The chief reason, I believe, why more journalists who attempt fiction writing do not succeed is the radical dissimilarity in technique in the two kinds of writing. The newspaper man is taught to tell the main facts of his story at the beginning of his article, and then to tell the story in detail. From force of habit, he may follow this rule, unconsciously perhaps, in writing fiction and will find when he reads his completed manuscript that he has divulged so many secrets that the element of suspense, so necessary in fiction, is lacking, and that there is no climax at the end.

The remedy is, of course, for the ex-newswriter, when he undertakes to write fiction, to adhere rigidly to the basic principles of tale-telling and not be misled by his newspaper training. This is not easy to accomplish, but it can be done. It has been done. BUTTE, Montana. Frank Sullivan.

In the article, "Writing for Construction Publications," published in the December WRITER, the statement that the Manufacturers' Record pays seven dollars" for photographs should read "pays several dollars."

THE MANUSCRIPT MARKET.

[ This information as to the present special needs of various periodicals comes directly froit. the editors. Particulars as to conditions of prize offers should be sought from those offering the prizes. For full addresses of periodicals mentioned, see "The Writer's Directory of Periodicals." ]

The Bible Institute Colportage Association, 826 North La Salle street, Chicago, desires to get in touch with an experienced writer of Christian stories, thoroughly in harmony with the fundamental truths of the Bible. The stories should appeal to the "teen" " age, and

must deal with life as it is today in the United States, and concern persons of reality—characters that have existed or could exist. They should introduce, agreeably and wisely, teaching along the line of Sunday observance, respect to parents, worldly amusements, etc., and should be of about 27,000 words, although a story of 10,000 words is sometimes available.

John Martin's Book (New York) is in the market for Bible stories, Nature stories, and timely stories (Christmas, Fourth of July, etc.); otherwise, the magazine is overstocked with manuscripts, and especially with fanciful stories and verse.

All Outdoors (New York) needs short articles of inspiration and information regarding phases of outdoor life-material that gives something of the spirit of outdoor life, with some facts about making that life easier, more comfortable, and more generally participated in. Manuscripts should not exceed 1,000 words; anything longer must be exceptional in its interest or in the scope of its subject to receive attention. The greatest need of All Outdoors, however, is in the photographic field. The magazine buys many hundred photographs each year for the Pictorial insert. It is particularly anxious to get good photographs of people doing some particular thing outdoors, and will pay two dollars each for such photographs. Every outdoor person has some little stunt of his own which he has discovered or invented in some time of stress on the trail, and All Outdoors has a department for just such "inventions," and pays for each one used.

and, above all, a strong human interest. A love or feminine element which is merely incidental to the plot is not objectionable.

Short Stories (Garden City, N. Y.) is a vigorous all-fiction magazine, and is in the market for material dealing with adventure, mystery, the out-of-doors, sport, business, and humor. Plot and action should be the outstanding features, and everything should have a strong masculine appeal. A minor love interest may be used, but nothing in the nature of a sex appeal will be considered. Short Stories is now issued twice a month, and each issue contains a complete novel, of from 50,000 to 60,000 words, an installment of a serial, a novelette, and from eight to ten short stories.

The Mystery Magazine (New York) is in the market for feature detective stories of from 12,000 to 15,000 words, and for detective sketches of from 3,000 to 5,000 words.

The Young Churchman (Milwaukee) needs some good short stories that will interest both girls and boys, both teaching and amusing them. The editors like ethical stories, stories that have to do with missionary achievements, and stories that show a growth in character. Tales of this sort should not exceed 2,500 words. The Young Churchman does not use verse, and is not in the market for illustrated articles at the present time.

The Royal Feature Service, Box 525, Cleveland, Ohio, is in the market for features that can be used as a daily, semi-weekly, or weekly series for newspaper syndication. Features must be of general interest, uniform in length, and return postage should be sent.

The Dramatic Mirror (New York) will hereafter be published simultaneously throughout the country on the first day of the month, and will contain many more pages than the present weekly Mirror.

The Black Cat (Book Hill, Highland Falls, N. Y.) is especially in need of short stories, sincerely conceived and interesting in char

acter development or reaction rather than in mere plot. Nothing trashy, risqué, or flashy is desired. Stories should be of from 800 to 1,000 words, and in addition to the regular price paid for acceptable stories the Black Cat awards a prize of twenty-five dollars for the best story published each quarter. Good one-act plays are also in demand. For the best letters, not exceeding 1,000 words, of opinion, suggestion or criticism of its editorial policy, or of any contribution, the Black Cat awards each quarter prizes of $25, $15, and $5. The present competition will close March 31.

The 10-Story Book (Chicago) buys short stories, playlets, poems, translations, and skits.

The Highway Magazine (Chicago) would like some good illustrated articles on highway construction and maintenance, as well as some articles on scenic roads.

The Window Display Reporter, a new magazine devoted to window display advertising, is published by Ernest A. Dench, Sheepshead Bay, N. Y.

The Inkwell (Coolidge Corner, Boston, 47, Mass.) is now a short-story monthly, printing nothing but fiction. Stories must be bright, snappy, and clean, and should not exceed 3,000 words.

Smith's Magazine, the suspension of which was announced in the January number of THE WRITER, has been merged in the Love Story Magazine, which is published by Street & Smith, New York.

The National Service was merged with the Army & Navy Journal (New York) with the issue for January 1.

Beginning with the February number, the title of Brain Power will be changed to the National Pictorial Monthly (New York ).

The International Studio, formerly published by the John Lane Company, has been purchased by Peyton Boswell and S. W. Frankel, of New York. The size of the

magazine will be reduced, and the contents will be largely American in tone, with articles on art doings all over the world. Mr. Boswell will be the editor. The Boswell-Frankel Agency is conducted by the new owners, who are also the publishers of the American Art News.

The American Angler was merged with Field & Stream (New York) with the January issue.

That there may be many thoughts on civility, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, offers a first prize of $150; second prize of $100; five prizes of $50 each; ten prizes of $10 each; and fifty-five prizes of $5 each for the best seventy-seven essays on civility, not exceeding 500 words in length. Their subject matter may be anything relating to civility — its meaning; its value in business; its ethics; ideas that would promote its practice; in fact, any phase the wider the scope, the better. Essays must be mailed before midnight February 23, and should be addressed to the Civility Contest Editor, Fifth Avenue Coach Company, 16 East 102d street, New York.

new

The Popular Science Monthly (New York) is going to award prizes of $25, $15, and $10 monthly for ten months to the contributors of the three photographs considered by the editors to be the best and most interesting submitted to the magazine. Each photograph must be accompanied by one or more brief paragraphs of explanation, and any picture with scientific or mechanical interest will be considered, if original and unpublished. A mechanical or scientific achievement, a labor-saving or time-saving machine, an ingenious invention of engineering triumph, or some novelty made at the home workbench for convenience around the home, garden, or garage, or any similar subject will make an interesting photograph for the Popular Science Monthly. Photographs of natural curiosities, scientific phenomena, or animals or human beings engaged in novel and thrilling activities will also be welcome. In addition to the usual stories on scientific and mechanical subjects, the magazine is now buying physiological and psychological material, per

sonality stories about prominent scientific and industrial figures, and vocational stories similar to the recent feature, "Your Chances for Success with Radio." Such stories should. be accompanied by "live," human interest photographs, or suggestions for wash drawings of the same sort. Every story used as a theme for a cover design during the year will receive a substantial bonus in addition to the regular payment.

Judge (New York) will pay ten dollars each week for the best story received for its new department, "Stories to Tell," and five dollars for the second best. All other stories accepted will be paid for at regular text rates. No story should exceed 200 words, and all stories must be humorous. They may be true in life, occurring in everyday happenings, where wit meets wit and comic experienceis unfolded. Clipped stories or stories already published will not be acceptable. All stories should be typewritten, should carry the name and address of the sender, and should be accompanied by return postage. The names of prize winners will be attached to their contributions unless a contrary wish is expressed.

The Review of Reviews Co., 30 Irving place, New York, offers prizes of $250, $100, $50, and ten prizes of $10 each for the best letters, of from 150 to 200 words, telling what the writer finds most appealing in O. Henry's stories. The favorite O. Henry story should be stated, with the reason for liking it best. All letters must be postmarked on or before midnight, March 15.

The Esther Yarnell prize of $100 for the best poem or group of poems printed in the Lyric West in 1921 has been divided between Constance Lindsay Skinner, for her poem, "Song of David Before Saul," and Neeta Marquis, for her poem, "The Alien," "Gaydiang," by Ruth Comfort Mitchell; "Thunderdrums," by Lew Sarett; The Lifted Cup," by Jessie Rittenhouse; "Half Thought," by Zona Gale; and "Long, White Roads," by Joseph Andrew Galahad, received honorable mention.

The Photoplay Magazine has awarded its prizes of $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, and $500, of

Prizes in Letters offered by the Columbia University School of Journalism for the best American novel published this year, $1,000; for the best play performed in New York, $1,000; for the best book of the year on United States history, $1,000; for the best volume of verse by an American author, $1,000. Also, Prizes in Journalism, amounting to $3,000 and a $500 medal, and three traveling scholarships having a value of $1,500 each. All offered annually under the terms of the will of Joseph Pulitzer.

Hart, Schaffner, & Marx prizes of $1,000, $500, $300, and $200 for the four best studies in the economic field submitted by June 21, 1922. Particulars in May WRITER.

The Rose Mary Crawshay Prize for English Literature, value to £100, offered annually by the British Academy. Particulars in May, 1920, WRITER.

Annual Hawthornden prize of £100 offered in England for the best work of imaginative literature in English prose or poetry by an author under forty years of age that is published during the previous twelve months.

Prizes amounting to $1,000 offered by Brain Power for stories showing the turning point that leads to success, competition closing March 1. Particulars in October WRITER.

Prizes amounting to $7,500 offered by the Knights of Columbus in an American history contest. Particulars in October and December WRITERS.

Prize of 100 guineas offered by the Talbot Press, Dublin, for the best Irish novel submitted by June 1, 1922. Particulars in July WRITER.

Prize of $1,000 offered by the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris, for the best essay on "Toleration in Economics, Religion, and Politics." Contest to close March 1, 1922. Particulars in July WRITER.

Prizes amounting to $3,coo, offered by Outer'sRecreation for outdoor stories, competition closing March 1. Particulars in January WRITER.

Prizes of $50 for the best story, $25 for the best article or essay, and $25 for the best sea poem or sailor's chantey, submitted before June 1, offered by the Detonator, San Diego, Calif. Particulars in January WRITER.

Prize of $100 offered by the Black Knight, Atlan tic City, N. J., for the best completion of a story, the first five hundred words of which will be sent on request. Particulars in January WRITER.

Prize of 2,000 pesetas offered by the Royal Spanish

Academy for the best series of articles written in Spanish on the subject of the literary relations between Spain and America, published during the two years ending April, 1923. Particulars in January WRITER.

Prize of 50,000 kroner (about $10,000) offered by the Danish publishing firm of Gyldendalske Boghandel, for the best novel by a Dane or a Norwegian, submitted before March 1, 1923. Particulars. in January WRITER.

Canadian prize competition offered by Hodder & Stoughton; $2,500 for a Canadian novel, and $500 for the best story for Canadian boys or girls. Competition closes June 1. Particulars in November WRITER.

Three prizes of $100 each offered by the United. Neighborhood Houses of New York, for the best. one-act play, the best community pageant, and the best spring festival. Competition closes March 1.. Particulars in November WRITER.

Seabury prizes for 1922, offered through the American School Citizenship League, competition closing June 1. Particulars in December WRITER.

John Wesley, Jr." contest for ideas for stories,. offered by the Committee on Conservation and Advance of the Council of Boards of Benevolence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, contest closing March 31. Particulars in December WRITER.

Prize of $50 for the best articie on hunting and. trapping offered by Alfred E. Ross, contest closing March 1. Particulars in October WRITER.

Delineator prize of $500 for the best article written. by a senior of any American woman's college or coeducational institution, on "How I Worked My Way Through College," competition closing February 15. Particulars in October WRITER.

Berkshire Music Colony prize of $1,000 to the composer of the best string quartette, contest clos-ing April 15, 1922. Particulars in July WRITER.

Prizes of $15, $10, and $5 for the best letters on "How I Earned my Musical Education," offered by the Etude. Particulars in September WRITER.

Prize of $200 in gold for the best pageant based. upon the history of osteopathy, offered by the School of Osteopathy, Kirksville, Mo., contest extended to end June 1, 1922. Particulars in July WRITER.

Two prizes offered by Poetry for the best work printed in the magazine in the twelve numbers ending with that for September - $200 for a poem or group of poems by a citizen of the United States, and $100 for a poem or group of poems by any author, without limitation. Particulars in April WRITER.

Monthly prizes offered by the Photo-Era (Boston) for photographs, in an advanced competition and a beginner's competition.

Prizes of two dollars and one dollar offered' monthly by Everygirl's Magazine, formerly Wohelo, (New York) for stories, short poems, and essays, written by Camp Fire girls. Particulars in October WRITER.

Monthly prize of five dollars for best criticism of the most distinctive story in Brief Stories (formerly

Little Story Magazine), Philadelphia. Particulars in April WRITER.

Weekly prizes offered by the Boston Post for -original short stories by women, published each day. Particulars in May WRITER.

WRITERS OF THE DAY.

Russell Arden Bankson, whose story, "Retribution," was published in the January number of Wayside Tales, was born in a lumber camp in the big woods of the Northwest in the pioneer days of 1889. He was fond of writing from childhood, and after graduation from college became a cub reporter on a big daily newspaper in the Northwest and worked his way up to city editor. Two years ago he began to give all his time to magazine work, and he has sold about thirty-five stories to popular magazines, including Short Stories, the Detective Story Magazine, Success, Wayside Tales, Sunset, the Blue Book, and several of the outdoor magazines. Mr. Bankson is married and has three sons. He is fond of the mountains and the wilderness, and most of his stories are of the western out-of-doors type.

Bruce Johns, whose story, "The Man Who Hated Dogs," was printed in Adventure for December 20, is by profession a newspaper man of San Francisco and Oakland, California. He was born in the Northwest, just below the Canadian line, but went to California at an early age, receiving his education in the public schools of San Francisco. He was graduated from the University of California in 1917, leaving immediately with that institution's unit for France. Mr. Johns's first professional story. was printed in Short Stories more than a year ago.

E. R. Punshon, the author of the story, "Scared Stiff," in Everybody's for December, is an Englishman. He was born in London, and at the age of sixteen started work in a railroad office, but after a year or two went to Canada, where he spent some years farming, and afterward engaged in various occupations in several of the northwestern states of this country. Returning to England, he began writing. His first important success

was the winning of a prize offered by one of the leading London daily papers for the best serial story. His first book, "Constance West," a story of Canadian farming life, was published in New York by the John Lane Company. Mr. Punshon says that in writing "Scared Stiff" he drew on the knowledge which he acquired while he was on this side of the water, and that his endeavor was to draw a picture of the life of the lumber camps and to contrast the rough, sometimes brutal, but generally "straight" lumber man with a man of the earnest religious type, showing how the same human nature is in each, and how essentially different personalities may come to understand and appreciate each other. He believes that a good effective contrast, either in surrounding or, preferably, in character, is always an important point in every story, as is also an unexpected termination such as he tried to work up in this tale. Mr. Punshon adds that fascinating as magazine work always is, and wide as is the circle to which it introduces a writer, he has devoted most of his time to writing books. Most of these appeal more to the British reader and have been published only in England, but several of his works have been published in this country, the latest being "Old Fighting Days," published by Alfred A. Knopf.

Sir A great deal has been written lately about the modern editor, and Life recently summed him up as listening only to the feminine demand of the great mid-West in morals, taste, lack of intelligence, and optimistic endings.

Another writer has deciphered the twelve rules, to wit: (1) Pleasant themes only. (2) The hero must rise to honorable heights. (3) Swiftly moving conflict, not complications. (4) Study the rule book and don't be too original. (5) Don't tell a story within a story. (6) Don't preach unless you have a well-advertised name. emotions (7) Stir universal in plain yarns. (8) Happy Endings. (9) Old plots brightened up are preferred to new stuff. (10) Polish your style. (11) Use modern vernacular, not that of 1860. (12) Read all the dismal editor-proof