Chapter 147 Story Strategy
When all the strong people share chicken soup for the soul, they will invariably mention the secret to success in life, which is to make a daily plan.
Making a plan and then completing it will stimulate the secretion of dopamine and endorphins, giving people a great sense of accomplishment, making people more confident, and establishing a good physical and mental environment for a long time.
Wang Zixu also tried it. After trying it, he found that this is indeed a trick for the strong, because only the strong can ensure that the daily plan is successfully realized. Strong people will never tell you what to do if you fail to complete your daily plan.
For most people, sooner or later, there will be a day when their daily plans cannot be completed. By that time, the daily plan will not only fail to promote dopamine, endorphins, and libido, but will also delay eating and sleeping, which will accumulate day by day and eventually become a core stressor that makes people miserable.
For example, this is the situation for Wang Zixu - he has made a strict daily plan for himself. As of the day before the exam, his revision and review plan can just complete all the tasks.
Then he got stuck.
Carvin is an inevitable experience for every writer, and it is also one of the most terrifying obstacles to writing.
I can’t write it, ultimately I can’t write it.
The daily plan stipulates that I write from 7 a.m. to 11 noon. After breakfast and coffee, I feel energetic. I look at the blank screen and look at my watch. It’s already 8 o’clock. There are still 3 hours left. I feel relieved that I still have more time.
Waiting until 9 o'clock, people began to feel on pins and needles; at 10 o'clock, Wang Zixu fell into despair, but there was still a trace of luck in his heart - if he started to explode from this moment, he might be able to complete the task within an hour.
It was not until 12 o'clock that I looked at the 200-word work written by "Explosion" on the screen. After reading through it, I felt like swallowing shit. My confidence was completely destroyed. I deleted them all in a rage. By the way, I also deleted the 300 words I wrote yesterday.
After 4 hours of coding, I owe 300 words in one operation. That’s how it came about.
After 5 days of virtual connection, Wang Zi realized that he could not go on like this anymore, so he immediately placed an urgent order to purchase a bunch of creative theories. What about "Story", "Story Strategy", "Save the Cat", "Story Project", "Your script is terrible"... He used to look down on these books, thinking they were "model room decoration methods", but now he is extremely eager for these books that he once looked down on to bring inspiration to him.
When the books arrived home, he couldn’t wait to open them one by one, and the more he read, the more desperate he became. None of them were fruitful. Whenever he saw a page of unhelpful content, he tore it out, and finally the flying white paper covered the floor of his house, like snow-white petals covering a tomb, and the faint light of the computer screen looked like a will-o'-the-wisp.
It’s another day where I didn’t complete my daily plan.
When the day came for the appointment, Ye Lan was shocked when she saw him: he was swollen all over, walking erratically, with sparse hair, panda-like eye bags under his eyes, hungry lines and blue marks on the corners of his mouth, and his face said half dead.
Ye Lan asked in surprise: "What's wrong with you? Kidney deficiency?"
Wang Zixu said: "No. I didn't sleep yesterday."
"Why not? Sleep? "
"I'm hungry."
"Then you eat!"
"The novel is not finished."
Ye Lan said with some distress: "People have to eat before the novel is finished! Is it necessary to rush like that? By the way, where did you write it?"
Wang Zixu said: "It's just because I didn't write a single bit."
"Why? ”
“It’s Kavin”
“What is Kavin?”
Wang Zixu explained to her what Kavin was. Ye Lan couldn’t understand it, but she generally understood that it was a tragedy. She couldn't help but sigh: "Fortunately, I didn't engage in creative work. It turned out to be so hard."
"Hey! I am comforting you, can you speak?" Ye Lan pointed at his nose.
…
Standing in the house that Ye Lan was optimistic about, Wang Zixu surprisingly felt that it was okay. With a structure of three bedrooms and two living rooms, the master bedroom has an independent bathroom and there are two drying areas, so two households can live together without much friction. In addition, there is a lounge with transparency from north to south, which Ye Lan said could be used as a workshop for him.
After Wang Zixu planned the location of the bookshelf and workbench in the lounge, he found that the size of the space was just within his comfort zone, and he was heartbroken.
The only drawback is that it is a bit expensive. After paying the down payment, the money that the prince had saved during this period returned to zero.
Standing in the living room, Wang Zixu took out his mobile phone and sent a message to Ning Chunyan:
[Are you there? ]
Soon, there was a reply:
[Here. Waiting for you. 】
The little prince: [The manuscript is half finished, and now there are two endings. One ending is happy but dull, and the other is shocking but very sad. I can’t think of how to write it, and I want you to help me choose one. ]
Qiu Ge said: [What kind of story are you writing? 】
The little prince: [How about I send it to you for a look. 】
…
Shi Shuqiu: [How about I send it to you for review? ]
Xiao Mengyin: [Well, send it over and have a look. 】
Putting down the phone, Xiao Mengyin sank deeper into the soft sofa chair.
The air-conditioning temperature is 24, and a false flame is burning in the fireplace. Xiao Mengyin is lying on her favorite black and gold lace cotton pillow, with a gothic-style white and black striped blanket on her legs.
Next to her, a girl in black clothes sat next to her and said slightly dissatisfied:
"What's the point of this kind of award? Wouldn't it be better to just give it to the second generation of writers?"
Xiao Mengyin glanced at her and smiled.
The girl in black clothes said: "Why, am I wrong? The Feishi Award only gets one nomination, which is a huge blessing for newcomers who have not yet made their mark. It's embarrassing for us to hold it in our hands. Don't you think it's unfair?"
Xiao Mengyin said: " I don't think it's fair, and I don't think it's unfair. If you want fairness, don't come to participate in the literary award. Let the value of the work remain in the hearts of readers and yourself." The girl in black clothes pouted and said, "That's it, but after all, this award belongs to them."
The girl in black clothes is named Duan Xiaosang. Of course, this is also a pen name. She debuted under this name. She was initially a representative of the new martial arts. She was famous for her fresh and natural style of writing. Later she became an editor in a magazine.
In recent years, her reputation has become less popular in the literary world because she has not published a new work for a long time. Her current battlefield is behind the scenes: copyright operations.
This is a job that can make more money than writing.
Xiao Mengyin said: "The gameplay is different now, and it is not so naked. Although second-generation writers have advantages, they are limited to second-generation writers who write well.
"Or it can be said that if you are a second-generation writer among a group of people who write about the same thing, why shouldn't you be chosen? If among a group of second-generation writers, he writes the best, why shouldn't he be chosen?"
Duan Xiaosang said: "That means, if you are a good writer, He is the most connected person, and he is the best writer among the connected people?" Xiao Mengyin drank black tea: "Yes! This is how everyone behaves. When it comes to relationships, which circle is the most restrained?"
After finishing the drink, she put down her tea cup and continued: "Do the math, among the big names in the literary world, the ones who are still alive in "History of Contemporary Literature" alone must have at least two digits, right? The big guys who are just shy of entering the history of literature, those who are in high positions, and those who are engaged in research, the total number is three digits, right? There are so many second-generation writers, most of them are working in the literary association, why is there only Shi Shi? Shuqiu came to participate in Feishi? "
Duan Xiaosang said: "Because he is the better writer among the second generation of Wen Dynasty?"
After reading for a while, he sighed: "Look, this style is in line with his father's, the writing is solid, and the plot is surreal. It is what the judges like the most. At his age, giving him the first prize is not too much."
Duan Xiaosang sighed: "Fame, after all, is like a cloud. The fairest thing in the world is only money. "
Xiao Mengyin said with a smile: "You're optimistic, right? I was expecting you to come back and give the literary world a surprise."
"It's impossible to be surprised," Duan Xiaosang shook his head mockingly, "By the way, in this case, are you going to challenge Mao Dun this year?"
Xiao Mengyin said: "Of course I have to go for it. If he can win the first Jade Prize at his level, how can Shi Tonghe be dissatisfied? If he really has the skills to influence the first prize, then I will be convinced."
Duan Xiaosang smiled and said: "Things in the world are always like this. The more important the place, the fairer it is."
Xiao Mengyin said: "But it is never absolute. That’s fair.”
“I’m afraid you have a lot of opponents this year, right?”
Xiao Mengyin’s eyes darkened: “There are quite a few, but I only have Chen Qingluo in my eyes."
Duan Xiaosang curled his lips: "Is Chen Qingluo so powerful? Why do I always feel that she has no reputation?"
Xiao Mengyin said: "You think she is not famous because the New Talent Award is no longer available. At that time, the New Talent Award was still very valuable. In addition, she debuted too early. She debuted for five or six years before the Feishi Award was created, and she has already won more important awards. If you don't, there is no need for Feishi."
Duan Xiaosang said: "Don't be afraid, you are not bad, who is not a young genius?"
Xiao Mengyin smiled slightly and did not answer.
Although she did not answer, there was a small hint of pride and ambition in her heart. Yes, who is not a young genius?
We are all the beauties of heaven, let’s compete?
…
Ning Chunyan must have taken it very seriously. Wang Zixu waited for a long time before she got back the message.
Qiu Ge: [After reading it, I was very moved and even shed a few tears. You must know that I am not the kind of person who is easily moved. I'm also looking forward to the ending. 】
Wang Zixu asked: [What kind of ending do you expect? ]
Qiu Ge: [I’m looking forward to any kind of ending, as long as it’s given by you. 】
The little prince: [I am afraid of this answer. 】
Qiu Ge: [Hmph, then I will be more willful. As a young reader who admires you, you are a hero in my heart. A hero should always be able to have both and have the best of both worlds. I just want an ending like this. 】
Wang Zixu sighed and stood up.
It is both necessary and necessary, and it is not a multi-dimensional universe. How can there be such a good thing in the world?
Science fiction novelists say that there are many root time dimensions in the multidimensional universe, so theoretically a person can make many choices at the same time, and multiple possible worlds exist at the same time.
Wang Zixu couldn’t imagine what that scene was, but in the boring four-dimensional universe, even if the male and female protagonists in his story could manipulate the timeline (without any scientific logic), they sadly could not have each other at the same time. If two people want to be together, the price must be that someone's life will come to an irreparable end.
It is simply impossible to have the best of both worlds.
“Heroes can always do the impossible, because they are heroes.”
Wang Zixu suddenly thought of this sentence in his mind.
It seems that Chen Qingluo told him. He couldn't remember the context in which this sentence appeared, but every meaningful sentence Chen Qingluo said would be firmly remembered like a treasured photo.
Is there any trace of Chen Qingluo in the heroine in his story? Even though they were so far apart, she was always the one who understood him best.
Even though the souls of the two are so in tune, she goes straight forward and never looks back; while he hesitates like the hero, spending his years in inferiority and cowardice.
How can two people like this get together? How can I deceive myself to give the two of them a perfect ending?
The prince sat down dejectedly, suddenly feeling sad.
"Ye Lan," he said, "What is love really about?"
Ye Lan said: "Ah? You asked me this suddenly, and I don't know."
"What should you do if the person you love has to pay a huge price to be together? ?”
Ye Lan said: “Then give it.”
“What if you even have to give your life?”
“…”
Looking at Wang Zixu's puzzled expression, Ye Lan hesitated and said: "Life is precious, but love is more valuable."
Wang Zixu was shocked: "You actually know this sentence?"
Ye Lan blushed: "This is a famous quote, why don't I know it? Damn it, I watched Qiong when I was a kid. Those who grew up in Yao opera have this kind of outlook, right? What’s wrong with women being so naive?”
Wang Zixu waved his hand: “Thank you, I know how to write the ending.”
Ye Lan blinked: “What ending?”
The prince nodded: "The essence of love is childishness."
...
A month later, the weather became colder. The autumn tiger is gradually drifting away, and it is no longer necessary to turn on the air conditioner all the time when sitting at home.
Wang Zixu took off his anti-blue light glasses, gathered the manuscript papers, and placed them in front of the table.
This is his workspace at his residence in Donghai. The table is filled with all kinds of notes, professional textbooks, draft papers, answer sheets, and test papers.
Wang Zixu turned on his phone and saw the message from Ning Chunyan. He picked up the phone and was about to reply to the message. At the last moment when he pressed the "send" button, he realized: the sender on the other side was "Ning Chunyan" instead of "Qiu Ge", and his current identity was "Wang Zixu" instead of "Little Prince".
He deleted the message and changed his tone: "What's the matter?"
Ning Chunyan asked: "Do you have time tomorrow? The magazine has been a bit too busy recently."
(End of this chapter)