 Crane began writing The Monster in June 1897 while living in Oxted , England with his longtime partner Cora Taylor . Despite his previous success — The Red Badge of Courage had gone through 14 printings in the United States and six in England — Crane was running out of money . To survive financially , he worked at a feverish pitch , writing prolifically for both the English and the American markets . He later remarked that he wrote The Monster " under the spur of great need " , as he desperately required funds . In August of that year , Crane and Cora were injured in a carriage accident while visiting friend Harold Frederic and his mistress Kate Lyon in Homefield , Kenley ; after a week of recuperation , they followed the couple on vacation to Ireland , where Crane finished the story . 
