The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-01-28

Some Of the Tricks and Methods Of
Well~Known Piavwriohts.

AaSehNN- ~ CAAdtAC am 4, III W
clares, "that | often begin in the mid
lie of play and complete, say, the
third act before | have the remotest
idea of what to put in the first. This
was the case in The Honorable Her.
BERT where the third act fashioned
itself so completely in my mind that
l was compelled to sit down and write
it before it escaped my memory, and
then turned to the first act"
Mr. Chambers has no difficulty in
finding his plots They come to him,
as he says, with almost fatal facility;
but before putting pen to paper he
allows the plot to simmer in his mind
for at least a month, until play and
characters have assumed a coherent
and tangible form in his mind. Prac-
tically all his writing is done at West
gate, for he finds London far too rest
less and feverish place for quiet lit
erary work.
Mr.. Louis N. Parker equally pleads
guilty to an utter lack of method in
his work. 81 rarely put pen to pa
per-" he admits, until managers be-
gin to worry me about rehearsals, and
have only three or four days left in
which to produce four-act play
Then l work practically night and
day until the thing is done, with the
result that always vow 1 will never
write another"
AS for his ideas, he says that he
"begs, borrows, or steals them" and
then endeavors to find some sort Of
character that can conceivably carry
them out. With the central idea
and characters settled, he finds no
difficulty in weaving a suitable story
around them. When collaborating
with Mr.. Carson, he says: 1--WE are
really only together during the incu-
baton stage, and this sometimes only
lasts g morning"
Mr.. G. R. Sims has very decided
views as to how q successful melo-
drama should be written, and prob
ably no one is entitled to speak with
more authority on this subject. The
chief thing, he says, is to get simple
story, free from complication, and
with plenty Of passion, pathos and
humor in it. Having thus got the
mental skeleton, he proceeds to
clothe the plot with dialogue and fill
In the incidents.
AS all his plays are written for spe-
cial casts he makes point Of "writ-
ing round" the individual actors who
are to produce the play; and every
line is written with a mental eye on
the stage which no playwright ismore
familiar with.
When writing in collaboration he
and bis colleague usually spend
week in cogitation at some charming
place, such as Brighton or Monte
Carlo, returning home without sin
gle line being actually written.
Mr. Sydney Grundy, when he
wants an idea for a new play, seeks
inspiration from one Of his seasoned
bulldog pipes-snd never in vain.
But when be has got his idea the diff
fculty Of working it out proves for
midable. Il suffer from the disease
of laziness," he says, "and I simply
can't settle down to work until l am
compelled to. But when once ] start
1 60 right ahead, working morning,
noon and night until it is finished"
Having got suitable idea, he first
plans out very light scenario, and
begins to write with only a slight con-
ception Of his characters. Gradually,
however, these assume form and real
ity, and before the first act is finished
be is on perfectly good terms with
them. When once the play is under
ICY he h:n,c C &C.. =: ia az. L, anu
everything else is thrown aside until
it is completed. 81 keep the stage in
view throughout" he says, "as if it
were a chess board, and get no men
tai rest until have done the thing"
Some of Mr.. Gilbert's best work
has been suggested by very trivial in
cidents. The sight of huge Japan
csc sword inspired "The Mikado," and
Mr.. W. H. Smiths appointment as
first lord of the admiralty was the
origin of "Pinafore." All his operas
were written with a miniature copy
of the Savoy stage before him and
every entrance and exit shown, and
small blocks Of wood, painted differ
emit colors to represent different
voices, for actors.
There ia no molA methDdical or