I am not a literary giant

Chapter 147 Story Strategy

When all successful people share their inspirational stories, they all mention one secret to success in life: making a daily plan.

Making a plan and then completing it stimulates the release of dopamine and endorphins, giving people a great sense of accomplishment, making them more confident, and in the long run, it can build a good physical and mental environment.

Wang Zixu also tried it, and after trying it, he found that it was indeed a secret technique belonging to the strong, because only the strong could guarantee that their daily plans would be successfully completed. The strong would never tell you what to do if you couldn't complete your daily plans.

For most people, there will inevitably come a day when they can't complete their daily plans. At that point, the daily plan will not only fail to boost dopamine, endorphins, and libido, but it will also interfere with eating and sleeping. This buildup over time will eventually become a core source of stress that leads to apathy and apathy.

For example, Wang Zixu is in this situation now—he has made a strict daily plan for himself, and by the day before the exam, he can just complete all his tasks of revising his essays and reviewing.

Then he got stuck in a daze.

Calvin is an inevitable experience for every writer, but it is also one of the most formidable obstacles in writing.

I can't write it, I absolutely can't write it.

The daily plan was to write from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. After breakfast and coffee, I was full of energy, but the screen was blank. I glanced at my watch and it was already 8 a.m. There were still 3 hours left, so I could comfort myself that I had plenty of time.

By 9 o'clock, people began to feel extremely uneasy; by 10 o'clock, Wang Zixu was in despair, but still had a glimmer of hope—if he could unleash his full potential from this moment on, he might be able to complete the mission within an hour.

As a result, when I looked at the 200-word piece that "burst forth" on the screen at 12 o'clock, I felt like I had swallowed dog shit after reading it through. My confidence was completely destroyed. In a fit of anger, I deleted it all, and also deleted the 300 words I wrote yesterday.

After four hours of writing, I ended up owing 300 words – that's how it happened.

Five days after Prince Xu Lianka's incident, he realized he couldn't continue like this and immediately placed an urgent order for a bunch of creative theories. Things like "Story," "Story Strategy," "Save the Cat," "Story Engineering," "Your Script is Terrible"... He used to look down on these books, considering them "showroom decoration methods," but now he desperately wanted them to inspire him.

When the books arrived, he eagerly opened them one by one, but the more he read, the more desperate he became. He gained nothing from any of them. Whenever he came across a page that offered no help, he tore it off. Eventually, the fluttering white pages covered his floor like snow-white petals covering a grave, while the eerie glow of the computer screen resembled will-o'-the-wisps.

Another day without completing my daily plan.

When the day for the house viewing arrived, Ye Lan was shocked to see him: the man was swollen all over, walked unsteadily, had thinning hair, panda-like eye bags, and his mouth was covered with wrinkles and had a bluish tinge, looking half-dead.

Ye Lan asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? Are you suffering from kidney deficiency?"

Wang Zixu said, "No. I didn't sleep yesterday."

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm hungry."

"Then eat!"

"That novel wasn't finished."

Ye Lan said with a hint of heartache, "People need to eat even if they haven't finished writing a novel! Is it really necessary to rush like that? By the way, where are you in your writing?"

Wang Zixu said, "It's because I didn't write a single thing."

Why?

"I'm stuck."

"What is Calvin?"

Wang Zixu explained to her what "cardiac block" was. Ye Lan didn't quite understand, but she roughly grasped that it was a kind of tragedy. She couldn't help but sigh, "Luckily, I didn't become a writer. I didn't know being a writer was this hard."

Prince Xu said, "You don't have the resources to do this, even if you wanted to."

"Hey! I'm trying to comfort you, can't you speak properly?" Ye Lan pointed at his nose.

……

Standing in the house Ye Lan had chosen, Wang Zixu was surprisingly pleased with the layout. It had three bedrooms and two living rooms, with a master bedroom having an ensuite bathroom and two drying areas, ensuring minimal friction between the two households. In addition, there was a well-ventilated lounge area, which Ye Lan said he could use as a workspace.

After planning the placement of the bookshelves and worktables in that lounge, Wang Zixu found that the space was just within his comfort zone and was very tempted.

The only downside is that it's a bit expensive. After paying the down payment, the money Prince had saved up during this period was gone.

Standing in the living room, Wang Zixu took out his phone and sent a message to Ning Chunyan:

【Are you there?】

Soon, they replied:

I'm here. I'm waiting for you.

The Little Prince: [I've written half the manuscript, and now I have two endings. One is happy but peaceful, and the other is shocking but very sad. I'm not sure how to write it, so I'd like to ask you to help me choose.]

Qiu Ge asked: "What kind of story did you write?"

The Little Prince: [How about I send it to you to take a look?]

……

Shi Shuqiu: [How about I send it to you to take a look?]

Xiao Mengyin: [Okay, send it over and let me see.]

Putting down her phone, Xiao Mengyin sank even deeper into the soft sofa chair.

The air conditioner was set to 24 degrees Celsius, and a fake flame burned in the fireplace. Xiao Mengyin lay on her favorite black and gold lace-trimmed cotton pillow, with a gothic-style white and black striped blanket draped over her legs.

Beside her, a girl in black sat down and said with slight dissatisfaction:

"What's the point of this award then? Why not just give it to the privileged children of intellectuals?"

Xiao Mengyin glanced at her and smiled.

The girl in the black dress said, "What, am I wrong? For those newcomers who haven't made it big yet, receiving just one nomination for the Fei Shi award is a cause for celebration, but for people like us, it's embarrassing. Don't you think that's unfair?"

Xiao Mengyin said, "I don't think it's fair, and I don't think it's unfair. If you want fairness, then don't participate in the literary award. Let the value of your work remain in the hearts of readers and yourself."

The girl in the black dress pouted and said, "That's true, but ultimately, this award belongs to them."

The girl in the black dress was named Duan Xiaosang, which was also her pen name. She debuted under this name as a representative of the new school of martial arts fiction, becoming known for her fresh and natural writing style. Later, she became an editor at a magazine.

In recent years, her reputation in the literary world has faded because she hasn't published any new works. Her current battleground is behind the scenes: copyright management.

This is a job that can earn more money than writing.

Xiao Mengyin said, "The way things are played now is different, and it's not as blatant anymore. Although the second generation of writers has an advantage, it's only limited to the second generation of writers who write well."

"Or you could put it another way: if you're a second-generation writer among a group of people who write similarly, why wouldn't you be chosen? If he writes the best among a group of second-generation writers, why wouldn't he be chosen?"

Duan Xiaosang said, "So you mean that among those who write well, he has the most connections, and among those with connections, he's the best writer?"

Xiao Mengyin sipped her black tea: "That's right! That's how it's done nowadays. Everyone cares about their image. In terms of connections, which circle doesn't have them? At least the literary world is the most restrained."

After finishing her tea, she put down her cup and continued, "You do the math. Just the big names in the literary world, those still alive and listed in *A History of Contemporary Literature*, must number at least in the double digits, right? And those who barely made it into the history, those in high positions, those doing research—they must number in the triple digits, right? So many second-generation literary figures are mostly just given positions in the Writers' Association to play around with. Why is it that only Shi Shuqiu is participating in *Fei Shi*?"

Duan Xiaosang said, "Because he's one of the better writers among the second generation of intellectuals?"

Xiao Mengyin emphasized, "It's written exceptionally well."

After saying that, she opened the file sent by Shi Shuqiu.

After watching for a short while, he exclaimed, "Look at this style, it's just like his father's. The writing is solid, and the plot is surreal. It's exactly the kind of style that judges love. At his age, giving him the first prize wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Duan Xiaosang sighed: "Reputation is ultimately as fleeting as clouds. The only fair thing in this world is money."

Xiao Mengyin laughed and said, "You've taken it all in stride, haven't you? I was actually hoping for your comeback, to give the literary world a surprise."

"There's no chance of a surprise, more like a shock," Duan Xiaosang shook her head self-deprecatingly. "By the way, in this situation, are you going to fight Mao Dun this year?"

Xiao Mengyin said, "Of course we should go for it. With his skill level, if he can win the top prize at the Jade Awards, how could Shi Tonghe be dissatisfied? If he really has connections that can influence the Mao Prize, then I'll be convinced."

Duan Xiaosang smiled and said, "That's always how things are in the world; the more important the place, the fairer it is."

Xiao Mengyin said, "But there is never absolute fairness."

"You'll probably have quite a few competitors this year, won't you?"

Xiao Mengyin's eyes darkened: "There are quite a few, but I only have eyes for Chen Qingluo."

Duan Xiaosang pursed her lips: "Is Chen Qingluo really that amazing? I always felt like she wasn't very well-known."

Xiao Mengyin said, "You think she's not well-known because the New Talent Award isn't as prestigious now. Back then, the New Talent Award was very valuable. Plus, she debuted too early. She debuted five or six years ago, and the Fei Shi Award was only established then. She had already won more prestigious awards, so there was no need for Fei Shi anymore."

Duan Xiaosang said, "Don't be afraid, you're not bad either. Who isn't a child prodigy?"

Xiao Mengyin smiled slightly but did not answer.

Although she didn't answer, a small surge of pride and ambition rose within her. Yes, who wasn't a child prodigy?

We're all beautiful women, let's have a competition!

……

Ning Chunyan must have read it very carefully; Wang Zixu waited a long time before she replied.

Qiu Ge: [I finished watching it, and I was very moved. I even shed a few tears, even though I'm not the kind of person who gets emotional easily. I'm also really looking forward to the ending.]

The prince asked humbly, "What kind of ending do you expect?"

Qiu Ge: [I'd love any ending, as long as it's from you.]

The Little Prince: [That's the answer I'm most afraid of.]

Qiu Ge: [Hmph, then I'll be a little willful. As a little reader who admires you, you are a hero in my heart. A hero should always be able to have it all and achieve the best of both worlds. I want an ending like that.]

Prince Xu sighed and stood up.

Wanting both, but it's not a multidimensional universe, where in the world can you find such a good thing?

Science fiction writers say that there are many time dimensions in a multidimensional universe, so theoretically a person can make many choices at the same time, and multiple possible worlds exist simultaneously.

The prince couldn't imagine what that scene would be like, but in the boring four-dimensional universe, even though the male and female protagonists in his story could manipulate the timeline (without any scientific logic), they tragically couldn't have each other at the same time. For the two to be together, the price had to be the irredeemable end of one of their lives.

It's practically impossible to have a win-win situation.

"Heroes can always do the impossible because they are heroes."

Prince Xu suddenly remembered this sentence.

It seemed to be Chen Qingluo who said it to him. He couldn't remember the exact context in which that sentence appeared, but he would remember every meaningful word Chen Qingluo had ever said, just like a treasured photograph.

The heroine in his story was no less a reflection of Chen Qingluo. Even though they were so far apart, she was always the one who understood him best.

Even though their souls were so perfectly aligned, she moved straight ahead without ever looking back; while he, like the male protagonist, hesitated and wasted his years in self-doubt and cowardice.

How can two people like this be together? How can they deceive themselves to give each other a perfect ending?

The prince sat down dejectedly, suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow.

"Ye Lan," he said, "what exactly is love?"

Ye Lan said, "Huh? You're suddenly asking me this? I don't know either."

"What if being with the person you love requires paying a huge price?"

Ye Lan said, "Then let's make the effort."

"What if it even costs you your life?"

"Then you'll pay with your life?"

"..."

Seeing the puzzled look on Wang Zixu's face, Ye Lan stammered, "Life is precious, but love is even more valuable."

Prince Xu was immediately shocked: "You actually know that saying?"

Ye Lan blushed: "That's a famous quote! Why wouldn't I know it? Damn, I grew up watching Qiong Yao dramas, and that's the kind of value system we have, okay? What's wrong with women being a little naive? They're precocious by nature..."

Prince waved his hand dismissively: "Thank you, I know how to write the ending now."

Ye Lan blinked: "What ending? You mean your really good story?"

Wang Zixu nodded: "The essence of love is naivety."

……

A month later, the weather gradually turned colder. The lingering heat of late summer was fading away, and it was no longer necessary to keep the air conditioning on all the time while staying at home.

Wang Zixu took off his blue light blocking glasses, gathered the manuscript papers, and placed them on the table.

This is his workspace at his residence in Donghai. The table is filled with all kinds of notes, textbooks, draft paper, answer sheets, and test papers, packed full. This fullness also carries a sense of fulfillment.

Wang Zixu opened his phone and saw Ning Chunyan's message. He picked up his phone, ready to reply, but at the last moment before pressing the "send" button, he realized that the sender was "Ning Chunyan" instead of "Qiuge," and that his current identity was "Wang Zixu" instead of "Little Prince."

He deleted the previous message and changed his tone: "What is it?"

Ning Chunyan asked, "Do you have time tomorrow? The magazine office has been quite busy lately."

(End of this chapter)