Chapter 653: Travel Seminar

Around the National Day, the weather in Yanjing is the best every year, and the novel writing seminar organized by the Guowen Society was held as scheduled in Yanjing.

This seminar is mainly aimed at Shaanxi writers. Cheng Zhongshi and Lu Yao are now considered the leading figures in Shaanxi literary world. The "Shaanxi Army" led by the two can be described as strong and powerful.

Jia Pingwa, Gao Jianqun, Jingfu, Wang Peng...

A writer in his thirties to fifties is in the prime of his life, and this is the time when a writer has the most creative energy in his life.

The first day of the novel writing seminar was held at the Guowen Publishing House. In addition to the editor-in-chief Lin Weimin, several senior editors from the Guowen Publishing House attended the seminar, including Qin Chaoyang, He Qizhi, Zhang Zhonge, Wang Yangchen and others.

Another part is composed of invited experts, scholars and literary critics, headed by Chen Yong, Lei Da and others, the lineup is luxurious.

Chen Yong looked at the powerful group of Shaanxi writers in the conference room and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"It is said that the earth mounds in Shaanxi are used to bury emperors. Now it seems that in the future, there will be not only many emperors buried there, but also many great writers buried there."

Many experts and scholars attending the meeting sincerely agreed with Chen Yong's words. Not to mention others, just the presence of Cheng Zhongshi and Lu Yao sitting there was enough to shock most of the Chinese literary world.

Together with several other writers who are in their prime and have great potential, the number of "Wenquxing" in Shaanxi literary world is simply enviable.

The overall atmosphere of the seminar was cheerful and warm. A group of writers from the Shaanxi literary world were invited by the Guowen Publishing House to come to Yenching to attend the seminar. It was a very proud thing to say that this was the first time in the Guowen Publishing House's many years of history that a seminar was held specifically for writers from one place.

However, a small incident occurred in the middle of the seminar. Professor Liu from Yanshi University, who is engaged in contemporary literature research, joked with Cheng Zhongshi during a break: "Comrade Zhongshi, why don't you write after "White Deer Plain"? You haven't produced any works for several years. Is it because you don't experience life and go deep into the masses?"

Everyone around laughed at his joke, except Cheng Zhongshi, who was smoking a cigarette and answering mercilessly in his stiff Shaanxi dialect.

"You know nothing!"

The laughter of the people around him stopped abruptly. Professor Liu was embarrassed, not knowing how he had offended Cheng Zhongshi. He did not expect that a joke would cause such strong disgust from him.

"Old Cheng!"

Lin Weimin, who was talking to Chen Yong, also heard Cheng Zhongshi's words. Seeing that the situation was very awkward, he quickly called out to Cheng Zhongshi, who stood up and walked over.

Lin Weimin pulled him over and said to Chen Yong, "Mr. Chen, some people have been saying that White Deer Plain has a historical bias problem. This view is also widely circulated in the literary circle. You are an old senior, so it's a good opportunity for Old Cheng to hear your opinion."

Chen Yong is a literary critic of the older generation who graduated from Yan A. He is of the same generation as Liu Feiyu and is also one of the judges of the Yanbing Literature Award.

Over the years, because I have frequently attended the seminars of the Guowen Society, I have a good relationship with Lin Weimin.

Previously, Lin Weimin criticized the Yanbing Literature Award and competed with Liu Feiyu. The other judges, Meng Weizai and Chen Yong, were very embarrassed, but it did not affect their private interactions.

Cheng Zhongshi naturally knew Chen Yong. The two had met a few years ago when the Guowen Publishing House held a symposium on "White Deer Plain". At that time, some people had already questioned the "historical tendency" of "White Deer Plain".

At that time, Chen Yong defended Cheng Zhongshi and "White Deer Plain" a lot, but "White Deer Plain" has been so popular in recent years that people would bring up this issue again and again when talking about it, causing this matter to become a hurdle that Cheng Zhongshi could not overcome, and he would be criticized from time to time.

Chen Yong hesitated for a moment. This was a private conversation, not a public speech, so he didn't have too many taboos.

“I think that since you published your novels in the 1970s, you have always been a writer who has continued the tradition of realism. You have rarely been influenced by other artistic methods. You fully understand the complexity of real struggles and the long-term, complex and cruel nature of the Chinese revolution. However, you also clearly see the trend of China’s historical development.

Although there are some problems in my subjective understanding in the process of exploring China's social relations and social struggles, the correctness of my overall ideological tendency is worthy of affirmation.

"White Deer Plain" is also a profound reflection of the reality of China before liberation. The only thing I am not satisfied with is that there are too many descriptions of X, and some of the content is unnecessary. "

After hearing Chen Yong's words, Cheng Zhongshi felt relieved.

Chen Yong is of a high enough generation and has enough experience, and his position in the literary criticism circle is also very important. Being able to receive such evaluation from him, Cheng Zhongshi feels that he no longer needs to worry about some people's criticism of him.

"Old Cheng had already revised the description of aspect X in the year of publication. What you said is outdated. Our Guowen Publishing House plans to submit "White Deer Plain" for the next Yanbing Literature Award. What do you think?" Lin Weimin said with a smile.

Cheng Zhongshi looked at Lin Weimin with some gratitude in his eyes. He was well aware of the conflict between Lin Weimin and the Yanbing Literature Award. He said such words openly at this time because of his support for him.

Chen Yong smiled and said, "Of course White Deer Plain is qualified. However, White Deer Plain alone might not be enough, right? Dust Settles is also a seed candidate. And your works..."

At this point, Chen Yong's face was somewhat teasing, "I think we should not report on "Promotion Records"?"

"If you want to report something, report "Promotion Records." Lin Weimin also joked.

"You, you've been holding a grudge for a really long time."

"This is called repaying a grievance with justice. I will not participate in the Yanbing Literature Award again. You are unreasonable." Lin Weimin waved his hand and said.

Chen Yong joked: "You have to give the 'young people' a chance."

Lin Weimin smiled bitterly. The old man was really good at bickering. Wasn’t that the same excuse that the Yanbing Literature Award had used to evade him?

After talking with Chen Yong, Lin Weimin walked with Cheng Zhongshi and warned him, "Don't be so angry. Professor Liu didn't mean it."

Cheng Zhongshi nodded. He also knew that what he had said just now was a bit extreme.

Lin Weimin patted his shoulder and said, "I understand. White Deer Plain is almost draining you of your energy."

This sentence immediately made Cheng Zhongshi feel like he had found a kindred spirit. He had devoted so much energy to "White Deer Plain" and had almost emptied out all his life and experience from the first half of his life.

"Don't put pressure on yourself. With this book as a starting point, your life is already worth it. The rest is up to fate. If you can write, then write. If you can't, that's fine. Besides, you have to give the 'young people' a chance."

At the end of his speech, Lin Weimin winked at Cheng Zhongshi, who smiled knowingly and felt happy.

After talking with Cheng Zhongshi, Lin Weimin found Professor Liu again. After all, he was a guest invited by the Guowen Society. If Hui Hui was treated like this every time and the Guowen Society did not make any statement, who would dare to attend the Guowen Society's seminars in the future?

After comforting Professor Liu, Lin Weimin took the initiative to suggest during dinner that Cheng Zhongshi and Professor Liu have a drink.

Cheng Zhongshi was a down-to-earth man. He raised his glass to apologize to Professor Liu, then drank the wine in one gulp.

With Cheng Zhongshi's apology, Professor Liu felt justified and drank the wine happily. He then said, "What I said during the day was inappropriate and too frivolous. I didn't consider your feelings at all."

The two held hands and drank a glass of wine to forget their grudges.

Lu Yao was somewhat silent during dinner; he and Cheng Zhongshi had the same distress.

Lin Weimin used the same words to comfort him again, and it worked wonders.

After the seminar on the first day, the activities arranged for the second and third days were field trips, which was actually sightseeing. The Guowen Publishing House hired a bus to take this group of Shaanxi writers to various major scenic spots in Yanjing, making everyone say that the trip was well worth the money and that the Guowen Publishing House was generous.

The activity scheduled for the fourth day was a reader meeting. The reader meeting was not scheduled in a bookstore, as signing would have been inevitable if it had been held in a bookstore.

By then, everyone's popularity will be different, and the scene will be very awkward.

Therefore, the venue for the readers' meeting was chosen to be Professor Liu's unit, Yanshi University.

The appearance of many Shaanxi writers in the auditorium of Yanshi University caused a sensation in the school. Countless students poured into the auditorium, and in the end there was no room left even for standing.

Although Cheng Zhongshi and Lu Yao were still far ahead in popularity during the question-and-answer session, at least it was acceptable for everyone's sake.

The four-day novel writing seminar ended in a flash. A group of Shaanxi writers were extremely satisfied with this trip to Yanjing, and their relationship with the Guowen Publishing House was further strengthened.

The effect of the seminar was immediate. Gao Jianqun's "The Last Hun" had experienced a manuscript loss incident and is about to complete the first half of the creation. He said he would hand over the manuscript to the Guowen Publishing House as soon as he returned.

In addition to Gao Jianqun, Jing Fu also mentioned the novel he is currently writing, "Bali Love and Hate". The writing of this novel is not yet half done, but Jing Fu has promised He Qizhi that he will send the manuscript as soon as the novel is completed.

With the commitment of these two people, this novel writing seminar was extremely fruitful.

It’s just a pity that Jia Pingwa was in a bad mood these days. Everyone knew that he had been in trouble at home recently, so no one paid much attention to it.

Only Lin Weimin said to Jia Pingwa before leaving: "If you can't stay in Shaanxi anymore and feel bored, you can come to Yanjing again in the future. I will arrange a place for you."

Jia Pingwa was grateful to Lin Weimin for his appreciation of him and whispered, "I will definitely do that if there is a chance."

On the train back to Xi'an, many writers talked about their trip to Yanjing over the past few days, and they were full of enthusiasm.

The creative seminar organized by Guowen Publishing House is basically a "pen club", but unlike the pen clubs organized by most publishing houses or magazines, it does not have such a strong sense of skill, and the editors will not stare at you and force you to write manuscripts. Instead, they will take the initiative to take everyone to travel and play, which is a great experience.

Everyone was chatting, only Jia Pingwa sat by the window in silence.

He was thinking about Lin Weimin's words in his heart. He had already been exhausted by life and marriage in the past year. It was time to find a place to have a good rest and pick up his past creative works.

He became famous very early, second only to Cheng Zhongshi among the young and middle-aged writers in Shaanxi, and published a book at the age of 23.

Now, seeing that his colleagues around him have already or are about to create masterpieces one by one, he is getting anxious.

(End of this chapter)