Ellen G. White in Europe 1885-1887

Literary Assistants Help Ellen White

With her busy preaching and writing schedule, Mrs. White was producing more than Mary could cope with. And now, with plans being laid for the preparation of major books, it was even more essential that extra help be brought in. EGWE 152.3

The need for these literary assistants is not hard to understand. Mrs. White's sermons were delivered extemporaneously, in a free, lively style. But as any public speaker knows, oral presentations require editing before they are ready for the printed page. Mrs. White's literary assistants took down her sermons as she spoke, typed them out in proper form, and then passed them back to her for her careful study and approval. With her handwritten articles, a similar procedure was followed. This enabled her to work much more quickly, freed from the concern of the meticulous work of a copy editor. EGWE 152.4

The editorial work was standard copy editing and included correcting spelling and grammatical errors, punctuation, and also noting repetition or awkward expressions. If Mrs. White used the wrong tense of a verb her faithful assistants would correct it. Her secretaries were not “ghost writers,” nor did they rewrite her messages. She was the author of all the books and articles that bore her name. EGWE 152.5