An Important Quality of the Writer's Mind is Sympathy by Elinor Glyn (1922)

An important quality of the writer's mind is sympathy. The writer should be able to put himself in another's place. Suppose he is writing of a jealous hero—the writer straightway should consider himself a jealous lover. What are the emotions that bruise and tear the heart of him who is jealous? You must be able to understand that question before you can hope to write sincerely and successfully of a jealous hero. In placing yourself in the positions of those of whom you write, ask yourself what you would do under given circumstances—how you would react to injustice—how you would meet an emergency, and, while you might not have your character react exactly as you yourself would, sympathetic treatment of your character enables you to delve more deeply into the motives that move people.

~Elinor Glyn

From "The Elinor Glyn System Of Writing"

Elinor Glyn

Author

Elinor Glyn, née Sutherland (17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943), was a English-born journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and actress who pioneered mass-market women’s erotic fiction. Born Elinor Sutherland, she coined the use of 'It' as a euphemism for sex appeal. Novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction which was considered scandalous for its time. She popularized the concept of It. Although her works are relatively tame by modern standards, she had tremendous influence on early 20th century popular culture and perhaps on the careers of notable Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and Clara Bow in particular.

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