Chapter 370 Overflowing the Boundary of Literature
"He was afraid that Lu Yao would not be able to bear the blow of receiving so many negative reviews at once. So he screened the letters from readers himself and sent the positive, pertinent or constructive ones to Lu Yao, and kept the negative ones."
After Yao Shuzhi finished speaking, the editorial department fell into silence.
Zou Changyi, who had just arrived, said, "This is too much work. How can he read all the letters? It's a thankless task!"
Zhang Zhonge said: "Changyi, you have just come here for a short time and have not met the writer Lu Yao. He is the kind of person who is proud and arrogant, and he is very concerned about his reputation. He has suffered a lot for the novel "Ordinary World" and he has high hopes for this novel.
He had just handed over the manuscript of the first volume to Weimin a few months ago, and he immediately returned to Shaanxi to write the second volume. If all these letters from readers were sent to him, it would be a very heavy blow to him and would probably affect his creative enthusiasm. "
Zou Changyi understood a little when he heard this, and then said, "But this is not a solution now, right? After all, Lu Yao is not isolated from the world. We can't stop the readers around him, including the comments from the critics!"
Before Zhang Zhonge could speak, Tong Zhonggui said, "I think this is exactly what Teacher Lin meant."
Everyone looked at him, confused as to what he meant.
"Blind praise is not a panacea. Teacher Lin did this in no way to isolate Lu Yao from the impact of outside comments.
He probably wanted to prevent a large number of negative reviews from pouring in like a tsunami in a short period of time, which would destroy Lu Yao's creative confidence as a writer.
He is now only isolating some of the negative reviews, so that the positive reviews outweigh the negative ones, which can actually inspire Lu Yao's creative spirit. After all, most of the content of "Ordinary World" has not yet been created!"
After listening to Tong Zhonggui's words, everyone looked thoughtful. Thinking carefully, his words seemed to make some sense.
Liu Yin teased, "Xiao Tong is great! Now he has really learned the true teachings of Editor-in-Chief Lin!"
Tong Zhonggui was a little shy, "I'm just guessing."
Zhang Zhonge sighed, "For the sake of the people and the writers under his command, he really has good intentions!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Regardless of the quality of "Ordinary World" itself, at least Lin Weimin's dedication was truly admirable.
On the third floor of the guesthouse, in Mo Yan's room.
Mo Yan was working furiously at his desk. He was also writing the script for Red Sorghum.
Once he gets into the writing state, his efficiency is very high. Normally a movie script would be tens of thousands of words at most, but with his efficiency he can finish it in a few days.
But Mo Yan had no experience in drama creation, and most of the time he could only write scripts on his own. He would then show what he had written to Lin Weimin, who would point out any problems, and Mo Yan would then make revisions.
This process of constantly writing, revising, writing, and revising not only made Mo Yan realize the difficulty of drama creation, but also deepened Mo Yan's feelings and understanding of the story of "Red Sorghum".
The abundance of emotions gave Mo Yan a stronger creative drive. He was immersed in his own world almost every day, oblivious to what was happening outside and not noticing Yu Hua lying on the bed beside him.
At this moment, he was scratching his head while holding a book.
Mo Yan, immersed in the world of creation, felt something strange on his shoulder. He came to his senses and saw a hand.
Yu Hua held his shoulders and handed him a copy of Contemporary Chinese. "Take a look at this novel!"
Mo Yan frowned, "Just look at it yourself, don't you see I'm creating something?"
"One day is not a big deal. After you finish reading the novel, we can exchange ideas."
Mo Yan took the "Contemporary" reluctantly. This was the January issue, which he had bought before, but he had been so absorbed in his writing these days that he had not had time to read it.
"Lu Yao's novel? I remember Teacher Lin spoke highly of it before!"
"Take a look, take a look first!"
Mo Yan listened to Yu Hua's words and started reading "Contemporary".
Two days later, Yu Hua pestered Mo Yan again.
"How is it? How is it?"
"You speak first!" Mo Yan said.
Yu Hua curled his lips, "You are so boring!"
Then he pondered and said: "If you ask me, I think this novel is a good work. But its shortcomings are also obvious..."
"What are the shortcomings?"
“It conflicts with the reading habits of current readers.”
Mo Yan didn't comment, so Yu Hua asked him, "What do you think?"
"We cannot say a work is bad just because it has shortcomings. The narrative of Ordinary World is long-winded, the pace is slow, and the plot is nothing new. These are its shortcomings.
But think about it, the novels we write are called "avant-garde novels" by everyone. Do they conform to the general readers' impression of mainstream novels?"
Yu Hua nodded, thinking that what Mo Yan said made sense.
Mo Yan continued, "So, in my opinion as an author of 'avant-garde novels', The Ordinary World is a very good novel. I am even more looking forward to its sequel. According to the spirit that Lu Yao showed in the first novel, this novel is likely to become a rare masterpiece!"
Yu Hua clapped his hands and said, "It seems that we agree."
"Since you are so optimistic about it, why did you drag me to see it?" Mo Yan asked quietly.
Yu Hua touched his nose awkwardly, "Hey, let's confirm each other, confirm each other."
Mo Yan was already familiar with his personality, so he didn't care about it and said, "Can I write my script now?"
"You're busy, you're busy!"
"Don't take some gossip to heart. Novels are written to be evaluated by others."
"That's what critics make their living from. Whether their evaluation of your novel is good or bad does not affect the quality of the novel itself, and it is unlikely to affect readers who like the novel."
"Have you read the letters the editorial office sent you?"
"That's right. Your novels are written for readers, not for critics.
Many readers have some opinions about this novel, but there are also many who like it. Even Dream of the Red Chamber has people who don't like it. How can you expect everyone to like your novel? "
"Listen to me, don't pay attention to the outside world's discussions, calm down and finish writing the novel."
"There is a very important problem with the negative reviews your novel has received so far, which is that the story has not been fully developed. It's like a woman with a veil. Wearing a veil will certainly arouse the interest of some people, but it will also definitely arouse the disgust of some people, who will dislike you for keeping them on suspense. Don't you agree?"
"Okay. That's it for now. Contact me if you have any questions later."
Lin Weimin hung up the phone and Lu Yao answered it.
It has been a while since the first part of "Ordinary World" was published. Although Lin Weimin has cut off some of the negative reviews, most of the feedback from critics and readers has still reached Lu Yao.
He had high hopes for this novel, so he naturally felt very concerned about gains and losses.
The mainstream critics' evaluation of this novel is not very good. Lu Yao is in the Shaanxi Literary Association, and many of his colleagues have given him the same feedback. This has dealt a heavy blow to his self-confidence, so he called Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin was afraid of such a situation happening, so he could only continue to comfort him and give him confidence.
An author is like a woman. You have to coax her, spend your time and energy on her, and even spend some money on her from time to time.
Being an editor is not easy!
Lin Weimin was thinking when Tong Zhonggui walked into his office.
"What's up?"
Tong Zhonggui came to the office to make a suggestion: "Teacher Lin, should we hold a seminar for "Ordinary World"? "
Lin Weimin frowned, "Why do you have such an idea?"
Hearing his tone, Tong Zhonggui felt a little uneasy, but still said, "I also thought of your Ming Dynasty 1566, which received such high praise from above, which is also good for the reputation of this novel in the literary world and among readers."
Lin Weimin stared at Tong Zhonggui, which made him feel a little uneasy. He didn't know what he said was wrong. He was struggling whether to continue explaining when he saw Lin Weimin pointing at the sofa.
"Come, sit down for a while, let's chat."
Tong Zhonggui became even more nervous and sat down on the sofa awkwardly, not daring to look Lin Weimin in the eye.
"Xiao Tong, what do you think is the basis for the spread of a literary work?"
With just one sentence, Tong Zhonggui realized the problem with what he had just said. He hurriedly explained, "Teacher Lin, I..."
Lin Weimin patted his shoulder and said in a gentle voice: "I know your good intentions."
“But holding a discussion meeting on a work is more often just the icing on the cake. When a work is not well received in the mainstream literary or critical circles, holding such a meeting will only backfire.
Of course, we can fully utilize the writing style of the Spring and Autumn Period, or simply falsify information, to make the public believe that this novel has been recognized by the mainstream.
But is this approach necessary? "
Lin Weimin stared at Tong Zhonggui, which made him feel guilty. "That's not necessary!"
"Yes, there is no need." Lin Weimin nodded and continued, "We must always insist that our literary works are written for the broad masses of the people. Whether it is the literary world or the critics, their temporary evaluation of a work will certainly have a short-term impact. But in the end, the people are the ones who can give the most fair and lasting evaluation of the work."
Lin Weimin stopped here, with a look of emotion on his face, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.
Tong Zhonggui hesitated, and finally asked what he had been holding in his heart for a long time.
"Teacher Lin, do you really think "Ordinary World" is a good novel?"
After saying this, Tong Zhonggui was filled with regret.
How could I ask such a question?
Tong Zhonggui has always been eager to learn from Teacher Lin’s teachings, he has always been happy to accept any opinions from Teacher Lin, and he has always firmly supported all decisions made by Teacher Lin.
However, today, facing Teacher Lin, who was like a god in his heart, Tong Zhonggui couldn't help but ask the questions in his heart out of his most instinctive conscience for literature itself.
"Ordinary World", is it really a good novel?
Tong Zhonggui's question made Lin Weimin fall into silence. He lit a cigarette, stood up and stood in front of the window, thinking for a long time.
Looking at his back, Tong Zhonggui felt even more guilty.
Mr. Lin decided to publish "The Ordinary World" out of an editor's public spirit. He recognized Lu Yao's creative ability and that "The Ordinary World" was qualified for publication. These are his jobs and one of the ways for authors, publications, and the literary world to survive and operate.
But now, he saw the invisible pressure that Teacher Lin was carrying behind all these normal things.
The authors’ eager expectations, the publication’s influence, the readers’ comments, the critics’ evaluations…
All the conflicts are concentrated on Teacher Lin, and all the pressure is also concentrated on Teacher Lin.
All of this seems to be no less than the pressure that Lu Yao, the novelist, has to bear!
When Tong Zhonggui thought of this, he felt even more regretful. He even had the urge to get up and run away from the office.
At this moment, Lin Weimin finally turned around and looked directly into Tong Zhonggui's eyes.
“You have all read the novel “Ordinary World”, which has many shortcomings.
The writing is long-winded and messy, the narrative is unskillful, and the writing method is old-fashioned. There are many characters, but few of them are vivid. Some characters even have split personalities. There are long paragraphs of discussion or lyricism, and there are so many of them in the book..."
Tong Zhonggui was shocked by Lin Weimin's sudden criticism of "Ordinary World". He was surprised at his ruthlessness and the depth of his understanding of the work. There were many aspects that Tong Zhonggui had not even considered.
"Do you know what this reminds me of?" Lin Weimin asked.
Without giving Tong Zhonggui time to think, Lin Weimin asked himself and answered the question.
“I thought of Brother Zilong’s “The Record of Director Qiao’s Taking Office”, whose literary weaknesses are very clear and indefensible.
But it happened that it became the pioneering work of China's reform literature, and to some extent helped to open the curtain of reform and opening up in our country.
The "Record of Director Qiao's Taking Office" made me think of a question: what kind of evaluation criteria should be applied to our literary works?
The people, only the evaluation of the people is the golden key to judging a work!
A good literary work often has attributes that are not just literature itself. It also goes beyond the boundaries of literature and produces broader and more far-reaching social significance.
I am well aware that the novel "Ordinary World" has many shortcomings, but its advantages are equally obvious.
It presents us with a social picture of the difficult transformation of our time, carries the historical changes of our generation and the entire society, and also carries our spiritual pursuits.
The depth and solemn emotions it contains are able to move thousands of readers, and take root firmly in the hearts of these readers, unearthing a powerful inner strength.
Let the young people who are in this rapidly changing era see the glory of life when they are exhausted and confused, and illuminate the hearts of young people of our generation like a beacon. "
Lin Weimin's passionate words made Tong Zhonggui's blood boil.
Yes, in the past, when reviewing manuscripts, people only focused on the shortcomings of the novel "Ordinary World".
But it seems that its advantages have never been truly examined.
(End of this chapter)
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