"The preference index and market share of netizen readers of real-themed web works are still very limited, and some are even in the'landing embarrassment' of'mainstream applauding' and'readers not popular'. Why?" Professor Ouyang, Central South University The questions raised by Youquan caused contemplation among the participants.
"Of course, the reason is not in the actual subject matter itself, but in how to write the realistic subject matter." Ouyang Youquan went on to say that although some realistic-themed internet works write about real life, they only regard reality as the "punch-in" and "punch-in" of literature. "Message board" stays at the stage of writing life's skin and "rushing to the scene for reality". Its inner spirit and real reality are separated and dissociated, resulting in a lack of artistic appeal.
How can online literature works on realistic subjects be "applauded and popular"? How many hurdles have to be made to achieve high-quality creation of realistic themes?
A few days ago, the National Cyber Literature Working Conference and the Sixth China Cyber Literature Forum was held in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. Participants conducted discussions and exchanges on the problems and solutions in the creation of realistic themes of online literature.
Let the Internet literature more of the fireworks of the era
Realistic themes are increasingly becoming the "darling" of online writers.
Statistics show that among the new works released on online literature platforms in 2019, works with realistic themes accounted for more than 60%, an increase of 24% year-on-year.
The "2019 Blue Book of Chinese Online Literature" published by the Online Literature Center of the China Writers Association pointed out that the creation of realistic themes of online literature has a strong momentum in 2019. Throughout the year, more than 10,000 authors participated in the essay contests of various types of realistic themes and more than 10,000 entries. Many well-known online writers turn to realistic themes.
The adaptation of reality-themed IP film and television dramas also focused their efforts. Film and television dramas such as "All Very Good", "Little Joy", and "Young You" have set off an upsurge in ratings and viewing, and stimulated heated discussions among the audience on relevant social topics.
Why is there a "realistic theme fever" in online literature? Xiao Jinghong, a researcher at the Cyber Literature Center of the Chinese Writers Association, explained that in the new era, the creation of realistic themes of online literature has been guided, promoted, encouraged and supported at the national level, and realistic themes have become a new trend in online literature creation. In fact, no matter what kind of subject matter, writers inevitably seek ideals from practical experience and chase light from daily life. This is not only the "source" of online literature creation, but also the "return" of online literature creation.
Ye Shenyi began to create realistic themes in 2017, and gradually appreciate the charm of realistic themes. Her works such as "Single Dog" have been enthusiastically sought after by readers and won various online literature awards.
"It is a good phenomenon that the creation of realistic themes of online literature has set off an upsurge. People used to pay less attention to works with realistic themes. Many authors who are good at writing such topics will follow the market to write. Now such an upsurge undoubtedly encourages these authors. , Let them work harder to create. I am also trying to create realistic themes, but I will not give up the previous themes." Ye Shenyi said.
Ouyang Youquan believes that for a long time, fantasy novels have been dominated by fantasy novels. Internet creation is far from reality, and the clouds come and go. Nowadays, the reality of themes is heating up. It is a supplement to the promotion of Internet literature to pay attention to the times, the society, and the lives of ordinary people. "The shortcomings of online literature caused by "xuan" and "emptiness" undoubtedly have the effect of correcting the accumulated malpractices, and it has made online literature more human and contemporary.
Creation and communication show a trend of polarization
On the one hand, there are hot scenes of "themes get together and reality is full of screens", and on the other hand, readers' acceptance is not ideal. The creation and dissemination of real-themed works of Internet literature present a trend of polarization.
"Popularization and entertainment are the distinctive features of online literature. From the unconstrained fantasy themes that readers are familiar with to reality, this transition is a major test for online writers." Xiao Jinghong believes that online literature has never lacked a view of reality, but There are not many realistic works that directly record the times and write about the present. More works use reality as the background, in order to return to the wild imagination world. Online literature creation techniques, such as "worldview framework" and "gold fingers", are relatively alienated from real life. Strictly realistic themes are not appropriate to the ontological and creative characteristics of network literature, and it is more difficult for network writers to grasp realistic themes.
He Changzai has been engaged in the creation of realistic themes for a long time, and he is well aware of the joys and worries in it: "There are three main types of realistic themes in online literature: the first is surreal. Although novels describe real life, they are empowered by'gold fingers', and characters can open The second is to emphasize reality, which is similar to traditional literature, which presents reality intuitively, without "opening" and no empowerment; the third is to light reality, such as domineering CEO novels, although they are realistic themes, a large part of them are out of reality ."
He Changzai said that among these three types, novels with realistic themes are limited by the reading effect, and the number of words cannot be too much. The large number of words is an important feature of online novels, and short, realistic themes rarely have large subscriptions. Coupled with the lack of publishing and film adaptation channels, the cost is even higher, and many online writers dare not write easily. This is the pain and difficulty of creating realistic themes.
Zhou Zhixiong, a professor at Anhui University, feels the same. “Realistic Internet novels rarely face the complexity of reality. Internet novels are reader-centered novels that emphasize the interest and twists of the story. They are mostly light rather than heavy. Comedy Sexual rather than tragic, dramatic plots are more than psychological descriptions, and rarely show the complex entanglement between life and human nature."
Experience the "iron threshold" of life
How to deal with the awkwardness of "mainstream applauding" and "readers not applauding" when creating realistic themes?
Ouyang Youquan puts forward some suggestions: Realistic theme creation should move from theme selection to "value transitivity". Internet writers choose realistic subjects not only to focus on certain writing objects and life materials, but to choose a value standpoint, a responsibility for judging life and an attitude of interfering with life, so as to enhance the work’s human smoke and the affinity of the times, and express The core values of the times, otherwise it will flow into a kind of skill activity outside the life of the author, a kind of "rush to the field" to make a living.
"Half a life is alive and lively, you must first be emotional when you write." This is a motto of the writer Gao Xiaosheng's literary creation, and Ouyang Youquan believes that the same applies to online literature. "Internet writers should have the'life-threatening' experience of writing objects, possess ethics and aesthetics that match real life, have not crossed the'iron threshold' of life experience, have not endured the heavy and painful life, and have not The ethics and aesthetics that match the truth of life will eventually be separated from the so-called'realistic themes' in the pen. Those realistic themes that are'present' but not'local' may slip into'pseudo-realism'."
At the beginning of this year, Ye Shenyi turned her attention to the theme of poverty alleviation. She wrote the poverty alleviation novel "Special Returnee". The novel tells the story of Chen Feihuang, the owner of a construction company, who went bankrupt and went back to his hometown in the countryside by accident. Under the recommendation of the villagers, he became the village party secretary, leading the villagers to create new industries and move towards wealth. The work portrays the protagonist Chen Feihuang, the deputy mayor Gu Qianqiu, the old village party secretary Chen Guobiao and other characters, allowing readers to understand the country's efforts in targeted poverty alleviation and revealing the institutional advantages behind the fight against poverty.
To create this novel, Ye Shenyi worked hard. "Most internet writers have no experience in poverty alleviation, and it is difficult to write such works. In order to write this subject well, I went to the Sichuan Poverty Alleviation Office and asked for a lot of materials. At the same time, I found five cadres for poverty alleviation in Liangshan, Sichuan, and listened to them. Poverty alleviation experience. It took me 4 months to just prepare." Ye Shenyi said that to write realistic themes, we must go deep into life and root the people. This is not a rhetoric, but a guideline.
"Internet literature used to take the road of extensive management, many of which are routines. Writers need to challenge their own writing, need to update, and need to learn to surpass." Zhou Zhixiong pointed out that to create realistic works, online writers must go out of the study and out of the computer. , Pay more attention to the times and life.
Xiao Jinghong suggested that the basic theories and creative practice of realistic themes of online literature need to be further clarified. In practice, the experience of realistic themes of online literature should be continuously summarized, based on the new era, seizing new opportunities, devoting to new developments, and constantly exploring realistic themes. The expression technique and aesthetic paradigm of creation.
(Our reporter Liu Jiangwei)