I am waiting for this to start, and surprise me like RI did. Gu Zhen Ren is a wonderful author, you can see how much effort he puts into his work from his previous work, Reverand Insanity.
I would add a note from author after this, there are also some minor spoilers for Infinite Bloodcore at the end, so be careful -
How I feel about my work: This is a challenge
The new book Infinite Bloodcore is now available and it has already been 6 years since Reverend Insanity released.
Time is like a knife that carves the faces and hearts of every person.
6 years ago when I started writing Reverend Insanity, I was unmarried. 6 years later, I have a family and a son in kindergarten. My time writing Reverend Insanity gave me ample writing experience as well as many important enlightenment.
During those 6 years, I read and found many outstanding books. I am thankful to my fellow writers, during those 6 years, online literary masterpieces could be found everywhere and they were my spiritual food.
Besides online writing, I also read the classics. I sleeplessly read The Moon and the Sixpence, wept tragically over The Little Prince, and repeatedly read and sighed over The Red and the Black. I also read professional composition textbooks like What is Writing, Narratology, A Guide on How to Create a Movie, amongst others. I created a system to privately assess myself to these quality stories. I call it the Three Standards, it covers both webnovels and traditional literature.
I also began to have a new understanding of how beautiful novels were.
6 years ago before I started writing Reverend Insanity, I followed the three golden rules. They were fast updates, conflict, belief, etc. After 6 years, I feel that a writer should have more room to write comfortably.
Reverend Insanity being banned was an important trial for me. Because when I wrote my book, regardless of how it performed, I was never a eunuch. I do my best to finish every book because I love writing itself and I treat every book as my own child. I never want to see any of my children die prematurely.
Of all my books, I felt differently about Reverend Insanity because it was my old dream.
It is still banned and forced to be a eunuch.
This made me feel severe pain. When it happened, I felt isolated from the world, I felt I was alone in a boundless darkness, and I felt I was constantly falling down a boundless cliff.
During that time, I experienced the greatest tribulation of my writing career.
This experience forced me to question my own heart. It made me see things from a new angle, it made me examine the relationship between me and my readers, the relationship between me and my writing platform, and the relationship between me and my country’s society.
I began to face up to my influence, I began to reflect over how families and society should assume responsibility. I also began to mull over the relationship between webnovels and traditional literature.
Over the past 6 years, I gradually began to feel that the art of literature contains webnovels. Webnovels contain value, not simply business value, but proper literary value. Just like how good movies are not necessarily big sellers and how box office sellers are not necessarily good movies.
Compared to the updating digital works that are flourishing, I wished even more that I could create a book that could resist the erosion of time.
Under this reflection, I decided to write Infinite Bloodcore To tell you the truth, this is a difficult challenge.
I will try to take the best of how outstanding movies or stage productions structure themselves and merge them to create a fine and integrated webnovel that conforms completely with itself. I will try to merge the strong parts of traditional literature into a webnovel. For example, the unearthing of human nature and reflecting about the world.
I will try to meticulously describe my written characters, portray the landscape, and detail the changes in how the characters feel. I will try to completely unify the important themes, set ups, plot, and characters together to give Infinite Bloodcore a soul. This is my first attempt.
Because of nervousness, and knowing that I am small and weak, I made a lot of preparations.
In order to outline Infinite Bloodcore, I spent two months planning it out.
As for the outline, I have already made 5 or 6 emergency adjustments to the first book’s outline
Apart from this, I have read many things pertaining to organisms. Such as natural history, worldwide Animal Encyclopedias, wildlife illustrations, animal dynasties, and other outstanding documentaries, as well as picture books of shapeshifting and supernatural animals, like the Pokemon Ultimate Handbook, World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, Monster Hunter, and much more. I had outstanding results in mixing reality, fiction, and the classics. I believe that everyone has felt this in the upgraded literary work.
In order to write a good survival plot, I watched Bear Grylls and also know of Ed Stafford. I also brushed up on Robinson Crusoe again.
Because my novel involves medieval Europe, I decided to read European history, The Age of Knights——Medieval Europe, and The History of Medieval Life.
Among these, I emphasised researching the institution of noble coat of arms, how castles were built, how that world dressed, referenced pictures of foregin buildings like medieval castles, and studied how medieval folklore traveled the world, etc.
Recently this week, I began to research ships, especially European Galleons. The History of Sailboats, Conversations about the Development of Sailing Around the World, and The Principles of Shipbuilding were all read.
I tried to fill my webnovel with detail. Most of the previous details, even if it is a fantasy book, are from real things, so it can seem more realistic.
Speaking of which, I also hesitated on things.
Previous writing experience told me that the main reason people were opening my new book was because I was writing a lead similar to Fang Yuan. Magical fantasies are actually very similar to Xian Xias. I have many descriptions of farm plots in Reverend Insanity. This kind of writing is not tiring and conforms with the expectations of book readers. At the same time, it is something I am an expert in and I wouldn’t need to worry about eating.
The other alternative was to try to create something new. I know it is risky. Compared to using a new power system, creating a new genre is far riskier. Because this time, I would be using a different writing logic.
I do not know the result of this choice and I am prohibited to guess it. But I know book readers will have a change, a portion will feel I have changed and would not feel good about it, the numbers might also look terrible. The numbers might look terrible……
But in the end, I still picked the second choice.
Because I was worried that if I picked the first option, I would never leave my comfort zone.
Finally, what compelled me to pick the second choice was an understanding——I am no longer young.
Young companions, I have already been writing for many years. Previously, I regularly pulled all-nighters like it was nothing. If I stay up now, I would be unable to get up the next day.
When I sit for over half an hour, my back will ache.
I also have rhinitis. Every season it will tortue me.
When I play games now, I cannot react in a timely manner. In shooters, my hand is also unsteady. I used to be gold in Overwatch, but now I am bronze, I used to play Dota in college, now I occasionally play Heroes of the Storm as I recall my youthful memories.
Hearthstone, Plants V.S Zombies, these types of games suit me more and more.
I have witnessed my older relatives pass away, I saw my parents rapidly age, I saw my son quickly grow up, and I felt the wind of time echoing more and more in my ears. Like my hand grasping sand, I do my best to hold it tight, yet it flows away ever quicker. Whenever I can’t sleep late at night, I feel a ball of fire burning more and more in my greasy belly, it is burning my wizened bones like firewood.
This ball of fire makes my stomach rumble with hunger.
This ball of fire makes me panic and irritable.
I know this ball of fire is my literary dream.
In the event I compromise because I am afraid of the unknown, seek for the so-called dependable, and pick the first option. Afterwards, how many years will I have left?
My youth is far gone, I no longer have time I can calmly squander. I am not a young person anymore, my young companions.
Yet my past literary dreams still continue to burn fiercely. I genuinely sensed a desire to create, I wanted to create something in accordance to my heart and it pushed me.
This time, I decided to take a risk!
I set aside my youth for Reverend Insanity, now I entrust my pursuit of literature to Infinite Bloodcore.
In fact, many people advised me to be safe, to consult the divines. Taking such a big step would likely sprain my feet and destroy my egg.
Thank you all of you for your consideration.
I force a smile.
Before those 6 years, I looked at the gurus, I looked at platinum, I was very envious as I looked up.
Today, after those 6 years, especially after going through Reverend Insanity, after the ban, I am indifferent to all of those things. Of course, I am also vulgar, I am also a person, and I also want to make a living.
Divinity is something I also want.
But I understand: It is something I am not pursuing and it should never become my shackles.
Having divinity is very good, even if it never comes to pass.
I wish to be just a small writer that stubbornly pursues and gradually expands his literary dream. This dream had wealth and vulgarity, but now it contains more pertaining to literature. Like in The Moon and the Sixpence, I picked up a coin off the ground, got up, raised my head, and reached out my hand. This time……I want to reach the moon.
This is what the bottom of my heart says.
Thus, Infinite Bloodcore is an important challenge for me.
I am determined to challenge my writing style, my writing structure, I want to test and practice my new writing philosophy. During the past few months and up until now, I have done everything in my power for this.
Again, I have to be honest, I have no choice but to tell everyone, as I have said in my preface, this will also be a challenge to you all. Because this time, I am using the philosophy I created, my writing logic has already changed, as a result Infinite Bloodcore does not have the three golden rules nor does it follow the distinctive tempo of webnovels. However you will see a more refined and unified story structure, you will see a huge volume of foreshadowing that conforms from beginning to end, you may be caught off guard many times, but when carefully thinking about it, you will find the story reversal very rational.
Because the story structure is created like a film or a play, Infinite Bloodcore will not follow the usual straight and assembly line structure, it is unlikely that when the main character levels up, he will continue doing the same thing as before. It is more like a screenplay with each book being a stage. For example the first stage is the island, thus the book reader asks, why are they still on the island, why are they still stuck in the novice village? I am very sorry, the concept of the novice village originated from games and was later applied to webnovels. That concept does not exist in this book. The entire first book will be on the island.
Because of my pursuit of literary value, I will use many exquisite words. Without exquisitely writing the surrounding scenery, there will be no style. Without exquisitely writing the mentality of the characters, one cannot explore human nature. And when I actively explore human nature, a problem will come up——it is easy to denounce. Thus this book is just as risky. In this aspect, I believe everyone has already experienced it.
Lan Zao and Huang Zao, the miserable fate of these two brothers is my exploration of human nature where I question the significance of life via torture. The main character Zhen Jin, he has a characteristic that is different from the majority of web novel leads, he has an abundant mind, he constantly ponders and questions the process of his heart, this is also how I excavate human nature and develop the value of my literature.
The above defines the climax of Infinite Bloodcore, it is something different from most webnovels. The typical climax involves the sullen venting of feelings and people stamping on those they despise, Infinite Bloodcore has that, however the true climax lies in the exploration of human nature and the investigation in how people should interact with each other. Thus the first climax takes place from chapter 66-70.
I can’t help but admit that as the author of Infinite Bloodcore, this is a challenge.
Readers familiar with webnovels will surely be challenged too. I request everyone reading to have a bit of patience, a bit of understanding, and reduce your typical expectations a little. A friendly reminder——when reading the first book when it is completed, you will easily find that Infinite Bloodcore has a distinct flavor. Of course, the current chapters are well developed, reading until just chapter 70 can allow you to touch a corner of Infinite Bloodcore’s soul.
If you see these things, believe my writing is good, or perhaps look forward to a different webnovel work, I ask you to genuinely support me!
Currently Infinite Bloodcore is in its starting phase.
On Friday, 5/15, it will be an official work.
Every genuine experience will firmly support and encourage me. I especially need your support.
Because I know that not many readers will accept this challenge and there will be only a few that succeed. The taste of this is a bit on the high side, only a handful of people will like it. I especially thirst to write this time. The challenge I write can succeed.
If Infinite Bloodcore succeeds, it will have great significance! It can allow me to see a new road, it can let me create better writing methods that can create more depth, more essence, and more wonderful novels. In addition, it means this novel certainly has a place in the marketplace that allows me to continue eating and living.
Perhaps it can also let other authors see and walk this road, they could create even more wonders that combine business and literary value, that would be wonderful!
Since starting this book, I have had fewer tickets. This time, I want to request from everyone that if you approve of this novel, I ask you support me through recommending it and monthly tickets.
Currently this is the biggest requirement of this book. On Friday at 12 noon, vip chapters will be released, it only needs 10 yuan, but it will be important to the book.
After all nowadays, wine fragrant is also afraid of the dark alleys. I know many people are holding off on this book, it is now gradually entering its most enjoyable stage and is already worth seeing.
Of course continuing to hold off until there is enough to look at is also reasonable.
If you love it, I ask you to love it dearly!
Salutations and thank you, Gu Zhen Ren 2020.5.15
