'Telling a Story
by THE LAIRD.
•f rrHE man who can tell a good story is always sure of a HE ; and if he has the ability to tell his story hr print, he is rewarded as well as applauded.
But„whether told by word of mouth or in print, it is the manner of telling the story that matters. For every good story that is well told or well written there are a hundred which are ruined by unskilful recital. So much depends on the telling. Particularly is this the case with the written story ; this I can say from my experience as an editor. There is amongst would-be contributors an admirable fertility ,of invention, but great dearth of skill. This is all the more to be deplored as there is unquestionably a great and very Open market fdr good stories. There is not a magazine editor Who is not keenly on the look-out for short,' well-fold stories for which he will gladly pay good prides in spite of which most editors find it difficult to get enough of them' to fill their periodicals.
If I may offer a little friendly advice to those who have stories to tell but who have never succeeded in-getting them accepted, I would urge them to cultAr.ate the art of shaping and dressing their stories aright. Beautiful material and a pleasing model do not, of theniselves, ensure a satisfactory garment ; it must be shaped and fitted by the art of the skilled worker... Just so in the case of the story- teller ; the plot and the characters are merely the raw materials which will be made or. marred according to the skill, or lack of skill, of the narrator.
As a matter of fact, the telling is more important than even the plot ! This may startle those who delude them- selves into believing that a good plot will succeed in spite of amateurish writing. Any editor will tell you that a thin plot or even au old plot is more. acceptable well written than the most ingenious new plot badly handled. Some of the masterpieces in short-story work have rather thin plots if you examine them narrowly : but the skill of the narrator has made gems of them.
Maupassant's " La Parure," held to be the finest short story-in the world, has really a very slight plot:---a necklace borrowed and lost—but see what its author made of it. Our own George Gissing gave us many gems which owed much to their setting. Similarly, Alphonse Daudet had a happy facility in taking slight incidents and making per- fectly delightful stories and sketches of them. And who will deny that Conan Doyle's " Story of Waterloo " owes e‘ erything to the manner of its telling.
The point is, indeed, abundantly illustrated by the work of those who have taken- a Course at the London School of Journalism—scores of whom have had previously-rejected stories accepted (and by the very editors who had refused them) after they had been remodelled under the guidance of the instructor. - - Let no would-be story-writer waste his good material until he has acquired the art of using it ; in other words, let him learn how to write his stories. Scores of those to whom I have given this advice have acted upon it and they have never had reason to regret it. I have sent a good many along to my. friend, Mr. Max Pemberton, at the London Scho61 of Journalism, and, under his able guidance and that of his experienced colleagues, they have successfully mastered that technique without which good story-writing is impossible. In' Some cases I know that, quite early in theCourse, earnings have more than paid for the cost of `he whole training.
One remarkable case recently came under my notice ; that of a middle-aged teacher in a small country town who had been, for some time, trying to get her work accepted • but in vain. She enrolled for the Short Story Course at the London School of Journalism, and now—two or three years later—she is earning a regular income of £I,000 a year I This may be an exceptional case, but I have known others almost as remarkable. 1 do not want to suggest to anyone-that the process of training' a story-writer is so simple that-success can be guaranteed. None but a quack would pretend to guarantee success ; so much depends upon the student himself. The finest course in the world—I know of none which is so sound as the London School of Jour- nalism Course—and the most conscientious teaching can be of little account unless they are coupled with earnest work on the part of the student. ram obliged to say this because so many get the notion that they have only to 'pay a fee and work perfunctorily through a set of stereotyped lessons in order to make " lots of money " by their pens. Such mistaken people will only waste their time and money : there is no place for them in the story world.
But, given the resolution to work and to learn, to accept experienced advice and to follow painstaking guidance, I know of no surer road to success than a Course of training under Mr. Pemberton. I have seen so much of the work of -this Schoel, and I know so much of the successes achieved by its students, that I give my opinion with full confidence. I have never yet heard of anyone who -has been in the least degree dissatisfied with the tuition given by the London School of Journalism or who has had the least reason to regard the fee and the time as having been spent otherwise than to great and lasting advantage. Even in those cases where Mr. Max Pemberton finds himself compelled to discourage an applicant, the latter has at least the satisfaction of knowing_teat the advice is that di one who is competent to pronounce- a verdict. Mr. Pemberton's long and brilliant career as author, editor, journalist, and causeur qualifies him in an eminent degree to advise young writers. The late Lord Northcliffe expressed an opinion which is shared by most great journal- ists when he declared that he knew of nobody better qualified to teach journalism than Max Peiiiberton."
The quality of the instruction is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that London School of Journalism students contribute plentifully to some of the most, exclusive magazines and journals—periodicals which accept only high-class work. Indeed, speaking from memory, I cannot recollect a single periodical or daily newspaper of ally note which does not regularly accept contributions from those who have perfected their writing by a Course of training at this School.
Does not that circumstance alone justify all that I and other editors have said in favour of this excellent institution ?
Previous page
