Writing habits then and now

Tidbits culled from Mary A. Roe's 1899 biography, E.P. Roe: Reminiscences of His Life:

According to E.P. Roe, a novelist and Civil War chaplain, "A writer's work at night is almost always morbid. There is no better time to work than during the morning."

He continues:

"Sometimes I write four or five pages of foolscap, and other days I will write as much as fifteen. I have no average, but do as much as I feel like doing, or have time to do, and then I stop. ... I never manufacture a story; I couldn't do it. Of course, I elaborate and idealize, but the actual facts are always drawn from real life. I am always on the alert for these incidents, and when I see one that I think is adapted for a story I make a note of it."

While I respect Roe's work habits, I don't agree with his opinion about the best time to write. What works for one writer doesn't necessarily work for another.

I haven't read any of Edward Payson Roe's work, but his statement about manufacturing stories suggests his fiction closely mirrors fact--an unwise practice in this litigious age. That said, there's nothing wrong with finding inspiration from facts or even fiction.