Source: People's Daily

Among the army of online writers are school students, company employees, full-time writers, and housewives...... Some people want to support their families, some people realize their ideals, and some people just talk about leisure...... Different purposes, different abilities, and completely different states of existence. But what people hear the most are some shocking words and extreme cases such as "overdraft life", "great pressure" and "tens of millions of royalties".

But when you walk into their world, you only find an ordinary landscape, which is not mysterious - not so simple, not so difficult, not so "tyrant", not so "high-risk...... They just chose a life in general.

Hear from themselves. -- Editor

Full-time author "The pressure of renewal is like paying off a mortgage"

Compared with the huge base struggling at the bottom, the "Xiao Riding School" belongs to the lucky ones who go relatively smoothly.

In the summer of 2007, he began to write online, and after half a year, his monthly income had exceeded 10,000 yuan, so he resigned to become a full-time author; Two years later, he successfully transformed, breaking through the threshold of a short career life for online authors; In 2010, he joined the Provincial Writers Association, and last year he joined the China Writers Association.

At nearly 40 years old, he laughed and said that he was already an "old man" in the industry, and he didn't dare to fight too hard. Since he already has a certain popularity and loyal readership, although the update speed is slow, he still manages his business well.

Even so, the work is still not easy. "Daily updates are on your shoulders, like a salaryman having to pay off their mortgage every month!" Sit in front of your computer early in the morning, waiting for inspiration and straightening your mind. "From the start of work to the completion of tasks, a lot of it is garbage time, but it is also an unavoidable wastage." After most of the day, back pain is inevitable, and the mental fatigue is like the end of a battle.

"I can't relax, the elimination rate in this circle is too high." The writer's QQ group where the "Xiao Riding School" is located is changing blood at a rate of 3 months, and there is only one acquaintance left who has known each other for a year or two. Moreover, the health status in the circle is worrying, "My ** account has followed a lot of peers, and I have seen several netizens lighting candles in it, and every time the candle is lit, I know that someone has left the ......" Therefore, he bought fitness equipment at home and tried to go out every day.

"Xiao Riding School" admitted frankly that he is much more tired now than when he was in the unit, and his work takes up almost all the time, and he can only leave the big mess at home. "Now my father is seriously ill and hospitalized, and he has very little care. I felt very guilty. "Why did you choose this line of work? The most direct reason, of course, is the high remuneration. Today, the annual income of "Xiao Riding School" has reached 7 figures, most of which come from derivatives such as film and television adaptation rights.

The sense of honor is also a major driving force to support the persistence of the "Xiao Riding School". "At least in my original profession, I will never be able to reach the top in China." He admitted, "I also thought about returning to my original profession, but I was never reconciled, it was just a subsistence job, and there was no sense of accomplishment at all." ”

"Not everyone can make a career out of hobbies and make a lot of money." "Xiao Riding School" considers himself very lucky, "The most important thing is that the family is very understanding. "Not long ago, when he was in the hospital, a nurse came to him to ask for an autograph, and this was the first time he met a fan in reality." Very fulfilling. In the smile of "Xiao Riding School", there is more satisfaction in tiredness.

Interest Writing "It's still easy to earn some pocket money"

In comparison, the days of "Moon and Autumn Rabbit" are much more moisturized. After getting married, she became a full-time wife and had a lot of time every day. She likes to read novels, and after reading too much, she moved the idea of writing herself. I tried to show the manuscript to the editor.,The editor thinks it's pretty good.,"Mochizuki" became a signatory author.。

In the morning, she does housework, goes out for a stroll twice, and after lunch, she works time. Typing 3,000 words a day takes no more than 3 hours, and the fastest time it even takes only 1 hour to complete. As for the state, inspiration, etc., it doesn't really matter much - when the idea is made of a detailed outline, the novel is equivalent to having a tree trunk and branches, and the daily writing is just to make the leaves grow on the tree, step by step, and it is not too difficult. The main reason why it can be so easy is that "Mochizuki" is stress-free. She writes novels purely out of interest and doesn't care if she can make money. For a long time after signing the contract, I only earned about 800 yuan a month, "which can only be regarded as pocket money." ”

Although it does not write for subscriptions, "Mochizuki" still adheres to the code of conduct of online novels: keep changing. "Since you want to do one thing, do it well, and whether you write well or not is another matter, but you need to persevere." Eventually, she set a record for full attendance for her first novel. The joy of sharing with readers is one of the main motivations for Mochizuki's persistence. Most of her readers are little girls, and when she communicates with them, "Mochizuki" seems to see her former self.

Now, Mochizuki, who has been taking a break for nearly half a year, is starting to prepare a new book. "I love the joy of writing." She thought that in the future, if she had a baby, she might stop for a while, but when the child went to kindergarten, she would be able to resume her old business. This state of affairs can continue forever.

Part-time writer "The threshold for web novels is not low"

"I'm crazy" entered the industry very early, and I started writing almost as soon as I went to college, and I signed a contract with my work in my sophomore year. After graduating, he went to work in the railway sector, but this side hustle persevered. On weekdays, he works during the day and writes at night. When it comes time to travel, time is unstable. "I was on a business trip and drank too much, so I had to get up at 1 a.m. and write until 5 a.m." He said that although it was hard, the rewards were quite good, "on the one hand, as a spiritual enjoyment, and on the other hand, it was also to make money." ”

He also struggled with whether to let go of his head, but his love for writing was difficult to give up, and full-time writing was divorced from society, which was not conducive to accumulating experience and materials. In addition, the elders all feel more comfortable having a stable job. In the eyes of many people, online writers are not considered serious professions.

"Society doesn't understand our lives, and there are a lot of misunderstandings." "I'm crazy" is a little helpless. The general impression is that the threshold for online writing is low and life is hard, but a little talent and luck may also make you rich overnight. "Actually, that's not the case at all."

Unsatisfactory authors do make up the vast majority of the industry. For this point, he believes that most writers do not have a clear understanding of the industry and are not accurate about their own positioning.

"The threshold for web novels is not low. Anyone can come in and write, but to rely on this bastard, you still have to have a certain talent. He said that many authors are now students in school, have no social experience, and do not know enough about this industry, and when they see others making money, they devote themselves to it, or even give up their studies. In addition, many writers can't accurately choose the subject area they are good at, and only rely on interest or blindly follow the trend. "I've talked to a lot of new authors about this." This is the personal experience of "I am crazy". He himself has always been interested in fantasy, but several attempts have not been successful, and he is thriving in urban themes.

In his opinion, it is precisely these two reasons that the director of online novels is muddy and sandy, and the writers are frustrated, and thus the public's one-sided perception of the entire industry has been formed.

As for the harm to health, he believes that it is completely avoidable that it mainly comes from sitting for a long time and living an irregular life. In this case, the first is that the online writing time is free, and the author is prone to "procrastination", and he has to stay up late if he drags it out too late, "If you have a certain amount of self-control, arrange your time reasonably, and form a habit, writing is actually very easy." "Second, in order to get more pay, insist on high-intensity writing, such as updating 10,000 words or more every day, this is the case." It's a matter of personal choice. If you're willing to earn a little less, you can have an easier life. ”

Some people call online writing a "high-risk" industry, and "I'm crazy" thinks it's ridiculous. "I don't know how many industries are harder than this. If it weren't for the relative ease, how could so many people be willing to do it? ”