I'm sitting at my desk now, writing this summary leisurely, thinking about where to go to play later.
During this seven-million-word writing, I almost cut off social contact. The only social contact I had was with you, so I often spoke my mind in my speeches and chatted about casual things.
However, there are more and more readers, and Chixin has reached the top. Every word of the author is put under a microscope and observed individually. Gradually, speaking becomes a dangerous thing.
But I still want to talk to you about something.
What I faced was a specific person, but also a vague image - this person seemed to be always by my side. He usually didn't speak, but occasionally he would shout, "Hey! Keep moving forward!"
Give me support, give me company, and let me know that I am not alone in the long night.
Today I want to talk to you about the creation of the protagonist.
Haha, this seems to be a very dangerous topic.
Since the opening of the book, whether to be honest or not has been a long-lasting topic of "debate". Everyone has a high degree of enthusiasm for discussing the word "honest", which is reasonable, because after all, every volume has been written so far.
It doesn’t matter if there is no reason for the title of the book.
I have never talked about this matter publicly, because talking about it will inevitably involve spoilers, which will hurt the readers' reading experience. How I hope that every plot I weave will have the greatest echo in the readers' minds.
.I don’t allow spoilers to happen here.
Just like Jiang Wuqi's divine arrival in one step, Zhu Biqiong's return from the secret realm of Tianfu, the Mo family's capture of Huang Jinmo, and the defeat of Zhong Xuan Zun before the battle against Xia... In these very controversial plots, I never said what would happen next.
, just write the entire plot line silently, and then jump out to feel grievances - look, it's because you are impatient! I have plans!
But some can be written very quickly, such as the formation of autumn frost. Some take a long time, such as "The Battle of Wangzun" needs to be completed throughout the summer, the "Flower in the Mirror, Water and Moon" line spans several volumes, and the Mohist line has not yet been completed.
Chixin has the biggest controversy, and I also have the longest silence.
Now is the time, after the volume of Heavenly Bai Yujing.
The copyrights were sold very early, and the comics were sold especially early. Around 2021, the cartoonist became my friend.
He is a very attentive creator. He has communicated with me many times and has drawn a lot of character sketches. However, as you can see, the comics have not been released for a long time.
I said that I hope to wait until I finish the novel, or at least write it to a later stage, before I start doing these things. I am worried that I will end up straying from the topic.
As a novel author, you only have to be responsible for yourself. For comics and animation, you have to be responsible for the entire production team, and the pressure is different.
At that time, the cartoonist asked me - what is a pure heart? Can I have a sentence at the beginning of this book to explain the theme?
Just like "I want to be Hokage", "I want to be the man who becomes the Pirate King", these royal and passionate comics can become the symbol of this comic.
I was stunned.
Ah, that's not the case.
The protagonist is not born pointing to the sky and the earth, majestic and shouting "I want it!"
He only cried when he was born.
What I want to write about is not a person who is born with knowledge and greatness; what I want to write about is not a person whose mind remains unchanged from beginning to end; what I want to write about is not a person who is piled up with several labels.
I want to write about his growth, his experiences, and his vivid life.
Compared with other characters with different talents, Jiang Wang is relatively ordinary at the beginning, and his brilliance needs to be sharpened in the hard life.
Some people think Jiang Wang is not charming enough, and there is nothing wrong with that.
I have been writing since the first volume that he is not a perfect person, and he is not a person who shines brightly as soon as he appears.
He is not a character with a fixed mind from the beginning, nor is he a time-traveler with a mature mind and a fixed personality.
He is what Internet readers call an "indigenous". He is a person who grew up in that fairy world.
He left his hometown alone at the age of fourteen and sought enlightenment in Maplewood City.
His father died when he was a teenager.
Later, he had to take care of his sister and play the role of both brother and father. Many times it seemed that he had matured and could take charge of the storm on his own.
But he was only seventeen years old until Bai Fa left his hometown...
That kind of maturity is just a fragile shell, a necessity in life - he has to take care of his sister, although he is also a person who needs teaching and care.
He was a young man who came from a small town. His father was just an ordinary medicine merchant. His vision was only so high. The hardships he experienced were just the difficulties of studying.
So you can see that his original ideal collapsed easily. He was fooled around by Bai Lian, and his three views were not stable at all. Bai Lian told him that Yuheng Peak was the source of the suffering of the monks in Sanshan City, so he decided to overthrow it -
- He never thought about whether there was a deeper reason behind it. He couldn't think that deeply.
He was desperate because of the death of a little girl. At that time, he might have thought of his sister, or a simple sense of justice.
He would give Daoxun away because of the hardship faced by the monks in Sanshan City.
He will feel sorry for the little girl who survived among the ferocious beasts, and will fight for Bai Lian because she saved him.
When the Heart-Eater Demon Bear Wen targeted him, his only thought was how to save himself. He didn't think about harming anyone. He just thought that in the entire Maplewood City, Zhang, Fang, and Wang were the only three places that could help him contain him.
Rivals, and only the Fang family was familiar to him.
After killing the bear and asking.
Thinking of the elders of the Fang family who died in the war, he had to find excuses to comfort himself - I had no choice but to do it, and I had no choice.
This is where he is vulnerable. He is escaping.
You see, he's not perfect. He wasn't a perfect person to begin with.
Is there any way to make this plot non-controversial?
too easy.
Just sacrifice a little of the IQ of the supporting character and let Fang Zehou choose to persecute the protagonist. Let the clan elder also participate in the plan and express what he wants to do to An An.
Luring people and demons into the Fang family will greatly please people's hearts.
But a character's real choice can only be reflected when he is struggling.
His escape and vulnerability at that time are exactly what I want to describe.
Along the way, Jiang Wang has grown not only in his cultivation, but also in his cognition, his knowledge, his ability to deal with things, and his attitude towards the world... they are all constantly changing.
It's not necessarily a good change.
There are many people who had an important impact on his life.
It was Lu Shuanghe and Yi Shengfeng who told him that practicing means fighting.
It was Zuo Guanglie who told him what extraordinary courage, extraordinary compassion, and extraordinary commitment are.
It was Miaoyu who shattered his three views and made him re-recognize the world for the first time. It turns out that Yuheng Peak is like this, and it turns out that the eternal covenant between the human race and the water tribe is just a piece of paper.
It was Ye Qingyu who strengthened his background and told him - if he knew it was wrong, how could it be right?
It was Zhuang Chengqian who told him not to trust anyone easily. There are many people who deceive gods and ghosts.
It was Dong Ah who told him that everyone has a different path and makes their own choices.
It was Zheng Shangming who told him that it was the efforts of a mediocre person. Before that, what he was thinking was, how come you, Zheng Shangming, have changed? From a sincere young man, you have turned into an official who is bent on climbing up so quickly.
It was Fang Heling who let him know that not everyone is as talented as you and has as many choices as you.
It was Master Guanyan who told him - "To demand others by your standards is already demanding, and to demand the world by your standards, then if you are evil and don't know it, you are a demon among demons."
Too much too much……
He did not understand these principles from the beginning.
He had been confused, confused, entangled, and in pain.
He rolled around naked in the gravel of this world with a hot heart. Some places were scarred, some were still bleeding, some were still soft, and some were only pits that could never be filled.
.
Readers often say that Jiang Wang is a very naughty person.
He is really naughty.
He had ideals, but his ideals were destroyed time and time again.
He has cognition, but his cognition is subverted time and time again.
When Zhu Biqiong was about to die, she said, "This world is different from what I thought."
For Jiang Wang, why not?
He discovered again and again that the world was different from what he thought.
Chong Xuan Sheng asked him to lose his innocence, and he tried not to be naive, but he couldn't help it. His experience was there, and his vision was there.
So he worked very hard to find clues, evidence, relationships, and reasoning——
Finally, Wei Xun told him that your sword is not enough to defend your principles.
He worked hard to accomplish the impossible.
But it's no use trying your best.
Was it only Ji Shaoqing who he endured to death in Tianya Terrace?
Along with it, much of his innocence withered.
From then on, he understood that his truth was only within the edge of his sword.
For example, I wonder how many people still remember Taoist Baini from Lingkong Hall?
He is the one who wants to seize power in Lingkong Temple.
Jiang Wang killed him with one strike of his sword.
What was Jiang Wang thinking about at that time? If you read the original text, you can see that it was "eight handles".
It was what he saw from Jiang Shu, the subconscious learning of life and death.
He unconsciously developed a certain dependence and admiration for Jiang Shu, and unconsciously imitated him like a child who regards his father as his teacher. Of course, he finally walked out of his own life.
What I want to say is a realistic world where everything is flowing.
It’s not just the personality that has changed, it’s not just the cognition, it’s also the relationship between the characters.
Take the relationship between Jiang Wang and Yin Guan as an example.
Upon closer inspection, their attitudes towards each other are constantly changing as their cultivation progresses and their friendship develops.
At first, Jiang Wang could only endure when Yin Guan killed someone. Yin Guan threatened him with the Lian family, so he could only help cover it up. Later, he began to set rules for Hell No Gate, and he was not allowed to kill people casually, and Yin Guan also began to worry about him.
Feelings, and then later I confidently refused to pay back the money I owed...
Take the relationship between Jiang Wang and Qi Guo as an example.
At first, he had no sense of belonging to Qi State. He came to Qi State just because netizens were here. Netizens told him that there were development opportunities here, so he came to try his luck.
So outside Linzi City, Yin Guan saved his life, and on this condition, he asked Jiang Wang to cover him entering the city. Jiang Wang's bottom line was "Don't hurt Chongxuan Sheng, don't hurt ordinary people."
Qi State was not in his consideration range at all.
But then he asked Yin Guan - who asked you to call the emperor by his name?
He won honors and meritorious deeds for Qi State time and time again, and Qi State supported him again and again. In the process, he gradually developed a sense of belonging. He began to recognize himself as a "Qi State person".
In the end, leaving Qi is the character's natural choice.
In addition to the forced murder of Zhuang Gaoxian, there is also the fundamental conflict between the protagonist and the Qi State.
He has feelings for Jiang Shu, and his behavioral logic has always been - you are good to me, and I am good to you. In essence, it is "righteousness".
But what does Jiang Shu want? "Loyalty". He can tolerate you, favor you, and reward you, but you must obey his orders unconditionally and carry out his will.
After leaving Qi, their relationship became more natural. Because the emperor no longer had to doubt, and the hero could stand upright.
I must admit that in terms of creation, I am indeed too cold towards Jiang Wang.
When weighing characters, I often choose to sacrifice the protagonist.
I always think that there is still a long way to write the protagonist, so I should focus on the other characters first. I always think that Jiang Wang is so strong, he can bear it...
For example, in the mountain and sea realm, in order to outline Fang Heling's character arc and to strengthen Wang Changji's charm, there must be someone who can force Fang Heling to cry out from the bottom of his heart. Only Jiang Wang is suitable, and he is indeed thinking out of justice and in line with the character's logic.
For example, in the Battle of Faxia, Chongxuanzun must not lose at that time. If he loses, all his previous shaping will be a blank slate. Chongxuanzun's famous line: "I want to win everything, including courage."
It's meaningless.
Then Jiang Wang could only lose. And it was true that he couldn't beat him at that time.
Maybe this is what many people call "literary youth disease".
When we read novels now, we often use a word, "poison point".
I sometimes read some online writing methodologies and often use this word, often talking about how to avoid "poisonous points".
Don't write like this, readers won't like it. Don't write like that, readers won't like it.
Readers seem to be a very thin group. There are simple labels posted there. They don’t like this and they don’t like that.
In these methodologies, what is considered is not how the plot should be woven, how the characters should be shaped, or how the story lines should collide.
The only consideration is what readers "should" like.
I cannot agree.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t write words that everyone likes to read. What I’m saying is that the creator’s top priority is always the excitement of the story itself.
We are looking for close friends with our favorite words, rather than making products based on the "likes" of a certain group of readers.
If those words are not your favorite, but what you think readers like, then they can never be your best works. If you can’t produce your best works, why should you compete with those who are sincere and sincere?
Creator competition?
The word "reader" is by no means weak.
Behind the readers are living, complex people. They don’t live in labels. Who do you dare to say you know?
Let’s talk about the protagonist.
What kind of person is Jiang Wang?
On the battlefield, you can always give your back to him. As long as he doesn't die, no arrow will come from behind you.
No matter what, as long as he promises you, he will definitely do it.
If you treat him well, he will definitely remember it. If you treat him badly, he may not remember it as long as the bottom line is not involved. But if you want him to die, then you will die.
If you hurt him, he can laugh it off sometimes. If you hurt his friend, you are dead.
After experiencing a lot, learning a lot, being taught by many "teachers", and becoming a teacher himself.
How did he tell Chu Yao?
——"You are already the person Master wants you to be. Keep the courage to be angry, don't forget the feeling of compassion, and do the good things you can...this is what Master expects of you."
That's all he expected.
Because he does not think himself great, but he knows that asking others to be great is the devil among devils.
He told Gu Shiyi that I am not a righteous person.
He told the six friends of Jingtian that we are all narrow-minded.
Finally, he said, you don’t have to love me unreservedly.
Finally, he grew into such a person.
He became the "Jian Zhenren" we are familiar with.
A "real person".
After everything has become me today, there is the white jade capital in the sky.
He is relaxed, free, free and happy.
He is now an accomplished man, he has a palace, and he can be unfazed by favors and humiliations.
He is now a big shot, and he is beginning to understand the "big picture".
But is that all he is?
His inner core is still the original one, the background educated by his ordinary but great father who sold medicinal materials in the town. That ordinary father had no way to teach him how to face this cruel world well. He could only teach him how to face this cruel world.
justice, the first mercy, the simplest love.
So when he learned about Kujue's death...
He lets my mind wander and causes havoc in heaven.
…
…
Unknowingly, we have talked so much again, and finally let us return to the original question - what is a pure heart?
In fact, the answer has already been answered in the article, many times.
It is the magical power of a pure heart - never be contaminated by different aspirations.
This is the path of the true self - calming one's mind, lowering one's mind to the horse, restraining oneself with the four virtues, and following one's will without exceeding the rules. It is also the way of being a calm ape, letting one's mind go, opening the eight precepts, and still realizing the emptiness.
Back in June 2022, my answer to the comic book writer was——
[""In the end, we must reach a state similar to the sun's universal state. It shines on all things and is as fair as possible. But at the same time, it is not ruthless like the sun and the moon, because it is the "heart".
It is, not a red sun survey.
People must be selfish, and being selfless is inhuman.
Because of human nature, he can never be "the most righteous", he can only be as close to the "great lord" as possible.
This is the ultimate theme I envisioned, but as the protagonist Jiang Wang, he may not be able to reach that state in the end.】
This theme is too grand, just like the sun high in the sky, it is out of reach.
So it can be said that we (authors and readers), like the sun, patrol the world and observe everything in that world. But because of our selfishness (authors and readers), we will inevitably have some impact on that world. No matter it is
Whether it's a positive impact or a negative impact, we all really impact the world.
This is the world of immortals and heroes where love is so profound, and it is also our common world of immortals and heroes.
————
This was my thinking back then, and I’m glad that this novel is still moving forward firmly. Will it ultimately fulfill our common expectations?
I don't know either.
Let's go and see.
Everyone, do you still remember the beginning of this novel?
——"The sun hangs high in the sky, spreading its light and heat impartially to the world. It does not distinguish between old and young, and does not distinguish between high and low. Great love is like ruthlessness."
The sincere answer is here.
…
…
Finally, let’s summarize the results of this volume as usual.
During the serialization of this volume of "Tian Tian Bai Yu Jing", we won the monthly ticket champion for three consecutive months and the best-selling champion for nearly four months (and we are still continuing).
Among the top ten new book friends, we are the only "old book" with more than 2 million words.
In the last chapter, "Free My Heart Ape", the twelve-hour chapter said that it reached the highest ever level of 14,000. I remember that the previous peak of "Old Dreams in the Maple Forest" was 8,000.
We both booked 54,682.
The 24-hour follow-up order came to 58467.
The leader has arrived at 679.
I'm glad that after seven million words, this fairy tale world can still keep everyone looking forward to it.
I am very grateful to all the readers who have accompanied me all the way. Jiang Wang is indeed not alone on the long street, and indeed he is not fighting alone. Everyone is watching him——
A son in my family has just grown up.
…
…
Ask for five days off (only four days left).
Sort out the plot and rest your spirit.
Will be updated at 12 noon on October 26, 2023.
I had already thought about the name of Volume 12, but suddenly I felt that the name was not very exciting, so I decided to decide it in a few days.
I'm on vacation!
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(The author said that he couldn’t write it down, so he borrowed some space.
Thanks to book friend "Sunset Elysium" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 679th alliance!
Thanks to the leader jcwei1203 for the new alliance!
I couldn't find the 671 League and the 678 League. If you find it, let me know. Thank you next time.)
[Thanks to the book friend "A Good Night of Love" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 664th alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "20221231222201462" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 665th alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "Qing Lu Qi Bai Ya Guang Man Hang Yuan Hua" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 666th alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "666 for Miaoyu" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 667th alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "Xiye Elf" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 668th alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "Sang Sang and I" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 669th alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "Handsome Guy" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 670th alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "May it be forever" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 672nd alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "Bushen's Happy Yasuo" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 673rd alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "Yunqi" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 674th alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "Qihuo Media" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 675th alliance! 】
[Thanks to the book friend "Single Noble Husky" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 676th alliance! 】
[Thanks to book friend "Licheng Xiaoanshi" for becoming the leader of this book! It is the 677th alliance! 】