Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-02

What young writers who aspire to be.
come nOvehst5 are always so eager to know
is, how this leading idea is obtained,
and how from this seed-germ the trunk,
limbs, branches, twigs and LEAKAGE are
made to develop themselves and this, of
course, cannot be shown. And if it could
be shown now one novelist acquires his
idea and works out this gradual unfolding,
as finally displayed in the finished story, it
would probably be Of little practical use to
another, however interesting it might be,
Since the same process could hardly be
made 20 apply to two plots That were worth
anything. The truth is that the art of
writing a powerful novel can no more be
taught than the art of painting powerful
picture, writing powerful poem, or COM
posing a fine oratorio. The art cannot be
taught, and nobody who requires teaching
Will ever do it No doubt useful hints
may be picked up, but no one who has not
sufficient ingenuity ana originality to find
his own way through the mazss of the
novel writer's art IS s all qualified for the
work. All uoveists who have shown the
interiors Of their workshops have done
little more than make IL clear that plot
Is a growth from come more or less simple
central idea Some incident of everyday
life, some narrative in . newspaper, some
historical anecdote Is aid hold Of and elab.
GRATED, altered and twisted, perdsps, till it
bears scarcely the slightest resemblance to
its original self Hawthorne said that the
State papers would have afforded him plots
for a lifetime, OF something to that effect
One of the most popular nQvelists Of the
present day obtains a copious and abund-
ant supply of germs" for novels IN
the back numbers Of the annual Register.
Charles Raade, if VIC remember Alright
said once in a published letter that his
reading Of The newspapers afforded him all
he wanted 10 the way of ideas out of
which TO weave stories. a writer who has
the faculty need not take the trouble to
even read the papers for his plots. Any.
b0dy's everyday experience will be sure to
afford incidents and accidents, possibilities
and suggestions, which only require to be
seen and seized to constitute plots as in.
teTeating as anything that the most labori-
GUS brain. cudgelling could devise. The
mistake very likely to be made by the IN.
experienced novelist Is that of leaving his
plot until he wants to set to work on 1t. a
novelist should always have eyes and ears
open, and should eaten incidents as they
occur, and make note OF them, whether
he mas immediate use for them or not. II
ne has = keen eye for what goes on
around him he will find that the incidents
and ideas TO be derived from actual life
are much better than anything he can in
vent, as 4 rule II the truth were
known, however, Il would probably
be found that every writer Of a
novel has ms own way OF going to work
Many an " original plot has been fab.
Ticsted by reading novel up to a certain
point, and then abruptly shutting the book
and working the story out, the frat pof-
ton Of tee tale being gradually modified
beyond recognition by the requirements Of
the subsequent course of 1t. Again, a
quick. wittsd reader Of poor novel may
often see critical points at which differ
en5 turn might have been given with
startling effect; sad no doub. many good
tale would, il the truth were known, be
found to be only bad one improved. OF
course the t,ing may be done IN q manner
which will constitute the outcome only an
audacious plagiarism. On the other hand,
It may be done IN . manner which will en-
tirely justify the proceeding. Provided
that q story be told in 4 way in which it
las never been done before, it really mat
ters very little whence the suggestion
comes from. Every reader OF Shakespeare
familiar with she sources Of his dramas
knows how often his genius has been dis
played by Transforming pyrites into real
god 1t rs, however rather a perilous
proceeding for ordinary folk, and young
writers who are not quite sure that they
have Shakespeare's genius would perhaps
do well TO reflect before adopting his
mttlod Il London Globe.