The Pen God: My Mentor in the Film and Television Industry

The screen displayed the phrase "I know a little bit".

I sat in the chair, and it took me a long time to come to my senses.

Understands scripts.

These three words carry considerable weight.

Most people who write online novels only understand superficial things like plot, exciting moments, and pacing.

But to truly advance, what matters most is the ability to tell a story.

Screenwriting is precisely the professional field that takes storytelling to its extreme.

I wrote a book for three years, and it flopped for three years.

I know better than anyone what I lack.

It's not about diligence, it's not about perseverance.

It is a skill that can truly be mastered.

Take a deep breath.

My fingers flew across the keyboard.

Their attitude unconsciously became extremely respectful.

[Charcoal-roasted Tomato]: Senior, is the problem with my book really that big?

The other side remained silent for about ten seconds.

Just when I thought the other person would no longer talk to me.

News about Arctic sweet shrimp has popped up again.

This time, it won't be a brief review.

Instead, it was a well-organized analysis, every word sharp and incisive.

【Arctic Sweet Shrimp】: In the very first chapter, you wrote about the protagonist getting up, washing up, going to work, and complaining about life, a full two thousand words.

Are these things useful for the plot?

No.

Is it useful for character development?

Minimal.

As I read the words, my heart tightened little by little.

[Arctic Sweet Shrimp]: When readers open a book, they should grasp the highlights within the first three seconds and the emotions within the first three chapters.

You pile up all the setup at the beginning and save the real twist for later; that's essay writing, not story writing.

Your protagonist passively accepts life from beginning to end, without desire, obsession, or goal.

How can readers empathize with a protagonist who doesn't even know what he wants?

When you write a scene, you only write "he walked downstairs," "it was a bit dark," and "the wind was a bit strong," without any visual imagery, focus, or cinematic feel.

After reading it, the reader's mind goes blank, and they can't remember anything at all.

Every word hit me where it hurts the most.

My palms were slightly sweaty.

I used to think that my writing was wrong.

But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

Now that it has been peeled back layer by layer, I finally understand.

It turns out I've been working in isolation all along.

[Charcoal-roasted Tomato]: Senior, then... how should I change it?

I asked the question with a hint of trepidation.

[Arctic Sweet Shrimp]: What is the core message of your book?

I froze for a moment.

After writing for three months, this is the first time I've been stumped by someone asking me such a blunt question.

I thought for a moment, then typed:

【Charcoal-grilled Tomato】: This story tells of an ordinary person who unexpectedly gets an opportunity and then climbs up the ladder step by step, changing his life.

[Arctic Sweet Shrimp]: Okay. So where is your incentivized event?

[Charcoal-grilled tomatoes]: A triggering event?

This word is still somewhat unfamiliar to me.

【Arctic sweet shrimp】: That's the thing that breaks the protagonist's mundane life.

This is the signal that the story is truly beginning.

I suddenly realized:

[Charcoal-roasted tomato]: He only received that crucial information at the end of Chapter 3.

[Arctic sweet shrimp]: Too late.

It must appear at the end of the first chapter.

[Roasted Tomato]: Chapter One? The preceding daily life setup...

【Arctic sweet shrimp】: Delete them all.

No preamble, no transition, no emotional buffer.

The opening act pushes the protagonist to the brink of despair, and then at the end of the first chapter, a crack is opened in the door that will change his fate.

My heart started racing.

My first instinct was to argue back, but wouldn't that be too abrupt?

Is the pace too fast?

Will readers not understand it?

But I swallowed the words back down my throat.

Three years of failures have taught me that my own judgment is no longer trustworthy.

[Charcoal-grilled Tomato]: Senior, how exactly should I change it according to what you said?

This time, the Arctic sweet shrimp gave me a terrifyingly clear line of thought for modification.

【Arctic Sweet Shrimp】: The first paragraph directly describes the protagonist's overwhelming life pressures, including rent, debts, and job troubles, all of which explode at the same moment.

Use the most intense conflicts to bring the characters to life.

The middle section depicts his despair, helplessness, and resentment, revealing his inner longing.

Readers will only be willing to follow him if they sympathize with him first.

In the end, at the very last second when he was at his lowest point, that crucial piece of information appeared.

The chapter ends, leaving the suspense alive.

I stared at the screen, my mind buzzing.

A completely new logic of writing suddenly unfolded before my eyes.

There are no formulas, no templates, and no so-called "golden three-chapter formula".

Only the purest and most essential story structure.

[Grilled Tomato]: This...is this how a script is written?

【Arctic sweet shrimp】: The way the story is written.

Whether it's online novels or film and television, the underlying logic is the same.

Capture desire, create conflict, control the rhythm, freeze the moment.

I remained silent for a long time.

At this moment, the world in my heart that I had persisted in for three years but which remained gloomy.

It was as if a hole had been torn open, letting in a sliver of light.

I always thought that online novels had their own rules and that writing had its own circles.

But I never imagined that someone outside the circle would use a different, more sophisticated set of logic to directly enlighten me.

[Charcoal-grilled Tomato]: Senior, I... I'll make some changes as you suggested.

[Arctic sweet shrimp]: Hmm.

Send me the edited version so I can take a look.

I did not reply.

I placed my hands on the keyboard, took a deep breath, and focused my gaze with unprecedented concentration.

The sky outside the window was already beginning to lighten, and the city was about to awaken.

And my story, it seems, also saw its first real turning point at this dawn.

The manuscript that I had abandoned and was almost about to cut up.

At this moment, it is no longer a bunch of lifeless words in my eyes.

Rather, it is a rough gem waiting to be reshaped and polished.

The finger fell.

This time, what was typed out was no longer confusion and struggle.

Instead, it is a clear, firm, and powerful opening.

I had a vague premonition.

This change might truly rewrite one's entire life.