Chapter I: Preface: To the American Edition

In sending out this new book to the American public, I feel I am addressing a sympathetic audience, since other volumes that have preceded it have been most cordially received, and have added considerably to my long list of friends on the Western side of the Atlantic.

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 superficial, and is largely confined to methods of newspaper journalism, or connected with mannerisms and topical qualities.

Fundamentally, both nations work on the same lines and acknowledge the same governing laws in Literature. American authors, no less than British, derive their inspirations from European classics.

And magazine editors and publishers in both countries are only too grateful for good work from either side.

No one can teach authors how or what to write; but sometimes it is possible to help the beginners to an understanding of what it is better not to write. For the rest I hope the book explains itself.

FLORA KLICKMANN

Fleet Street, London.

CONTENTS

PAGE
PART ONE: THE MSS. THAT FAIL
Why they Fail 3
Three Essentials in Training 11

PART TWO: ON KEEPING YOUR EYES OPEN
A Course in Observation 17
The Assessment of Spiritual Values 24

PART THREE: THE HELP THAT BOOKS CAN GIVE
The Bane of "Browsing" 35
Reading for Definite Data 41
Reading for Style 47
The Need for Enlarging the Vocabulary 58
The Charm of Musical Language 68
Analysing an Author's Methods 78

PART FOUR: POINTS A WRITER OUGHT TO NOTE
Practice Precedes Publication 97
The Reader must be Interested 116
Form should be Considered 130
Right Selection is Important 139
When Writing Articles 144
Suggestions for Style 156
The Ubiquitous Fragment 166
Concerning Local Colour 172
Creating Atmosphere 178
The Method of Presenting a Story 188
Fallacies in Fiction 197
Some Rules for Story-Writing 217
About the Climax 225
The Use of "Curtains" 229
On Making Verse 234
The Function of the Blue Pencil 252

PART FIVE: AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, AND PUBLIC
When Offering Goods for Sale 261
The Responsibility 286

INDEX 297