1 monotony of1 #fa ,slangy style1 avoid1 #afa ,smile1 making people1 #bic ,snippets of reading1 #cg ,sonnets from the ,portuguese1 ,mrs4 ,browning1 #bdd ,sound1 refined and otherwise1 #fi ,spectator articles for style1 #ee ,speeding up our sentences1 #di ,spiritual values to be noted1 #bd ,spiritual values and ,shakespeare1 #bh1 #bi ,stale material1 #de ,start where you are1 #bbd ,starting-point1 chronological1 to be settled1 #ade ,steel1 ,mrs4 ,f4 ,a41 #ia1 #agd ,stevenson1 ,r4 ,l41 ,essays1 #fd2 ,garden of ,verses1 #bej ,story1 atmospheric purpose of author1 #hi2 balance of1 #ace2 assessing values of characters1 #he2 climax never to be lost sight of1 #hi2 contrasts1 examples of1 #hg2 cut out irrelevant particulars1 #acf2 dovetailing incidents1 #hi2 framework of1 #hb2 get well under way early in1 #acd2 historical reading necessary for1 #da2 keynote of1 #gi2 length of1 #acd2 the minor details1 #hf2 the three-part basis1 #acb2 incidents1 select those that matter1 #adb2 in form of diary1 #aib2 in form of letters1 #aic2 over-crowding with detail1 #ib2 slap dash method of writing1 #ib2 told in clear manner most popular1 #aif2 written in first person1 limitations of1 #ahh2 written in third person usually best1 #ahh2 secondary matter in1 #he ,stories by masters1 nothing merely a fill-up1 #hf ,stories1 short1 need same rules as long ones1 #ij ,strauss' sound monstrosities1 #fh ,strong fiction1 #bhg ,style1 avoid indefinite1 #aef ,style of writing should vary1 #ajd ,subjects must be of interest to readers1 #aai2 not repeated by editors1 #aec2 unable to be studied should be avoided1 #ai ,successful books must be well-written1 #bid ,swinburne and ,longfellow1 #gf ,sympathy needed to write convincingly1 #bi1 #cj ,t ,tact necessary to contributors1 #bhd ,taylor1 ,ann and ,jane1 #abd ,tennyson and ,christina ,rossetti1 #gg ,tennyson's ,break1 break1 break1 #aga2 ,flower in a ,crannied ,wall1 #aga ,tennyson's poems for reading aloud1 #gd ,thinking1 formless1 #aga ,third-person narrative usually best1 #ahh ,thought transference1 #ei ,thought1 beware of labouring a1 #afj ,thoughts1 difficulty of writing them down1 #ih ,three-part basis of story1 #acb ,timothy's ,quest1 #bbd ,topicality1 keep an eye on1 #aej ,training for authorship imperative1 #e ,training yourself1 #adj ,travellers1 publishers'1 as readers1 #aah ,typed ,,mss4 most likely to be read1 #bgh ,u ,ugliness is not art1 #bia ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 central idea of1 #gi ,unpleasant topics1 #bhh ,unseen that counts1 the1 #bd ,using two words where one will suffice1 #ej ,v ,valley ,song1 by ,mabel ,earle1 #bdh ,verse1 abbreviations to be avoided in1 #bdg ,verse1 amateur1 #bci ,verse anthologies1 #ge1 #gf ,verse-making1 laws of1 to be studied1 #bce ,verse must voice world-wide need1 #bdc ,verse1 worth reading1 amateur1 #bci ,verse-writing a useful exercise1 #bcd2 leads to good prose1 #gb ,vocabulary of average person1 #fj ,w ,wax-,figure characters1 #bf ,wedding need not be chief aim of novel1 #hj ,well-worn plots1 #bjd ,when ,knighthood was in ,flower1 atmosphere of1 #ahd ,wholesome literature preferred by public1 #bie ,why1 every1 hath a wherefore1 #afj ,why some books survive1 #bh1 #bi ,wiggin1 ,kate ,douglas1 #bbd ,wilkins1 ,mary ,e41 and local colour1 #age1 #agf ,wilson1 ,president1 #aga-word sentence1 #bba ,window in ,thrums1 ,a1 #bbd ,wister1 ,owen1 and local colour1 #agf ,woman's ,magazine offered unsuitable subjects1 #aec ,woman's ,magazine at press some weeks before publication1 #aej ,wooden-horse heroes1 #bf ,word1 value of a1 #ff ,word-picture1 fragmentary1 #afi ,word-picture study1 #ajd ,word-pictures1 need to select incidents for1 #ada ,words1 greatest writers had no more than we1 #bea ,words1 subject should regulate choice1 #aeh ,words1 use simple1 #fg ,words1 using two when one will suffice1 #ej ,write as you actually speak1 #dh ,writing difficult to reduce to set of rules1 #h ,writing is hard work1 #bjd ,writer's influence greater than preacher's1 #bhg ,writing a serious responsibility1 #bhg ,writing that lasts1 #be 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,obvious misprints and punctuation errors have been corrected silently4