IX.
RAW MATERIAL
Where does the writer get his plot-germs, the raw material which he puts through the mill of his fancy and finally draws forth as a finished and salable product? Life is a thing of infinite variety, and the plot-germ is a thing of Life or it is nothing. Being a mere basic suggestion of the story, the germs must come from the author’s experience, or from the experiences of others which have been brought to his attention. Unconsciously the germ lodges in his mind, and his ingenuity, handling other phases of existence, works out the completed plot
It follows that the richer an author’s experience and the more ardent his imagination the better will be the plot evolved, providing his fine sense of values has been adequately cultivated. But no matter how adventurous and varied a personal experience, or how warm the fancy, or how highly cultivated the mind in its adaptation of fact to fiction, the experience of others compels attention if a writer’s work is to be anything more than self-centered.
Newspapers, chronicling the everyday events of human existence, have not only suggested countless successful plot-germs but have likewise helped in the rounding out of the plot. An editor wrote Edwards, as long ago as March 30, 1893: “What we require in our stories is something written up to date, with incidents new and original. The daily press is teeming with this raw material.” This fact is universally recognized, so that very few authors neglect to avail themselves of this source of inspiration.
As a case in point, a few years ago one noted author was accused of appropriating the work of another noted author. Plagiarism was seemingly proved by evoking the aid of the deadly parallel. Nevertheless the evidence was far from being conclusive. Each author had done no more than build a similar story upon the same newspaper clipping! Neither was in the wrong. No one writer has a monopoly of the facts of life, or of the right to use those facts as they filter through columns of the daily press.
Fortunately for Edwards, he realized the value of newspaper clippings very early in his writing career. Twenty-five years ago he began to scissor and to put away those clippings which most impressed him. Until late in the year 1893 his clipping collection was either pasted in scrap-books or thrown loosely into a large box. During the winter of 1893–4 he felt the necessity of having the raw material of his Factory stored more systematically. The services of an assistant were secured and the work was begun.
Large manila envelopes were used. The envelopes were lettered alphabetically, and each clipping was filed by title. On the back of each envelope was typed the title of its contents.
This method was found to be wholly unsatisfactory. Frequent examination had given Edwards a fair working knowledge of his thousands of clippings, but he was often obliged to go through a dozen or more envelopes before finding the particular article whose title had escaped him.
In 1905 he bought a loose-leaf book and tried out a new system on an acctmiulation of several thousand magazines. This indexing was done in such a way as to suggest the character of the clipping (written in red), and the title of the article, the page number and number of the magazine (written in black). All the magazines had been numbered consecutively and placed on convenient shelves. The first page of “W,” for instance, appeared as shown below:
- Washington “A Job in the Senate” 771-3
- Wild Animal Story “The Rebellion of a Millionaire” 477-4
- Washington, Booker T. “Riddle of the Negro” 519-4
- White Cross “Work of the American W.C.” 129-5
- Waitress “Diary of an Amateur W.” 543-6
- Wall Street “The Shadow of High Finance” 336-8
- Woman Suffrage “Worlds Half-Citizens” 411-8
- Woman “How to Make Money” 495-9
The above is only part of one of many pages of W’s, and will serve to exemplify the advantages and disadvantages of the system in practical use. For instance, if it was desired to find out something about Booker T. Washington, all that was necessary was to take down old magazine No. 4 and turn to page 519.
This manifestly was an improvement over the old envelope method of indexing, but still left much to be desired. To illustrate, if Edwards wished to exhaust his material on Booker T. Washington it was necessary for him to hunt through all the pages under “W,” and then examine all the magazines containing the articles in which he was mentioned. It is patent that if the indexing were properly done, every reference having to do with Booker T. Washington should follow a single reference to him in the index; and, further, the various articles should be grouped together.
Two years later, Edwards discarded the loose-leaf for the card system. This, he found, was as near perfection as could be hoped for.
His first step was to buy a number of strong box letter-files. These he numbered consecutively, just as he had numbered the manila envelopes. Articles are cut from magazines, the leaves secured together with brass fasteners, and on the first page margin at the top are marked the file number and letter of compartment where the article belongs. Thus, if the article is kept out of the file for any length of time it can be readily returned to its proper place. Newspaper clippings are handled in precisely the same way.
The card index has its divisions and sub-divisions. Cards indexing articles on various countries have a place under the general letter, and another place in the geographical section under the same letter. So with articles concerning Noted Personages, Astronomy, Antiquities, etc. Below, for the benefit of any one who may wish to use the system, is reproduced a card from the file:
ARMY, U.S. Hand Bill used to secure enlistments "A" 1 Army Story "Knew It" "K" 1 Army Story "A Philippine Romance" "P" 1 Army Story "He is Crazy Jack" "C" 1 Army Story "Their Very Costly Meal" "T" 1 Army Story "Siege of Bigbag" "S" 1 "Fighting Life in the Phillippines" "F" 1 Pay of Soldiers "Young Man–" "Y" 2
In this system the character of the material is first indicated, as Pay of Soldiers. If there is a title it follows in quotation marks. Where the title suggests the character of the material sufficiently, the title comes first, in “quotes.” Then follows the letter under which the article is filed, and the number of the file. Suppose it is desired to find out what soldiers of the United States’ Army are paid for their services: File No. 2 is removed from the shelf, opened at letter “Y” and the information secured under title beginning, “Young Man–”
As a saver of time, and a guard against annoyance when fancies are running free, Edwards has found his card-index system for clippings almost ideal.
A friend of Edwards’ is what the comic papers call a “jokesmith.” Recently he concocted the following:
“You must be doing well,” said Jones the merchant to Quill the writer, meeting him in front of his house. “You seem to be always busy, and you look prosperous.”
“So I am, Jones,” answered Quill, “busy and prosperous. Come into the basement with me and I’ll show you the secret of my prosperity.”
They decended into the basement and Quill rang up the curtain on a ragman weighing three big bags of rejection slips.
“My stories all come back,” confessed Quill, triumphantly, “and I get three cents a pound for the rejection slips that come with them.”
This, of course, was not much of a joke, but the prepetrator sent it to Judge. Judge sent it back with about twenty blank rejection slips inclosed by a rubber band. On the top slip was written: “Here are some more. – Ed. Judge.”
