A MONTHLY MAGAZINE TO INTEREST AND HELP ALL LITERARY WORKERS VOL. XXXIII. No. 10. 3. Manuscripts that need re-typing, or reconstruction, or timely approach. 4. Manuscripts that have salable ideas or sections, or other possibilities. BOSTON, OCTOBER, 1921. Every busy writer should stop for housecleaning every now and then. I fancy my desk is like that of the average writer, with luckless manuscripts tucked away here and there abandoned verses and short stories seasonal articles that have been put away for a year and a day-suggestions and data of many kinds and manuscripts that were like homing pigeons, although I never could understand exactly why. From time to time there comes a day when I get them all out every last manuscript and looking at them impersonally, as if they were written by some one else, I assort them into four classes: I. Manuscripts that, read critically now, seem hopeless. 2. Manuscripts that seem to need only a new chance. The only thing to do with the manuscripts in Pile I is to see whether there is in any of them an idea that may be valuable, and, if so, make a note of it, and then let the waste basket receive them. Pile 2 deserves careful thought. Here are manuscripts that on rereading seem good and probably salable, although they have not been sold. The thing to do is to apply the principles of salesmanship. Consider the market, the manuscripts' appeal, and then make a list of new prospects, determined to try them all faithfully, if necessary, and extraordinary things may happen. One story I took from my desk in this way had been offered to several of the highgrade women's magazines, only to be returned. Aiming high, I sent it to an exclusive literary magazine, and back came a check for $115 — and the manuscript had been lying in my desk for a whole year! Recently I sold to a theatrical magazine a short poem about a dancer which before had brought to me only a series of rejection slips. Pile 3 needs serious attention when you can spare time, but the manuscripts can be classified, re-typed or re-written, if necessary, and if, re-reading them, you still have faith in them, some of them will ultimately bring returns. All timely articles should be made ready to send out, and tagged with the date of sending a little early, rather than a little late, for their special messages. Some of the manuscripts in this pile and in Pile 2 that have been rejected by the literary or highgrade magazines may perhaps be sold to smaller magazines, which do not pay much but still pay something. In one "clearance sale" I landed five manuscripts with two magazines and got requests for "more" from both, one of the requests asking for a regular monthly offering of "inspirational editorials" for women and a feature article every other month. Complete reconstruction of stories or articles requires one's best effort and should not be undertaken until the work can be thoroughly done. Pile 4 also needs attention with time and thought unlimited, but manuscripts that have not been sold in their original form often contain ideas, sections, or paragraphs that can be sold, either separately or combined in new arrangements. To illustrate: I found that one wordy article on "Old-time Customs," unearthed from my desk, could be cut into three separate manuscripts - a short filler on "Old-fashioned Courtesy "; an entertainment article for a farm paper; and an article on "The Simplicity of Luncheon Service," which I sold to a household magazine. Another unsuccessful article on shopping yielded several paragraphs which I worked over into short "fillers" for Trade Papers. Ah! Trade Papers! How few writers recognize their money-making possibilities! They are ever hungry for ideas, and every writer ought to have ideas, although every writer cannot always feel the inspiration of imagination. Ednah Walton. SERVICE JOURNALS AS A FIELD FOR WRITERS A field for writers, fertile but almost entirely neglected, is to be found in the so-called service publications of the United States Army. Each of the fifteen or more arms of the nation's permanent military establishment has its own periodical. The journals representing the larger branches of the army appear monthly. The others are published on a bi-monthly or tri-monthly basis. In size the issues average about one hundred pages. The service magazines are not published at government expense, and in no way are they to be considered as "official" publications. Their editorial policies are controlled by associations of regular army and reserve corps officers of the various arms. For example, the Infantry Journal is published by the United States Infantry Association, the Cavalry Journal by the United States Cavalry Association, and the Military Engineer by the Society of Military Engineers. To the average writer, whose knowledge of military affairs is limited, it would seem that the army journals would be of too professional a nature to afford opportunity for his efforts. These magazines are technical to a great extent, but not to the exclusion of articles which are of general interest to any average body of American citizens; and the army officers must be included in the latter classification. Taking at random of few numbers of recent date, we find in the Cavalry Journal an article on the care and preservation of leather. This same article might have been written for any one of a number of leather-trade journals. The Field Artillery Journal contains an article on harness and animal traction. The Journal of the United States Artillery runs "Fear in Battle," a psychological study which might have appeared in the Sunday magazine section of a daily newspaper. In one number of the Military Engineer are to be found three contributions in which no mention of the military is made : "Bituminous Pavement Design," "Bridges in Paris," and "Good Roads in France." The Infantry Journal goes into such fields as "A Fool and his Money," dealing with investments, "A City under Bolsheviki Rule," "Desolation and Suffering among Siberian Prisoners," and various articles on the psychological side of war. The foregoing list should offer sufficient evidence to the writer that even though he knows but little of martial matters, he has here a field worthy of his literary experimentation and one that might be the means of adding somewhat to his income. To writers who served as officers during the World War is afforded the greatest opportunity for writing for the service papers. The literary profession had its proportionate share of the two hundred thousand commissioned officers who served in the American Army from 1917 to 1919. Many will read this article. Have they not overlooked a worth-while field for their endeavors in failing to write for the journal of the branch of the service to which they belonged? The mission of the small regular army in peace times is to keep abreast of the everchanging methods and material of warfare. Every new idea relating to military affairs is given due consideration. There may be former officers of infantry who during their terms of active service did not consider the attack formations used by the doughboys" as of the best. They might base their conclusions upon actual battle experience. They can suggest methods which to them seem to offer improvement over those formerly employed. A few moments with the typewriter might result in the acceptance of their article by the Infantry Journal, and the satisfaction of knowing that their ideas are being considered by the officers of the army, not to mention the receipt of a check of from five to fifteen dollars for their pains. The writers whose fortune it is to travel are enabled to make excellent use of the army publications. A New York policeman reads with more than casual interest a newspaper item dealing with the methods of police protection employed in European cities. The motion-picture manufacturer is concerned with the paragraph on the latest developments in his industry in Australia. More so, even, is the regular army officer, the man whose profession is that of arms, interested in the land forces of other nations. As this article is being written the daily newspapers are featuring the possibilities of an armed clash between Costa Rica and Panama. In reading his morning paper the professional soldier, and for that matter many a civilian, questions himself as to the military strength of the two little republics, the make-up of their armies, and the equipment of their forces. To the amateur writer at present located in Costa Rica is presented an excellent opportunity to write an interesting article for one of the service journals elucidating upon these matters. Or better still, should the armed forces of Costa Rica boast of not only infantry but artillery as well, a short story written on each of these branches of the Central American republic's army for the publications published by the corresponding services of the United States Army would be remunerative. Writers who travel will do well to bear the military magazines in mind. A visit to a British Indian regiment's post, the re-organization of a South American country's cavalry forces, and the recruitment of France's colonial troops are subjects which afford splendid ideas for the man on the ground. The payment made for articles by the service journals varies. In the majority of cases from five to fifteen dollars is paid for an accepted manuscript, the check being forwarded upon publication of the issue in which the article is run. The average check probably runs about ten dollars. Articles are found of fro.n one to ten thousand words in length. Not length but the proper development of the idea is the governing factor in the acceptance of the story. A partial list of the army publications, including those which probably offer the best opportunities for the young writer, follows :- The Infantry Journal, United States Infantry Association; the Cavalry Journal, United States Cavalry Association; the United States Air Service, Army and Navy Service Association; the Field Artillery Journal, United States Field Artillery Association; Army Ordnance, Army Ordnance Association, and The Military Engineer, Society of Military Engineers. The place of publication of all the above-mentioned journals is Washington, D. C. Harry Il'. Caygill. GOVERNORS ISLAND, N. Y. H. THE WRITER. Published monthly by The Writer Publishing Co., . EDITOR. THE WRITER is published the first of every month. It will be sent, postpaid, for $1.50 a year. The price of Canadian and foreign subscriptions is $1.62, including postage. **. All drafts and money orders should be made payable to the Writer Publishing Co. checks are sent, ten cents should be added for collection charges. a pen will receive due attention and get into print if it is good. No doubt these editors are quite sincere, but do they realize fully the prejudice perhaps unconscious that all of us (including editors) have against doing unnecessary work? No matter how clearly a manuscript may be written with a pen, it cannot be as legible as a manuscript in good typewritten form. Let any editor judg ing manuscripts consider his feelings when, after reading a dozen or If local more typewritten offerings, he takes up one that is written with a pen. No matter how clear the writing may be he must give the manuscript extra attention to determine its worth, and if the writing is only ordinary, unless the opening gives unusual promise, the editor is pretty sure to put down the manuscript unread. He may have no conscious prejudice against typewritten manuscripts per se, but he has an instinctive deep-seated prejudice against doing more work than is necessary, and the result is that he passes up the pen-written manuscript in favor of manuscripts that are easier to read. THE WRITER will be sent only to those who have paid for it in advance. Accounts cannot be opened for subscriptions, and names will not be entered on the list unless the subscription order is accompanied by a remittance. .*. The American News Company, of New York, and the New England News Company, of Boston, and their branches are wholesale agents for THE WRITER. It may be ordered from any newsdealer, or direct from the publishers. The rate for advertising in THE WRITER is two dollars an inch for each insertion, with no discount for either time or space; remittance required with the order. Advertising is accepted only for two cover pages. For special position, if available, twenty per cent. advance is charged. No advertisement of less than one-half inch will be accepted. *** Contributions not used will be returned, if a stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed. The publication office of THE WRITER is Room 63, 244 Washington street, but all munications should be addressed: com THE WRITER PUBLISHING CO., VOL. XXXIII. OCTOBER, 1921. Short practical articles on topics connected with literary work are always wanted for THE WRITER. Readers of the magazine are invited to join in making it a medium of mutual help, and to contribute to it any ideas that may occur to them. The pages of THE WRITER are always open for any one who has anything helpful and practical to say. Articles should be closely condensed; the ideal length is about 1,000 words. Is it necessary now that all manuscripts offered to editors or publishers shall be typewritten? Some editors may say "No." An illegible manuscript, they will tell you, has no chance, but a manuscript plainly written with The moral is that, no matter what editors say, all manuscripts now should be submitted in typewritten form. If a writer does not have a typewriter he should get one or get access to one somehow, or if he cannot do that he should have his manuscripts typewritten for him by somebody who does such work. A new typewriter costs a good deal, but if a writer can manage it the purchase of a good new machine is the best investment. A good second-hand machine is not to be despised, but a poor, worn-out machine is not worth to the writer what it costs, no matter how little that may be. Moreover, a good machine must be well cared for, the type must be kept clean, the ribbon must be fresh, and care must be taken by the operator to do good work, or the manuscripts produced will be at a disadvantage as pen-written manuscripts unquestionably are. The poet who does not make a practice of reading his verses aloud to himself alone, of course misses an excellent means of selfinstruction. If there are faults in a poem the meter, in the rhyme, in the expression [ On general principles it is not advisable for an author to pay either part or the whole of the cost of publishing a book, if his object is to get financial return from the enterprise. Generally the return from the sale of a book so published does not reimburse the author for his expenditure. If a publisher cannot be found who will bring out the book without expense to the author, the chances are that the publication of the book will not be profitable financially. On the other hand, if an author desires to see his book in print, without regard to the financial return, a "fiftyfifty" offer from a publisher is worthy of consideration, but the publisher should be asked to state particulars the number of pages in the proposed book, the style of publication, the number of copies to be printed, the number of copies to be bound in cloth, and [Paper pulp comes from the machine a wet, plastic mass. If permitted to dry on the wire and felt conveyers, it is called Antique Book; if passed through steel rollers, it becomes Machine Finish; when ironed still smoother, it is English Finish; if run through calender rolls which revolve at different speeds, producing friction, it is polished and is called Sized and Super Calendered-" S. & S. C." Coated paper is made by coating the surface of Machine Finish paper with a mixture of clay and an adhesive. When this Coated paper is polished, it is called High Finish Coated; when the polishing process is omitted, and a special process is employed, the paper is called Dull Finish. The point system of type measurement is an American innovation. An inch is divided into seventy-two parts. A point is equivalent to one seventy-second of an inch. Thus eightpoint type like formerly called brevier this in which the body of THE WRITER is set, is eight seventy-seconds or one-ninth of an inch in height. Thus, nine lines of eight-point solid will measure one inch. What was formerly called pica is now twelve point. It is twelve seventy-seconds or one-sixth of an inch high. Six lines of twelve-point or pica, set solid, will therefore measure one inch. What was formerly called nonpareil is now six-point type.] LITERARY SHOP TALK. [This department is open to readers of THE WRITER for the relation of interesting experiences in writing or in dealing with editors, and for the free discussion of any topic connected with literary work. Contributors are requested to be brief.] If publishers, editors, and reviewers persist in praising salacious sex stories, stories of criminals, of graft, etc., the generation of Americans fed on such unwholesome diet will hardly be desirable citizens. You cannot touch pitch and not be defiled. The present |