People and their personal path

Lately, I took a online writing class.  One of the exercise was to write a letter from the point of view of a writer.  I had choose Gaston Leroux, thinking that it would be easy.  I was a bit wrong.  I made a quick research on him.  I made a few unexpected discoveries on him.  First, there is a website who deal with his intellectual rights (http://www.gaston-leroux.net/).  Of course, the website is in French.  I don't know if they will do something to translating it into English.  After all, The Phantom of the Opera is his most well known book.  It had numerous movie adaptations.  This story have a great curve appeal.  In a sense, it can be the modern version of Beauty and the Beast, least the happily ever after for Erik, the phantom.

It was a bit different in the living years of Gaston Leroux.  When he was alive, the Phantom of the Opera wasn't that popular.  It became more popular as movies were made from it.  So, when Leroux was alive, his most popular character was Rouletabille.  Rouletabille is a reporter.  I have seen one of the two movies made on Rouletabille.  I haven't read the original books on him.  I have found a box set of the two movies made on Rouletabille (http://www.amazon.ca/Rouletabille-Coffret-2-DVD/dp/B00009QI6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd-en-francais&ie=UTF8&qid=1417298552&sr=1-1&keywords=rouletabille).  What frustrate me is that they are European DVD.  It is uncompatible with the machine I have.

Gaston Leroux had an interesting career.  He didn't started as a writer.  He studied in law and worked in that domain for three years.  To gain a little bit more money, he covered some court case.  As he gained some contact in the journalism field, he quit law and became a journalist full time.  He covered many big court case (the Dreyfuss' affair among other) and some other big news outside the courthouse.  He start to write some stories and end up quiting journalism to become a full time writer.  Near the end of his life, he also became a producer and screenwriter for a filming compagny.  That film compagny is quickly bought by Pathé-Cinéma.

So, this guy have quite an adventurous career path.  He wasn't affraid to jump from one to the other.  I wonder what have motivated him to accept the offers he had been given and also the choice he made.  I didn't seen anything on these motivations.  I know that his experiences had an influence on him and his writing.  It show in Rouletabille and the Phantom of the Opera.  The character of Joseph Rouletabille is also a reporter, as had been Leroux.  For the Phantom, it show in many ways.  I had read the Phantom.  The tone of the narrator is one of a reporter.  There is also a few elements that had been influenced by the news or by people.  For example, Christine is modeled by a famous opera singer of the time.

I don't know if I would find the process he had gone throught to makes his decision and do what he did.  I may find more on him and answer my questions looking at other hints elsewhere.