By the plan I mean the developed succession, scene by scene, of the
whole piece, from the beginning to the end.
So long as one has not reached the end of his play he has neither the
beginning nor the middle. This part of the work is obviously the most
laborious. It is the creation, the parturition.
As soon as my plan is complete, I go over it and ask concerning each
scene its purpose, whether it prepares for or develops a character or
situation, and then whether it advances the action. A play is a
thousand-legged creature which must keep on going. If it slows up, the
public yawns; if it stops, the public hisses.
To write a sprightly play you must have a good digestion. Sprightliness
resides in the stomach.
Eugène Labiche.
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