Dharma Ring: Selling dung beetles at the border

Write whatever comes to mind and chat casually.

Let’s talk about the difficulties and thoughts of writing articles from the perspective of creators, as well as the differences between readers and players.

I saw that many people felt it was delayed, ah, that’s normal. One reason is because the characters involved in this plot are really too many and complicated, and the other reason is that I didn’t write the outline well.

What does it mean that the outline is not written well? It means that many plots have been conceived, but the connection between the plots has not been thought out, and bugs will easily occur as the plot progresses. For example, as I was writing, I discovered that in this situation, the character would not react this way based on his personality (those who like to write novels without detailed outlines should understand); or as I was writing, I discovered a prepositioned I forgot to write the plot. At this time, in order to prevent bugs in the subsequent plot, either the entire plot line must be overhauled, or it must be made up again. This process of finding compensation often makes people feel protracted.

And I am particularly concerned about the preliminary foreshadowing of a certain plot. I always feel that if there is not enough foreshadowing, it will feel abrupt and lead to an even longer length. (This may be because I was ptsd by those works with insufficient foreshadowing, which caused me to be too alert)

For example, ah, the plot of the shield machine (a mong man guessed it at first glance, he is indeed a mong man) is such a simple plot of making a shield machine, how many prerequisites are there? 1. Conquer Elonmel, and the pre-plot of regaining Elonmel involves atonement for the protagonist. 2. The protagonist has come into contact with the giant sandworm in Smokey Lake. 3. The pumpkin shield formation in Baahubali. 4. The large shield soldiers in the dungeon. If you want to get them, you have to go to the Eternal City. 5. Fan Lei’s bleeding dog teeth.

This is just a simple and unimportant example. It’s fine if there is less foreshadowing. The trouble lies in plots involving character growth and major conflicts. If there is less foreshadowing or simply bugs, there will be a problem that the plot is not credible enough.

Of course, there are hidden clues like Greg's, and every time you want to use some plot to remind readers, if you don't get it, you will feel that this plot is a useless plot and has no information at all.

Another dilemma is that it is not convenient for me to write a detailed outline at the moment, which I will mention later.

Another reason for procrastination is that I can't write as before.

Statistics on the previous chapters show that you can basically write a new NPC and introduce a new idea in the first few chapters.

But writing with this density, to put it bluntly, the points that can be written about souls and rings are only those, and they cannot be written in the long run. As I once said in an anonymous voice: Without the introduction of new systems, the closed system will be finished sooner or later.

So I began to pursue a plot with some foreshadowing so that I could write it longer. What I am most proud of is the one, Probably a dog, which not only fits the tone, but also has the foreshadowing and word count. The plot of Fan Lei accidentally turning into a dog collides with the silence setting in Eun Ha's text, as well as his impatience. This plot led to the famous It's probably a dog meme from Fahuan. It's a pity that this kind of thing comes by chance and is difficult to design.

(It was really an accident that Fan Lei turned into a dog. From the beginning, he just wanted to give Fan Lei some suffering to satisfy the readers' simple concept of justice, and then be influenced by Platinum Village. He also arranged for Greg to help him recover his limbs. But later I found out, eh No, Fan Lei knew Greg, so he had to shut his mouth - and then he turned into a dog. At that time, even in the group, I felt that Fan Lei was so miserable.)

The procrastination caused by the word count requirement is only one aspect, and the other aspect is the complexity of character design.

In fact, I like Xiaoge and Nimgefu very much. Because Xiaoge is very simple, bad is bad, and simple and intense conflicts can occur directly.

But this is not the case for other demigods and NPCs. They cannot be directly designed as a simple villain, they only need to be a stepping stone; or they can be designed as a simple camera that compliments the protagonist and provides a sense of satisfaction.

Nimgofu is also very good, with many starting points for branch lines, as well as small dungeons such as Morn City.

Then a problem arises. The protagonist's dilemma for the same character can actually be solved quickly. This is equivalent to the character's plot in subsequent maps being cut off. If we don’t design new conflicts for the characters, or design new characters, the things that can be written on the subsequent maps will actually shrink.

Then there’s the difference between group portraits and player readers.

One problem is that as the protagonist of the novel, he follows the plot like the protagonist of the game, or he is like a player who does not read the guide, inexplicably coming into contact with a part of the NPC's life, and never having any interaction with him again. Or, like the players who have read the guide, they can be exposed to the conflicts of all forces and NPCs and resolve them for them - this would be too weird in a novel, and it is difficult to find a reasonable reason to do this.

Therefore, it is difficult for the protagonist to take the initiative to contact these plots. At this time, we can only change the perspective, write the plots of other characters, and then let the plot converge on the protagonist.

Speaking of switching perspectives, we must mention the differences between different players, as well as players and passer-by readers.

The popularity of soul-based NPCs and bosses is actually much greater than that of the protagonist. In order to give players a sense of immersion, the protagonist either has amnesia or does not know any information. Players are mainly exposed to the plot of NPCs, and they are a camera.

So you can find that there are more fans of soul-based NPCs than protagonists. For players who are familiar with the plot, the NPC is definitely more approachable than the protagonist. This is also the reason why I dare to write other characters - players have love for NPCs, and NPCs who are willing to watch five minutes of plot can have a complete life.

But it must also be admitted that many players are not familiar with the plot. It’s not the player’s fault. Who can fully understand the plots of the FS family without reading the guide? How can players understand these plots? This is especially true for casual readers.

However, if such premise is not equal, it will bring about different perceptions.

For example, if I want to write about an emotional ups and downs, people who are familiar with Millicent's plot will be relieved to see that the protagonist does not let Millicent pin her emotions on herself. Because in the original plot, the bugs designed the protagonist to become Millicent's important friend, and then blossom into despair through the friend's betrayal. Players who are familiar with this plot can get the purpose of this plot. People who are not familiar with it probably won't feel anything, and may even think that this plot is a useless plot. The same is true for feeding Neferi medicine. According to the setting, Neferi drinking medicine is equivalent to dying directly. Therefore, just writing the action of feeding medicine is enough to cause the reader's inner ups and downs. But for people who are not familiar with the plot, unless a plot is specifically written to show the dangers of the potion, this plot will not make much sense.

This difference in cognition will directly lead to different acceptance of the plot.

For example, if I write a section about the dangers of potions in order to let more people see the ups and downs of feeding them, for players who are familiar with the functions of potions, this will be a useless plot and meaningless.

Readers with different understandings of the original plot will have completely different interpretations, which makes it difficult for me to balance it all. And from the background data, I can't tell which group of readers mostly read my books.

The reason why I often make bullets fly is because I feel that bullets are truly something that both refined and popular people can appreciate, and it is the direction I should look up to and move forward. But on the other hand, Jiang Wen himself said that he had to shoot the sun before he could shoot the bullet, and he was afraid that people would say that the bullet was too simple. If someone of Jiang Wen's level couldn't integrate the depth of the sun into a simple plot, how could I do it? It is too difficult to enjoy both refined and popular things.

I want to write too much, but not much can be written. I have to learn from the old thief and do subtraction. But if subtraction was really easy to do, the old thief wouldn’t be so good. (They say Dark Souls cuts the content, but I think he is very good. If you know how to chop, knowing how to chop can ensure a good gaming experience. The magic ring feels like you are not cutting well, and your sword skills are not good)

In fact, this difference in understanding of the plot between different players also applies to me.

On the one hand, I am familiar with the plot, so I will hide those pre-plots that maybe should be written.

On the other hand, I was too cautious and took the plot too seriously.

This also caused me to be restrained and unable to write too freely and wildly.

Why can I write casually in the early stage? Because at the beginning, there are no unclear things involved, and the plot related to Nimgefu is quite clear.

For an original world, I have a rough idea of ​​what the world looks like. I can write about whatever places and forces are needed, and what kind of tool people are needed.

But the Ring of Magic is different. To me, the world of the Ring of Magic is like being shrouded in the fog of war. I can only move forward in the dark, with too many uncertainties.

Even if I choose the protagonist's perspective of fishing on the edge of the main line, once it comes to the main plot of the game, I can only follow the old thief's design obediently, not exceeding the slightest bit, and even strive to have laws to follow for every point. , even if this is actually an abandoned case and a plot that has been abandoned, as long as it exists, I can at least say that it is based on this. For example, where did the plot that Getok is the son of Greg come from? It is a scrapped case from the online beta version. For example, the aphrodisiac effect of turtle neck meat is also the text of turtle neck meat in the online beta version.

I mentioned this issue when it was first put on the shelves. As a writer, I am immature, but as a player, I am too mature. I am worried that this will become a constraint for me. As a writer, I am immature, so I can’t write a detailed outline, because before I can determine my own style and mature, I still need readers’ feedback to adjust things like rhythm and plot, and I need to get through the pitfalls first. If you write a detailed outline, there will be a situation where the tail is too big to be removed, and you will not be able to quickly iteratively modify it if you step on the trap.

Being too mature as a player will lead me to attach too much importance to the plot of the original work and push the plot too cautiously. (Just like Neferi, lol) For example, although I set the tone of comedy, it is always easier to focus on the protagonist. When it comes to the original tragic plot of the NPC, it is still difficult for me to change the tone. So the final approach is to let the NPC's tragedy involve the protagonist, and the protagonist can solve it through his own methods. (I estimate that writing this way is still too boring for readers, and I don’t rule out the possibility of not going too deep into the character’s tragedy in the future)

Another problem is that I'm tired of it.

Readers may not get bored so quickly after watching a plot in which the protagonist easily solves a certain problem, but for someone who designs the plot, I actually get bored quite quickly.

There is a saying that good plot design is to prevent the audience from noticing the sense of design. However, such a good design requires me to write dozens or hundreds of them continuously at intervals of about 10,000 words. It is really too difficult for me, and I can't do it.

If you look at the plot this time, I didn’t even let the protagonist take action.

I've already asked the protagonist to learn the soul power system over and over again, but I don't know how many times I can take action without repeating it. There are several ultimate moves that have been reserved for specific plots and cannot be used at ordinary times. Is the core selling point of this book to watch the main character live? Of course there is this, but living is one aspect, and the protagonist must use the magic ring and the things in the soul to collide to complete the living. In this case, it would be... difficult, really difficult.

In fact, I am already reflecting on whether this is necessary. When I wrote the part where the protagonist went to the Eternal City, a few players were able to get the entrance shaft of the Shifra River next to Noklon, and there was a real pool next to the elevator, and then they smiled knowingly. How many players still remember the formic stones next to the cliff of Nokron, and then think of the sacred tree and the ants climbing up and down the branches at the deep roots, as well as the Noxian ant knights, and then understand that This idea of ​​riding ants is so logical. I have played too many games and am too entangled in the original plot. I have become separated from the masses.

Of course, I should regard this as a challenge, and study how to write to relieve myself from the fatigue of thinking of ideas without boring the reader, and how to reasonably lengthen the word count of a plot.

But this problem becomes even more troublesome when faced with the constraints mentioned above. There are too many restrictions and it is difficult to circumvent them.

All I can say is that I tried my best and it’s all the old thief’s fault. I originally planned to start writing in September, but I thought it would be time to announce the DLC when TGA won the game of the year in December. I didn’t expect that the DLC would be released next year right away. If I really had to write at the same pace as before, it would probably be finished within two months. I get one month's royalties from Qidian, but my two-month salary from Qidian is in vain? Can I agree? Mao Luen is the serious business!

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The Son of Platinum section was really long. It was because I had experienced the embarrassment of not knowing what to write in Red Lion City at that time (one of the reasons why the Red Lion section didn't work well was actually that I didn't have the equipment to type easily during the Chinese New Year, so I was forced to It’s caused by holding back. Of course, Galid really has nothing to write about. Almost all people are dead, and I don’t like original characters.) I’m studying how to write next and how to design the plot so that it can be written without being played. After various drawings, I finally found that the theme fell on the church of bonding, atonement and bonding, and all the characters can be linked to this theme.

So I designed Platinum Village to pick up three sinners and redeem each other (hiding Xiao Ge was actually because I felt that picking up three people was too repetitive, so I hid one as a hidden line). It's a pity that when I was designing this plot, I didn't realize how complicated the plot would be when such a Platinum Village meets Neferi like that, so I just turned it into a ball of yarn. No matter who's plot is written, it will involve another person's plot, making it uncomfortable to write anyone's plot.

If you want readers to read happily, it is easiest to have a simple and bright plot, just like before. It’s just that I have to rethink how to design those trivial plots. After all, this is equivalent to filling in the plot settings of this open world with nothing, and I have to beware of DLC backstabbing. If you can’t think of it… let’s stop talking.

ps: If the dlc is really about Mikaela, I will blindly guess that the entrance to the dlc is where the amber starlight is picked up. Although I'd rather see them traveling overseas to see what the clouds in the center of the six divine grant towers are.