Lin Weiguang

one

? There are many concepts in prose, and there is no consensus. This is a topic to be discussed by scholars. As writers, we can leave it alone.

In fact, prose is a common style, which can be said to be very homely, written by many people and in a wide range. In fact, there is a view that everything except verse is prose, including novels. This is not necessarily too broad, and it is not the same as the concept of prose recognized in our hearts.

In our opinion, prose must still be placed under literature, which is a literary genre, alongside novels, dramatic poems and reviews.

Why should we clarify this question first? Because there are many vague understandings about this point, we should make it clear before we can create good prose.

? What is good prose? Literary critics have various scales and standards, which we writers can completely ignore. If we pay too much attention to these things, it will be difficult for us to get into the state. I don't think it's necessary to take any standards. This height limit measure is the worst. We writers only care about ourselves, as long as we really pay attention to it and write our inner words, which are emotional and touching, rather than disguised, false, or conceptual and formulaic words, it is good prose.

When I say this, some of them are completely different from mainstream prose writing. In other words, they emphasize grand themes and heights. I don't reject the form of writing prose, but it should be written with heart, not a slogan and conceptual article. Things that scream at the top of their lungs are not good articles, and they don't last long. Second, we should persist in literary reflection. That is to say, the integration of ideology and artistry. This is not impossible, but must be done. You are a literary writer, you should have this sobriety and consciousness, and writing must be literary creation. If you can't do it, it's because of your laziness and dereliction of duty. The ancients said that words without words are not far away. Even if the propaganda of the main theme is carried out, it should be effective and touching.

Of course, literary prose has propaganda elements, and always wants others to know what they want to say, but it is not exactly the same as propaganda. In particular, you can't be a vassal of propaganda, such as a propaganda tool at a certain stage. Because the requirements are still different. First, it requires speed and cooperation; One is the power of persistence. Although we can't completely avoid writing purely propaganda, we must consciously reject this kind of writing.

? What I emphasize here is prose writing. As for other topics, let's put them aside. Because, sometimes writing too fashionable will lose yourself and lose yourself. As far as prose is concerned, this is quite dangerous writing.

? Good prose must emphasize self-awareness, observe with eyes, think with heart, have strong personal temperature, I think therefore I am, and write my heart by hand. With the existence of self, our prose is unique and has an independent personality and style.

? two

? At one time, our understanding of prose was narrow, and we overemphasized lyric prose, that is, poetic prose. Some people said it was beautiful prose. Needless to say, our understanding of American writing is biased, because American writing is not equal to lyricism, carving words, that kind of deliberate writing, but only technical attention. We are tired of writing by ourselves and reading. Impressively, this excessive writing is false and untrue.

? My personal view on prose writing is that there should be no forbidden area for subject matter, no restrictions on writing, and a broad vision, from the universe to the gnats, should not be the object of writing. Although the theme has no size, it has nothing to do with the theme.

Everything comes from the heart, and the size is up to me. The big one can look at the small one and the small one can look at the big one. I have love, and I have temperature. The biggest fear is that it is too big to be appropriate. When writing, I only saw that it was too big and vague, and every sentence was familiar, but I didn't have myself; Hours are limited to trivial matters, and parents have short time. Grand narrative should have details, vivid and specific details, and support super grand. When writing small things, we should see the big things in the small, not the big things in the small, and be small-minded. For example, Ouyang Xiu's Zuiwengting Ji, Gui Youguang's articles, and some essays by Sun Li in his later years are very small in angle and length, and touch on very small topics, but they are extremely tense, covering the great atmosphere and describing the beauty of human nature. Therefore, we can't say small.

As the ancients said, take Wan Li Road and read thousands of books. This is the key to writing a good composition. This is a cliche, not new. But if you want to write a good essay, you really can't do without this scope, which is non-publication. Experience, experience, and life experience are richer. The more experiences, the more you can write. This is the material obtained from life experience, because personal experience is a unique experience, and you will have a unique opinion when you write it, so that you will not be an ordinary person. The next sentence refers to reading. Writing prose well is no exception to other literary genres, and reading is very important.

? Compared with empirical experience, this is not direct experience, but indirect experience, but it is also very important and essential. These are also important experiences and accumulations in life. Only by accumulating can we get rich, get it easily and do it right.

? My personal writing benefits from a lot of reading. Extensive and profound reading calms my heart, but when writing, it seems that I will come as soon as I write, and I am never afraid of having nothing to write.

My writing likes to start from a small angle and gradually lead to profundity. There is a saying by Zhou Zuoren, which I like very much and think is based on experience. He said that people should be honest and literature should be dissolute. What is debauchery? Just don't be too frank, try to let go, up and down or so, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, personal or other people's experience can be used and extended as much as possible. We said, write a thousand words, digressing Wan Li. This is an ironic remark. In fact, we should analyze it in detail, and we are not afraid to write it thousands of miles away. The key is that you should pull the pen back at the right time. The article is not just beating around the bush. If you want to run wild horses, you must be good at writing gossip. Gossip enriches the article and makes people more interested in reading. Gossip is not idle. Just run wild horses, don't run out of the field. This is the ability to write prose. Being able to write gossip proves that your pen is handy and mature.

Of course, it is difficult for beginners to write gossip. There is no way but to take it slowly. Sometimes, it is necessary to keep writing. Our writer, sometimes too impatient, writes in a hurry and gives up at once. Even if it can be published, it's not good. It is necessary to put it aside and polish it more. Time can sometimes find the shortcomings of the article. We can consider it from more angles, so writing differently will definitely be different.

? I read an article written by a famous writer. He said that after writing every article, he always likes to cut it into pieces and reassemble it. The result is surprising, and the assembled article is far better than the original one. We don't have to do this, but it also proves that there are many choices in writing articles, or there are better choices.

? three

Now it's time to talk about books and prose. The extension of prose in calligraphy is greater than the feeling after reading. Although both originated from books, they are not limited to books.

? If you confine yourself to books, you will underestimate the prose of Book Talk, which is an essay-style article and has been very developed abroad, especially in Britain. There is a famous book, namely george gissing's Essays on the Four Seasons. In China in 1930s, Cao Juren, Shi Zhecun, Ye Lingfeng and others all wrote excellent essays. Later, Tang Tao, Huang Shang and Jiang Deming. They all have good calligraphy prose, especially Tang Tao's Tang Tao Shuhua, which has almost become a model of calligraphy prose. He stressed: "The prose elements of the book talk need to include a little fact, an anecdote, a little opinion and a little lyrical atmosphere;" It gives people knowledge and artistic enjoyment. "In our country, Tang Tao was not the first person to write prose, but why did he have such a great influence? It is precisely because he put forward the writing factors of prose in the book that it is different from other styles such as literary criticism and reading notes. There must be facts, anecdotes, opinions and even more lyrical. The important thing is, it's all a little. How much is "a little" depends on how the author grasps the discretion when creating. It is essentially a kind of prose, so artistry is very important. We can't drown its lyricism with data, nor can we replace other elements with lyricism.

In recent years, with the emergence of the "reading" edition of newspapers and periodicals, the momentum of book talk prose is strong. But it also exposes many unsatisfactory places, that is, there is a generalization problem. Not all words about books can be called book prose, which has just become a common problem for many writers.

? After the generalization of Shu Hua's prose, there is a situation that the fishy eye is mixed with the pure pearl, and the quality is even worse. For example, after reading it, the artistic significance of Shu Hua's prose is lost.

Of course, I don't agree to confine the prose of the book to a very narrow space, which is not conducive to the development of the prose of the book. However, as a style that pays equal attention to both ideology and artistry, Shu Hua's prose should first have its own point of view, and then pay attention to artistry, so that people can gain artistic happiness as well as knowledge.

It should be said that this is quite difficult, and it can be said that one point can't be increased or decreased.

? Over the years, I have spent a lot of time on the creation of calligraphy prose, and my achievements are hard to say. It should be said that it is not satisfactory. If measured strictly by Tang Tao's standards, it is unqualified. But I don't think it's necessary to sell yourself short. One thing I am concerned about is a point of view, that is, what I get from personal thinking; The second is artistry. What I write is prose (essay), which gives people interest, not a boring paper. This is the bottom line I insist on.

? Of course, writing a book with prose is not limited to books. Actually, it was written from a book. Its vision is as broad as possible, and it can be written freely and calmly, long or short. Even a few crosses should be written with great flexibility, tension and reverie. Short, not thin and not cramped, but thousands of miles away.

I prefer to write prose in the form of prose, which can better show its stylistic charm. Personally, because of the benefits of reading, I can write and give full play to it.

four

? Good writing is a stretch, calm and eloquent style. This is the style of conversation.

? When writing prose, Hu Shizhi said that he would say anything he had to say. It seems simple, but it is not.

Say what you have first, I don't think many people can do it. The words written by our pens have been screened and filtered, which is helpless. Therefore, Xiao Gan said that he could only try not to lie. Secondly, what should be said should be said, but it can't be done. What we have to face in writing is to delete the complex and simplify it, or to express it in some way. Actually, we can't do it even if we do it. You can try to see if we can not finish what we say every day, and the result should be absolutely impossible. So Confucius said: words are just words. We write prose, in fact, the same is true.

? It is really not easy to do. Sometimes it is artificial, but it is broken; Sometimes I often can't express it, and the more I say it, the more chaotic it is. Therefore, writing prose should first be as clear as possible, which is the minimum, and then talk about something else.

? How can I make it clear and understand? Of course, you should be clear-headed, be smart, be honest, be concise and to the point. Yes, let's explain one thing first and then another. Writing in our primary and secondary schools is actually this kind of training. It seems too naive, and some people don't care. In fact, many writers can't tell clearly. They are all confused, how can they tell others clearly?

? Nowadays, many universities offer creative writing courses. How can it be creative? I don't know. But I think no matter how creative you are, you should make it clear first. This is the first thing you must do.

? At that time, Shen Congwen opened various writing classes in The National SouthWest Associated University. From his student Wang Zengqi's article, we can know something. For example, once his topic was "air in the room", which looked strange. In fact, it is training you to write one thing, one thing, and make it clear.

? My personal experience should be clearly written. First, we should grasp the details, which is the key to whether the article is vivid or not. Where do the details come from? From the observation. A writer should love life more, be more sensitive than the average person, and observe the special features of some ordinary things. This is not available for the time being. It is a common accumulation and can be used when writing in your mind. Second, make good use of words. At present, there are conjunctions in writing and spelling on the computer. These are commonly used words, which are very convenient, but when writing prose, it is unacceptable. These conjunctions or idioms are commonplace and have no freshness. Therefore, when writing prose, you should choose the most accurate words, intentionally break the original phrase structure, regroup, or have another freshness. I suggest using fewer adjectives and more verbs. If used properly, the meaning will be clear and the article will be more vivid.

Prose is a common style, written by many people, and the prose tradition at home and abroad is very profound. I think it is necessary for us to write good prose and read more excellent prose. This is a personal experience and a reference. Lu Xun praised Wei and Jin Dynasties, and Tang Zhi praised Ming and Qing essays. Qian Zhongshu's English and French prose draws nutrition, which can be seen. An excellent essayist does not appear out of thin air, but stands on the shoulders of predecessors.

? Of course, how to take it, melt into the flesh and blood of your own articles, form your own style, and write works different from others is a further problem, which cannot be clearly stated in one sentence.

? Our prose, from classical Chinese to vernacular Chinese, has been more than one hundred years, but with the efforts of many excellent prose writers, it has become quite mature, and many classic writers and works have emerged.

? Writing in vernacular Chinese has become a natural choice today. Vernacular writing is fully qualified for our writing. When we read Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren and others, it seems that there are still some strange things, but now writers, such as Wang Zengqi's articles, have understood them. Wang Zengqi's prose is mature and beautiful, even surpassing Zhu Ziqing in the use of vernacular Chinese. In plain language, his thoughts are bright, and his articles are more free and fluent. When you are interested, I suggest reading more of Wang Zengqi's prose and feeling its benefits carefully.

Prose is written in vernacular, but it does not exclude other language elements. Sometimes, deliberately blending classical Chinese, translation style, dialects and other elements can also create a special flavor. Zhou Zuoren is very good at using it in this way. His articles have a bitter taste, bitter with sweetness and endless aftertaste.

five

? Be wary of stereotyped writing of articles, which is common in newspapers and social science academic journals, but the most disgusting. Waiting for this reason is boring, smelly and long, and it is annoying to know the ending. In fact, a paper can be as interesting as a short essay. In 1930s, Li Jianwu wrote "Drunken Flowers Collection" and "Drunken Flowers Collection" under the pseudonym of "Liu Xiwei", which made literary criticism as vivid, inflammatory and influential as prose. Visible, as long as you dare to break the routine, the article can be more exciting.

? What is the eight-part essay taste of the article? Is to write the article to death, not angry at all, disgusting I like to quote many sages, but I don't have my own thoughts. Good prose, however, often has a distinct existence of me, and it is not stick to one pattern. It is often that the dragon sees the beginning without the tail, and the tail is even more unexpected and reverie.

? Sometimes, articles on the same subject can be written repeatedly in different periods. This is the case with Wang Zengqi. He wrote a novel called "Career" in the late 1940s, and wrote it again after 1980s, but he still felt dissatisfied, so he rewrote it. Of course, the theme should be what he values. I have had this situation before. I have been to Jiuhou Mountain in Zhao 'an. The article I wrote at that time was ok. But I am always dissatisfied and feel that I can't write its characteristics. Later, I went there again and rewrote it when I came back. I caught the key point this time, because I was impressed by its stones, so I wrote its stones, and I felt quite satisfied. This rewriting is sometimes a re-examination. From another angle, it's different.

Some people like to write simply, while others like to write richly and luxuriously. Both Ba Jin and Wang Meng like to write with pen and ink, especially Wang Meng, whose sentence-by-sentence parallelism is dazzling, causing an overwhelming momentum. Wang Yang is very arrogant, sometimes he can't accept it and loses it. In fact, this is the difference between the writer's aesthetic taste and pursuit, which is better or worse. However, with the growth of age, the style of writing will still change. Probably when I was young, I was happy and beautiful. The more concise I became, the more I felt I didn't need to say too much. But there are also elderly writers who can't rest by themselves, but become verbose. Everyone agrees that Zhou Zuoren's articles are good, but when he read Memories of Tang Zhi in his later years, there were some people who were slightly wordy. The article should not be written too thin. The dry mountains and rivers in Japan are a simple state, but they are too thin and unsatisfactory. Master a degree, you can only be thin if you increase one point, and it is best to decrease one point.

? It's really hard to write good prose. I'm just exploring, I dare not say it's very good, just sharing some of my own ideas.