They’re all reborn, what’s wrong with being a little more almighty?

Chapter 195 Top treatment
Zhang Wei originally thought that at McCarthy's age, it would take him five days to a week to read "The Thirst Game"!
However, what he didn't expect was that two days later, he received a call from McCarthy, inviting him to have afternoon tea.

According to the agreed time, Zhang Wei came to McCarthy's residence. As expected, the old man had prepared refreshments and was waiting for Zhang Wei's arrival.

"Zhang, I've finished reading "The Thirst Game" you wrote, three times!" McCarthy said.

"Watch it three times? In such a short time?" Zhang Wei was a little surprised. He felt that the old man was lying.

McCarthy's son, who was enjoying afternoon tea next to him, said: "I haven't seen my father so obsessed with a work for a long time. In the past two days, apart from eating and sleeping, he has spent the rest of his time reading your works. "

"Mr. McCarthy, it seems you are still young and energetic!" Zhang Wei said with a smile.

"It's your work that makes me feel the vitality of youth. Although this is a doomsday theme, it should also be regarded as a young adult novel!"

McCarthy continued: "The plot of this novel is very fascinating. You perfectly combine the survival game with the struggle of youth, showing the complexity and cruelty of human nature.

Your plot design is wonderful and your characters are very fleshed out. Your work is very tense. I can feel the helplessness and bravery of the characters in the book when they face the test of life and death.

At the beginning, it was just the thrilling game settings that attracted me, but later I discovered that through the growth and struggle of the protagonist, you are showing the brilliance of human nature and profound thoughts about survival and dignity.

With this letter of recommendation from McCarthy, when "The Thirst Game" is published, you can write "Highly Recommended by Literary Master Cormac McCarthy" on the cover, and you can also include it on the first page of the novel. McCarthy's letter of recommendation. By then, many of McCarthy's readers will definitely be willing to buy it.

"Mr. McCarthy, I also want to give you a gift."

Zhang Wei smiled and nodded. The author of the original book was a woman, so the descriptions were naturally much more delicate than those of the male author.

Many readers do not know the type of the work, nor the content of the work, nor the author at all, but they will buy this book thinking that it is recommended by a bunch of celebrities.

"That's because your work is excellent enough. Excellent works should be praised!"

McCarthy paused before continuing, "Among the scientists I know, there are many who like to read various types of books, and many have tried to write. But if I can write something with such connotation and philosophy, I still First time encounter."

Zhang Wei expressed his gratitude to McCarthy, carefully put away the recommendation letter, and then took out the script of "No Country for Old Men".

For the same two unknown writers, one has a celebrity recommendation and the other does not. Readers will definitely choose the one with a celebrity recommendation first.

McCarthy's status in the American literary world, if placed in China, although not as good as Mo Yan, would still be on the level of Yu Hua and Jia Pingwa.

For a work, getting a letter of recommendation from a literary master is definitely the top bonus.

Especially for new writers who are not well-known in the first place, a recommendation from a celebrity may become the only reason for readers to buy.

McCarthy continued: "I can feel that you skillfully combine social criticism and realistic reflection. Through the class struggle and power game in the game, you reveal the inequality and oppression in the real world. There is no doubt that this is a This is a novel with profound thoughts and rich emotions that is worth reading again and again.

"I didn't expect you to give such a high evaluation." Zhang Wei beamed with joy.

When we buy books, we often see the words recommended by a certain celebrity on the cover of the book. Even the first few pages inside are not the content of the work, but the evaluation of the work written by celebrities. This is an excellent way to Advertising effect,

In the cruel game, she not only fights for survival, but also fights to protect the people she loves and her inner dignity. Moreover, You's description is very delicate, making me feel like I am in a world full of dangers and opportunities, and experiencing the joys, sorrows, and joys with the protagonist. "

For example, if you want to read a book about stock investment, and you see a book that says "Recommended by the God of Stocks, Warren Buffett," your desire to buy will instantly increase.

McCarthy must have tens of millions of readers across the United States. Even if 1% of people are willing to give McCarthy some slack, then "The Thirst Game" can sell 100,000 copies, which has already entered the threshold of a bestseller.

Zhang Wei took the envelope and opened it. It was a letter of recommendation written by McCarthy himself. In the letter of recommendation, McCarthy did not hesitate to praise "The Thirst Game" and even used the title "a great work". .

"What is this?" McCarthy took the script and opened it, with an expression of surprise on his face.

Especially the protagonist in it impressed me deeply. She showed amazing wisdom and courage when facing the challenge of life and death. More importantly, she always maintained her faith in humanity and respect for life in this cruel game, which touched me deeply! "

After McCarthy finished speaking, he took out an envelope and handed it to Zhang Wei, then said: "Please accept my gift! I rarely write book reviews for others, but your book "The Thirst Game" is worth breaking once. example."

"Is this the script of No Country for Old Men? Did you write it?"

Zhang Wei spoke up and said: "After I watched "No Country for Old Men" in your study that day, my mind was filled with the plot in it. The scenes of the provincial capital kept popping up one after another, which kept me awake at night!
I feel that such an excellent work should not only be presented in the form of text, but should be turned into a film and television work, displayed in front of the whole world, so that the whole world can understand it!
So I tried to turn what I saw into a movie script. I've been doing this for the past two days. Now I give you this script, I hope you like it! "

"Thank you very much, this is really a very special gift." McCarthy accepted the script.

Although Zhang Wei changed "No Country for Old Men" into a script without McCarthy's consent, Zhang Wei firstly did not publish it publicly and secondly did not make any profit from it, so it cannot be regarded as infringement.

What's more, Zhang Wei also sent the script directly to McCarthy. In McCarthy's view, this is probably like an enthusiastic fan making a peripheral and giving it to an idol.

……

In addition to being a novelist, McCarthy is also a playwright, and he is no stranger to scripts.

After dinner, McCarthy took out the script written by Zhang Wei and read it carefully.

"Huh? Why is there even a description of the split shots? This is not the job of the screenwriter. Normally, this kind of thing should not appear in the script. Instead, there will be an independent split shot script."

McCarthy thought about it and felt that this might be the difference between Eastern and Western scripts. Perhaps Chinese screenwriters would write the scenes in the scripts.

Looking further, a scene concept map appeared in front of McCarthy again.

"There are also scene concept drawings! This drawing is really good. It should be drawn by someone with sketching skills. It seems that being a screenwriter in China is much more difficult than in the United States. Not only do you have to design storyboards, but you also have to A certain level of painting!”

McCarthy let out a long sigh. He obviously didn't know that this was done deliberately by Zhang Wei. The script written by the Chinese screenwriter did not include any shot descriptions or scene concept drawings.

However, the shot descriptions and concept drawings of the scenes make the script look more vivid and give people a feeling of being deeply involved.

What makes film and television works more vivid than literary works lies in the presentation of the camera. For the same story, it will definitely be faster to read the text description, but in terms of sensory output, film and television works are definitely better.

Just like when the audience watches a comedy, they will often be made to laugh out loud by the storyline and performances.

As for reading the text, even if you specifically pick out the jokes, most of the time you just find them interesting and laugh out loud, and rarely laugh out loud.

For example, for many touching plots, film and television works are more intuitive. The actors crying in the camera, coupled with the background of the soundtrack, can easily make the audience cry.

In literary works, it is not an easy task to make readers cry. It requires the author to fully brew and mobilize emotions, plus a lot of delicate and emotional descriptions, to achieve it.

For those who are literate in film and television, just by looking at the shots, they can outline a rough visual effect in their minds, giving them a feeling of being involved in it.

"No Country for Old Men" was written by McCarthy. He knew the plot very well, and every line was written by him.

Therefore, the shot-by-shot description, coupled with the concept drawings of the scene, can also bring him more into it. In traditional scripts, the psychological activities of the characters are not directly described. The screenwriter mainly shows the psychological state of the characters through dialogue and actions, rather than directly describing their inner thoughts. Actors need to understand the character and show the character's psychological activities through expressions, movements, etc.

However, through lens description, the psychological activities of the characters, as well as the emotions and themes of the story can be shown.

As he read the script page by page, McCarthy also sketched out pictures one after another in his mind. When these pictures were connected together, the characters and scenes in them moved, gradually forming a movie scene and beginning to tell a complete story.

And this story is exactly what McCarthy hopes to bring to readers.

"This script is well written. It clearly describes everything I want to show. If I were the director, I would probably make a movie directly with this script!"

McCarthy sighed as he walked to the safe. He opened the door and put the script in.

Although "No Country for Old Men" has not yet been published, it is still far away from being adapted into a movie.

But with McCarthy's reputation, his works are worthy of adaptation, not to mention that his previous works have also been adapted into movies.

McCarthy thought that if one day a director really came to the door and wanted to adapt "No Country for Old Men" into a movie, then he would just take out this script.

For writers, they definitely don’t want screenwriters to change their works beyond recognition. They even hope that their works can be presented to the audience as they are.

When it comes to adapting literary works into film and television dramas, the market response is good and everyone is happy. Even if you adapt the film in a completely convincing way, the original author can tolerate it.

If the market response is not good, the audience does not buy it, and there are many people who criticize the work as bad, and then the author will also suffer the consequences, then the original author will definitely not be able to bear it!
My work is obviously very good, but your adaptation is terrible. Why should you blame me?

Therefore, when an adaptation works hits the market, it often happens that the original author is not satisfied with the adaptation and criticizes the director and screenwriter.

A literary master like McCarthy obviously cannot tolerate his works being randomly altered. If the director cannot express the connotation of the work according to his own intention, McCarthy would rather give up the adaptation in order to preserve his reputation.

The script submitted by Zhang Wei obviously maintains the authenticity of the original work as much as possible. For the original author, this is obviously the adapted script he most hopes to see.

At this time, McCarthy has decided that if a director wants to adapt "No Country for Old Men" in the future, he must follow this script, so that the real "No Country for Old Men" can be shown to the audience.

……

After saying goodbye to McCarthy, Zhang Wei left Santa Fe and flew directly to Los Angeles.

Then the flight was indeed delayed.

Fortunately, Zhang Wei was rich. He bought a business class class and had a VIP lounge where he could stay, so he simply lay down on the sofa in the VIP lounge to sleep.

The security in public places in the United States is no better than that in China. The larger the airport in the United States, the more chaotic it is. You don’t know how many pickpockets are mixed in the crowd. If your luggage leaves your sight, it will quickly disappear without a trace.

It takes a certain amount of courage to sleep in a place like this. If you are unlucky, when you wake up, all the valuable things on your body will be gone!
What's more, Zhang Wei still has an oriental face, which should be the easiest target for pickpockets in the United States.

Many pickpockets will weigh the opponent's force value before attacking a black person; before attacking a white person, they will first analyze whether the opponent is easy to deal with.

But when it comes to yellow people, there is no pressure at all, either mentally or physically.

So Zhang Wei simply bought a business class ticket and went to sleep in the VIP lounge. This way he could at least ensure safety and avoid having his things stolen and pitifully asking Professor Shi for help.

This is also the reason why Zhang Wei chose to sleep fourteen hours a day when exchanging the script, because in the next ten days, he will make many long-distance trips, whether on the road or while waiting for transportation, he can Get some sleep.

From New Mexico to California, it is equivalent to flying over one-third of the United States, and the distance is not actually close. After that, Zhang Wei had to return to New York from California, which was another longer flight.

Moreover, Zhang Wei went to California this time to find Amazon to publish "The Thirst Game". Amazon publishing also needs time to review the manuscript! During this period, Zhang Wei basically had nothing to do, so he might as well sleep.

What's more, in big cities in the United States, there are generally only two types of people walking on the streets at night: those who rob and those who are robbed.

Even if you are Batman, you can't protect your family and watch your parents die.

So if nothing happens, it's best not to go out after dark. Staying in the hotel is definitely safer than going out for a wander.

……

Published by Amazon, the person responsible for receiving Zhang Wei was a young white man named Evans, who looked less than thirty years old.

This is also in line with the characteristics of Amazon. After all, it is an Internet company, and it recruits young people.

"Mr. Zhang, our editor has reviewed your work. The editorial department has rated this work very well and has reached the standards for publication. We at Amazon are also happy to provide you with publishing services!
As a new author, the market price is 5% royalty, but you are a consultant of our Amazon Group, so we will definitely give you a more favorable price, 6% royalty!
At the same time, we can also give you free recommended traffic for one day. When users purchase books on Amazon, they will see your "Hungry Game" first. "Evans said.

Zhang Wei nodded. If he could give a price of 6%, Amazon Publishing could be considered sincere. At least his status as a consultant was relatively useful.

However, this is still 2% short of Zhang Wei's psychological expectations!
So Zhang Wei took out McCarthy's letter of recommendation.

"Mr. Evans, please take a look at this."

Evans took the letter of recommendation, opened it, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Oh my God! This is Cormac McCarthy's handwritten letter of recommendation! Cormac McCarthy almost never writes letters of recommendation to other writers. How did you get his letter of recommendation?"

Zhang Wei smiled slightly and said: "A few days ago, I made a special trip to visit Cormac McCarthy. He liked my film "The Thirst Game" very much and wrote me this letter of recommendation."

Looking at the letter of recommendation in his hand, Thomas still looked in disbelief. McCarthy was not an ordinary big-name author. He could be called the sole successor of Hemingway and Faulkner. In the American literary world, he must have a lot of cards.

What's more important is that McCarthy usually lives in seclusion and rarely shows up. It is difficult for the media to even interview him, let alone ask him to write a letter of recommendation!
"This young Chinese can become a consultant to the Amazon Group because he has a lot of skills. He can actually get a letter of recommendation from Cormac McCarthy!"

Looking at the content of the recommendation letter again, McCarthy praised "Thirst Game" even more, even calling it a "great work"!
It's hard enough to get McCarthy's letter of recommendation, and it's even harder to get McCarthy to praise him.

Obviously, this letter of recommendation is very valuable. Just based on McCarthy's recommendation, even if it is poorly written, tens of thousands of copies can be sold.

What's more, the feedback from the editorial department said that the quality of "The Thirst Game" is very good, and publishing it will definitely make money. It's just a matter of making more or less.

Thomas carefully put down the recommendation letter, pondered for a moment, and re-quoted a number: "We at Amazon can give you 9%, which is the highest price we can offer!

I don’t know how much you know about our publishing industry. In our industry, more than 10% is the remuneration that best-selling writers can get. Ordinary writers, even senior writers, can only get 9% at most.

Mr. Zhang, as a new author, you can get 9%. It is no exaggeration to say that it is already the top treatment for ordinary writers. Believe me, this is definitely the most sincere price! "

(End of this chapter)