The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-13

4
Lytton took great interest in my work. lie I'M
dertook to correct and criticise my first story.
and both he and his son, the present Lord Lyt-
ton, have written me very many charming and
valuable letters The late Earl wrote me long
criticisms of almost every book / wrote not
mere complimentary letters. but fault-fndlng
letters, pointing out where he thought l was
wrong, and being very generous OF course
touching what he thought good points In
my work. / dedicated Lady Audley' to him.
He was the first author Of note to give ms any
real encouragement. think have no hesita-
ton in saying that all round, Dickens has given
me more pleasure than any other writer
Charles Reade admire greatly both as man
and an author. think he one of the most
powerful of our English writers; and what a
world of tenderness of thought he brought into
his work.
Her face becomes as animated when talking of
Reade as when previously she was talking of
hunting.
II read great deal at our house In the Forest.
Charles Lamb is one of my great fayorites,
Steele another. and never tire of De Quincy
or, to go in quite another direction of Daudet
Balzac and Victor Hugo"
II see you have Mana among your French
books. What do you think of Zolar
THAT he is very clever, not immoral as some
people think, but that he is horrible and maud
lin in his new departure of socalled realism. 1t
cannot be regarded as immoral when the vices
of humanity are exposed in their most revolving
details, neither is it art think and it certainly
is most unpleasant reading
Now, let us talk about your method of story
telling / remember many years ago discussing
this subject with Mrs Henry Wood. She told
me that her system of beginning and working
out story of the most methodical char
acter. First she sketched her plot, then she
elaborated it and set forth her characters then
che divided it 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 exactly
what she had to do, how much for each chapter.
and so on, without any particular mental strain.
think Trollope worked very much in the same
way. Now, how do you begin and how do you
fnish9-tell me as if | were that same inter
viewer under editorial instructions OF whom we
talked at the outset
Very well, them" she said, casping her
hands and looking into the fire. Il am not as
systematic as Mrs. Wood can | write eX-
actly to measure as Trollope did Sometimes
when get special order, as do now and then
from the newspapers or magazine. find my
self literally without an idea in my head My
mind is blank, quite empty, as one may say.
Then all of a sudden and unexpectedly an idea
comes, the germ of story. For example,
Henry DUNBAR thought of that story |
was driving into the city one day to meet my
husband, thought of it in the street in cab; but
the germ of it had been probably already in my
mind, suggested by a police case I had read in
the memoirs Of a French detective. Have you
read Carpenters physiology Well, he explains
how the brain works on its own account; how it
has a sort of double action, and WILL as it were,
debate and work out theme while we are un-
conscious, so to speak. of its operations. am
sure | have had many experiences of the truth
of this theory. When have got my germ, and
it has developed into anything like shape,
make skeleton plot, describe the characters,
note the Incidents and sketch out the general
idea. That done, | begin my copy for the
printer, and work at it straight to the finish OF
course. Few developments occur L go along,
changes sometimes of incident and motives, but
so long as adhere to the general plan | accept
these changes and find that the whole scheme
works out correctly
"Wll You show me q SkeletonY
She goes to her desk and hands nue. small
memorandum book.
There is Ishmael, my last novel; the skele-
ton occupies seven pages"
They were closely written pages and had been
marked through, bit by bit, as a reporter marks
his note book after transcription
May copy half of the first page?"
eff 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 novels.
IsHMAEL.
A man of forty years in Paris-rich, cultvat-
ed handsome, of powerful frame, extraordinary
energy, courage and audacity. No one knows
who he is, but. supported by his large wealth, ne
reaches great success in society. woman
lovely, imprisoned, but past the bloom of
girhood, patrican, etc, etc, falls madly in love
with him; for time he avoids her. even to
discourteousness; at last, in passionate scene
reveals his love.
She is happy-he not--he plans to take her to
South America, or some French colony. She is
willing to resign Paris, friends, country. for his
sake. On the wedding morning he is wounded
Or before wedding.
II wrote Lady Audley's Secret without
skeleton plot. without single note continues
my hostess, when handed back to her the plot of
''Ishmael." read the Woman in White and
it so excited me that felt my mind at work in
a new direction. / wrcte Lady Audley' as a
novel of construction. Then had to divide it |
into as many stages as was necessary for three
volumes. By the way we We're speaking of Troll
lope. Well he took great pains to find out the |
rate at which he wrote on an average-how
many words an hour My curiosity was thus
aroused as to how much did, and found that
when am at work write quite as fast as Troll
lope. That is a very trivial matter, but it will |
interest some people"
Then We drifted into that kind of general con-
versation which does not belong to the strict
domain of interviewing, and presently | was
providing among the books Of reference. and
talking all the time of the authors we both liked
of the successes that amazed u.s. and the failures
could not understand During this final
ramble round the Zoo room we passed in review
The Spectator The Tattler," Chambers
Miscellany "Southeys Commonplace Book"
Buckles Common place Book" Beaumont
and Fletcher and Jeremy Taylor" The latter
author my hostess pronounced capital reading
for style, and felt constrained to confess that
Pi cict ZIG iiioic Iiiouern etyie ol Macauiay.
And so we parted. with just sufficient difference
of opinion to relieve our conversation from
monotony. and to set up in the readers mind
point for debate and Development Style is a
great matter; some people think matter is far
more important than style 1t is fine thing
when the two combined as in-well you can
discuss the author among yourselves. If you
enjoy stirrup cur, don't forget, should you ever
visit Litchfeld House, that the ''Maxwelton tap
is as bonny as the famous '.Maxwelton braes y
There is much virtue in old whisky taken in
healthy moderation-as a stirrup cup for ex-
ample.
Miss Braddon's latest engagement has been
to write novelette, for the octave of short
stories appearing in the Indianapolis Sun
day Journal "Cut by the County" by this dis
tinguished novelist, commences in the Journal