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THE WRITER,

(P. O. Box 1905.) BOSTON, MASS.

VOL. VI. APRIL, 1892. NO. 4.

It is hard to believe that Dr. Edward Everett Hale will be seventy years
old April 3, but it will not do to contradict the birth record and the
arithmetic, in spite of all his unfailing energy and youthful activity
in many different undertakings. Dr. Hale is one of the men who will be
always young, and it may be in consequence of this that he has written
so many things that will never lose their freshness. One of the best of
them is the chapter in "How to Do It" on "How to Write," which is full
of crisp and practical suggestions. Dr. Hale's rules for writing are
evidently those which have always governed his own literary work; and
while others may not be able to follow them with equal success, they are
worth remembering by every writer. The rules are:

First, _Know what you want to say_; second, _Say it_; third, _Use your
own language_; fourth, _Leave out all the fine passages_; fifth, _A
short word is better than a long one_; sixth, _The fewer words, other
things being equal, the better_; finally, _Cut it to pieces_. Any writer
who will make these rules his guide in daily work will find in them an
important help to literary success.

W. H. H.

THE SCRAP BASKET.

It was proposed by a recent contributor to THE WRITER that authors
should advertise their wares, like other manufacturers. In case the idea
should meet with favor, I would suggest that the practice be carried a
step further in the line of business methods. During the "Robert
Elsmere" craze, a few years ago, a certain soap manufacturing company
advertised a copy of the book with every quarter's worth of soap sold.
It is unfortunate that Mrs. Humphry Ward, whose "History of David
Grieve," i