OBSERVATIONS

Northern Advocate, 11 June 1938, Page 11

OBSERVATIONS

By “THE MAN ON THE LOOK-OUT”

A S a change from bridge, five hun-

dred and mah jongg. which seem to have become the be-all and cnd-ali of entei’tainment nowadays, I heard recently of a diversion which

possesses the doup-e virtue of entertaining participants and at the same lime bringing nut any litei’ary ability they may possess. A party of men and women, a mixture cf old and young, decided to write a book during the winter months. They are now hard at work, and, at latest advices, have completed three chapters of a story of which none of the writers knows the end. I hope to have the pleasure of reading the completed book when “finis” has been written.

JN writing a composite novel, the party are following a practice which was popular in the days when pictures, and the bridge and other games I have mentioned were not the obsession they are today. For the benefit of those who may not yet have tried their hand at this combined form of entertainment and education. I will give a general outline of the plan.

JJpHE first thing to be done is to arrange a party of ladies and gentlemen, equal numbers of each being preferable, who are willing to write a story. The party decides upon the number of words which shall constitute the story, and then appoints a secretary, whose duty it is to supervise the writing of the book.

are drawn for the order in which chapters shall be written. It is best to allot the even numbers to the ladies, and the odd numbers to the men, or vice versa, lots being drawn by the members of each sex for the order in which they shall take chapters.

TIME limit is set for the writing of eacli chapter. A writer must undertake not to reveal to the next writer the line of his thought in the chapter he is writing. That is important, for the interest created depends upon the element of surprise and anticipation.

(JpHE order in which chapters are to be written having been fixed, the secretary sets the ball rolling by starting the first writer, who' shares with the writer of the last chapter the most difficult task of the composite authorship. He, or she. must create the story, just as the last writer must close it —two tasks which are as hard as they are interesting. When the first chapter is written, it is handed to the one who has drawn the second chapter, and so on till the end. time limit and the number of words in each chapter are strictly enfoi’ced. ; Copies of the completed chapters are handed to the members of the party, who are thus afforded excitement or edification, as the case may be. who have not written chapters do not obtain an advantage, for the stoi’y takes unexpected turns as each chapter is written. It is this upsetting of preconceived ideas which calls forth the literary ability of the writers, for while chapter three, for instance, may give the writer of chapter five an inspiration, he may have to recast his ideas entirely as a result of what the writer of chapter four may have done, JT is capital training and capital fun, as all who have engaged in this form of exercise have found. I commend it to young and old alike. They will be surprised at the amount of interest.

J MAY be pardoned if I give away a

bare outline of the first chapter of the novel upon which the party to whom I have referred are engaged. My readers may feel disposed to write second chapters. If they do so, I would like to see the results of their work, for it is safe to say that no two chapters will be alike.

HERE is the outline of the first chapter: John Smith —ho really had a much different name—is an excellent citizen of Whangarei, He is the father of a large family, and, for that reason, is a unique character. He

cares for his family, for whom he expends all his time and earnings. family, also unique, in that the members appreciate what father and mother have done, and are doing, for them, are very desirable young people. They are making headway at the Primary School and the High School, and promise to bring scholastic credit to the family. r jpHE slump visits Whangarei, and John Smith, despite his valuable service to his employer for many years, is thrown on to the heap of the worthless. Though he has never wasted a penny on drink, gambling or frivolity of any description, he has not been able to save money. His only investment has been life insurance, a full life policy for a fairly large sum having been taken out when he was young. He is loath to touch the policy, hoping that it miay be intact when he dies, and that his wife and children may have some protection. Unemployment threatens the scholastic careers of the young folk who are in the upper forms of the High School.

What is to be done? The world appears dark and the future hopeless. The once bright and happy family circle becomes symbolic of unending trial.

QNE morning John Smith is ■ found

electrocuted. His hands are clutching a man who has come in contact with a fallen power line. Has he given his life in an attempt to save a fellow human being? It seems that this is the case. But there is found in his pocket a clipping from a recent “Northern Advocate” in which the story of the last days of Captain Scott and his companions in the wastes of'Antartica is told. Does that throw any light on the tragedy? is the question with which my readers may deal if they feel disposed to write a second chapter, and then another and another on to the end. They will be surprised when they come to consider the possible explanations of the tragedy.