The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-05-08
WHOLE NO. 826.
MISS NJ. E. BRADDON.
THE NOVELIST MRS. JOHN MAX
WELD At HER HOME.
How the Popular Author of Lady Aud
ley's Secret" and Other Works Per-
forms Her Labor-At LichfeId
House, Richmond.
london Cor. Chicago News !


And at last we have ascended to the first
hoor, my hostess and myself, traversing an
old wainscoted staircase and landing, and
sitting down in q large, square room with an
outlook upon long, trim George l. garden
"This is my workshop" she says; "the
usual sort Of thing, suppose; lots Of books
Of reference, a somewhat disorderly desk.
This block Of shelves is full of French works
Thought, by the way, almost tho whole of
Tom Taylor's French library. Here Is an
American edition of Dickens, with the green
covers of the original monthly parts of Pick
wick. Here are Scott, George Eliot, Lamb,
Stael, and a host Of old comedies, the Gus
tomary dictionaries, and so on"
We walk about the room as she talks, and
note the thorough, business-like character
Of the place-plain, solid book Shelves desk
that might have been made for a merchants
Office, chairs for ease and chairs for work,
no piano, no guitar--a workshop, and at the
same time a comfortable room, and with a
bright, cheerful fire burning on bright,
cheerful hearth.
"These are very commonplace books, says
my hastess, taking from a shelf one of saw
eral small volumes. II don't do anything in
this way as systematically as our friend
Sala, nor on the elaborate plan of poor
Charles Reade."
She handed me a volume 1t was full Of
carefully written extracts from books and
newspapers.
Anything that strikes me very much dur
ing my reading preserve in this way"
"Now tell me-" say, as we sit down by
the fire, something about your working
day."
any idea of perfect and pleasant day."
alau die 30 loI1 % - a.
writing and reading; when say the whole
Of it mean from breakfast at 10 say until
dinner at z, with intervals Of strong tea, and
sometimes little luncheon. can do this
four days during the week and enjoy it, and
get through lot Of work, il l have the other
two for riding, and more especially for hunt
ing"
"Now," said /, "let us talk about the
method Of story telling. remember many
years ago discussing this subject with Mrs
Henry Wood. She told me her system Of
beginning and working out q story was Of
tho most methodical character. First she
skstched her plot then she elaborated it and
set forth her characters, then she divided 1t
into three parts for three volumes; then she
divided up her volumes into chapters and
allotted each chapter its incidents; SO that
finally she sat down to work knowing ex-
actly what she had to do, how much for
each chapter, and so on, without any par
ticular mental strain. think Trollops
worked very much in the same way. Now,
how do you begin and how do you finishi-
toll me as il were that same interviewer
under editorial instructions we talked Of at
the outset"
very well, then" she said, clasping her
hands and looking into the fire. Il am not
as systematic as Mrs. Wood, nor can write
exactly to measure as Trollope did Some
times when get a special order, as I do now
and then from the newspapers or q maga-
zine, find myself literally without an idea
In my head. My mind Is a blank; quite
empty, as one may say. Then, all Of sud-
den and Unexpectedly, an idea comes, the
germ Of a story. For example, Henry
Dunbar'-I thought of that story as was
driving into the city one day to meet my
husband-thought of it in tho street in
cab; but the germ Of it had
been probably already in my mind,
suggested by q police case had
read in the memoirs Of French
detective. Have you read Carpenters
physiologyi Well, he explains how the
brain works on its own account; how 1t has
sort Of double action, and will, as it were,
debate and work out theme while we are
unconscious, SO to speak, Of its op -tions. I
am sure l have had many experiences Of the
truth Of this theory. When I have got my
germ, and it has developed into anything
like shape, 1 may make a skeleton plot, de-
scribe the characters, note the incidents, and
sketch out the general idea. That done I
begin my copy for the printer, and work at
1t straight to the finish. OF course new de-
velopments occur as l 60 along, changes
sometimes Of incident and motives, but so
long as l adhere to the general plan accept
these changes, and find that the whole
scheme works out correctly"
"Will you show me skeletonF'
She goes to her desk and hands me q small
memorandum book.
There is Ishmael,' my last novel; tho
skeleton occupies seven pages"
They were closely written pages and had
beer marked through, bit by bit, as a re-
porter marks his notebook after transcript
tion.
MAY copy hals Of the first pager
"If you care to take the trouble
did care, and here it is-the first half.
page Of the skeleton Of Miss Braddon's
latest, and not the least popular of her nov
els: -... --z.
IsHMAEI.
A hAoA Va AoHty years III I0TlS-rlCl, Gull
tivated, handsome, Of powerful frame, ex-
raordinary energy. courage audacity. No
one knows who he Is, but-supported by his
large wealth, he reaches q great success in
society. A woman-lovely, impassioned-
but past the bloom Of girlhood- d-patrician,
etc.--falls madly In love with him--for a
time he avoids her, even to discourteousness
lat last in passionate scene he reveals his
love. ~ a#a I@ T.H-1- r" --1
She is happy-he not-he plans to take her
TO South America, or some French colony.
She Is willing TO resign Paris, friends, coun-
try, for his sake. On their wedding morning
be Is wounded-or before wedding.
u wrote Lady Audley's Secret without
skeleton plot, without single note" con-
tinuss my hostess when hand back to her
the plot of @Ishmasln II read The Woman
in Whits,' and 1t 20 excited me that felt
my mind at work In new direction. I
wrote Lady Audley' as . novel construc-
ton. Then ] had to divide IL into a many
stages as was necessary for three volumes.
By the way, we were speaking Of Trollope.
Well, he took great pains to find out the rate
at which he wrote on an sverage-how many
words an hour. My curiosity was thus
aroused az to how much he did, and found
that when am at work write quite as fast
as Trollope. That In q very trivial matter,
but IL will intAr0st anna r,aonla