The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-10
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
amman COLLABORATION.
Dir. Besant Gives His Views of q Literary
fartnership-His Experience as IN Asso-
ciats OF tho Late Mr.. Rice.

The two partners may take turn about, II
tney please, In revising, or even In writing
(Mr. Besant thinks). A. true literary part
nership Is quite consistent with such all ar
rangemeht Of the work. The presentment Of
the story must seem to be by one man. No
one would listen to two men telling it to-
gether We must hear-or think we hear
one voice. Therefore one man must finally
revise, or even write, the whole work. Now
this is the rock on which many literary part
nersmps get wrecked and loves labor is lost.
The partners conceive that each must write
as much as the other For instance. there
was sent 70 me the other day a Ms. novel
written IN partnership, with the usual re-
quest that would read II aud give an opinion
on tin other words that | would sacrifice
TWO whole days 10 the task Of making TWO
lifelong enemies. The authors OF this work
t"hich has not yet seen the light) had care
fully arranged their fable and their charac-
tiers. But, unfortunately, they proceeded to
make the great mistake OF writing il in alter
nate chapters. Now, the style OF one was not
IN the least like the style of the other; the
effect WAS that OF TWO men taking turns 70
tell The same story, each In his own way and
from us own point OF view. Nothing could
ineffective. Every one OF the characters
talked with two voices and two brains and
had two faces. The thing was a horrid night
mare.
Consider the work before partnership en-
gagged upon a novel. One OF the two must
contribute the leading motif OF the work.
Here we have the infant IL is not possible
Tor a child 10 have TWO mothers; but child
may be watched, trained, educated, and
d.d hV xra
with two nurses substitute group with TWO
directors. The fist idea suggests leading
situations; these suggest characters; these
again other characters; in the discussions
concerning these it Is obvious that there must
be many Emergencies into paths perilOus,
many tuTnings back, many experiments,
many failures, many happy discoveries, many
checks, before The whole Is concluded. surely,
when two minds are engaged in producing
this result, both may be called partners IN the
work. But there is much more. When the
scenario is finally arranged, consider "hat
each partner may further put into the WORK.
| Nothing can be got out Of work OF art eX-
cept what has been put into 1t. IL VIII be tue
function Of each 10 contribute all he can,
without stint of knowledge, of recollection, OF
experience, OF fancy, OF suggestion. III he mas
Travelled, his travels furnish a mine OF oDser'a-
ton; il be has gone about among men ana
Travelled with his ears and eyes open 10 marx,
learn, and inwardiy digest, he mas all that
experience; he has, perhaps, read thousands
Of books; he has, perhaps, known many
strange characters; he has had experience,
adventures, follies; be has heard the midnight
| bells; he has toasted and caroused; he knows
what we sadly call the fleeting joys; he has
| loved. and been loved. II he throws into the
work all the harvest Of his life, snail ne not
| be called partner
NOyelists are always being accused Oh
/ stealing plots or characters. man once
! called upon me TO demonstrate tearIully Win
nae on my custom, which, he said, could not
| deny. of stealing his ideas by means OF
! hypnOtism. | have also received dozens OF
! proposals from persons wishing 10 enter into
/ partnership with me. One man offers a
! magnificent plot on the triilng condition that
| his name shall appear on the title-page as
! collaboration 1t il difficult TO make this
/ person understand that much more than
| blot must be expected Of a partner. Another
| sends a bulky Ms. II | will only revise II
| and nut his name with mine on the tit!e-page
! il is al nv service. That man cannot under
! stand that the work Of an editor Is not the
work of collaboration. a third simply puts
/ himself. his genius, his experience bis repu-
! tation-all-at my service in return for lite
| rarv partnership. That man cannot under
! stand that one would as soon offer 10 marry a
Girl met once at an evening party7or perhaps
never met at alias 20 take into partnership
a complete stranger.