Accidentally, this volume contained 1,225,000 words.
is the volume with the most words.
Written from mid-January to mid-July, a full six months, half a year.
As a result, the total word count of this book has exceeded 3.5 million words.
However, the number of words in this book does not determine the direction of the plot and when it will end.
So 3.5 million words does not mean that the novel is nearing the end. In fact, the story in my mind is only halfway through.
After all, Hu Lai and his friends only participated in the World Cup for the first time, so how could it end so quickly?
Wouldn’t that just waste the layout of the first three volumes?
In short, everyone needs to be patient. It’s a long story. It’s really a long story.
I strive to write down in this story all that I have thought and wanted to say over the years.
After all, for me, this is a work that I have to give myself an explanation for in my nearly twenty years of writing online football novels. I will not be perfunctory, nor will I finish it in a hurry just to finish it.
Even if some people say that I am weak and that my writing is verbose, I still insist on it.
Because when I finish writing it and look back, I will find that it is actually not a novel, but a world.
Let’s go back to Volume 4.
Let’s talk about a recent controversial episode, which was the result of the Chinese team’s 3:3 draw with Brazil at the end of the World Cup.
Actually, before writing the plot of the World Cup, I had been hesitating and worrying.
That is whether I have the courage to write about a "failure" in detail.
This "failure" is not a certain game, but the entire plot - because no group qualified, and no satisfying final result was produced, for readers, this is an invalid plot, and naturally it is a failure.
It’s not that I haven’t written about failure before, after all, I haven’t written a story about never losing.
But in the past, when I dealt with these failure plots, I usually used some updating techniques or writing techniques to blur the failure and avoid this "lightning point".
For example, you can briefly mention it and use a shorter length to reveal the matter as much as possible, or you can directly adjust the timeline. The major is that half a year later, the protagonist has already suffered a setback and is ready to be slapped in the face.
For example, in "The Winner Takes All", Chang Sheng transferred from Valencia to coach Roma, but suffered a disaster in Roma, and was kicked out after only half a year. I simply explained it in the form of a news review, focusing on the key points of the description.
Let’s put it into context that he chose to go to Lazio and slap Roma in the face.
Because I know that readers don’t like to watch sadistic characters, and they also know that the sadistic character is actually trying to slap the protagonist back in the face.
Now that everyone knows it, why waste time on the frustration plot to add to the frustration? Anyway, the frustration is just to create a reason to slap the protagonist in the face.
Then just write about the backhand slap in the face. Just let the readers know the reason for the slap in the face, and there is no need to write it in detail.
In this way, the emotions are aroused and the results are good.
Until now, this processing technique is correct, and it is indeed the case. It is commercial novels.
I remember when I wrote "The Godfather of Champions", I wrote about Tony Twain's first Champions League final in great detail, before the game, during the game and after the game... Then I had Nottingham Forest replace Arsenal and repeated the 2006 Champions League final.
The plot of the final was losing to Barcelona.
I was actually very happy when I wrote this, especially when Tony threw the silver medal to a little caddy at the end, I felt so happy...
But when I posted it, I was scolded by readers.
How harsh was the scolding?
It was so miserable that I couldn’t even stand dancing anymore, so I came to my book review section and posted a long review to help me explain, to stand up for me and speak for me...
Then he was scolded along with me...
Although many people now say that "The Godfather of Champions" is the most classic football novel, in fact until the end of the serialization, the evaluation of "The Godfather of Champions" was not as high as it is now. At that time, it was not as good as "We Are the Champions"
.I remember this very clearly.
The death of little Gavin led to the failure of the promotion to the Premier League. After being dismissed as the head coach of the first team, he returned to coaching the youth team instead of "there is no place for him to stay". Following the inertia of history, he lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final.
The reunion with Tang means that one more person knows the secret of the protagonist's time travel. He suddenly suffers from a heart attack and forcibly creates setbacks to suppress the protagonist. He breaks up with the club owner and leaves Nottingham Forest, and then returns to Nottingham Forest with a shameful face... In fact, there are many plots.
At that time, they were all flashpoints, and there were constant controversies - I don't mean to judge based on the current pace of online writing, but under the aesthetic system of online writing at that time, these were all things that readers did not like.
As for the comments and book reviews that say I am watery, there are more...
Not to mention "We Are the Champions", that is, everyone was quite tolerant at that time. Now, it is estimated that Zhang Jun's virgin character is enough to disgust many people... Not to mention that I even let Yang Pan
The Chinese team deliberately lost the match against Japan just to kill the leader of the Chinese Football Association at the time - think about the public opinion storm caused by the Chinese football team losing 1:5 to the Thai youth team and forcing Camacho to leave.
You know how "toxic" this plot is...
So after seventeen years of writing football novels and business novels, I know very well which things are red flags and should not be touched. If I must write, I should also use some techniques to cover up the past and minimize the reader's discomfort.
That’s why I hesitated for a long time before the World Cup plot:
Do I dare to write about a "failure" in detail?
Based on my experience, I know that having the Chinese team eliminated from the World Cup group stage will definitely make readers unhappy - yes, this novel is different from other football novels from Qidian. Readers of other football novels have asked the author not to write about the national football team.
But in my book, everyone asked me to be bolder and more YY when writing about the national football team... I face-palmed.
This of course also shows that I actually brought the national football team in the book to life, and wrote it in such a way that people are willing to put their hope in them.
This is actually a compliment to me.
But at the same time, it also gave me tremendous pressure.
If I don’t let the Chinese team qualify from the group stage, will it attract a lot of bad comments?
Of course, despite such concerns, I did not change the outline and said that the Chinese team should qualify from the group stage.
In my initial design, the Chinese team’s first World Cup was to return home after finishing the group stage.
What I am hesitating about is whether I dare to do it, not whether I should do it.
You still have to write, and you have to write in detail.
Writing about a World Cup that was destined to be fruitless.
At least on the surface it seems to be fruitless.
But actually in my heart, I know that although this World Cup did not reach the knockout rounds, it was not a meaningless failure.
I expressed my opinion on this point in the chapter of Shi Wuyuan's work report - if it can leave a spark for the future national football team, then even failure is worth it.
But how to define this “failure”?
As some readers said, it is acceptable to reach the knockout rounds, then meet France and lose cleanly.
This is of course a failure.
It’s just that I think this is not considered a failure for the Chinese team in the World Cup in this book. After all, it was the first time they participated in the World Cup, they were able to reach the knockout round, and they still lost to the powerful French team. How can it be considered a failure?
Woolen cloth?
Simply a "glorious victory".
In this way, readers will not feel any pity emotionally.
Because it is normal to lose, you should lose.
What I call "failure" should be regretful. It makes people feel that it shouldn't be like this. In fact, it should be better. It's such a pity and a bit suffocating...
Some people will definitely ask: Why is this done? Isn’t this going against the readers?
Of course I am not fighting against the readers. After all, "" is essentially a good book...
It’s just that I think the “failure” in this World Cup is very important to the national team and these international players in the book.
This involves one of the themes of my book - growth.
Everyone is growing up, Hu Lai is growing up, Hu Lai’s father is growing up, Xie Lan is growing up, Wang Guangwei, Zhang Qinghuan, Chen Xingyi, Luo Kai... and many, many more people are growing up.
Leeds City, a small team, is also growing.
Chinese team, Chinese football is naturally growing.
In the campus chapter, I have described the reform and growth of Chinese football through the development of campus football.
But this is not enough.
Falling into the "national football" group, there is actually no growth - so far.
They are just a group of individual characters and have not formed a common consciousness.
But they cannot always be like this. They are bound to grow up and change in the future.
This positive growth is not growth in strength, but growth in the heart.
Chen Xingyi, Zhang Qinghuan, Luo Kai, Wang Guangwei, Xia Xiaoyu... their strength is actually growing, and their hearts are also getting stronger. But this is as a "professional player", not as a "national football player", the two have a huge difference
different.
Professional players play to make money and for their own various goals and ideals. National football players play for more metaphysical things.
Some readers said that the reason that made them unhappy was not that the Chinese team could not be eliminated in the group, but the way it was eliminated. They felt that they were too easily satisfied, had no desire to win, and gave up in advance. In the case of a draw and a loss, why not
Give it a try?
This makes them feel that this team does not have a "championship heart" at all, and the title of the chapter is like a huge irony.
I have to say that this reader is very right. The Chinese team presented is indeed like this, and it is also the effect I hope to write - if you can see these things, it means that my writing is quite good, and the purpose has been achieved...
…laugh.
Have you noticed that this book has written 3.5 million words so far, and only the protagonist Hu Lai has clearly stated that his goal is to win the World Cup.
Others, even Wang Guangwei, Zhang Qinghuan, Chen Xingyi, and Luo Kai, have not shown their goals and ambitions in their national football career.
In Volume 3, Chapter 117 "Hu Lai's Ambition", I used the dialogue between Hu Lai and the three international players Zhang Qinghuan and Ding Yuanhai to express this difference.
Ding Yuanhai feels that it doesn’t matter if they don’t qualify for the World Cup this time. Anyway, with Hu Lai’s ability, they will definitely have a chance in the next World Cup qualifiers.
But Hu Lai is anxious, because in four years, Brother Huan will be 28 years old. At the age of 28, Brother Huan, who is in the prime of his career, can only participate in the World Cup for the first time to accumulate experience.
Isn’t this a waste?
He hopes that the Chinese team can participate in every World Cup so that Huan Ge's talent will not be wasted.
His ambition frightened Ding Yuanhai, who had no lofty ambitions and only wanted to play well in the game at hand.
It also made Zhang Qinghuan, once the number one domestic genius, lose his mind - because even he couldn't imagine what it would be like if the Chinese team could participate in the World Cup every time.
Because he never thought about it at all and had no awareness of it. Even when he went to play in the World Cup, he was mostly trying to fulfill his father's expectations.
The old players in the Chinese team in this World Cup, such as Jiang Wanqing and Yao Huasheng, also performed very well. I spent some time describing their persistence and performance, and also described their joy when facing a draw.
For these old players, who are likely to be the only ones in this World Cup, the future of Chinese football does not lie with them, so it doesn’t matter whether they grow up or not, and it doesn’t matter what happens to them in the future.
Most of the national team players at this stage are actually like them. They have no ambitions in the World Cup, and they don’t have the clear goal of Hu Lai who said he wants to win the World Cup.
Their thinking is actually this - "Participating once is enough for me to brag about my awesomeness for a lifetime, so what else do I need a bicycle for?"
“Being able to draw with Brazil 3:3 is my highlight moment, what else do I need a bicycle for?”
“If I’m undefeated in the World Cup, I’ll have no regrets in my career. What else do I need for a bicycle?”
Zhang Qinghuan and Wang Guangwei will certainly not participate in the World Cup only once, but they also lack self-awareness in this matter. They do not think that not qualifying in the group stage this time is a failure, or they have never thought about qualifying in the World Cup group.
Because if you think about it in that world, you will feel that the performance of the Chinese team in this World Cup is enough to make the Chinese people proud.
Suppose, suppose that in the 2002 World Cup, the Chinese team drew with Costa Rica 2:2, drew with Turkey 1:1, drew with Brazil 3:3, and then was eliminated from the group... Then as fans, should we scold them for playing against Brazil?
Is it better to shrink the defense at the last moment and just want to keep the tie and surrender in advance, or to shout "the national football team is awesome"?
If you didn't qualify in the end, some people will definitely feel regretful, and it will definitely be a pity. But if you say regrets and regrets, it will turn into accusing these players of not working hard enough and being embarrassing. Like some readers, they said very extreme things and thought that the national football team was force-feeding them.
Shit...I think that's impossible too.
So to be fair, the thoughts and performances of these players in the book are normal - some readers said why they didn't fight when they knew they could qualify if they fought hard?
The problem is that the players don’t think they should fight to qualify, so they are content with the status quo.
Moreover, objectively speaking, the Chinese team was exhausted at that time, and it was not easy to equalize the score in the end. There was really no energy left to attack and grab a ball - all their remaining energy could only be used for defense.
.
Didn’t they fight to the end? They fought to the end, but they didn’t squeeze themselves any further or push themselves any further.
Because at that time, they were completely acceptable to the draw and did not think there was anything bad about the draw.
But are those readers wrong in their criticism?
No.
After all, we are the gods overlooking them. We have a God's perspective, and naturally we know that they can actually hit the group qualifying.
And as readers of novels, it is normal for us to have higher demands on these characters who are emotionally invested. We hope that they can fight to the last moment like warriors, we hope that they have lofty goals and pursuits, and we hope that they can represent football.
The valuable sportsmanship in sports...
There is no problem with this, it is reasonable, and it should be required - after all, we read novels to appreciate the great heroism of mankind.
That’s why everyone felt unhappy that the Chinese team didn’t fight tooth and nail for a qualifying spot at the last moment.
Feeling that they have failed to live up to their expectations and trust.
They should indeed be like this, and they will indeed become like this in the end.
but not now.
Because of growth.
They are not perfect characters with high-level interests, lofty goals, firm beliefs, and strong execution ability as soon as they appear.
They are living people with their own selfish motives, various shortcomings, and historical limitations...
In the first World Cup, they were still ignorant. They thought it would be good to participate in the World Cup once, and thought that if they could draw with Brazil, they would be bragging for a lifetime. They did not have the terrifying ambitions of Hu Lai, or in fact, they did not have the ambition in their hearts.
I don’t agree with Hu Lai’s goal.
Hu Lai must also know, so he never asks others for his own goals - I have indeed never written that Hu Lai is like a missionary, telling everyone about his inner ideals, and going around to persuade people to join him for Chinese football.
In the future, fight to win the World Cup - because that is a kind of moral kidnapping.
Their hard work on the court is not because they have a sense of self-awareness, but just because they are professional players. They have the most basic professional qualities and they must play well since they are on the court.
That’s all.
To put it bluntly, in reality, it is difficult for many players to meet such the most basic requirements - not just domestic players, but players around the world - so much so that the mass media will often publicize and praise a certain player.
A player’s “professionalism”.
To put it bluntly, it is still the small pattern of "it is difficult to participate in the World Cup, if you don't go all out, how can you be worthy of yourself?"
There is no deep consciousness of "I want to change the future of Chinese football".
All critical readers are right to criticize their team, because they are such a "low-level" group of people.
In fact, most professional players are like this. They do not have much ambition, nor do they have too lofty ideological moral character or lofty goals.
Not to mention the players, even the managers of Chinese football in the book have not yet had such a consciousness. Through Hong Renjie’s words, I expressed the attitude of the Chinese Football Association is “If the next edition can still reach the World Cup finals,
That'll be great"...that is to say, the goal of Chinese football managers is just to participate in the World Cup again.
Of course, it is actually true. After all, it was almost impossible for Chinese football to even participate in a World Cup. It is also impossible to require them to suddenly burst out with ambition - in fact, they are not as good as the football managers of neighboring Japan in this regard. So their pattern
In fact, it is also small.
As a result, Japanese football has made great progress, both in reality and in books, and has become the big brother of Asian football.
The Chinese football in the book has undergone reforms and has changed, but some things are indeed not that easy to change. I don’t want to write about a reform that will suddenly change the mind and create a perfect Football Association that is impeccable in all aspects.
If some readers say "I don't think what you said, when I watched this plot, I felt it was natural and completely acceptable"...that's right, that's fine.
Because if you really integrate into the world of this book and become a fan in the book instead of an omniscient and omnipotent "God", then of course you will feel that the performance and results are very good and satisfactory enough.
The reason why I didn’t lay the groundwork in the World Cup plot that the team couldn’t qualify in the end, and aroused the readers’ excitement, but didn’t comment from a “God” perspective, and build up the readers’ psychology for the team’s failure to achieve three consecutive draws...
In fact, it is just to not interrupt this immersive reading experience.
Even including why I wrote these three games in detail, as if they were text version of live broadcasts of the games, and wrote some clips that did not result in goals or turning points in the game... This is all to make readers really enjoy the novel.
It feels like watching a real World Cup game.
So I saw everyone’s book review section, and I was very happy to calculate the scores in this chapter. Is it like in reality when everyone works so hard to calculate the scores for the national football team in the top 40?
I think everyone can have such a reaction, which shows that I have really written this team realistically, and written it so that everyone is willing to accept them, and are willing to worry and look forward to their fate in the World Cup.
The debate and different opinions on whether to qualify for the group stage also illustrate this point.
Now it seems that it was actually a success.
Some people were so immersed that they couldn't accept that the Chinese team didn't fight hard in the end.
Some people are so immersed that they feel that with the ability of the Chinese team, they are satisfied with being able to draw with the Brazilian team 3:3.
People from different perspectives can read their own feelings from it, which is all due to their different self-perceptions of the world.
And this world really exists, even if it exists in books.
Let’s go back to the novel itself and continue to talk about my various foreshadowings and metaphors:
In the book, I named the football "Champion's Heart" and asked He Feng to explain the meaning of the name. Is it to praise them for having a championship heart?
No, it’s because the previous group of people didn’t have a championship heart!
They need this heart.
So the referee gave the football called "Champion's Heart" to Hu Lai, which also gave the Chinese team a "Champion's Heart" - this is the metaphor I left in the book.
Like a walking corpse-like body, a soul is injected into it, and the heart is put into it. From this moment on, they truly have the hope of becoming "human".
Only then can we complete transformation and... growth in the future.
Yes, grow.
Chasing your highest ideals consciously and voluntarily in the World Cup.
So even though they are now in high spirits and cheering and celebrating after drawing with Brazil at 3:3, it makes some readers very unhappy.
But who can guarantee that one day in the future, when they come back from the excitement of being able to draw with Brazil in their first World Cup, they will not feel regret and shame for their original excitement?
Who can say that they will not be upset: If I had gritted my teeth and worked hard, if I had taken the time to make a breakthrough... maybe we could have crossed the insurmountable mountain of the Brazilian team and entered a new world?
When they have this awareness, the silent "champion's heart" really begins to beat vigorously in their chests.
In the World Cup, they have stronger motivation to move forward and continue to move forward.
So the title of the chapter "Champion's Heart" and its interpretation are not to praise them, but to express their expectations and entrustments.
This brings me back to the reason why I want to write this World Cup plot in detail.
Can I know that the results of trying to draw water from a bamboo basket but in vain should not be written about in a big way, but should be reported quickly to avoid readers being unhappy?
Don’t I know that after raising everyone’s emotions before, but not letting everyone release them, it will be very uncomfortable?
Might I know that I should use a technique that has worked for me in the past to blur the uncomfortable areas?
Could I not know that letting the Chinese team advance to the knockout rounds and then lose to the French team without regrets will lead to better reviews from readers? Maybe the subscription performance of the novel will also be better?
I know, I know everything.
But I still want to write about this group of people’s first World Cup in detail, even if the group failed to qualify in the end.
Because this is a "coming of age ceremony" for a group of people.
“The ritual of becoming a human being”, rather than “The ritual of becoming an adult”
If I don't write in detail, but just briefly introduce the results in the tone of a news summary, or write that the Chinese team lost to Brazil 0:3... then how can I let everyone see clearly the current face of these people and what is in their hearts?
What about "small"?
If you can’t see these, how can you rejoice in their growth and transformation in the future?
Can I just say "they have grown"?
Was He Feng's speech when Zhang Qinghuan came off the stage just for Zhang Qinghuan?
of course not.
It is also given to this group of players.
They are not perfect people, and sometimes they are not even good people.
They have shortcomings, some of which are deeply hated by everyone.
But as long as we are human, we must have shortcomings.
The important thing is not not to have shortcomings, but how to face yourself with shortcomings and your imperfect life.
The straight and detoured "shortcuts" that everyone has ever taken, the mistakes they have made, and the stupid things they have done, all ultimately made them successful.
True maturity is not the pursuit of perfection, but facing one's own shortcomings.
Verify the truth of life, recognize that you are not as good as you think, and then continue to love life, love yourself, and move forward.
For me, it is also one of the life insights I want to express in the book...
In fact, not only this group of national players, but also every character who appears in my book is basically like this. They are imperfect and have shortcomings. Some shortcomings may be very annoying and fatal to readers.
For example, Li Ziqiang is extremely selfish in protecting his daughter, Hu Lixin is cowardly and arbitrary, and Xie Lan also has shortcomings. Sometimes she is too self-centered and does not care about her husband's feelings. If the reader takes the place of Hu Lixin, they will feel that sometimes his wife
Very annoying...
Shi Wuyin also has his own selfish motives, and is not as great and upright as everyone thinks - otherwise, why would he refuse to renew his contract with the Football Association after leading the World Cup and insist on quitting? Why not devote himself to Chinese football and die?
?Don’t he know that after he leaves, the performance of the Chinese team may be ups and downs? He knows it, but he still does not renew the contract because he cherishes his reputation. He is afraid that his fame will not be guaranteed in the end. That’s why he said to Hong Renjie, "
He has neither the ability nor motivation to lead the national team." He has no ability to improve his abilities, but he has no motivation... He has no motivation himself, so how can you let him renew his contract and let him continue to lead the team?
After the reform, the Chinese Football Association will still have bureaucracy - in the story of deciding whether to let Shi Wuyuan continue to coach the national team in the top 12, I saw that many readers were unhappy with the performance of the Football Association in the chapter.
Very good, that’s what I hope you think...
Even the protagonist Hu Lai is definitely not perfect. He has many flaws, some of which are innocuous, but some of which are actually personality defects. This was felt by readers at the beginning of the novel, and they were deeply disgusted and felt that the protagonist was very wretched.
Very annoying.
When I was creating each character in this book, I reminded myself repeatedly - don't write them as omniscient and omnipotent perfect characters, but deliberately write about their shortcomings and flaws, and deliberately write about their mistakes - because I hate such characters.
, lifeless and inhuman. Since I hate such a character, naturally I can’t write a story about such a character.
So Shi Wuyin and Clark had times when they made mistakes, times when they were helpless, and times when they surrendered. They were not like everyone's ideal sports figures who should always pursue victory and always fight until the last second.
I know that in the current aesthetic environment of online writing, this old-school approach is unpopular.
What everyone wants to see is that everyone will not hold the protagonist back, they are absolutely reasonable, and there is no fault in their behavior... To put it bluntly, why is this happening, because of "a sense of security".
Because only by doing this can these characters make readers feel safe, and reading the book will be comfortable and enjoyable. The results of the novel will naturally be good.
After all, everyone reads books to pursue relaxation and refreshment.
If readers don’t feel safe or uncomfortable, they won’t read it.
As a reader, I feel the same way.
But as an author, I have my own pursuits.
So I stick to this thankless way of writing.
Just because I think those characters should be human beings. Only when they are human beings can they collide with each other to create stories, stir up emotions, and ultimately form a believable world.
Of course, I will try my best to maintain a balance. While sticking to myself, I will not give up on the general direction of making readers happy. That’s why I let the Chinese team remain undefeated in the World Cup, and they are the only team that remains undefeated.
team. Otherwise, I might let the Chinese team lose to Algeria in the first game - in my original plan, this is indeed what I thought.
I also know that blindly insisting on my own things may not always resonate, and sometimes it is inappropriate. If I don’t want to rush to the street and die, then I’d better use the techniques of commercial novels to express my thoughts, and
It’s not like just running out with something and throwing it in front of everyone. If no one reads a novel, what’s the point of my so-called life insights and thoughts?
So for me, during the writing process of this book, what I often worried about was how to write "failure" instead of "victory". After all, winning is very satisfying, as long as you keep winning and get all the honors you can get.
Just get it. What’s so difficult about writing it?
But if you continue writing like this, the novel will soon lose its vitality, or as the saying goes: if the rhythm is not maintained, it will collapse.
For an old author who has written 37 million words, it is not difficult to make readers happy. What is rare is how to keep readers interested and sticky in the book, and how to continue to find exciting points in the book.
My solution in this book is to slow down the pace a bit.
Don’t just focus on the protagonist alone, write group portraits so that readers can find more spiritual objects besides the protagonist.
Hence the 700,000-word chapter on campus football, and the 2 million-word chapter that is still being published in China.
But also because of this, there are those characters besides Hu Lai, Zhang Qinghuan, Wang Guangwei, Chen Xingyi, Xie Lan, Li Ziqiang, Li Qingqing, Shi Wuyuan...
When I shaped them and described them like "watering" them before, in the following chapters, when they complete their respective growth, I think readers will really feel the sense of accomplishment of "scattered stars in the sky"
, and rejoice in it.
Thanks to everyone for not giving up, such a story with old-fashioned writing, old-fashioned plot, and old-fashioned core is doing well now. I am walking on thin ice, trembling, fearing that I will collapse, and I carefully consider every word and sentence in every chapter, trying to maintain the integrity of the whole story.
The styles of calligraphy and painting are unified.
Therefore, this book may be the most tiring book I have written in so many years. I have never been as eager to go out on vacation as I am with this book - you know, I am a homebody who has been dead for thousands of years, and I can't wait at home.
I would never go out when I was in bed. But now, I think about going out to play from time to time...
Every day, not almost, but every day, I write until about two o'clock in the morning, and I never finish writing before twelve o'clock in the evening.
Sometimes it’s not that I haven’t thought about it. Don’t have such high standards and strict requirements. Just be casual and write out today’s update.
But no.
Even after I finished writing, I still felt that I couldn’t write like this when I went to the bathroom before going to bed, so I went back to the computer, opened the document, and rewrote.
In this way, I feel that this book has maintained a unified style and level so far.
So I will continue to write so persistently, even if the writing process is very tiring and painful, but looking at the finished product still gives me a full sense of accomplishment...
Of course, sticking to your true heart and original intention is actually easier to do when your grades are not good.
After all, no one was reading it at that time, so I convinced myself, "If you can't please the readers, then please yourself." Anyway, you have to occupy one of the two ends, just like a stand-alone game. I actually also like to play stand-alone games - WOW allows me to complete stand-alone games.
…
As the number of people watching increases and the subscription performance improves, it becomes more difficult to stick to the original heart and original intention.
After all, when what you want to write conflicts with the readers’ expectations, you will definitely hesitate.
Worried that I would live up to everyone’s expectations.
Worried that the way I handle it will offend readers.
Offending readers means losing subscriptions and poor performance.
It doesn’t matter whether your grades are good or bad when your grades are inherently bad.
When your grades get better, you start to worry about gains and losses, fearing this or that.
Of course I hope to get good grades, and I still hope to get better grades.
I also know how to write my grades better.
But in the end I chose this willful approach, as I said in my preface.
This itself is a willful book written by a willful person...
I finally persisted with 3.5 million words. If I gave up my original idea here, it would make me feel like all my efforts have been wasted.
No matter what the final result of this book is, I want to write it completely. This completeness not only means that it is not unfinished, but also means that I have written everything I want to write thoroughly and everything that should be written.
As a novel, this should be a highly completed work, rather than a nondescript half-finished product that swings back and forth between insisting on oneself and pursuing achievements.
So I'm sorry, if the way I handle this book makes you feel uncomfortable and you don't want to read it, I respect your choice. But I will still write it like this.
If you want to read a particularly refreshing article, maybe I will write it in the future - I don't reject the kind of simple and crude refreshing article - but this is what this book is.
So please understand.
In short, this is the plot of the World Cup.
As I said when I released the update strategy before, this plot is very important to the entire book. It can be said to be a key link between the past and the next.
What young people have gained from this World Cup is definitely not as simple as increasing their knowledge and improving their level as they think.
Some effects are deep-seated and may not become apparent until later.
But only after I write this part out in detail can their future transformations be established.
Just like how I insisted on writing a campus chapter at the beginning.
is a principle.
There is a way out only when there is a way out.
This is true for the protagonist Hu Lai, and it is true for other people in this book.
Of course, you don’t have to worry about me being a literary person.
Basically, I attach so much importance to the plot of the World Cup because it is indeed very important.
It does not mean that I will describe "failure" in such detail at other times.
After all, "" is essentially still a qualified commercial novel, and it still pursues happiness.
I don’t intend to write about just this one World Cup. I have already thought about all the follow-up arrangements. But in order to avoid spoilers, I won’t say it. Anyway, everyone believes me. I am the only one who dared to write about the Chinese team’s victory in 2006.
YY writer of the World Cup. Over the years, how many football novels have written about the Chinese team winning the World Cup? I don’t know, but "We Are the Champions" must be the first one.
I was actually very bold - at that time everyone said that I was writing fantasy novels.
It’s just that I always hope that while being bold in YY, I also have to be careful in my assumptions and fill in enough credible details, so that YY can eventually become real and believable.
Even if it is YY, YY should be done seriously instead of doing it half-heartedly.
Personally, I think the highest level of YY is to make people truly believe that YY is real, rather than just a fake.
Even if it is a high imitation, it must be fake and authentic - I wrote in "Do You Care If I Play Football" that Kaka is a descendant of Chinese descent born in Brazil. In order to let him experience Chinese culture, his father asked him to return to the country.
I went to school in China and got to know Zhang Jun and others. After I arranged such a family and life background for this character, when I wrote it, some readers actually thought that Kaka was Chinese and that he at least had Chinese ancestry...
※※※
Let’s go back to Volume 4.
In fact, the fourth volume has two main lines, one is Hu Lai's performance in the club, and the other is the World Cup.
And then there are many branch lines in it.
For example, Luo Kai.
I did not write about Luo Kai’s situation in Veronica in detail, but just mentioned it once when he and Hu Lai had an intersection. On the one hand, it avoided distracting everyone’s attention and slowing down the pace; on the other hand, it was naturally because of Luo Kai’s situation.
Kai's part is very similar to a sadistic novel. For the sake of commercial novels, there is no need to write it down in detail.
So I am still a writer who knows very well what I should write and how to write to make readers happy.
And I am also good at listening to opinions and self-correcting.
For example, the handling of the plot about Hu Lai's transfer at the end of the third volume was because after listening to readers' feedback, we decided to overturn the handling of the subsequent plot and rewrite it.
But sometimes I can be very stubborn.
That’s because I know what I should insist on and what I shouldn’t insist on.
The treatment of Luo Kai is actually the arrangement of Hu Lai's overseas career that I deleted at the end of the third volume - going to a wealthy team, not being reused, and then renting out.
Unable to adapt and perform poorly, I gradually found the feeling later, but it was too late. I returned to a wealthy club and was rented out again... At this time, Leeds City took action to buy out Hu Lai, and then what everyone saw
The original content of Volume 4.
But I thought about it and felt that this story focuses on the protagonist, who is the naked sadist. It's okay, but not necessary.
After all, this book is essentially a good read...
I do deliberately slow down the pace, but this kind of slow-down plot will not help shape the characters, and will not make readers patient enough to read on. Why bother? The reason why I insist on writing the World Cup plot in detail is because
That has a profound impact on the entire national football team, and it is a foreshadowing of the later plot.
So I deleted the plot that I had written tens of thousands of words and changed it into what you see now.
But I don’t want everyone to think that studying abroad to play football is an easy thing - why is it so easy that only Qin Lin did it once in the book many years ago?
In order to highlight the difficulties of studying abroad, since the protagonist cannot express this difficulty, naturally he can only arrange important supporting characters to bear it.
Hence, there are a series of arrangements for Luo Kai after he goes abroad to play football...
The book also expresses this meaning through the perspectives of many people - don't just look at Hu Lai's scenery in Leeds City and think that studying abroad seems to be a very easy and simple thing. You should also look at Luo Kai,
He is the path that all ordinary Chinese talented players who are not cheating will go through - if Chinese football really has talented players like him.
At the same time, it also echoes the lyrics in the ending theme of Volume 3, "Everyone's Life is a Long Journey":
“The dream is just ahead of the road, shining dimly and fascinating; I hope you find it in the end.
“But in the distance there are also scorching summers and cold winters, windy and rainy nights, and muddy roads; I hope you will be safe all the way.
“May the wandering bring you enough wisdom and firm courage, but not wear away your dreams.”
Going abroad to pursue dreams is not as refreshing as a YY novel. Many times it is more like Luo Kai, wallowing in the quagmire over and over again, in a state of embarrassment, and may not be able to achieve a satisfactory result in the end.
It can be said that Hu Lai is the collection of all our fantasies and the bearer of all the good hopes we have given.
And Luo Kai is a cruel reality - of course, it is not as cruel and cold as the real reality. This is a YY novel after all, and it is a refreshing novel after all, and it must still retain a touch of warmth.
It can be said that the subsequent overseas study of other characters will basically follow this principle. It will not be too YY, but it will not be completely realistic.
I won’t write them into a rich family quickly, and write about them becoming famous.
After all, the time span of this book is very long. As long as they can meet people's expectations of them in the end and make due contributions to Chinese football, then their study abroad will be considered a success.
Again - I consider the plot arrangement from the perspective of the entire book, not the serialization perspective. So sometimes, if you follow the serialization, you will inevitably feel unhappy. There is no way, there are always choices. Well written
If you are precise, you cannot increase the speed. If you increase the speed, the writing will be sloppy, and there will be many things that are ignored and cannot be taken care of.
But I believe this is definitely a book worth coming back to and reading again after you finish it.
This is also a novel that should leave its name in the history of online literature - when the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League conducted a telephone interview with me some time ago, I was asked to recommend one of my favorite masterpieces that is most suitable for reading in today's society. I didn't
I recommend "We Are the Champions", and I don't recommend "Heart of a Champion" which is included in the electronic library of the National Library. I don't even recommend "The Godfather of Champions". I recommend this book "".
I think the current book "" is worthy of being recommended to the whole society as my masterpiece.
This is my goal and my ambition.
※※※
Volume 5 is Hu Lai’s first time participating in a European competition.
The perspective of the novel will also follow him to unfold the world of European football in the book.
More new characters will appear on the scene, and they will play out the love and hatred with Hu Lai.
The growth and maturity of the Chinese team continues.
All in all, it is still a wonderful volume.
The story is still very long, and the time is also very long.
Let me write it slowly and you can read it slowly.
Perhaps the book and reality can be intertwined and synchronized again during the World Cup next year?
After all, the time span in the book is very long, really very long, definitely not "four more years" as some readers have guessed...
Thank you all for your support, let us continue to work together in the fifth volume!
