Generation Z Artists

Chapter 146 Stars Among Stars
The New Year of 2001 was not as grand as it used to be; it passed by in an ordinary way.

During this period, apart from making several trips to Japan and South Korea for activities, Fang Xinghe has been quietly writing his new book.

What to write about in his second book is a major issue of concern to the cultural community, the media, and fans at home and abroad, and it is also a difficult problem that he himself has to think about quite a bit.

Because it was too difficult to weigh the pros and cons, Fang Xinghe had no choice but to use the process of elimination to establish the framework.

First and foremost, one thing is absolutely certain: I must never write any more angst-filled stories.

Book fans can't take a second round of torture.

Knowing full well that it's a angst-inducing novel that will leave you heartbroken for a long time, and still insisting on reading it, there aren't many people as twisted as that.

So if I write more angst stories, they should sell well in Japan, I'm not sure about South Korea, but they'll definitely sell like hotcakes in China.

Once sales plummet, all sorts of shady characters will emerge.

Moreover, continuing to write tragic stories will lead to "style solidification," making the public think that he only has these three tricks up his sleeve, which is not conducive to attracting and retaining fans.

……

Secondly, writing traditional realistic literature is probably not a good idea either.

It's not that writing skills at 8 or 9 points are insufficient, but rather that the audience for profound topics is inherently too small.

Combined with his upbringing, there are very few themes he can write about—themes from the Northeast era, literature that delves into the pain of the layoffs, and marginal literature that focuses on teenage delinquents.

The first type is comparable to "The World," a monumental work of realism. However, the author was from a mining province in his previous life and did not understand the Northeast in the past. He needed to spend a lot of time collecting information and building his understanding in order to write about the real and unpretentious changes over the past few decades.

In summary: It's difficult to write, very slow, and extremely inefficient except for those aiming for awards.

The second category is comparable to "Winter Swimming" and "Moses on the Plain". The advantage of this category is that there are no historical classics. The disadvantage is that the audience is naturally limited due to the closed regional characteristics.

In conclusion: It's possible to write, but it's just a deep dive into "Cang Ye Xue," which isn't very meaningful.

The last idea was the most promising. In Fang Xinghe's heart, he really wanted to write a book about marginalized people who were not mainstream and were considered "spiritual young men".

However, this presents a significant contemporary problem: the non-mainstream has not yet taken center stage, and the Chinese people lack awareness of marginalized individuals.

The emergence of the non-mainstream post-90s generation and the spirited young men of the post-00s generation is a result of the "abandonment" caused by the times. The post-80s generation did not suffer all of that and generally followed the tide of the times, moving forward in a daze. Only a few people became hooligans and then struggled in the underworld.

Therefore, at this level, the only popular themes are gangster novels like "Twenty Years of Gangster Life" and "Bad Guy".

However, these are pseudo-realistic literatures, of low value and with a very bad influence.

Especially given Fang Xinghe's influence, if he were to write a similar novel, who knows how many imitations it would inspire, and the whole society would be in an uproar.

Writing about spirited young people and then focusing on society's abandonment of marginalized groups, analyzing the multiple unpreparednesses of parents, children, schools, and society in the face of rapid development in the times, is the right way, which has the opportunity to win awards and also brings a lot of merit.

Writing about the underworld is an evil path, so being banned twice is not unjustified.

In summary: I don't have the time to write what I want to write, and I don't want to write what I can write, so this is a pass.

……

Finally, non-fiction works such as poetry, prose, travelogues, and biographies are definitely not acceptable.

It's boring, not dignified enough, and a waste of time.

After eliminating a bunch of options, there aren't many left.

Writing science fiction is actually a good idea. Although science fiction works are not highly regarded, masterpieces like "The Three-Body Problem," which have achieved both critical and commercial success, are no less valuable than contemporary literature.

But Fang Xinghe didn't want to plagiarize "The Three-Body Problem." Liu Cixin had lived an ordinary life, but "The Three-Body Problem" changed his fate. As someone who lacked nothing, Fang Xinghe wanted to plunder all of Liu Cixin's glory, dignity, wealth, art, and life. It was too evil.

He'd be happy to copy things from the Japanese or Koreans, but the problem is, Japan and Korea don't have anything good to offer in this regard, at least not openly.

So the final plan was to write a futuristic soft science fiction book called "2050," which is the easiest thing to write.

Simply describe the reality of 2030 as "the imagined 2050," and you'll find AI tools, big data, facial recognition payments, cyber cities...

Let's pick another theme and incorporate reality: isolationism against globalization, the magical madness of late-stage capitalism, Americans selling their blood to survive, comical politicians who go back on their word, global revolution and the great Eastern power's desperate efforts to maintain stability... Damn, if I wrote that, I'd definitely get cursed to death.

Who would believe these things?

Now, even fantasizing about surpassing Japan in twenty years is considered a sin, and netizens will vehemently criticize you for delusional behavior.

Fang Xinghe wasn't afraid of being criticized, but he hesitated whether it was necessary to make such a high-profile prediction.

The difference between providing guidance and making accurate predictions is that the former can empower the people, while the latter is merely personal boasting and may even lead to many negative consequences.

Our policy of keeping a low profile has worked quite well. The General has been putting on a show for so many years, it's heartbreaking to think about, but it's a necessary sacrifice on the road to victory.

Between nations, a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

So this wicked idea was ultimately abandoned. It's best not to write about it in the future; let it all settle in my heart and become my own secret...

Then there really weren't many options left.

Philosophical works full of spiritual power, such as "Siddhartha," are a pass; they are too inappropriate for my age.

However, the desire to write a philosophical work remained in Fang Xinghe's heart and became a long-term goal.

Between the ages of 25 and 30, after accumulating enough experience, then achieve it.

……

Fantasy themes, exemplified by "Ghost Blows Out the Light," are a no-go. I disdain copying them, and there's no need to covet the profits from IP adaptations.

However, thinking about it reminded Fang Xinghe of something—the mythological themes like the Investiture of the Gods must not be allowed to continue to be ruined by people like Wu Ersan.

The Investiture of the Gods is a public domain novel; Fang Xinghe can't stop anyone from filming it.

However, he could have planned ahead to create a grander mythological system that connects the past and present, including the Investiture of the Gods, and then made his own grand cinematic universe.

In this way, by directly overwhelming them in terms of scale and investment, those nonsensical and crooked films will naturally have less room to survive.

"Please mark this as important."

Fang Xinghe noted the incident down in his memo and stopped thinking about it.

Each stage has its own tasks to complete. While plans are important, the most pressing matters must not be overlooked.

……

Youth literature, represented by "You Are the Apple of My Eye," is half pass and half yes.

The downside is that it's too simple, lacks sophistication, and the veterans in the literary world will definitely find fault with it.

The good thing is that it can fully cover the main target group of the product – teenagers.

Reaching as many fans as possible is a very important and crucial thing. Before making movies and TV series, he must protect his base and achieve effective output every year.

If you write a traditional literary work that's stifling, heavy, and realistic, and the literary world praises it highly, but the younger readers can't stand it, then it's not considered effective output. The long-term result of not producing effective output is losing fans; Duan Wang and Ju Jie are two good examples.

Even if he could win the Mao Dun Literature Prize, it would be an inefficient output. After all, at this stage, Fang Xinghe's most important core asset is his teenage fans, especially his Japanese concubines, Korean maids, and Southeast Asian mistresses. They certainly wouldn't be interested in Chinese realistic works.

Therefore, writing a youth literature work that can neutralize the pain of "Cang Ye Xue" is the best solution at present.

Give them a little treat, and then I can continue to torture them in the next book... Damn it, I'm such a beast.

As for the shortcomings of youth literature, they can actually be avoided through writing techniques.

For example, you could create a group portrait that fully captures the regrets of youth, making it authentic, passionate, and vibrant, leaving a lasting impression so that it becomes a generation's memory of their youth—that would be quite sophisticated.

This requires a high level of writing and plot skill, but Fang Xinghe happens to have both.

Furthermore, in truth, Fang Xinghe had a strong urge to write about the Thirteen Eagles in a memoir of his youth.

Although he hadn't known them for long, their idiocy, sincerity, impulsiveness, and joy gave him a rare sense of vitality, washing away the gloom and lifelessness that had naturally grown from his long period of bedriddenness.

Writing about them is also Fang Xinghe's own journey back to his youth.

As for the audience of the youth portrait, there's even less to worry about.

Previous articles have given a brief overview of them, which has been well-received by readers. Many people like Lu Tingting, who is known for her sudden wealth, extravagant lifestyle, and daring behavior. If a more comprehensive and detailed account is written, it will definitely have the potential to become a bestseller.

If sales can reach 2000 million, the benefits to Fang Xinghe will be self-evident—this is a crucial step on the road to legend.

After careful consideration, Fang Xinghe finally settled on the framework: write about the people around him and depict a group of young people.

Similar in style to "You Are the Apple of My Eye," it has a clear love story, but the boy misses out on the girl because he matures too late. There are no unexpected factors such as car accidents or cancer, only various realities.

The reality is that there's high pressure from parents, strict school regulations, encouragement from friends, boys' slowness and pride, and girls' sensitivity and anxiety...

The core message hidden in the shadows is: regrets in youth are almost inevitable. I, who was immature, met you, who thought you were mature. Our love was pure and passionate, but we were too fragile to withstand the slightest storm.

If the most poetic language could be used to depict this greatest misalignment of adolescence, "The Young Us" could become a landmark classic.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe did not write about himself, but about Xiao Fang.

It was a proud, reckless, and arrogant wild wolf cub, not the contradictory combination it is today.

As the protagonist of a youth novel, Xiao Fang isn't particularly handsome, but he's extremely charming. However, this charm is fragile, innocent, and unpredictable.

In a simple environment, he could handle everything except emotions. But as the world became more and more complicated, the boy began to suffer. Although no blow could smooth out the rough edges in his heart, "loss" always followed him like a shadow.

The story spans from high school to society, from his youthful exuberance to the harsh realities of life. The ending borrows from "You Are the Apple of My Eye," where ten years later, the female protagonist marries, bringing a period to everyone's youth.

Emerging from the last drinking session after the wedding banquet, Xiao Fang walked alone on the river bridge, swaying unsteadily, singing the last half of a song she hadn't finished singing at the karaoke bar. Suddenly, she plopped down on the railing, lit a cigarette with trembling hands, and buried her head deeply.

A tiny spark flickered on and off, teetering on the verge of falling.

……

The story is that simple and not difficult to write, so the first draft was completed by mid-January.

In mid-February, before Fang Xinghe set off, the second draft was finalized.

Thanks to improved writing skills and a simpler structure, "Our Youth" no longer needed a third draft. This simple structure, which doesn't require any hidden information, can easily touch people's hearts as long as the text has enough tension.

The biggest evidence was the crotch grab—Fang Xinghe showed him the first draft, and the carefree idiot was in a daze for several days, sighing whenever he thought about it.

"You actually took it to heart?"

Duo Yu and Bao Fu looked at him with suspicion, then grabbed his crotch and roared angrily, "Damn it! I'm not an idiot!"

"Oh, right, you're not."

After a few perfunctory words, everyone turned around and began scrambling for the first draft.

"It's done," Fang Xinghe thought to himself.

If a book can move even someone like "crotch-grabbing" to tears, then its audience can cover almost 80% of people aged 10 to 25.

The rest are illiterate people and those with reading disabilities; they couldn't be any worse.

So Fang Xinghe threw the manuscript into Times Literature and Art Publishing House, leaving behind a sentence: "It will be officially released on April 1st, my birthday."

Then he ignored everything and leisurely went to the capital.

The time for the art exams has come, and he has decided to get a ticket to the directing department of Beijing Film Academy.

I definitely won't go to Tsinghua or Peking University. The Chinese Literature Department, the Journalism Department, and the Economics and Management Department are all disgusting.

Fang Ge isn't one to hold grudges, but the criticism he received from Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities last time was clearly written in his diary. He himself doesn't care, but his fans do.

Yes, they're all petty fans of Fang.

In comparison, although the directing department of Beijing Film Academy isn't great either, it's a small institution, and Fang Xinghe is treated like royalty there, able to freely modify it according to his own ideas.

If you really can't change it, you can always flip the table and smash all the pots and pans. That way, you can completely avoid getting upset.

If you go to Tsinghua or Peking University, don't you have to keep a low profile? Are you going to have conflicts with the department or even the college?

Back in 2001, there was a lot of dog poop everywhere, so it was better to be the head of a chicken in a place you could control than to be the tail of a phoenix in someone else's territory.

Rather than being suppressed by a series of accusations and afraid to lash out, why not stand outside and vent your anger? That's just how wild Brother Fang is.

However, before he could even start cursing, news broke that he had applied to the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy, and a group of old scholars began to express their "heartache and indignation."

Coincidentally, those with the surname Jiao from Peking University and those with the surname Gao from Tsinghua University are both among those who are talking nonsense.

They condescendingly criticized him, saying things like "he has such good grades but is too eager for quick success," "he has the ability to get into Tsinghua or Peking University but chooses to degenerate," and "being able to write good articles doesn't mean you can make good movies"...

Goodness, Fang Xinghe had only been silent for a little over a month, and they couldn't wait to get him trending again. They really can't resist riding on his coattails.

Fang Xinghe didn't think much of it and was too lazy to pay attention, but the Beijing circle went wild as soon as they heard the word "director".

"It's a good thing for young people to have ambition; who hasn't had wild ideas before?"

Unable to obtain Fang Xinghe's copyright, Xiao Gangpao changed his tune again, adopting the attitude of a senior in his own area of ​​expertise.

Yang Shuo was even more exaggerated, laughing so hard he almost fell over: "Oh my, I'm so looking forward to his directorial work! From today onwards, I'm really looking forward to it, hahahahahaha!"

Media outlets were moved to tears: It's not easy, they've finally caught up in Uncle Fang's popularity again!

Fang's fans also began to stir, some excited, some bewildered, some expectant, some worried, some delighted, some disgusted, some understanding, some not understanding...

He simply announced a decision, and the world started revolving around him again.

This is the star among stars, a pioneering top star who shouldn't have been born in this era.

(End of this chapter)