The Project Gutenberg EBook of The story of my first novel; How a novel is
written, by Mrs. Hungerford

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Title: The story of my first novel; How a novel is written

Author: Mrs. Hungerford

Release Date: December 25, 2008 [EBook #27622]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRST NOVEL; HOW WRITTEN ***

Produced by Daniel Fromont

[Transcriber's note: Mrs. Hungerford (Margaret Wolfe Hamilton)
(1855?-1897) "The story of my first novel" (from The Ladies'
Home Journal vol. VII No 8 Philadelphia July 1890 p.14)]

The Duchess

"The story of my first novel"

My first novel! Alas! for that first story of mine--the raven I sent
out of my ark and never see again! Unlike the proverbial curse, it did
_not_ come home to roost, it stayed where I had sent it. The only thing
I ever heard of it again was a polite letter from the editor in whose
office it lay, telling me I could have it back if I enclosed stamps for
the amount of twopence halfpenny, otherwise he should feel it his
unpleasant duty to "consign it to the waste-paper basket."

I was only sixteen then, and it is a very long time ago; but I have
always hated the words "waste-paper" ever since. I don't remember that
I was either angry or indignant, but I _do_ remember that I was both
sad and sorry. At all events, I never sent that two-pence half-penny,
so I conclude my first MS. went to light the fire of that heartless
editor. So much comfort I may have bestowed on him, but he left me
comfortless; and yet who can say what good he may not have done me?
Paths made too smooth leave the feet unprepared for rougher roads. To
step always in the primrose ways is death to the higher desires. Yet
oh, for the hours I spent over that poor rejected story, beautifying it
(as I fondly, if erroneously, believed), adding a word here, a
sentiment there! So conscientiously-minded was I, that even the
headings of the chapters were scraps of poetry (so called) done all by
myself. Well, never mind. I was very young then, and as they say upon
the stage, I "meant well."

For a long twelvemonth after that I never dreamed of putting pen to
paper. I h