Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-05-15
JONES HAS AN
IDEA
sut tis Il vnabIe % put 4 on eaper

It's all very well having an idea 70
a story. but it's very different mat
ter writing H. Three difficult parts o
/ writing q story are the beginning o.
Il. the going on with it, and the fin
ishing OF IL; and even when these facts
have been accomplished to the salts
faction Of the writer he still has an
arduous task to perform, which is to
, sell r. There have been cases on rec
ord IN which the last feat has never
been accomplished at all.
TO the young writer, like Jones. for
instance. the beginning Of his story
appears the most painful. Jones has
his idea, his story skeleton. dancing
ia his brain, but he cant get a holt
on any OF It's limbs and lay it fiat. Il
eiudes him and laughs him to scorn
as he tries to put paper and Ink flesh
on its bones
Jones thinks of the various open
ings Of stories he has read. The ro-
mantle style. as adopted by Scott,
Dumas and G.. p r. James, comes 10
his mind:
Two solitary horsemen were travers-
ing a lonely wood at the end of a hot
July day The steeds picked their way
carefully as they passed over the I'm
derbrush. and for an hour or two the
animals footballs We're the only
sounds heard At length Eyes, OF
course) the elder horseman was the
first TO break the silence. CThe elder
horseman always is the first to break
the silence)
But there aren't any horsemen in
Jones story, and it's a matter Of in
difference to him who breaks the ST.
lence first.
The New England style next occurs
to him:
Louisa" called a hard, sharp voice
from the rear kitchen. you come right
In this minnitl louisa Loo-ee-zer!
Drat the gal, where is she? Gallivantin'
araonnd them Hicks's medders, reck-
on Fer the lan's sake. here she is
naowl"
Jones realizes that this kind of open
ing attracts attention from the start
and gives promise of interesting do
nestle trouble for Louisa. The pc
culiar spelling Of "minnit." though UNI
necessary. has a strons local color,
and II Jones has young girl and
cross stepmother in Concord, n. H.,
for his principal characters he will do
well to ponder this opening. But he
hasn't
He thinks and thinks All. here is
the society novel style:
Helen Van Mustard came down the
steps of Mrs, Gallashin's house in the
near the park. with com
pressed lips and cloudy eyes.
Home. julius she said. as she
stepped into her limousine. and as the
well appointed machine flew along
the avenue. barely within the limits
of the law. she wondered dumbly how
she was going to right herself with
her recent hostess. Helen felt con
vinced that the Countess Szlgzkzow
ski had cheated, but how to prove it?
No, that won't do. There are no over
moneyed people in Jones work.
spending twice as much as they've
got
Once upon a time there was "a
Ridiculous. II sounds too much like
4 fairy story Going to the other ex
rene suddenly. Jones conceives this
start:
The thousands and thousands of co
ncidences which occur in the daily /
ives OF the present century toiler in
afibly lead to the conclusion that |
What we term accident or chance is /
eary only
Hang it, That leads nowhere, BY I
his time jones has forgotten what 1
MS story is about.
Wen. he must concentrate his mind
Let him think There's a man and
woman who marry and who separate
altcrward Why? Now.
Why Oh yes. because they must
meet again 90 years later in order to
threaten ruin to the lives of the hero
nd heroine. one of whom is the child
t the woman by previous marriage
nd the other the child of the man by
subsequent and bigamous marriage
md the point is-the point is-well
that is the point?
The point might be several things.
ut Jones hasn't got that far yet All
ones wants to do is to begin his story,
at he can't decide whether to begin
18th the marriage of the parents or
ne lovemaking of the youngsters and
o backward when he's in the middle
I the narrative He might start this
ay:
Esther yawned and threw down her
ook The hammock felt uncomfort-
Bile to her shoulders and she wished
le held more novelty for her. Oh. for
le medieval days of glory when
nights came riding up from the east
Id threw down gauntlets. oh, for
ie--
Jones began to get nervous himself
W. One more try.
well, fer newly married couple
en- two is the most businesslike par
rs as ever seem muttered the :
xton as he watched the ceremony
ON the rear OF the church. He
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