Chapter 87

Originally, it was just a few modest and polite words, but for Liu Jingtong, it was truly a trivial matter. When he was drafting the reply, he felt there were so many words and sentences he could use, but once he held the pen and laid out the paper, he suddenly didn’t know where to start. This feeling was very familiar to him.

In that other world, besides reading a large number of books, Liu Jingtong occasionally wrote as well. A common situation was not knowing how to start, and once he started, not knowing how to continue. After writing a few hundred or a thousand words, he felt he had written a pile of garbage, and in anger, he would tear up the paper and enter the stage of not knowing how to start again...

A vicious cycle!

Many writers have this problem: they have a vast world in their minds, but when they write it out, it becomes fragmented. They don’t see it clearly, but when they see others’ writing, they can’t help but feel that they could do better.

Visuals are concrete thinking, while words are abstract thinking. Writing is the process of converting concrete thinking into abstract thinking. The quality of a writer is often reflected in this process.

After filling his mind with so many works, Liu Jingtong’s understanding of this became even deeper. He felt that the worlds created by those authors were not actually complex, but very ordinary. Why couldn’t he do it back then?

It took a long time to figure out this problem. He had mentioned it to Mi Hu before: the biggest taboo in story creation is a lack of confidence. If you don’t believe in the story you create, how can you make others believe it? How can you give them the feeling of being there?

Those worlds he once thought were ordinary had never existed. If it weren’t for the author’s imagination and creativity, they would never have existed. Once such a world is created, it seems very simple. People often forget the effort the creator put into building that world.

For example, Hogwarts in "Harry Potter" never existed. It is a miraculous architectural feat built brick by brick in the author’s mind. Many readers, when they first saw this magnificent castle, were as shocked as Harry Potter himself. This is especially true for those who have seen the movies.

When the author describes such a school, they must believe in its existence.

So, still that old saying: the first thing to overcome in story creation is the fear of the unknown world. Don’t worry that the scenes and characters you create are too fake. Be confident, unconditionally confident.

This is the ultimate conclusion Liu Jingtong reached after coming to this world. It shows that for a writer who is not naturally gifted, reading more books is a necessary step.

Liu Jingtong held the fountain pen and pondered for a long time. Suddenly, he came to his senses and realized he needed to reply to Professor Chen.

In this era, paper letters were becoming rare. Because they were rare, they seemed more solemn. A prestigious university professor took the time to write a letter to meet him, which showed his sincerity.

Liu Jingtong organized his thoughts and began to write:

"Professor Chen, your letter has been conveyed by Qianhong. I am deeply honored and humbled."

Writing this, he hesitated. According to convention, the next part should be a modest statement, something like, "My few clumsy works have many immature aspects, and I am only laughed at by those who are more knowledgeable." But he really couldn’t call his previous books "clumsy works." After a moment’s thought, he continued: "Martial arts are often seen as a minor path, a prejudice that has existed for a long time. I did not expect that Professor Chen would have no reservations and would write to me with such frankness. Your broad-mindedness and sincere encouragement of the young are truly admirable."

These words were all true, not just flattery. Even in that other world, before the classics like "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" were published, martial arts novels were considered a minor genre. Many traditional writers of other genres often mocked them. The situation in this world was obvious.

For some reason, at this moment, Liu Jingtong suddenly thought of the scene in Chen Kaige’s "Forever Enthralled" where Thirteen Yan, after losing the challenge to Mei Lanfang, tearfully said to Mei Lanfang, "I hope to raise our status a little..."

Any form of art, in its early stages, has this expectation: to raise the status of the industry and gain respect from the public.

So, how to raise it? The key lies in the artists themselves. They need to produce outstanding works. Mei Lanfang’s creations, such as "Farewell My Concubine" and "Drunken Concubine," were popular throughout the era, and their artistic value has endured, still widely discussed today—this is status.

"However, at this moment, I am still burdened with mundane affairs and not ready to meet such a distinguished person. When everything is ready, I will certainly visit in person. I write this hastily, wishing you well. Your junior, Gu Yongsheng."

This was purely... nonsense. It wasn’t that he wanted to avoid Professor Chen, but he really didn’t want to do these things now: meeting the professor, giving speeches, attending events, teaching, interviews, press conferences...

After finishing the letter, Liu Jingtong was about to put it in the envelope, but he felt uneasy. So, he added his WeChat number at the end.

...

After mailing the letter, he slowly walked back to the dormitory. Suddenly, the smell of spicy hot pot wafted over, and his stomach growled. He took out his phone and called his roommate.

Just as he was about to dial Zhao Kan’s number, his phone rang. It was Lu Yichou calling.

"Hello, Mr. Lu?"

"Sorry, I just finished a meeting. I called to check if I’m disturbing you."

"No problem, I just mailed a letter to Professor Chen and was on my way back to the dorm."

"Mail a letter? Oh, not going?"

Liu Jingtong smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, studies are quite heavy."

Lu Yichou, of course, knew this was an excuse but didn’t expose it. He said, "I guessed as much. No worries, there will always be a chance."

"Okay, Mr. Lu, is there something you need?"

"Right, there’s a matter from the meeting. I want to discuss it with you. We decided to compile 'Yue Nü Jian' and 'White Horse Cries in the West Wind' into a collection of short stories. However, with just two stories, it doesn’t seem substantial enough. My idea is, is it possible to write another one soon, to make a collection of three stories?"

Liu Jingtong thought, "What a coincidence." He replied, "Sure, no problem."

"That’s great. I was worried you were too busy to handle it. It’s not urgent. We plan to do this in early next year, so there should be plenty of time."

"Early next year? Not New Year’s Day?"

Lu Yichou paused and said, "That’s the current plan."

Liu Jingtong immediately understood. This was to chase after Xue Muliang. However, given Xue’s current popularity, the chances of this collection winning were not high. Was Qianhong not confident in Han Shuo?

Liu Jingtong didn’t want to speculate too much and promised, "I’ll get the manuscript done as soon as possible."

"Alright, take care."

...

After hanging up with Lu Yichou, he continued to dial Zhao Kan’s number. Just as he found the name, he suddenly saw a familiar girl’s figure. He immediately changed his mind and called Yu Xiaoshu instead. At that moment, Liu Jingtong saw another handsome boy smiling and holding a few skewers of squid, walking to Ye Chi’s side and feeding the squid into the girl’s mouth.

Liu Jingtong quickly hung up the call! (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for better and faster updates!)