Read Online The Synopsis Treasury by Christopher Sirmons Haviland - Free Book Online
Authors: Christopher Sirmons Haviland
Ads: Link
give me a little more time in revising “Lost Legacy” than I had anticipated. I could turn it out as a rush job right now; since you are in no pressing hurry for it, I shall wait about a month, completing work that I have on hand, then tackle it slowly and leisurely, giving it the loving care that I want to give it.
I find myself in complete agreement with you on most points as to how to make it take hold properly. In the few cases where your opinions and mine do not agree exactly there is so little difference of opinion that I shall have no trouble in following your wishes. For example I don’t think the story needs gadgets from a dramatic standpoint, but they won’t hurt the story, so gadgets there shall be. As you know from my other work, I can think of gadgets if I need to. Anyhow the readers expect them.
Let me say that you are the kind of an editor I like to work with—and there are some in the business for whom I can not say that! Not being financially dependent on writing I can permit myself the luxury of having nothing to do with editors whose manner in dealing with writers I do not like. I appreciate very much the serious effort and good taste that you bring to the task of working on a story with a writer.
Cordially yours,
Robert A. Heinlein
January 11th, 1941
Dear Mr. Pohl,
Herewith is the baby—”Lost Legacy”.
I think you will find that I have complied with your editorial instructions as to re-writing it to the letter. However, I am getting it in at this early date in order that additional changes may be made, if you wish them. I wish to turn out an entirely satisfactory piece of work. I have not enclosed postage for return as there is no need to send the manuscript back for such additional changes as may be needed. I can work from the carbon copy, and your instructions.
The manuscript is not very pretty now; many of the changes were made on the face of the original manuscript. I had two reasons for that. In the first place I wanted you to be able to see how much had been cut from the overly verbose and tedious chapters, and to see what had been added in the way of action, plot complication, dialogue—and gadgets. I added all the gadgets I thought the story would stand from a literary standpoint, but I can add them indefinitely, if you still want more of them.
The second reason is that I am a slow typist. Re-copying simply to improve the appearance of an untidy but perfectly legible script is tedious and rather expensive in time wasted.
Chapter VI, the dream, has been shifted from diary to third person, and has been cut at least half. Inasmuch as the key to the rest of the story and all the basic ideas are contained in that chapter I do not believe that it can be cut much more without destroying some of the force and literary value of the story. But you’re the doctor—let me know. Chapters VII & VIII have been greatly trimmed as well, and I believe that they are now satisfactorily fast story.
Chapter XIII, the fight with Brinckley et seq., has been greatly expanded in accordance with your instructions. I added about the amount of action and dialogue to this chapter that I had struck out of exposition in earlier chapters (leaving the total length of the story about the same). This action could be spun out for any desired additional number of words, but I don’t favor doing so. It is packed with implied action now as well as a great deal of additional explicit action, which gives the story a fast pace in its conclusion which I think is desirable in any story and which can be lost through too detailed treatment. I think the story should rush pell-mell to a conclusion once Huxley makes the decision to fight Brinckley personally.
In any case, here it is—with time left to chew over any remaining details.
I enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. The airmail stamp is a gentle hint—I am always anxious to hear editorial reaction at the earliest convenient date.
Cordially
I find myself in complete agreement with you on most points as to how to make it take hold properly. In the few cases where your opinions and mine do not agree exactly there is so little difference of opinion that I shall have no trouble in following your wishes. For example I don’t think the story needs gadgets from a dramatic standpoint, but they won’t hurt the story, so gadgets there shall be. As you know from my other work, I can think of gadgets if I need to. Anyhow the readers expect them.
Let me say that you are the kind of an editor I like to work with—and there are some in the business for whom I can not say that! Not being financially dependent on writing I can permit myself the luxury of having nothing to do with editors whose manner in dealing with writers I do not like. I appreciate very much the serious effort and good taste that you bring to the task of working on a story with a writer.
Cordially yours,
Robert A. Heinlein
January 11th, 1941
Dear Mr. Pohl,
Herewith is the baby—”Lost Legacy”.
I think you will find that I have complied with your editorial instructions as to re-writing it to the letter. However, I am getting it in at this early date in order that additional changes may be made, if you wish them. I wish to turn out an entirely satisfactory piece of work. I have not enclosed postage for return as there is no need to send the manuscript back for such additional changes as may be needed. I can work from the carbon copy, and your instructions.
The manuscript is not very pretty now; many of the changes were made on the face of the original manuscript. I had two reasons for that. In the first place I wanted you to be able to see how much had been cut from the overly verbose and tedious chapters, and to see what had been added in the way of action, plot complication, dialogue—and gadgets. I added all the gadgets I thought the story would stand from a literary standpoint, but I can add them indefinitely, if you still want more of them.
The second reason is that I am a slow typist. Re-copying simply to improve the appearance of an untidy but perfectly legible script is tedious and rather expensive in time wasted.
Chapter VI, the dream, has been shifted from diary to third person, and has been cut at least half. Inasmuch as the key to the rest of the story and all the basic ideas are contained in that chapter I do not believe that it can be cut much more without destroying some of the force and literary value of the story. But you’re the doctor—let me know. Chapters VII & VIII have been greatly trimmed as well, and I believe that they are now satisfactorily fast story.
Chapter XIII, the fight with Brinckley et seq., has been greatly expanded in accordance with your instructions. I added about the amount of action and dialogue to this chapter that I had struck out of exposition in earlier chapters (leaving the total length of the story about the same). This action could be spun out for any desired additional number of words, but I don’t favor doing so. It is packed with implied action now as well as a great deal of additional explicit action, which gives the story a fast pace in its conclusion which I think is desirable in any story and which can be lost through too detailed treatment. I think the story should rush pell-mell to a conclusion once Huxley makes the decision to fight Brinckley personally.
In any case, here it is—with time left to chew over any remaining details.
I enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. The airmail stamp is a gentle hint—I am always anxious to hear editorial reaction at the earliest convenient date.
Cordially
Similar Books
