The Pen God: My Mentor in the Film and Television Industry

Chapter 12: Comparing with benchmarks to identify strengths and weaknesses, finalizing the draft

The buzz in the comments section is still going up.

New comments kept popping up.

These are all genuine requests for more updates.

Not a single word of it is exaggerated.

I sat in front of the computer.

I stared at the screen quietly.

My heart was burning with passion, yet I dared not let my guard down for even a moment.

I know it better than anyone else.

This popularity didn't come easily.

I only changed the last few lines of the chapter from beginning to end.

The supposedly fatal ending was gently brought to a close.

Let the emotions that have settled down be slightly lifted.

He was left with only a breath left.

It's that simple.

The reader's anticipation was instantly piqued.

But how could I forget?

I spent three whole years struggling in the darkness.

Looking back on those three years.

The journey was full of stumbles and hardships.

Others write more and more smoothly.

As I write, I become increasingly absorbed in my writing.

I stay up all night writing.

Diligent and conscientious, never stopping.

But what they always get in return is a bleak backstage and indifferent comments.

A few comments occasionally.

People either complain about the stiff writing style or the bad plot.

That feeling of helplessness, of being ignored by everyone.

It felt like a heavy stone, pressing down on me and making it hard to breathe.

Countless late nights.

I stared blankly at the document.

My fingers are frozen on the keyboard, unable to type a single word.

I even asked myself in the dark:

Am I really not suited for this path?

Am I destined to never be able to write?

That kind of self-denial.

It hurts more than being ignored.

But now.

The screen is filled with concern, urging, and genuine approval.

This is what I've been doing for the past three years.

For the first time, I experienced—

The feeling of being waited for and anticipated.

The pent-up frustration, exhaustion, and grievances that had been weighing on my heart for years.

In an instant, most of it dissipated.

Joy is joy.

My mind, however, was exceptionally clear.

I can distinguish between fleeting hype and genuine strength.

They can clearly distinguish between novelty and lasting confidence.

A small hook at the end can only bring temporary success.

Someone urged me to update today.

Once the novelty wears off tomorrow, they'll leave anyway.

To truly gain a foothold.

To get readers to genuinely keep following the story.

Clever tricks won't work.

Trying to tough it out is useless.

The only reliable one.

It means thoroughly understanding the most fundamental logic of writing.

The senior Arctic sweet shrimp expert offered a few casual words of advice.

It pointed out a blind spot that I hadn't understood for years.

This is not a gimmick.

This is the real thing.

It's the real skill that can bring a book to life.

I dare not waste a single moment of this opportunity.

I didn't delay.

Open two documents directly.

On the left is my original manuscript.

On the right is the finished product template that I polished.

After the Empress Dowager entrusted her son to the care of the young emperor, Liu Shan (A Dou) turned evil and ruled the world.

The two manuscripts were placed side by side for comparison.

Read it paragraph by paragraph, scrutinize it line by line.

At a glance.

The difference in quality is glaring and stark.

I finally see the root cause of my failure.

I used to write articles.

I can only tell the story in a straightforward manner and rush through the plot.

They were only concerned with finishing the story.

Regardless of rhythm or emotional fluctuations.

Each chapter is a closed loop that ends in death.

Everything was explained clearly.

That was too confident.

The matter was explained too clearly.

The emotions were too stable.

Readers won't find it tiring to read.

But after reading it, I felt empty inside, with no thoughts or desires.

Watch it and then close it; close it and then forget about it.

Of course, they wouldn't stay up all night waiting for me.

Let's look at the template draft again.

They are completely two different worlds.

The rhythm is well-balanced, with a good mix of fast and slow.

The choice of characters is reasonable.

The plot is not forced, awkward, or formulaic.

The most critical point.

Always leave a sliver of hope at the end.

Without revealing, explaining, or showing your hand.

Just the right amount of white space.

Naturally, emotions are pulled in different directions.

The more the reader reads, the more itchy they become.

The more it itches, the more I want to chase it.

Simply can not stop.

The more I compare, the clearer things become in my mind.

All the confusion.

All the confusion.

At that moment, everything vanished.

I will not change the main storyline.

Do not adjust the character design.

Large sections of content will not be deleted.

Do not disrupt the existing framework.

Only follow the rhythm of the model.

Fine-tune the wording and sentence structure.

To understand the characters' emotions.

Make up for the emotional ups and downs.

End all chapters of the book.

The design was changed to leave blank spaces and hooks.

It is meticulously crafted to fit the writing style.

Optimized for mobile reading.

Polishing complete.

I'll upload it directly, replacing the old draft.

In just a few minutes.

The feedback came immediately.

The backend data is steadily increasing.

Reading and retention rates have improved significantly.

The comments section is silent.

It became lively again.

"The pacing is so much better after the update!"

"The characters have come alive; they're no longer cold and lifeless!"

"Don't get stuck here, it's so tempting!"

Genuine positive reviews.

It's more reassuring than any exaggeration.

I let out a long breath.

I feel relaxed all over.

Self-doubt that had been weighing on my mind for three years.

Things are finally starting to loosen up.

I finally dared to be sure of myself.

It's not that I lack talent.

It's not that I'm not suited to writing.

It's not that I was born to be a failure.

But before, I had no one to guide me.

Nobody taught me how to do it.

All I can do is write randomly, endure the pain, and stumble around aimlessly.

Wasting time.

They've hit their heads and are bleeding, yet they still don't know what they did wrong.

Now, Arctic sweet shrimp are providing protection.

They have professional mental techniques at their disposal.

The road ahead suddenly opened up.

There is no more fog.

I know what I'm doing.

The current improvement is just the beginning.

There's still a lot to learn.

Emotional rhythm, ensemble character development, long-term planning, foreshadowing and subtle hints...

There is a lot to learn.

The details that need polishing cannot be neglected in the slightest.

The road ahead is not easy.

But I wasn't flustered at all.

You don't have to achieve success overnight.

Do not covet empty fame or gimmicks.

All I ask for is to write diligently and conscientiously.

Make steady and peaceful progress.

I have a direction in my heart.

There is a path under your feet.

He has seniors backing him up.

From now on, I will calm down and pick up my pen.

Polish each chapter carefully.

I will not let down the guidance of my predecessors.

I will not let down my passion for staying up all night for the past three years.

I looked at the final draft on the screen again.

His gaze was more resolute than ever before.

First, make sure your writing is steady.

Stabilize the data.

Live a stable and fulfilling life.

For me now.

This is enough.

I just don't know yet.

This small transformation.

It was just the first glimmer of light that fate gave me.

The real turmoil.

It's not far ahead.

It waited quietly for me to step in.

[End of Chapter]