Chapter 209: Making progress?
After late November, the manuscripts that Lin Weimin had previously agreed to receive were sent to Yenching from various places.
Zhang Zhonge was holding Cheng Zhongshi's "Early Summer" in his hand.
After finishing reading the novel, he sighed and said, "This Cheng Zhongshi is really as good as his name."
Liu Yin asked, "What do you mean? It's not well written?"
Zhang Zhonge shook his head. "Of course that's not what I meant. Although the characters in his novels are not vivid enough and lack rich colors and agility, they also have their advantages. The whole novel is filled with a strong breath of life, simple and honest."
"Not everyone has the ability to create characters like Wei Min." Liu Yin said.
Readers who are familiar with Lin Weimin’s style know that he has an extremely strong talent in character creation, and often only needs a few strokes in his works to make the characters come alive on paper.
Not to mention some of the characters he created with great detail, such as Cheng Dieyi, which are simply unforgettable to readers.
She asked again: "From what you said, his characteristics are a bit monotonous!"
Zhang Zhonge nodded without comment and handed the manuscript to Liu Yin, "Take a look."
Liu Yingang just took the manuscript, while Zhu Changsheng held the manuscript of "The Temptation of Gangdise" with a look of admiration on his face.
"This Ma Yuan has really figured out the narrative!"
After revisions, Ma Yuan's "LS River Goddess" barely met the acceptance standards of "Contemporary". However, it was another novel he sent with the letter that made everyone in the editorial department feel amazed.
Rong Shihui also raised his head from the pile of papers at this time, "This novel of his is really rare. When I read it for the first time that day, I felt like I was back to the time when I read Weimin's "The Death of Yura" two years ago. The same young age, the same amazingness."
Yao Shuzhi said: "But I think Ma Yuan may have set a very bad precedent for some domestic writers."
When she said this, everyone immediately understood what she meant.
Focusing on narrative and structure but paying little attention to story and ideas can easily turn a work into a show of skill that simply pursues form. Even if it is not a show of skill, it may become a top-heavy problem.
Rong Shihui is an old editor who has seen many styles and works in his career. He said: "We cannot generalize. It is a good thing that a talented writer like Ma Yuan has appeared in the domestic literary world. As for the worry that the proliferation of this style will lead to frivolous writing, we have to learn it. Ma Yuan's avant-garde style is not easy to learn."
Zhu Changsheng clapped his hands and said, "Avant-garde literature? Teacher Rong, that's a good idea. Ma Yuan's novels do have a very avant-garde flavor."
"I didn't mention this. Weimin said it yesterday when we were chatting."
Liu Yin said: "This kid is always able to create new terms. By the way, where are the others?"
"Did you ask for leave from the hospital this morning?"
As they were talking, Lin Weimin pushed open the office door.
"Oh, the chat is quite lively!"
Liu Yin smiled and said, "Everyone is talking about you."
"Talk about me? Talk about what?" Lin Weimin took off his leather jacket and hung it up.
"It's great to have this kid from the manuscript collection team. All the works are top-notch!"
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "I like what Sister Liu said. You should really say more, preferably in front of the leader."
"What a bad character!" Liu Yin rolled her eyes at him.
Lin Weimin chatted with his colleagues for a while. Meng Weizai stuck his head into the office and saw Lin Weimin. "It's just right. Weimin is here. I have something to talk to you about."
Meng Weizai called Lin Weimin to his office, "Leader, what's the matter?"
Meng Weizai had a relaxed smile on his face and said, "I have good news to tell you. The suggestion you made last time has been almost resolved after many considerations and mobilizations in the society."
"Oh? What's going on?" Lin Weimin asked.
"Let's talk about the writing meeting first. The publishing house plans to hold a writing seminar for medium-length and long novels in the middle of next year. The location is tentatively set in Yantai, eastern Shandong."
Lin Weimin had heard this news from Qin Chaoyang before, and today it was officially confirmed.
"What else?"
Seeing that he was not surprised, Meng Weizai knew that he must have heard about it from others.
"The next thing is about the Yanbing Literature Award. The publishing house has already communicated with the judging committee. It has been preliminarily confirmed that these works will be published through our Contemporary."
Lin Weimin was immediately overjoyed, "Old Yan is really awesome!"
Meng Weizai scolded, "What do you mean by old Yan? You have no respect for elders or younger ones. Call me president."
"Hey, yes, yes, it's the president."
Meng Weizai then asked, "Do you have any thoughts on publishing the winning works of the Yanbing Literature Award?"
Lin Weimin put aside the doubts in his mind for the time being and asked, "Leader, what do you mean?"
"The winners are all long novels, there should be more than five of them, basically a million words, which are not so easy to publish."
After listening to him, Lin Weimin thought for a few seconds and said, "Leader, how about publishing a series of books?"
"A series of books?"
"That's right." Lin Weimin met Meng Weizai's puzzled expression. "With such a large volume, it would be a bit too inconsistent to publish it in a special issue or a special issue. How thick would that be? Why not publish these books in the name of a series? I think it can be called the 'Contemporary Series'. What do you think?"
Meng Weizai thought for a moment, "If the book is published, do we still need to worry about it?"
"It's different. Ours is a series of books. Even if it is a feature of the Yanbing Literature Award in the future, a series of books every three years will also be a boost to the development of the Yanbing Literature Award and will also be beneficial to the jury.
We are not looking to make money, just to break even. What we want to do is to expand our influence. Not only the influence of our Contemporary, but also the influence of the Yanbing Literature Prize. This is equivalent to using the resources of our Guowen Press to endorse the Yanbing Literature Prize, and the jury has no reason to disagree. "
After thinking for a moment, Meng Weizai said, "That does make sense."
He went on to say: "These suggestions are all good ideas you gave to the editorial department. You have made great contributions to the editorial department..."
At this point, Meng Weizai paused for a few seconds and then continued, "As for the collection of articles for the January issue, the quality is very high. You have done a really good job. Not only the editorial department and I, but the company is also very optimistic about you. You must work hard in the future and don't let us down."
Lin Weimin felt something was wrong and confusing when listening to Meng Weizai's words.
He joked, "Boss, from what you said, the company is planning to give me a promotion, right?"
Meng Weizai said with a serious face: "It doesn't matter whether you get promoted or not, it's all revolutionary work."
Meng Weizai did not answer his question directly, but the meaning of his words was very clear.
Seeing that he was unwilling to say the details, Lin Weimin knew that Meng Weizai certainly did not want the news to spread widely before it was officially announced. After all, he had only been in the company for two years, and in terms of seniority, there were many older comrades ahead of him.
The personnel structure of the editorial department of "Contemporary" is very simple. There is the general director Meng Weizai, then the editor-in-chief Qin Chaoyang, and then the editors.
Although everyone is divided into groups, these are not administrative positions, but are simply for the convenience of work.
Lin Weimin was a little curious. Lao Meng was not the kind of person who spoke without thinking. Since he had leaked the news, it must be true.
But the question is, what kind of job can I do if I move up?
Haven’t you heard that Lao Meng and Lao Tan are going to retire?
Coming out of Meng Weizai's office, Lin Weimin was still thinking about this question.
"Hey, Weimin, what does Lao Meng want to see you for?" Liu Yin asked curiously.
"Nothing. They said that the winning works of the Yanbing Literature Award will be published in our Contemporary Magazine next month."
Several colleagues were delighted when they heard this and asked, "Is this true?"
"Lao Meng said that the agency has already discussed it with the judging committee, so it should be correct, right?"
The winning works of the Yanbing Literature Award are all works that have been published or published. Publishing in "Contemporary" does not have much impact on the sales of "Contemporary" itself, but the increase in influence is real.
As the first award in China named after a writer for novels, the Yanbing Literature Award is hosted by Literature, and the jury is chaired by heavyweight writers like Ba Lao. After the news of the award was announced, it immediately sparked heated discussions in the domestic literary world.
It is now late November, and there is less than a month left before the December award results are announced. News about the Yanbing Literature Award has become one of the hottest topics in the literary circle.
Speculating which works and writers will win the Yanbing Literature Award this year has almost become the most frequent topic in the editorial department.
Zhu Changsheng said: "Weimin has great hope this time!"
Lin Weimin was surprised, "How do you know?"
Zhu Changsheng smiled and said, "Don't you care about the awards at all?"
Lin Weimin really had never paid much attention to the award. He shook his head and said, "Why do you always pay attention to this kind of thing? You will be disappointed if you don't win after putting too much energy into it. It's better not to think about it. If you win it, it will be a pleasant surprise."
Liu Yin teased, "Weimin, this is a spiritual victory!"
"What's wrong with the method of spiritual victory? The most important thing is to maintain the mindset."
The news that the winning works of the Yanbing Literature Award will be published in "Contemporary" gave my colleagues a shot in the arm and made everyone very happy.
Lin Weimin did not mention the topic of the "Contemporary" series. If "Contemporary" wants to publish a series, it needs help from the publishing house on the one hand, and support from the jury on the other.
When it was almost time to get off work in the afternoon, colleagues in the office began their daily slacking off time, and Lin Weimin was thinking about the creation of his next work in his mind.
At this time, there was a knock on the office door, "Teacher Lin!"
Lin Weimin looked up and saw that it was Deng Zaijun.
"Teacher Deng, why are you here?" Lin Weimin immediately stood up and greeted warmly.
Deng Zaijun smiled brightly, "I'm sorry to come to your house. This time I have something to ask of you."
"Don't ever say that."
Lin Weimin made her a cup of tea and asked, "What's the matter?"
Deng Zaijun held the teacup, warmed his hands, and said, "Recently, our station is preparing for an evening party, and I and a few comrades are the main persons in charge. This time I came here to ask for your help."
There is more in the evening.
(End of this chapter)
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