that company and, by choice or of necessity, become a free-lance
writer again. Instead of writing that story he sits down and writes
another society drama, after cudgeling his brain for some time in an
effort to think up a plot that is, at least, different enough from
the one he wrote last week to insure its 'getting by' the scenario
editor, the director and 'the boss.' And that is just the point:
Although many of these plots do 'get by' the powers that be (or the
staff writer would not be holding his job), the photoplay-loving
public knows only too well that there is a lamentably close
relationship between 'A Wall Street Romance,' shown at the Novelty
Theatre last night, and 'Love and Business,' produced by the same
company and 'featured' at the same theatre three weeks ago. Therefore
the constant demand in nine out of every ten studios for good material
from outside writers. Since the writer of photoplay plots must write
action-stories constantly, and since, as has been said, the staff
writers are just as apt to run dry of new plots as are any other
writers, it follows that there must be a market at all times for the
really original and highly interesting story, no matter by whom
written. If the big photoplay producing companies are to remain in
business, if their various stars are to be kept working, and their
rate of production up to schedule, there must continue to be a fairly
steady flow of good, new stories into the scenario department."[2]

[Footnote 2: "What Chance Has the 'Outside' Writer?" by Arthur Leeds,
_Moving Picture Stories_, October 5, 1917.]

No, the field is not overcrowded--with _capable_ writers; nor is it
likely to be. With incapable amateurs it undoubtedly is. Every walk of
life has contributed its share to the thousands who are _trying_ to
write photoplays. Hundreds fail because they are both illiterate and