novelslam Chapter 73 You really have good luck with benefactors!
Chapter 73 You really have good luck with benefactors!
After submitting "Going Out into the World at Eighteen" to a literary journal, Luo Jinnian published another story, "The Chess King," but with a significantly altered background, shifting from a special period to a new era of rural education support.
Although the deputy editor-in-chief of "People's Literature" really likes his work, this time "Lost in Thailand" is not the same as the last time when countless works were cut out to coincide with the Chinese New Year. For a bimonthly magazine with a particularly full schedule, Luo Jinnian would have to wait at least half a year to see his article published.
Meanwhile, he published "Fatal ID" on the "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" website. It was also adapted from a movie. A mature author may not be a good original creator, but their taste is definitely good.
Guo Jingming's "Tiny Times" is a good example. Of course, Guo never intended to copy the core spirit of "The Devil Wears Prada" or "Sex and the City." What he wanted to copy was the glamorous "outer skin" of what he thought was high society.
Later online novels have undoubtedly made great progress. Even when top writers "collide" with other authors' ideas, they still endow them with their own spiritual core.
Luo Jinnian had seen it all before. Although the online novel circle was chaotic, at least it was dynamic. The TV and film screenwriting circle, on the other hand, was stagnant and boring.
Originally, I was thinking of publishing "Chess King" and then getting it published in a provincial association, but then the provincial association called.
The answer is yes, but I hope he can publish a piece in the provincial literary journal so that it looks good on both sides.
Luo Jinnian is a no-brainer. Among the top literary journals in Shandong Province, "Shandong Literature," "Qingshi Literature," and "Shidai Literature," "Shandong Literature" is definitely the better choice. The name speaks for itself, and it's obvious which one is more central.
"Lu Sheng Literature" is an old publication from the early days of the People's Republic of China, and Luo Jinnian took the matter seriously when it came to the matter of being promoted to the Writers Association.
Are there any articles about Shandong?
After copying Yu Hua, Luo Jinnian planned to copy his fellow villager Mo Yan.
In 2003, Mo Yan's collection of short stories was translated into English and published in the United States. The English translation was well received.
Time magazine called him a "Nobel Prize snub," acknowledging his literary merit. This assessment was validated nine years later, in 2012, when Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize.
It can be considered a key "stepping stone" in Mo Yan's creative career, earning him great reputation in the Western world at the very beginning.
This work is "Master Gets More and More Humorous". Master Zhang also adapted it into a movie called "Happy Times" starring Zhao Benshan and Dong Jie.
The story is very simple:
The protagonist, Ding Shikou, who is nearly sixty years old, is a provincial model worker who has spent his whole life working in an agricultural machinery repair and manufacturing plant. He originally planned to retire peacefully.
However, he was laid off a month before retirement, and his family's only savings were exhausted due to an accidental fracture, plunging him into poverty.
A deputy mayor once shook hands with me and promised, "Come to me if you have any difficulties."
But when he actually went to the door, he was ruthlessly blocked at the door by the guards.
When he was desperate, he discovered a "feng shui treasure trove" for couples to meet secretly—a grove of trees next to a cemetery. At the urging of his apprentice, Lü Xiaohu, he converted an abandoned bus in the grove into a "forest cabin" that only cost 10 yuan per hour. Although he felt ashamed, the substantial income made him suffer greatly.
Then came the turning point.
One early winter afternoon, a middle-aged couple, dignified in demeanor and with sorrowful expressions, arrived. After they went inside, there was no sound until midnight. Master Ding was terrified, thinking that "someone had committed suicide in my place," and ignoring his apprentice's advice, he rushed to the police station to report the case. When he led the police and his apprentice back to the small house, they found the door wide open and the house empty.
Master Ding solemnly declared, "They are ghosts!"
Facing the empty little house, the apprentice, Lü Xiaohu, didn't seem to mind, and quipped, "Master, you're getting more and more humorous!"
When the screenwriter of "Lu Sheng Literature" finished reading the manuscript, he was full of question marks. What the heck was this ending?
Seeing his expression, the screenwriter next to him lit a cigarette and began to explain:
"The empty little house is the author's 'blank space,' deliberately left for us to ponder. I can think of three solutions. One is that the couple who skipped out on the bill might have deliberately run away after Mr. Ding left. The second is that Mr. Ding himself felt guilty and mistook the adulterous passersby for 'ghosts.' The third is that they might have just taken a different route, and Mr. Ding was too nervous to notice."
"This... is still strange."
"That's strange, let's schedule a time for him to be published."
The provincial association instructed them to publish it as soon as possible.
A few seconds of silence filled the office. Zhou Zhiyuan said softly, "How about... we put it in the 'Experimental Texts' section?"
Zhao Guodong snorted, picked up the manuscript again, and muttered, "I'll think about it some more. Anyway, the provincial association needs to publish it as soon as possible, so this matter can't be delayed."
He neither agreed nor disagreed. But at the editorial meeting that afternoon, the manuscript was placed in the "Fiction Perspective" section of the issue after that, second only to the lead article.
It wasn't until Director Qin picked Luo Jinnian up to go home that Luo Jinnian learned the background of the provincial association's phone call earlier that day.
"Your 'The Little Prince' is selling exceptionally well overseas. Major authoritative book lists have ranked 'The Little Prince' as the best book of the year, and many newspapers are waiting to interview you."
Okay, I see. The provincial association still values his influence abroad.
The success of "The Little Prince" overseas is thanks in part to the partners Qin Shu found abroad, and also to Mr. Wild Beast's videos.
"Mr. Beast's '1 Dollar vs. 100 Million Dollars' video helped you open up the European and American markets. You really have good luck with benefactors," Director Qin exclaimed.
"The most valuable benefactor is still Uncle Qin."
Luo Jinnian flattered Uncle Qin, which was also his true thought.
Director Qin smiled, knowing in his heart that Jinling was no ordinary place, and with the young man's talent, he could make it anywhere.
As the car turned into the residential area, Luo Jinnian suddenly spoke up: "Uncle Qin, besides urging me to publish the article, has the Provincial Association mentioned anything else?"
"Anything else?" Director Qin thought for a moment. "He did mention that the provincial writers' association is having a leadership reshuffle at the end of the year and they want to bring in some young talent. If you get into the provincial association this time, you might be able to get promoted nationwide next year."
Luo Jinnian didn't respond. Of course, he knew this process—provincial association, national, Lu Xun Prize, Mao Dun Prize, a seemingly glamorous path. But he knew in his heart that the "seeds" he had weren't meant for this path.
Cherish the dark age of pure literature, because what follows is hell. Once Luo Jinnian catches the last train and gets into the National Writers Association, he will stop writing and start publishing in journals.
The first to stop were especially literary journals. These things are only surviving now because of financial support. There are more writers than readers, so their influence is completely invisible.
Luo Jinnian wants to become the last great writer of our time, but he still needs to write something else.
Since you're going for physical books, you can learn from Zi Jinchen who writes suspense novels, Ma Boyong who writes custom-made novels, or Qin Ming who wrote "Forensic Doctor Qin Ming." They are all seniors, so let's not say you're copying them, let's just say you're learning from them.