We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
THE DRAMATIC STORY 105 her helplessness to tempt her from virtue. Her struggles to re- pulse his advances and remain true to her better self are far more dramatic than the fact that Jim is dead. It will make a better and more dramatic story, probably, than the escape of John, though to the beginner it would seem that the only development from the incident of the murder would be the escape of John and his sub- sequent wanderings. Both might make good stories, but you will find a more cer- tain sympathy for the innocent wife than for the escaping mur- derer, no matter how great may be his provocation. Crime is not in itself interesting. There is nothing dramatic or gripping in the theft of a watch or a thousand dollars. If the story of a crime interests, it is not because of the crime but be- cause of some other factor of the story. The Sherlock Holmes stories are not interesting because they are the stories of crime and its detection. They are interesting because of the adroit man- ner in which the crimes are planned and the ingenuity shown in their detection. We admire the cleverness of the detective and his opponents rather than in the facts of the crime. To write the story of crime is almost to confess oneself lacking in inventive- ness. Unless you can write a story to equal the work of Conan Doyle, you are either imitating that style or else not even a weak imitation. Look back on the performances that you have seen. Trace them as far back as you can remember. Which stories have lasted longest in your memory? What plays of last year can you vividly recall? Are they stories that depended purely on crime for their incentive, or were they stories in which the crime was merely incidental to the story or else wholly wanting? If you have the normal mind you will be surprised to find how few stories you can remember that drew their greater interest from acts of violence. You remember parts of them in a hazy way, but the story that made the strongest impression was that in which the appeal was made to your head and heart, not to your craving for momentary excitement. In other words, the heart interest story made the strongest and most lasting impression. Why not train yourself to write heart interest stories, too? But do not confuse heart interest with love interest. Heart in- terest is an appeal to the generous emotions, not the relation of a romance. Instead of making your appeal with surprise and shock; instead of dealing with vice and crime, you make your points by drawing such gentle, lovable characters that their almost conv monplace adventures are made graphic and interesting.