1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 245 The Manuscript Was Torn

“A good article needs to be revised. The first time you revise it is a shame, but the seventh time is an honor.”

Wang Weiguo murmured and repeated it, looking at Jiang Xian with more admiration in his eyes.

Golden quote!
How to write a good article? Comrade Jiang Xian blurted out this sentence, which was one of the best answers he had ever heard.

As Gogol said: When the flames consumed the last few pages of my book, its contents suddenly resurrected clearly and distinctly like a phoenix flying out of the flames.

Gogol was reciting his work to someone, but the person fell asleep. So Gogol said, "I was hoping to hear your sincere opinion, but your sleepiness is the best response." After that, he threw the manuscript into the fire without hesitation.

There is also the shadow of Gogol in Jiang Xian's words. In just a few words, it contains his thoughts and reflections on writing, as well as the writer's wisdom and profound insight into the world.

"The first time is a shame, the seventh time is an honor."

Wang Weiguo silently took note of Jiang Xian's words and looked down at the manuscript in his hand. "I'll go back and study this manuscript."

"Comrade Weiguo, in fact, your manuscript is good enough, but there is still a fine line between a good work and a masterpiece. I believe that after you completely erase this manuscript, you can write a real masterpiece!"

When Wang Weiguo heard this, he excitedly picked up the second edition manuscript of "Life" and tore it apart without any hesitation.

"Hey, hey, hey?!"

Jiang Xian hurriedly stopped him, "Comrade Weiguo, Comrade Weiguo! What are you doing? Calm down!"

Even for the sake of Chinese literature, Jiang Xian couldn't bear to see Lu Yao tear up the manuscript.

This is the original manuscript of "Life"!
Although it is not the final version of the manuscript, but only the second draft, such a manuscript is unique and precious.

Because it is the only one in the world.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, don't stop me." Lu Yao has a somewhat impulsive personality.

This was not the first time he had done this. He tore the first version of the manuscript of "Life" into pieces because he was not satisfied with it.

"Comrade Weiguo, be cautious, be careful."

While Jiang Xian was trying to stop him, he felt that what happened today might become a good story.

Such stories are very popular abroad, about precious manuscripts rescued from authors, such as the manuscript of "Lolita", which was rescued from the stove by the author Nabokov's wife.

In the future, Jiang Xian's rescue of "Life" might become a good story.

After a few struggles, Wang Weiguo stopped tearing up the manuscript and said helplessly, "Don't stop me. If I keep this manuscript, I will always have a little bit of luck in my heart, and I will definitely not be able to write a better manuscript."

Jiang Xian snatched the stack of "Life" and saw that it had been torn into two pieces. He felt so distressed that his tone became a little heavier.

"If you are really determined to write a new manuscript, what difference does it make whether this manuscript is torn up or not?"

After listening to his scolding, Wang Weiguo finally calmed down and sighed.

He was indeed impulsive. Just as Jiang Xian said, if he was determined to rewrite the manuscript, what difference would it make whether he tore up the manuscript or not? Erasing the original manuscript from his memory was the most important thing.

Jiang Xian said, "I will keep this manuscript for you. Just treat it as if it has been torn up. When you go back, don't think about these things anymore. Calm down and study how to reweave the relationships between the characters in the novel."

He really couldn't bear to see such a precious manuscript being torn up in vain.

It would be a good thing to collect it in the Museum of Modern Literature in the future, so that the creation process of the famous masterpiece "Life" can be presented to readers in a more three-dimensional way.

"Then let's leave it with you, Comrade Jiang Xian."

Wang Weiguo agreed to Jiang Xian's proposal.

He no longer cared about the second draft of "Life" that he had abandoned. He packed up the manuscript of "The World's No. 1 Restaurant", said goodbye to Jiang Xian, and returned to the guesthouse where he was temporarily staying.
——No. 166, Chaoyang, the building of Renwenshe.

Wang Weiguo has a close relationship with "Contemporary". After coming to Beijing, he always stays here. This habit is the same as Feng Jicai, but the latter has a close relationship with Renwen Press.

There were several writers living in the dormitory. Wang Weiguo greeted them. It was hot at noon and he was sweating all over on the way back. He wiped it with a wet towel and then sat on the bed and smoked a cigarette, thinking about what Jiang Xian had just said to him.

"The interweaving of characters"

Wang Weiguo smokes a lot and he can finish a pack of cigarettes very quickly.

The dormitory of the guesthouse is very large, filled with beds, tables and people. There are about ten people, some are concentrating on writing, some are chatting and smoking, and some are lying down to sleep. It is more like an inn than a writer's guesthouse.

Everyone came from all over the world. Although they were all poor, they were not stingy and they always drank cigarettes and tea together.

Wang Weiguo couldn't live without a cigarette, so he picked up a "Battle Brand" cigarette left by someone and started smoking it. After finishing it, he still felt it was not satisfying enough, and he looked for it again but couldn't find any leftover cigarettes.

I simply picked up a few cigarette butts on the ground, took out the tobacco, tore a piece of manuscript paper to roll it up, licked it with my tongue to seal the mouth with saliva, lit it and smoked. After one puff, I finally satisfied my craving.

He was very satisfied, so he sat down at the table, holding a pen and writing down the golden words Jiang Xian said.

"A good article needs to be revised. The first time it is revised is a shame, and the seventh time is a glory."

After doing all this, he took out the manuscript Jiang Xian had given him from his bag, held it in his hand, and glanced at the first line:
The first floor in the world!
When Wang Weiguo got the manuscript from Jiang Xian, he discovered that this was not a novel but a drama script.

Unlike later generations, a considerable number of drama writers at this time were still pursuing the literary effect of the scripts. For example, "Tea House" is a drama script with great literary value.

Wang Weiguo can write scripts, so of course he can understand "The Number One Restaurant in the World". Besides, the drama script itself is not difficult to read.

He read each line carefully and soon understood what was going on.

".He has done everything he should have done in his life, except for this pair of cards at the door. I have already made them before leaving. Please hang them up."

"What a dangerous building. Who is the host and who is the guest?"

"There are only three old houses, half suitable for the bright moon and half suitable for the wind."

"——The End of the Play"

“Completed in Beijing in February 1981”

The midday sun gradually sets in the west, the golden light dims, and finally turns into the dim red of the sunset, and even the manuscript paper is stained with a touch of oldness.

"The World's No. 1 Restaurant" consists of three acts, with an epilogue of a few lines.

Wang Weiguo came back at two o'clock in the afternoon, and it was already evening when he finished reading the script.

After closing the script, two words emerged in his mind.

"Shocking!"

He finished reading the script with great emotion.

Although the subject matter is about a roast duck restaurant, the content is far more than just roast duck. It can be said to be very comprehensive and the plot is full of ups and downs.

More importantly, the character design of this script is unique and colorful:
Lu Mengshi's great talent and strategy, the two young masters' idleness, Luo Datou's bullying, Li Xiaobian's dedication and self-respect, Wang Zixi's sophistication and stability, Chang Gui's kindness, loyalty and knowledge of human nature.

It also describes the ruined nobles, the poor literati, the palace supervisors of the Qing Dynasty, and the adjutants of the Republic of China.
While the characters are wonderful, the interweaving of their relationships forms a picture of the life of the city.

The performance was so exciting that Wang Weiguo couldn't help but applaud.

“It’s so well written!”

All kinds of people, each with their own backgrounds and temperaments, are entangled with each other in "Fujude".

This interweaving of characters was exactly what was lacking when he wrote the second edition of "Life".

Wang Weiguo immediately understood why Jiang Xian gave him the script.

This "The Best Restaurant in the World" is truly a textbook-level work on dealing with "character relationships".

"Who wrote this?" Wang Weiguo was very curious.

This is definitely a new work that has not yet been published, and he has never heard of such a script in the drama world before.

"Next time I see Comrade Jiang Xian, I must ask him who this person is." Wang Weiguo thought to himself, and opened the manuscript again, and began to read "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" for the second time. Jiang Xian was not idle at this time, and carefully repaired the manuscript of "Life" that was torn by Wang Weiguo.

Although "Life" is a novella, the number of words in it is not small. Lu Yao wrote more than 100,000 words in the second draft, using the manuscript paper of "Yanhe", a magazine sponsored by the Shaanxi Writers Association. When put together, it is about 300 pages.

After he patched it for a while, there were still many pages left. It was obviously not a job that could be completed in a short time. He had a lot of things to do, so he had to patch it up slowly, bit by bit.

The next day, at the editorial office of Film Literature.

In the evening, Jiang Xian was reviewing a film script that had just been revised, "Two Voyages Back to the Dream".

This script has been revised many times.

Author: Zheng Xiaolong.

Zheng Xiaolong stood aside nervously and restrainedly, waiting for Jiang Xian, who was responsible for life and death, to give the final say on the literary script of his film.

Whether to publish or revise it all depends on his words.

"It's almost there." Jiang Xian finally spoke.

When Zheng Xiaolong was sad, he added, "But it's a lot better than last time."

"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Jiang."

"Xiaolong, I think you can do better, don't you think?"

First deny and then confirm, Zheng Xiaolong was dizzy with his CPU.

"Editor Jiang, I'll revise it."

"Go."

Zheng Xiaolong left with the script.

Jiang Xian took a sip of tea and just put down the cup when he saw Wang Weiguo coming to him again, looking like he had a lot to say.

"Comrade Jiang Xian."

"Comrade Weiguo, please wait a moment."

Jiang Xian glanced at his watch and smiled, "What a coincidence! My wife has finished her get out of class. She and I have an appointment to have dinner together today. I have to go there first. How about we go together?"

Seeing this, Wang Weiguo had no choice but to keep his words back to himself.

"I won't bother you anymore. You two can eat. I'll come back another day."

"It's okay, let's go together, let's find a place to eat something later, and then we can talk slowly."

Wang Weiguo couldn't refuse, so Jiang Xian dragged him to Beijing Film Academy.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, I have read the article "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" you gave me." Wang Weiguo and Jiang Xian started chatting halfway.

“I’ve watched it many times.”

"How is it?" Jiang Xian asked with a smile.

“It’s been a great benefit.”

The two chatted along the way, Wang Weiguo expressed many of his ideas, and they soon arrived at Beijing Film Academy.

Beijing Film Academy is now near Xiaoxitian, 2 kilometers away from Beijing Film Studio, which is very close.

Jiang Xian glanced at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy and felt that every face was a little familiar.

Looking at Zhu Lin, he stopped his bicycle and introduced her to her.

"This is Comrade Weiguo."

"This is my love Zhu Lin."

"You are Comrade Weiguo?"

Zhu Lin looked at Wang Weiguo and said, "I often hear Jiang Xian mention you. He said you write very well."

"Is it?!"

Wang Weiguo scratched his head awkwardly, "There is still a gap between us and Comrade Jiang Xian."

"Comrade Weiguo, you are too polite." Jiang Xian said with a smile.

The three of them found a state-owned restaurant, sat down, and ordered a few stir-fried dishes from the waiter.

Before the dishes were served, Wang Weiguo took out the manuscript of "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" from his bag and placed it on the table.

"Jiang Xian, the author of this script must be quite old, right? He has a solid foundation in life!"

"Age?" Jiang Xian didn't know how to explain to Wang Weiguo.

Zhu Lin was sitting next to him, watching "The World's No. 1 Restaurant". She quickly understood what was going on and chuckled:

"Comrade Weiguo, the author of The World's No. 1 Restaurant is not that old. He is even younger than you."

"Younger than me?" Wang Weiguo was surprised.

In Wang Weiguo's opinion, the life roots described in "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" are quite real.

Although this aspect is not as good as "Tea House", it is already quite good.

Therefore, he believes that the creator must have sufficient experience of the times.

But at this moment, Zhu Lin actually said that the author is younger than him, which is simply incredible.

"Who is the author?" Wang Weiguo asked with a frown.

"The author. Isn't he right here?" Zhu Lin reminded with a smile.

Wang Weiguo was stunned for a moment, followed Zhu Lin's gaze to look at Jiang Xian, and slapped his forehead.

Why didn’t I think of that?!

That's how it should be!

It's him!

For Jiang Xian, how difficult is it to write a drama script?
"So it's your work, Comrade Jiang Xian!"

"Excuse me, Comrade Weiguo." Jiang Xian said embarrassedly, "I am the one who is so arrogant and asked you to learn what I wrote."

"What's shameful about learning from you? I should learn more from you." Wang Weiguo scratched his head.

In his opinion, Jiang Xian is undoubtedly an all-rounder when it comes to novels, poems, film scripts and TV drama scripts.

Now he is writing drama scripts again, and he writes them so well.

Wang Weiguo knew very well how difficult it was to write this drama script, especially for someone of Jiang Xian's age.

too difficult!
The styles of "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" and "Teahouse" are similar.

Lao She, the "language master" who was born in the 20s, was very familiar with the social life of old China, especially the customs of the capital.

He was adept at writing plays about themes such as opening a teahouse, doing hard labor, and performing arts.

But for young people born after liberation, it is definitely a huge challenge.

(End of this chapter)