Why Authors Go Wrong, and Other Explanations

Book excerpt: It seems unlikely that anyone will misunderstand the precise subject itself. What, exactly, is meant by an author "going wrong"? The familiar euphemism, as perhaps most frequently used, is anything but ambiguous. For an author, "going wrong" has a great variety of meanings. An author has gone wrong, for example, when he has deliberately done work under his best. He has gone wrong when he has written for sentimental or aesthetic reasons and not, as he should, for money primarily. He has gone wrong when he tries to uplift or educate his readers. He has gone wrong when he has written too many books or has not written enough books. Or, has written too fast or not fast enough. Perhaps, when he has written what he saw and not what he felt, or what he felt and not what he saw, or posed in any fashion whatsoever.