Chapter 1414: Argument
Zhang Heng initially thought that he would be surrounded by people as soon as he entered the room. However, he did not expect that other than the few people who had noticed him, the rest of the people did not react at all and continued to do their own things.
The argument in the room had reached its climax. Zhang Heng had already recognized a certain fantasy bestselling female writer who had spoken earlier. However, her opponent.., zhang Heng did not know the background of a red-necked man who was giving pointers. He was dressed like a poet or novelist who was active in the 17th or 18th century.
In addition, a man with a full beard and a slicked-back hair joined the debate. He was also standing opposite the female author, “I’ve read your novel, Ma’am. Forgive me for being blunt, but I couldn’t bear to read it after only three chapters. I believe that no matter what kind of writing should be based on one’s own life experience, because only reality can move people. Before I wrote moby-d.i.c.k, I was a seaman on the sea for four years, and I even went out to sea with the whaling s.h.i.+p.
“I watched those strong men who made a living on the sea, and watched them how to overcome their fate and how to deal with the storm. From then on, I made up my mind to write a story about them, but…”the man with a full beard lowered his voice, “The response of this book was average at that time. I guess no matter what era it was, people liked to read those strange and ordinary stories.”
“My story also originated from my own life. I just put a layer of magic on it. I believe Mr. Gandalf will agree with me.”The woman turned her eyes to an old man with a slim figure, he was looking for an ally with a head full of white hair.
As expected, the old man said, “Fantasy is a kind of literary theme. Behind the absurd story at the beginning, there is also the true feelings of the Creator.”He seemed to have thought of something and sighed, he poured himself another gla.s.s of red wine.
“But still, the entertainment value is greater than the artistic value,”another voice said. It was a man with a Jewish appearance. He had big eyes, high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, and long thin ears, making him look a little like a vampire, “I don’t care about the readability of the article, because my work is first and foremost to allow me to explore the value and meaning of life. As for whether other people can read it or not, what does it have to do with me?
“My first teacher always told me to tell a story with a beginning and an end, with a time and place, and clear values, but to be honest, I don’t care about that kind of thing at all. I agree to use cross-dressing and absurd writing techniques reasonably, but this kind of thing is not used to give the general public silver.”
“That sounds too arrogant.”The woman frowned.
“But geniuses are arrogant to begin with.”The Jewish man spread his hands.
Just as everyone was in a heated argument, someone finally noticed Zhang Heng, who had just walked in, “That’s great. There’s a new face here. He should be a newcomer to the Salon. We should ask him what he thinks.”
“Go ahead, I don’t care anyway,”yawned an American man who was curled up on the sofa, puffing and puffing as he hugged a girl who was dressed like a hippie.
However, other than him, there were still a lot of people waiting for Zhang Heng’s answer.
Even though he knew that his words would cause a lot of people to scoff at him, Zhang Heng did not hesitate. He had already thought of an answer to this question before entering the dungeon, “I want to write a book that everyone likes to read and that can quickly become popular.”
“Boring!”
“This child has gone astray!”
“This is too polite. It should be said that he is beyond redemption.”
“Another piece of SH * t! Who invited him? The rookies nowadays are too utilitarian.”Some people immediately shook their heads, they looked like they were in pain, as if Zhang Heng had done something heinous.
However, there were also a few people who found Zhang Heng pleasing to the eye.
“Well said.”
“I think this young man’s wish is not bad. No one has ever said that popularity is wrong. Don’t forget that even if you guys are stubborn, your works will become popular after you die.”
“…”
Zhang Heng was already mentally prepared for this. If this was a traditional game, this would probably be a lineup selection event. After the lineup was established, the favorability of the people in the same lineup would increase. On the other hand.., the favorability of the opposing players would drop drastically.
Of course, there were also players who wanted to be able to mingle on both sides. When faced with such a situation, they could play tricks and ride down the wall. If they were able to do it well, the favorability of both sides would not drop.
However, this was not necessary for Zhang Heng because he was not lying. What he said before was his truth.
“If you want to talk about the popularity of novels, you can come to me. I’m staying in Room 207,”the fantasy best-selling female writer said enthusiastically. She paused for a moment and then said mysteriously, “Are you free tomorrow morning? I can introduce you to someone. He is the greatest writer in the history of mankind. Everyone knows him, and his plays are well-known. Until a few hundred years later, every novel we write has a shadow of his story.”
Even though professor mcgonagall did not name the person, Zhang Heng already knew who she was referring to.
William Shakespeare. Although there was always a saying that there was no first or second place in literature, Shakespeare could indeed be said to be the most influential author.
If one could listen to Shakespeare personally explain the writing method of the novel, one would definitely benefit greatly, even if Shakespeare wrote those plays based on the market environment at the time and the preferences of the audience, however, the method had something in common. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s plays had been around for hundreds of years. This was probably the true popularity of Shakespeare.
Just as Zhang Heng was about to sit down and chat with the fantasy best-selling female author, the messy hall suddenly quieted down.
Then, everyone’s eyes gradually focused on the fireplace. The firewood inside had unknowingly started to burn and Crackle.
Zhang Heng noticed the excitement on the fantasy best-selling author’s face. She sat up straight and said to Zhang Heng, “It’s here, it’s about to start.”
“What’s about to start?”
“The monthly salon story gathering.”The fantasy best-selling author blinked. “The winner will be able to meet the owner of this place, have dinner with him, and then… get the right to leave.”
“Leave this place?”
“Of course. Although this place is very nice, with food and drink, and we can meet many masters, including the living and the dead, everyone will gather together and talk about it. Well, of course, sometimes we will also argue with each other like we did just now. After all, every author has their own characteristics and perseverance. If it’s so easy to be convinced by others, then there’s no need for us to do this line of work. However, no matter how good a place is, we will get tired of living in it for a long time.”
At this point, the female author seemed to have thought of something, “By the way, How’s your writing? Although it’s hard to have a standard for this kind of thing, the owner of this place still managed to find a way to give everyone a grade. I’m probably between LV2 and LV3. What About You?”
Zhang Heng looked at his character interface. His writing skill was still LV0.
“Looks like I’ll be here for a while,”Zhang Heng said.