1980 My literary era

"He was afraid that Lu Yao would not be able to withstand the blow of receiving so many bad reviews at once. He screened letters from readers and sent those letters that were positive, pertinent or constructive criticism to Lu Yao. That part will stay.”

After Yao Shuzhi finished speaking, the editorial department fell into silence.

Zou Changyi, who had just arrived here not long ago, said: "It's too much work to do this. How can he read so many letters? It's thankless!"

Zhang Zhong'e said: "Changyi, you have just arrived here not long ago, and you have never had contact with the writer Lu Yao. He is the kind of person who is arrogant and has a very good face. For the novel "The Ordinary World", you can He said he had high hopes for this novel after going through a lot of hardships.

He handed the manuscript of the first part to Weimin just a few months ago, and he returned to Shaanxi to write the second part without stopping. If all these letters from readers were sent to him, it would be a very heavy blow to him, and it would probably affect his enthusiasm for creation. "

Hearing this, Zou Changyi showed some understanding on his face, and said: "But this is not the solution now, right? Lu Yao is not isolated from the world after all. We cannot prevent the comments from readers around him, including critics. !”

Before Zhang Zhong'e could speak, Tong Zhonggui rushed to say, "I think this is exactly what Teacher Lin intended."

Everyone looked at him, confused.

"Blind praise is not a good medicine. Teacher Lin did this not to isolate Lu Yao from the impact of external evaluation.

He probably wanted to prevent a large amount of bad reviews from coming in in a short period of time and destroying Lu Yao's creative confidence as a writer.

He is now only blocking out some of the bad reviews, so that there are more positive reviews than bad reviews, which can actually stimulate Lu Yao's creative fighting spirit. After all, most of the content of "The Ordinary World" has not yet been created! "

After listening to Tong Zhonggui's words, everyone looked thoughtful. After thinking about it carefully, his words seemed to make some sense.

Liu Yin joked: "How about Xiao Tong! Now he really has the reputation of Editor Lin!"

Tong Zhonggui looked a little shy, "I'm just guessing."

Zhang Zhong'e sighed: "For the people, for the writers under my command, you really have good intentions!"

Everyone couldn't help but nod. Regardless of the quality of "The Ordinary World" itself, at least Lin Weimin's intention was truly admirable.

Guest house on the third floor, in Mo Yan's room.

Mo Yan is working hard at his desk and writing the script of "Red Sorghum".

Once he enters the writing state, his efficiency is very high. It stands to reason that a movie script can be tens of thousands of words long at most, and with his efficiency, it can be written in a few days.

But Mo Yan didn't have any experience in drama creation, so he often had to fumble around on his own when writing scripts. Then he showed Lin Weimin what he had written, and he pointed out the problems, and Mo Yan made revisions.

This process of constant writing, revising, writing, and revising not only made Mo Yan aware of the difficulty of drama creation, but also deepened Mo Yan's feelings and understanding of the story "Red Sorghum".

The abundance of emotions made Mo Yan's creative motivation even stronger. He was immersed in his own world almost every day, ignoring what was going on outside the window, and did not notice Yu Hua lying on the bed next to him.

At this time, he was holding a book and scratching his head.

Mo Yan, who was immersed in the world of creation, felt something strange on his shoulder. When he came back to his senses, he saw a hand.

Yu Hua held his shoulder and handed over a copy of "Contemporary", "Look at this novel!"

Mo Yan frowned, "Look at it for yourself. Didn't you see that I was creating?"

"It doesn't take more than one day. After you finish reading the novel, we can communicate."

Mo Yan reluctantly took "Contemporary". This was from January. He had bought it before, but he had been obsessed with writing these days and hadn't had time to read it yet.

"Lu Yao's novel? I remember Teacher Lin spoke highly of it before!"

"Look, look first and then talk!"

After hearing what Yu Hua said, Mo Yan held up "Contemporary" and started reading.

Two days later, Yu Hua pestered Mo Yan again.

"how is it going?"

"Speak first!" Mo Yan said.

Yu Hua curled his lips, "You are boring!"

Then he pondered and said: "If you ask me to say it, I think this novel is a good work. But its shortcomings are also obvious..."

"What shortcomings?"

"It conflicts with the reading habits of current readers."

Mo Yan was noncommittal upon hearing this, so Yu Hua asked him, "What do you think?"

"A work has shortcomings, but we cannot say it is bad. The narrative of "The Ordinary World" is very long, the pace is slow, and the plot is not novel. These are all its shortcomings.

But think about it, the novels we write are called "avant-garde novels", do they conform to the average reader's impression of mainstream novels? "

Yu Hua nodded, feeling that what Mo Yan said made sense.

Mo Yan continued: "So, from the perspective of me, an author who writes 'avant-garde novels,' "The Ordinary World" is a very good novel. I am even more looking forward to its follow-up. According to what Lu Yao said in the first novel With the courage shown in it, this novel is likely to become a rare masterpiece!"

Yu Hua clapped his hands and said, "It seems we have the same opinion."

"Since you are so optimistic about it, why are you dragging me to see it?" Mo Yan asked quietly.

Yu Hua touched his nose awkwardly, "Hey, let's confirm each other, confirm it."

Mo Yan was already familiar with his temperament, so he didn't care about it and said, "Can I write my script this time?"

"You're busy, you're busy!"

"Don't take some gossip to heart. Novels are written to be evaluated."

"Those critics rely on this to make a living. Whether their evaluation of your novel is good or bad does not affect its own quality, and it will hardly affect readers who like this novel."

"Have you read the letters the editorial office sent you?"

"That's right. Your novel is written for readers, not critics.

Many readers have some opinions on this novel, but there are also many who like it. Even "Dream of Red Mansions" has some people who don't like it. How can you expect everyone to like your novel? "

"Listen to me, ignore the comments from the outside world, calm down and finish the novel."

"A very important problem with the negative reviews your novel has received now is that the story has not been fully developed. It is like a woman wearing a veil. Wearing a veil will certainly arouse the interest of some people, but it will definitely It has aroused resentment among some people and disgusted you with your appetite. Do you think that’s right?”

"Okay. That's it for now. If you have any questions later, we'll contact you."

Lin Weimin hung up the phone, and Lu Yao opened the phone.

It has been some time since the first part of "The Ordinary World" was published. Although Lin Weimin has cut off some negative reviews, most of the feedback from critics and readers has still reached Lu Yao.

He had high hopes for this novel and was naturally very concerned about gains and losses.

The current mainstream critics' evaluation of this novel is not very good. Lu Yao is in the Shaanxi Literary and Art Association, including the feedback from many colleagues around him. This has dealt a heavy blow to his self-confidence, so he called Lin Weimin this Telephone.

Lin Weimin was afraid of such a situation, so he could only comfort him and give him confidence.

The author is just like a woman, you have to coax her, give her your attention, and sometimes spend some money.

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 on "The Ordinary World"?"

Lin Weimin frowned, "Why do you have such an idea?"

Listening to his tone, Tong Zhonggui felt a little uneasy, but he still said: "I also thought of your "The Ming Dynasty 1566", which was highly praised by the above, and the reputation of this novel in the literary world and among readers is also very good. It’s beneficial.”

Lin Weimin stared at Tong Zhonggui, who was a little confused. He didn't know what he said was wrong. He was debating whether to continue explaining when he saw Lin Weimin pointing to the sofa.

"Come, sit down for a while, let's chat."

Tong Zhonggui became even more nervous and sat awkwardly on the sofa, not daring to look into Lin Weimin's eyes.

"Xiao Tong, what do you think the spread of a literary work depends on?"

In just one sentence, Tong Zhonggui realized the problem with what he just said. He hurriedly explained: "Teacher Lin, I..."

Lin Weimin patted him on the shoulder and said harmoniously: "I know your good intentions."

"But holding work discussion forums is more often the icing on the cake. When a work is not well-received by mainstream literary circles or critics, holding such things will only be counterproductive.

Of course, we can completely use the Chunqiu style of writing, or simply falsify it to make the public think that this novel has been recognized by the mainstream.

But is this approach necessary? "

The way Lin Weimin stared at Tong Zhonggui made him feel guilty, "No need!"

"Yes, it's not necessary." Lin Weimin nodded and continued: "We must always insist that our literary and artistic works are written for the broadest masses of the people. Whether it is the literary world or the critic world, they have temporary opinions on a work. Of course, evaluation has a short-term impact. But in the end, it must be the broad masses of the people who can give the work the most fair and lasting evaluation."

Lin Weimin stopped here, with a bit of emotion on his face, as if he was about to speak.

Tong Zhonggui hesitated and finally asked what he had been holding in his heart for a long time.

"Teacher Lin, do you really think "The Ordinary World" is a good novel?"

After saying this, Tong Zhonggui was filled with annoyance.

How could I ask such a question?

Tong Zhonggui has always been thirsty for knowledge about all Teacher Lin's teachings; Tong Zhonggui readily accepts any opinions of Teacher Lin; Tong Zhonggui firmly supports all Teacher Lin's decisions.

However, today, facing Teacher Lin who existed like a god in his heart, Tong Zhonggui still could not hold back his most instinctive conscience about literature itself and asked the questions in his heart.

Is "The Ordinary World" 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, and thought for a long time.

Looking at his back, Tong Zhonggui felt even more guilty.

Teacher Lin decided to publish "The Ordinary World" out of an editor's public conscience. He recognized Lu Yao's creative ability and recognized the qualifications of "The Ordinary World" for publication. These are his work and the author, the publication, and the literary world. One of the ways to survive and function.

But now, he saw the invisible pressure that Teacher Lin was carrying behind these normal conditions.

The author's high expectations, the influence of the publication, the readers' comments, the critics' evaluation...

All conflicts are concentrated on Teacher Lin, and all pressure is also concentrated on Teacher Lin.

All of this does not seem to be any lighter 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 escape from the office.

At this moment, Lin Weimin finally turned his head and looked directly into Tong Zhonggui's eyes.

"You have all read the novel "The Ordinary World", and it has many shortcomings.

The writing is as long-winded as a running account, long and messy, the narrative has no skills at all, and the creative techniques are old-fashioned and outdated. There are many characters, but few can be vividly portrayed. Some characters even have split personalities. There are often long paragraphs of discussion or lyricism, and there are so many of them in the book..."

Tong Zhonggui was startled by Lin Weimin's sudden criticism of "The Ordinary World". He was shocked by his ruthlessness and his depth of understanding of this work. There were many aspects that Tong Zhonggui had not yet considered.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" Lin Weimin asked.

Before Tong Zhonggui had time to think, Lin Weimin asked and answered his own questions.

"I think of Brother Zilong's "The Taking of Factory Director Qiao". Its literary weaknesses are very clear and irrefutable.

But it happened that it became the pioneering work of Chinese reform literature, and to some extent promoted the opening of our country's reform and opening up.

From "Director Qiao's Taking Up the Job", I thought of a question. That is what kind of evaluation criteria should be applied to our literary works?

The people, and only the evaluation of the people is the golden key to judge a work!

A good literary work often has attributes that are not just literature itself. It also overflows the boundaries of literature and produces broader and far-reaching social significance.

I know very well that the novel "The Ordinary World" has many shortcomings, but its advantages are equally clear.

It presents us with a social picture of difficult transformation in our era, carries the historical changes of our generation and the entire society, and also carries our spiritual pursuits.

The depth and solemn emotions it contains can impress thousands of readers, and take root in the hearts of these readers, tapping out a powerful inner strength.

Let young people living in this rapidly changing era be able to see the brilliance of life when they are exhausted and confused, and illuminate the hearts of young people of our generation like a beacon. "

Lin Weimin's impassioned words made Tong Zhonggui's blood boil.

Yes, in the past, everyone only focused on the shortcomings of the novel "The Ordinary World" when reviewing manuscripts.

But it seems that its merits have never really been examined.