ON THE ART OF STORYTELLING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11524, 9 September 1899, Page 2

ON THE ART OF STORYTELLING.

(]3y John Strange "Winter, in the Daily News.)

It is astonishing how veryi., seldom a •novelist, man or woman, ever writes about? his or her art. We now and then come across some interview in which the subject makes ,a shot at telling how it is done, but actual discussion on. the art' 'itself we do not often'hear or see so much as -a word. . '.."".'

■ . Even when novelists do speak, it is mostly because they are drawn by others into saying something, about themselves, of their own personal methods and feelings, rather than of the art itself.. For instance, , I read not long ago an article-dealing-with, a series of well-known women novelists. Each sitter ..had been asked how she does it, and the answers are mostly such as had better never have been spoken. ; "I," says A, "write my novels on'my. > knees, after days'' and nights of sleepless - agony." "I,", says B, "never think at all.- , I°sit down at my desk as the clock strikes 9, and I write.till lj ; whether I.haveVanyJ"* thing to say'or not" : "I," declares C; ; "put down ideas at odd' times on half--; - sheets •' of 'notepaper.?'..:-'^" I," replies' D,-; "niust have my story >H^'sketched 'out. in?-; ■order before I can star£ !1:' And so on, id;n infinitum. But this, ldnd of informationl :; is not exactly what; I 'mean by thfe-art- of ' i story-telling. ''-' It does.;not;'in the least; •'; matter to the reader Whether ithe^iwriter -! wrote on half or whole sheets' of paperj or' .f whether she sketches . out her ■ ideas 'or -. writes straight out,of hevihead.' What;doe3 .^ matter, what does make all the. difference,'!'" is whether she has any. story- to "tell or,; < not. '. •'' ' : '■■■'■. -:■.'■■ ■'."■■ '■':-.■■■■■';" ~■"'->''■■..

When a question of painting: is underdiscussion thereis seldom any 'doubt: as- to - .the merit'of the painter. Either, "a" picture'•;; is good or riot;," either'it is well painted or " .it is not. The critics may declare, that iu '■ '.certain painterls metJiods are tricky,' tea.boardy, .or; any : other of the; unconipli-- ' mentary, terms . which can. be applied- :to>. ' pictures, • but, all the same, if there'is. any- ■. .thing in a painter,.if he has a story,>to-tell, ■;■ lie'will win this.'' He-will /'get there"' in. ';. time. But with the sister- art of Bo'vel writing, how different it' is! The yo'img, - painter does not consider himself .-fully i equipped for'the-fray, when he'has bdughfc"""V "a' few' tubes of. paint, andl a 1 square* of 'can- * vas stretched upon a wooden frame. -~Thei : . most" sanguine'student •-bf art knows that he must'train;, he '■ must;-'.know thoroughly.";' dertain 'things before he;can";even hope -tp j' get a show in the great world.:'-He-, must;-. begin by drawing certain; inanimate^ objects, V then he must - study irom .the; life V lig'mustj'-f know aT-great' deal fof anatomy;of what'is' : Visually';'' .called "drawing" ; ;he' must;bei I learned in colours, in mediums, in a huh-; -: dred and one things, each and all of;wliicb.;■" are essential to his progress;as a painter. V>,

■ ; The Writer; on the 'other hand, .seemsj .o'ul--.. ■the first' blush, to require, to; .know soj little. , a •He must buy a ream of paper, a bos of ;, pens, a bottle ' of- ink—and. what; morfr?; Practically ;nothing. ■ The-ypiihg;aspirWri^ . for literary fame 'says that dear. 'Mr jThis;-;. or charniinor :Mrs That finds it so lawfully;'•."' easy .to make a name - and ;an"incpme-T—so "' j •why not. another? Why not .any other?. / He never seems to realise, that something '■- niore is absolutely necessary^ becausej alas! ; some'misguided magazine of"journal-,accepts 7i, his MS.—in which- there is neither; : origi-; '•■ nality nor any< trace of merit—fprr.'aj;inere'-.-.-_; trifle, and so the writer is lured along'the.;; thorny path,l and-goes on ■ sppih'ng paper",. . goes on selling . for what the stuff' wiil , fetch, and fills iip, the place: •which might be filled by a better, man;" He will-never ; hi -a real author,^thisvpejsonl; -'He' \mis,y 7 , keep on, he- may even hit on an;idea;which";. will give him a sort of fame ;; biit.it i won't be from any--merit -of his' own,-it will rather be from accident! than" design.; >. ',' :v

. This actually brings-one'to the question;-'y What1 is essential to.the'-jnakinK of ajirst-; ,: ;class' novelist?:.. 'Well',1 first'of all,:a -natural; v-. ■gift'for story-t'ellmav".Then.should ':■ come:'af.firiev sense"'1 pF'language,, not of! tall; w.prdj3! '■•] hx liigh-falutin phrases,, but a fine dis^-^ criiniriation, ih-tne iise-of every-day-wordsf After- that we "'may "'rank the ' quality'; of sympathy, then the possession of a';sense'. ■of humour:, ■ The: writer, of novels iriusfc:' haye" a:"lar?e fund of general information^; apd a, special knowledge of any subject pti- ' Hv-hi'cii^ie'-i^-vpriting.*y:"'vit;. person, fpr^'ihstanee, »whb" wishes -to "mention, wills : should \f know what a.will is Iflce, or else/leave.-•< -wills-altogether 'diit .ofl his reckoning, fit ' may surprise;'some writers to' know-that ■'•■". ■wills are riot; written;: oft .parchment;-'.buf % on- paper; .VYet- howi Jnany times have we -f irtqt'i lead '-fit -stbev folded-parchment, .whicli ■>- contained khe. last-willJVand so on.. .;Glearfy ■.). those \ who make Isuch ? slips' can "neverhave, t been in the-way of wills,; and can 'have: nqi belief in. the' value of small things. But^ *. besides .these qualities, something else, iS * necessary. It is; the power of giving'life"'; to /the characters -depicted-in their-,. pa£eife\; Without this' particular quality no stbrjr can r be a^storv, Jio.noyel canvhave life orjjyalue.-. ■■';

r This was -where some: of the -greatest: novel-writers of the past generation werev' the strongest .;-' this, vX&s. is where -sonie'rof,-: J ;the' greatest/ or, I* should' more . truly; say^ . some of the most pushed to'the front novelists 0f,.: the present day,; ■■ lamentably, fail.'-..-: How often, in reading-Thackeray ; and ; ■Dickens,-- -do:- we - feel. /;especially ;with JDickens, that ihese; books- are full of quota-;; tiohs! :So - the-1: are, but it is quotation in - the' origiria ; l.>'DeiDend-upon sit,' when'book::: characters ; or. ■■'• play characters ; pAS?r. -..'^y ' much < comment, into -type's, that they .are.;, the creations "of genius.-: They, are^ actual-*-: creations, as much aliye in our hearts 'ctri;d. minds-as -if they were flesh and;blood,.;iik"e r ourselves., i \ Without. the gift';of > creation ■ by the pen;, no writer _>of novels/ can"eye'r-hope^-to attain fame ,;by this road. ; s i He may gainjnotorietyv:but not lasting fame.;., His books may/liß talked; of, but they, will ■ not^^e. They may■■" arrive," ;but-at : %iH ~ $£..,,- Jq seen that, they rhave' not come tc : stay.; -.-■ .-.- ""■ ;;;:'•;,-;;' -:- ■ ;--v--:r: '~\J;'}.^~f:--y'