1212 Gregory Way
Bremerton, Wash. 
January 18, 1937   

Dear Mr. Byrne;

      ... It was fine of you to speed up your reading on BUCKSKIN BRIGADES in view of the stacks of manuscripts through which you daily have to swim and burn up a weekend as well.

      Stage fright is a recognized mental state, but syllable-scare ought to have its place in psychiatry. I guess I could have turned out that story hand over fist for any cheap market in the field, but when it came to placing it before you and ARGOSY I can tell you I didn’t get much sleep while I was writing it. It was only after I really dug into the story for the story itself that I managed to partially shake off my jitters. In trying to make the grade I gave it a theme and an entirely different pattern and was altogether too intent upon pioneering a new type of frontier story to remember that, after all, it had to be read as well as written. And when I added palsy...

      Oh well, you haven’t got time for excuses. All you want is results.

      I have a story here now, ready to start, which will run sixty thousand and should take six weeks in the writing. Africa. Plenty of excitement in it and a couple unusual characters....

      And please don’t be too tough on me for BUCKSKIN BRIGADES because you know yourself that a writer is slam-bang up against his story and even though he is living it, thrilling to it, slaving on it, he very often fails to know whether the story is good or bad after he has finished it. I guess that was the case this time. When I was very young at this business I accepted my own reaction. But I’ve had too many I thought were bad accepted as good and too many good accepted as bad until I finally began to realize that, regardless of my capabilities, my knowledge of worth was too small for a second consideration. And now I carefully reserve my own judgment on anything and everything in spite of the effort put forth until someone who really knows about these things hands out sentence. An unhappy state of mind, I know, and one which, at first glance, might be considered servile. It is not.

      And so, I don’t think you’ll find me guilty of any bitterness on any decision and as I am more interested in the truth than my feelings in the matter. After all, I only know my technique and have only had to develop craftsmanship. You were made responsible for the destiny of Munsey because you have proved over a long period that you are a past master at judging results as well as craftsmanship and technique, and as your position holds ten times the responsibility of a writer’s and ten times the work, any writer who failed to recognize and abide by your authority would give himself the titles of ingrate and fool.

      All of which may be off the subject, but I only wanted you to know that I am so far from repaying any judgment with condemnation that I appreciate a great deal your sacrifice of time... By the light of this novel I can see to type the next.


 

Best regards,

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