One day I was watching a rehearsal for a Taiwan TV company. Most of the rehearsals were my friends, and most of my friends were excellent actors. One of them is not only an excellent actor, but also an excellent screenwriter and director. He once directed an excellent and unconventional film, and won acclaim in many film festivals. Such a person is of course very intelligent and well-educated in literature. He suddenly said to me: "I have never read martial arts novels. When will you send me a set of what you think is the most proud of me? Let me read the novels written in martial arts novels." What exactly is it?"

I smile. I can only smile, because I understand what he means. He thinks martial arts novels are not worth reading, and he reads them now only because I am his friend and I am a little curious. He believes that the readers of martial arts novels will never be people of his class, and they will never be senior intellectuals with novel ideas. He said he wanted to read it, but in his heart he had already denied the value of martial arts novels. And he has never read martial arts novels at all, and he has no idea what martial arts novels are about. I don't blame him, not because he is my friend, so I don't blame him, but because martial arts novels do give others a deep-rooted concept, making people think that they can know its content even if they don't read it.

He is not alone in this conception, many people have said the same thing to me.The attitude and psychology when speaking are almost exactly the same. Because martial arts novels have indeed fallen into a fixed form. The forms of martial arts novels can be roughly divided into several types: How does a young man with ambition and "extraordinary talent" work hard to learn martial arts, and how to be proud and successful after learning. Of course, this journey includes many fabulous coincidences and adventures. Of course, it also includes a period of hatred, a period of love, and finally revenge, and the lovers finally become family members.

How does an honest chivalrous man use his wisdom and martial arts to break a large-scale evil force in the Jianghu? "Rongshu" make-up into all kinds of people, even the close relatives, parents and wives of these people can't tell the authenticity. This way of writing is not bad. The characters in it include heroes and knights, prostitutes, chaste women, and also include heroes and bullies, gangsters, villains, and sluts. So this kind of story must be full of twists and turns, exciting, and very evocative. This form is not bad, but it is a pity that too much is written, and it has become a cliché and a formula. If someone writes the story more mysteriously, it will be considered "new", and the story will change more. , it will be considered as "changing", but in fact it has not broken through this form at all.

"New" and "change" do not mean this. "Red and Black" is about a teenager's psychological process of seducing other people's wives. "International Airport" is about how a person re-recognizes himself in extreme danger, "Little Women" is about youth and joy, "The Old Man and the Sea" is about courage and value, and the preciousness of life, " "Between Mice and Men" is about the pride and humbleness of human nature... These great writers, because of their keen observation and rich imagination, powerfully portrayed human nature and expressed their themes, so that readers can not only be moved by the joys and sorrows of the characters in their books, but also have a good understanding of the world. People and things, look deeper and farther.

The way they perform is often stunning. Such a story, such a style of writing, can also be used in martial arts novels. Why has no one written it? Who stipulates how martial arts novels must be written in order to be considered authentic martial arts novels? Martial arts novels are the same as other novels, as long as you can attract readers and make readers be moved by your characters and stories, you are considered successful. One day I met a girl I liked very much. She didn't read many books, but she was not stupid. When she knew that I was a "writer", her eyes lit up immediately, and she immediately asked me: "What kind of novel are you writing?"

I lie, but I never want to lie in front of the person I like, because there is absolutely no one in the world with a good memory who can always remember my own lies. If I like her, it is inevitable that I will always get along with her. Lies will be exposed. So I said, "I'm writing martial arts novels." After she listened, the excited and caring light in her eyes disappeared immediately. I didn't even dare to look at her, because I had already guessed what kind of expression she would have. After a long time, she told me with some apology: "I never read martial arts novels."

It wasn't until I got to know her very well that I dared to ask her, "Why don't you watch it?" Her answer surprised me. "I don't understand," she said. Martial arts novels are popular, why do people feel that they cannot understand? I thought for a long time before I figured it out. What she can't understand are the "self-contained" dialogues in martial arts novels, the complicated and difficult move names, and the four-character, "archaic" descriptions. She wondered, why can't martial arts novels be written in a simpler and clearer way?Why not write the dialogue in a more lifelike and humane way?

I can only explain: "Because we are writing about ancient events and ancient characters." She immediately asked: "How do you know what people in ancient times spoke like? Have you ever heard them speak?" I was stunned, I couldn't answer! She also said: "Do you think that the dialogues in Pingju opera and ancient novels are the way ancient people speak? Even if it is true, you don't have to write like that, because the biggest purpose of your novels is to make people Look, if others don’t understand it, don’t read it, if others don’t read it, what do you write?”

Her speaking skills are not brilliant, but she is very direct. What she said might not be entirely true, but at least there was some truth to it. Writing a novel is of course for others to read, and the more people who read it, the better. Of course some people read martial arts novels, but the readers of martial arts novels are almost the same as martial arts novels themselves. If we want to win more readers, we must try to get people who don't read martial arts novels to also read martial arts novels, and try to change their concept of martial arts novels. So we have to be new and change!

To be new, to change, to try, to absorb. Many people think that the most prosperous place for novels today is not in Europe and the United States, but in Japan. Because the Japanese novel not only maintains its own long tradition, but also absorbs it. It has absorbed Chinese classical literature, as well as many kinds of Western thought. Japanese authors were able to integrate the essence of foreign literary works and create a new national style of literature, why can't the authors of martial arts novels. Someone said: "Since Tai Shigong's biographies of knight-errants, there have been martial arts novels in China." Since martial arts novels also have their own long tradition, if we can absorb the essence of other literary works as much as possible, one day we will be able to create a new style of martial arts novels, an independent style, so that martial arts novels can also be included in literature. Occupy a place in the field so that others cannot deny its value. Let people who don't read martial arts novels also read martial arts novels! This is our greatest wish. Although our strength is not enough now, we should at least go on this road, break free from all shackles and go on this road. It's a bit late for us to start now, but it's not too late!