Better if the country be real, and he has walked every foot
of it and knows every milestone. But even with imaginary places,
he will do well in the beginning to provide a map; as he studies
it, relations will appear that he had not thought upon; he will
discover obvious, though unsuspected, short-cuts and footprints for
his messengers; and even when a map is not all the plot, as it was
in Treasure Island, it will be found to be a mine of suggestion.
THE GENESIS OF 'THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE'
I was walking one night in the verandah of a small house in which I
lived, outside the hamlet of Saranac. It was winter; the night was
very dark; the air extraordinary clear and cold, and sweet with the
purity of forests. From a good way below, the river was to be
heard contending with ice and boulders: a few lights appeared,
scattered unevenly among the darkness, but so far away as not to
lessen the sense of isolation. For the making of a story here were
fine conditions. I was besides moved with the spirit of emulation,
for I had just finished my third or fourth perusal of The Phantom
Ship. 'Come,' said I to my engine, 'let us make a tale, a story of
many years and countries, of the sea and the land, savagery and
civilisation; a story that shall have the same large features, and
may be treated in the same summary elliptic method as the book you
have been reading and admiring.
Pages:
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89