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In　romance　all　this　is　different；　the　lines　between　which　he　must　move　are　by　parison　extremely　narrow：　as　I　remember；　Besant　put　it　admirably　when　answering　some　onslaught　on　myself　in　connection　with　“Montezuma’s　Daughter”：　“There　is　but　one　bag　of　tricks　in　romance。”
The　love　interest；　at　least　among　the　English…speaking　peoples；　must　be　limited　and　restrained　in　tone；　must　follow　the　accepted　lines　of　thought　and　what　is　defined　as　morality。　Indeed　it　may　even　be　omitted；　sometimes　with　advantage。　The　really　needful　things　are　adventure　—　how　impossible　it　matters　not　at　all；　provided　it　is　made　to　appear　possible　—　and　imagination；　together　with　a　clever　use　of　coincidence　and　an　ordered　development　of　the　plot；　which　should；　if　possible；　have　a　happy　ending；　since　few　folk　like　to　be　saddened　by　what　they　read。　If　they　seek　melancholy；　it　can　be　found　in　ample　measure　in　real　life　or　in　the　daily　papers。　Still；　the　rule　of　the　happy　ending　is　one　that　may　be　broken　at　times；　at　least　I　have　dared　to　do　so　on　some　occasions；　and　notably　in　the　instance　of　“Eric　Brighteyes。”　I　remember　that　Charles　Longman　remonstrated　with　me　on　this　matter　at　the　time；　but　I　showed　him　that　the　story　demanded　it　—　that；　although　I　too　wept　over　the　evil　necessity；　it　must　be　so！
Now　adventure　in　this　narrow　world　of　ours　is　a　limited　quantity；　and　imagination；　after　all；　is　hemmed　in　by　deductions　from　experience。　When　we　try　to　travel　beyond　these　the　results　bee　so　unfamiliar　that　they　are　apt　to　lack　interest　to　the　ordinary　mind。　I　think　I　am　right　in　saying　that　no　one　has　ever　written　a　really　first…class　romance　dwelling　solely；　for　example；　upon　the　utterly　alien　life　of　another　world　or　pla　with　which　human　beings　cannot　possibly　have　any　touch。　Homer　and　others　bring　such　supernormal　life　into　the　circle　of　our　own　surroundings　and　vivify　it　by　contact；　or　by　contrast；　with　the　play　of　human　nature　as　exemplified　in　their　characters。　But　it　will　not　stand　alone。　We　are　not　strong　and　skilled　enough　to　carve　out　of　quite　unknown　material　figures　so　life…like　that　even　in　a　dreaming　hour　they　can　pass　as　real。　I　repeat；　therefore；　that　the　lines　which　close　in　the　kingdom　of　romance　are　very　narrow；　and　that　the　material　which　must　be　used　is　so　much　handled　that　nowadays　it　has　bee　difficult　to　fashion　from　it　any　shape　that　is　novel　enough；　or　sufficiently　striking　to　catch　the　attention　of　the　world。
What　is　there　that　has　not　been　used？　Who；　to　take　a　single　instance；　can　hope　to　repeat　the　effect　of　Robinson　Crusoe　on　his　desert　island；　or　the　thrill　of　that　naked　footprint　in　the　sand？　Defoe　exhausted　these　long　ago；　everything　of　the　sort　that　follows　must　be　a　mere　pastiche。
To　pass　over　other　salient　and　familiar　examples；　I　may　with　humility　remark　that　even　a　second　“She”　would　offer　difficulties　to　her　originator。　In　my　own　day　some　have　been　tried；　and　proved　very　ephemeral　creations。　The　stock　of　such　ideas；　in　short；　is　being　rapidly　used　up。　There　are　only　a　certain　number　of　pieces　of　glass　in　the　kaleidoscope；　and　the　total　of　the　patterns　that　these　can　form　is；　after　all；　but　limited。　With　all　the　world　explored　and　exhausted；　I　feel　sorry　for　the　romance　writers　of　the　future；　for　I　know　not　whither　they　will　turn　without　bringing　themselves　into　petition　with　the　efforts　of　dead　but　still　remembered　hands　and　exposing　themselves　to　the　sneers　of　the　hunters…out　of　“plagiarisms。”
History　remains　to　them；　it　is　true；　but　that　ground　has　already　been　well　tilled。　Also　historical　romances　seem　at　present　to　be　losing　their　hold；　perhaps　because　the　reader　of　today　fears　lest　he　should　be　acquiring　some　useful　information　against　his　will。　The　holiday　task；　or　reminiscences　of　it；　looms　largely　in　his　mind。　Still；　new　avenues　may　open　to　those　unborn　scribes　of　which　at　present　we　can　catch　no　glimpse。　In　a　day　to　e　there　may　even　be　romances　of　microbes　which　will　fix　the　attention　and　engage　the　imaginative　faculties　of　dim　and　distant　generations。
Now　as　to　the　method　of　romance…writing。　It　should；　in　my　judgment；　be　swift；　clear；　and　direct；　with　as　little　padding　and　as　few　trappings　as　possible。　The　story　is　the　thing；　and　every　word　in　the　book　should　be　a　brick　to　build　its　edifice。　Above　all；　no　obscurity　should　be　allowed。　Let　the　characters　be　definite；　even　at　the　cost　of　a　little　crudeness；　and　so　with　the　meaning　of　each　sentence。　Tricks　of　“style”　and　dark　allusions　may　please　the　superior　critic；　they　do　not　please　the　average　reader；　and　—　though　this　seems　to　be　a　fact　that　many　forget；　or　only　remember　to　deplore　—　a　book　is　written　that　it　may　be　read。　The　first　duty　of　a　story　is　to　keep　him　who　peruses　it　awake；　if　he　is　a　tired　man　and　it　succeeds　in　doing　this；　then；　within　its　limitations；　it　is　a　good　tale。　For　instance；　when　a　year　or　so　ago　Mr。　Kipling；　who　as　a　rule　goes　to　bed　early；　told　me　that　he　had　sat　up　to　I　know　not　what　hour　and　got　chilled　through　reading　“The　Ghost　Kings”　because　he　could　not　lay　it　down；　it　gave　me　a　higher　opinion　of　that　work　than　I　could　boast　before。　In　romance　“grip”　is　almost　everything。　Whatever　its　faults；　if　a　book　has　grip；　these　may　be　forgiven。
Again；　such　work　should　be　written　rapidly　and；　if　possible；　not　rewritten；　since　wine　of　this　character　loses　its　bouquet　when　it　is　poured　from　glass　to　glass。　It　should　be　remembered；　also；　that　the　writer　of　a　romance　must；　so　far　as　it　is　concerned；　live　during　its　progress　in　an　atmosphere　quite　alien　to　that　of　everyday　life。　Now　this　in　a　workaday　world　is　not　easy　to　grown　people；　who　perhaps　have　many　affairs　and　anxieties　to　distract　them；　even　if　they　possess　or　have　acquired　the　power　of　dividing　their　brains　into　more　or　less　watertight　partments。　Indeed；　for　longer　than　a　certain　period　it　bees　almost　impossible。　Therefore；　as　the　quality　of　the　resulting　story　will　depend　upon　the　preservation　of　this　atmosphere　of　romance　while　it　is　being　evolved；　it　is　highly　desirable　that　the　actual　period　of　evolution　should　be　short。　Personally　I　have　proved　this；　again　and　again；　almost　to　the　extent　that；　in　the　case　of　my　own　books；　I　can　judge　how　long　they　have　taken　to　ay　long　have　forgotten　the　amount　of　time　I　spent　on　each。
So　it　es　to　this：　the　way　to　write　a　good　romance　is　to　sit　down　and　write　it　almost　without　stopping。　Of　course　some　preliminary　reflection　is　desirable　to　realise　a　central　idea　round　which　the　story　must　revolve。　For　example；　in　“She”　that　central　idea　was　a　ortality；　but　who　found　that　her　passions　remained　immortal　too。　In　“The　Holy　Flower；”　which　I　finished　yesterday；　to　take　another　case；　the　central　idea　is　that　of　a　gorilla　which　is　worshipped　as　a　god　and　periodically　slays　the　king　who　holds　his　office　as　the　brute’s　priest　and　servant；　with　all　the　terrors　that　result　from　such　a　situation。　In　the　case　of　both　these　books；　as　of　many　others；　I　had　nothing　more　in　my　mind　when　I　set　myself　to　face　them。　Of　course　in　such　circumstances　beginnings　are　hard　—　c’est　le　premier　pas　qui　coute　—　but　after　the　thing　will　generally　evolve　itself。　It　is　merely　a　case　of　what　Anthony　Trollope　used　to　call　“cobbler’s　wax。”　Or；　if　it　“will　not　do　so；”　the　author　had　better　give　up　romance…writing　and　take　up　some　useful　occupation　that　is　more　congenial。
Of　course　these　are　only　my　views；　but　they　are　based　upon　an　experience　that　is　now　painfully　extended。　Other　men　may　have　other　and　better　methods　so　far　as　they　are　concerned。　They　presuppose；　however；　that　the　writer　is　to　a　sufficient　degree　possessed　by　the　Spirit　of　Romance；　without　which　he　will　do　nothing　of　any　permanent　or　even　of　immediate　value。　The　faculty　of　imaginative　insight　must　be　a　part　of　his　intellectual　outfit。　He　must　be　able；　as　he　creates；　to　summon　each　scene　whereof　he　treats　before　the　eyes　of　his　mind。　He　must　see　the　characters　and　their　surroundings：　the　lion　springing；　the　Zulu　regiments　rushing　with　uplifted　spears；　the　fire　eating　into　the　grass　of　the　hillside；　while　before　it　the　scorched　snakes　glide　and　hiss。　He　must　share　the　every　hope　and　care　of　those　whom　he　begets：　the　rich；　low　voice　of　Ayesha　must　thrill　his　nerves；　he　must　discern　her　enthralling　and　unearthly　beauty；　and　look　into　the　mingled　grandeurs　of　her　blasted　soul！
And　so　on；　and　on；　for　if　he；　the　creator；　does　not　know　the　beings　and　things　which　he　creates　—　if　the　details　of　them　are　as　blurred　as　the　images　in　a　defective　glass　—　how　can　he　expect　to　convey　a　clear　picture　to　his　reader？　At　the　best　that　reader　must　help　him　out；　must　be　the　possessor　of　a　certain　receptive　power　and　able　to　fill　in　a　thousand　minutiae　of　character　and　so　forth；　for　to　attempt　to　state　these　would　overload　the　story；　which；　be　it　remembered；　should　consist　of　action；　action；　action　from　the　first　page　to　the　last。　For　the　rest；　little　matters。　Even　if　the　writer　does　not　know　what　is　ing　next　the　circumstance　is　of　no　importance；　for　it　will　e　when　it　is　wanted。　There　are　even　advantages　in　this；　since；　if　he　does　not　know；　it　is　quite　certain　that　his　reader　must　remain　in　equal　ignorance　—　a　thing　to　be　desired。
Such　is　the　whole　art　of　romance…writing　as　it　is　understood　by　me　—　who；　critics　may　say；　per　contra；　do　not　understand　it　at　all。　To　such　as　have　sufficient　experience　of　life　and　adventure　in　far　lands；　or　sufficient　vision　to　enable　them　to　re…create　the　past；　the　gift　is　to　be　had　for　the　taking　—　by　those　who　can　take。　To　such　as　lack　these　qualifications　it　is　somewhat　hard　to　grasp　and　hold。　But　even　if　he　possesses　all　this　equipment　I　would　warn　the　future　artist　not　to　expect　too　much　success；　since　a　perfect　specimen　of　the　true　breed　of　the　beautiful　butterfly；　Romance；　is　rarely　to　be　caught。　After　the　searcher　has　hunted　all　his　life；　if　he　finds　two　or　three　of　them　in　his　cabi　he　will　have　done　very　well　indeed；　and　even　at　these；　connoisseurs　who　sit　at　home　and　do　not　hunt　themselves　will　be　found　to　cavil。　In　old　days　such　specimens　were　perhaps　more　mon；　though　but　few　have　survived　the　rust　and　damp　of　time。　But　then　their　breeding…grounds　in　the　dank　tropical　marshes　or　the　lion…haunted　forests　were　less　known；　and　those　who　devoted　themselves　to　this　chase　were　few　in　number　and　supremely　qualified　for　the　business。　Now　travelling　is　cheap；　hundreds　handle　the　；　and　all　e　home　with　something　that　is　offered　for　sale　under　the　ancient　label。
It　is　curious　how　often　imagination　is　verified　by　fact　—　perhaps；　as　I　said　at　the　beginning　of　this　screed；　because　the　lines　in　which　it　must　work　are　narrow　and　after　all　based　on　fact；　perhaps　because　it　does　possess　some　spiritual　insight　of　its　own。　Many　instances　have　e　within　my　own　experience　of　which　I　will　quote　a　few　that　I　chance　to　remember。
I　pass　over　“King　Solomon’s　Mines；”　a　work　of　pure　imagination；　for　in　my　day　very　little　was　known　of　the　regions　wherein　its　scenes　were　laid；　many　details　of　which　have　been　verified　by　subsequent　discovery。　In　its　sequel；　“Allan　Quatermain；”　however；　occurs　a　fine　example　of　the　literary　coincidence。　In　this　book　I　invented　a　mission　station　at　an　unexplored　spot　on　the　Tana　River；　which　station　I　caused　to　be　attacked　by　the　Masai。　In　subsequent　editions　of　the　work　I　inserted　the　following　note；　which　explains　itself：
By　a　very　strange　and　sad　coincidence；　since　the　above　was　written；　the　Masai；　in　April　1886；　massacred　a　missionary　and　his　wife；　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Houghton　—　on　this　same　Tana　River；　and　at　the　spot　described。　These　are；　I　believe；　the　first　white　people　who　are　known　to　have　fallen　victims　to　this　cruel　tribe。
Again；　in　a　tale　called　“Maiwa’s　Revenge；”　I　gave　an　elaborate　description　of　a　certain　escape　of　Allan　Quatermain　from　pursuing　savages；　who　hunted　him　up　the　face　of　a　cliff　and　seized　hold　of　his　ankles。　He　freed　himself　from　their　attentions　by　firing　down　on　them　along　the　line　of　his　leg　with　a　pistol。　Some　years　later　a　gentleman　arrived　at　this　house　whose　name；　I　think；　was　Ebbage；　and　on　whose　card　was　printed　the　vague　and　remote　address；　“Matabeleland。”　He　informed　me　that　he　had　travelled　specially　from　London　to　inquire　how　on　earth　I　had　learned　the　details　of　his　escape　from　certain　savages；　as　he　had　never　mentioned　them