Chapter 2 Revised Preface

Most writers write nonsense when they write prefaces to their works (Note: For a detailed discussion of "bullshit", see "On Writing", published by Scribner Press, 2000. -Author's original note.).It is for this reason that you have never seen a single book entitled "One Hundred Must-Read Introductions to Western Civilization" or "The American People's Favorite Prefaces."Of course, this is my own judgment, but after writing at least fifty introductions and forewords—not to mention an entire book on the craft of fiction writing—I believe I am qualified to make this assertion.If I tell you clearly that in such cases—certainly one of the few—there is some merit in what I say, then you may take my word for it.

A few years ago, I revised and expanded my novel The Stand, but the new edition caused an uproar among readers.I have always been nervous about this book, partly because The Stand has always been a favorite of my readers (considering the most ardent "stand fans", I should have given up on it back in 1980 human life instead of making the world a worse place by lingering this life). In the imaginary world of my readers, if there is a story that can stand shoulder to shoulder with "The Stand", it may be the story of Roland Deshan and his search for the Dark Tower.And now—what a jerk! — I did the same thing again, and I revised the story.

But in fact, these two revisions are not equivalent, and I hope you can realize this.At the same time, I hope you can know what changes I made and understand my original intention.Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but it does to me, so this preface is (I hope) exempt from my "law of bullshit". First of all, I have to remind everyone that the manuscript of "The Grandstand" was greatly deleted, not because of the editor's red pen, but because of financial reasons. (There are also binding constraints, but I don't want to go into those details.) What I added in the late eighties was actually a revised version of the original manuscript.I also revised the story as a whole, mainly to account for the impact of the AIDS outbreak (if you can use that word) between the first edition of The Stand and the revised edition that came out eight or nine years later.The result of the revision is that the novel has 100,000 words more than the first edition.

As for Gunslinger, the original edition was very thin, and the additions were only thirty-five pages, a mere nine thousand words.If you've read Gunslinger before, you'll notice that there are only two or three new scenes added to the story. The "Dark Tower" purists (there are a staggering number of them - just check the Internet to see) will definitely want to revisit this book, and of course most will suffer a mixture of curiosity and exasperation.I sympathize with these people, but I have to admit that what I am really worried about is not this group of readers, but the fate group that has never been in touch with Roland and him before (Note: It refers to a group of people connected by fate. —— Author's original note.) people.

The Dark Tower story is nowhere near as well-known to my readership as The Stand, except for those avid "Dark Tower" fans.On several occasions, during my readings, I have asked readers of my novels to raise their hands.Now that they've all made the effort to get there - and some even go to the trouble of hiring babysitters or facing extra gas bills because they have to travel all the way - see I wasn't surprised that most people raised their hands.Then, I'll keep hands raised for readers who've read one or more of the "Dark Tower" series.At this time, without exception, at least half of the raised hands retracted.The conclusion is clear: Although I spent a great deal of time writing this story during the thirty-three years between 1970 and 2003, it was read by a relatively small number of readers.While those who have read the "Dark Tower" series are passionate about the story, I can also be called creative myself-at least, I can't watch Roland abandoned in disgrace by those unfinished characters. (Think of Chaucer's pilgrims to Canterbury, or the characters in Charles Dickens' unfinished work The Mystery of Edwin Drood).

I guess I always thought (perhaps subconsciously, because I don't remember thinking that way consciously) that I had time to finish the "Dark Tower" series, and maybe God would send me a song at the appointed time. Singing telegram: "Tick-tick, tick-tick / Go back to writing, Stephen, / Finish the Dark Tower." In a way, that sort of thing happened, even though it wasn't a singing telegram that came , it was the close contact with a Plymouth Jetron minivan that allowed me to continue the journey of "The Dark Tower".If the car that hit me was a little bigger, or the angle of the collision was more accurate, things would be different, and you would see "Please do not send flowers to mourners, the Jin family thank you for your kindness." And Roland's journey will be It's never going to end, at least I can't help it.

Anyway, in 2001—and I found myself again—I decided it was time to finish Roland's story.I pushed everything aside and started writing the last three books.As always, I write this partly to satisfy the reader's request, but more to fulfill my own desire. Although the last two books were still in need of revision when I wrote this preface in the winter of 2003, the novel was fully completed by the summer of 2002.In between editing work on the fifth (Wolf of Kara) and sixth (Song of Suzanne), I decided that the entire Dark Tower series should be revamped as a whole from the ground up.What is the reason?It is precisely because these seven books do not tell independent stories, they are all part of a novel titled "The Dark Tower", and the beginning and end are out of step.

My approach to revising my work has remained largely the same over the years.I know that some writers take their time to revise their works, but my method of attacking old works has always been to plunge in, to improve as soon as possible, and to keep the blade of my narrative as sharp as possible through uninterrupted use; To overcome the most insidious enemy the novelist has ever faced is doubt.There are many questions when looking back at an old work: How believable are my characters?Is my story engaging?Is it any good?Does anyone care?Do I care about myself? When I have finished the first draft of a novel, I set it aside to age, despite its many glaring flaws.After a while—six months, a year, two years, it doesn't matter how long—I'll look at the first draft with a more dispassionate (but still fond) eye, and start working on my revisions.Although each book in the "Dark Tower" series has been revised as an individual, I never really considered them as a whole until I finished the seventh "Dark Tower".

As I re-examine the first book, the one you are holding in your hand, three indisputable facts stand out.The first is that Gunslinger was written by a young man, so it has all the same problems that young people have when writing books.Second, it's terribly wrong, especially when one considers the absurdity of the beginning in the next few books (Note: Perhaps one example will illustrate the point. In an earlier edition of Gunslinger, the Monk It was the name of a small town. But in later books it became the name of a man: John the Rebel, John Fargo, who helped bring Gilead to pieces. Roland spent his childhood in that city-state. ——Author's original note.).Third, The Gunslinger is a very different style than the subsequent ones—and, frankly, it's a difficult book to read.I often find myself quite guilty of this, and I keep telling readers that if they stick with it, they'll get the feel of the story from the beginning.

At one point in Gunslinger, I described Roland as someone who smooths out crumpled paintings in a hotel room.I have a similar personality myself, and to some extent, this is also the task of revision work: smoothing paintings, vacuuming dust from floors, cleaning toilets.I've done a ton of similar chores during this revision, and this one finally gave me the chance to do what any writer does with their finished work that needs finishing touches and adjustments: straighten it out.Once you know the impact your story will have, you have to do your duty to potential readers—and yourself, of course—by going back to the work and putting things in order.This is what I have tried to do here, too, and I must be careful not to inadvertently add or make a few changes and give away the secrets of the last three books.I have patiently kept these secrets for thirty years, and have only recently revealed them to the public.

Before I conclude, I have to mention the young man who dared to write this book.The young man had attended so many writing workshops that he was intimately familiar with the ideas they promoted: that one writes, for example, for others, not for one's own gratification; words are far more important than stories; Ambiguity is far more intriguing than clarity and simplicity, which are usually just a sign of dullness and lack of imagination.As a result, I'm not surprised to see Roland's first appearance as pretentious (and more ashamed to mention the thousands of superfluous modifiers).I cut out as much of this empty nonsense as possible, and I don't feel a bit sorry for the cuts.Certain fragments—without exception, the text I wrote when a certain storyline got me carried away, and the dogma of the seminar was left behind—I could leave them alone and leave them as they were, although any author would, of course. Minor fixes of the kind that are needed are inevitable.As I've pointed out elsewhere, only God gets it right the first time. Taken together, I don't want to change the narrative style of the first book; despite its flaws, it has a unique charm in my eyes.Too radical a change would have meant a repudiation of the young man who first created Gunslinger in the late spring and early summer of 1970, and that's something I didn't want to see. What I really want to do—if possible, before the final book in the series is published—is to give readers of The Dark Tower (and old readers who want to refresh their memories) a clearer start, be able to Enter Roland's world slightly easier.I also want these readers to see the first book in the "Dark Tower" series that more effectively foretells future events.I wish I had achieved this goal.If you've never been to the strange world that Roland and his friends explored, I hope you enjoy the wonder that world brings to you.My only wish is to tell a magical story.If you've been drawn even a little by the Dark Tower's spell, I'm relieved to say I've accomplished my mission.This process started in 1970 and was basically completed by 2003.However, Roland will be the first to point out to you that such a time span is really worthless.In fact, in the quest for the "Dark Tower", time is of no importance at all. ...a stone, a leaf, a door not found; a leaf; a stone; a door.All the forgotten faces. Naked, we are exiled alone.In her dark womb, we do not know the face of our mother; out of her physical imprisonment, we enter the indescribable, unspeakable cage of the earth. Who among us understands his brother?And who ever read his father's mind?Who among us is not imprisoned forever?And who is not lonely all his life, a stranger from beginning to end? ... Oh, lost, weeping with the wind, come back, soul.