Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 316 Chaoyang, there is still a long way to go!

Lin Chaoyang was in a bad mood because he had to get up several times in the middle of the night to change his son's diaper, and Li Shifei was in a bad mood because he was obsessed with reading the manuscript.

As soon as he saw Lin Chaoyang, his originally depressed spirits immediately perked up.

"Chaoyang, I just happen to have a few questions for you."

He pulled Lin Chaoyang to the living room and said, "This novel you wrote is so interesting, but it's a pity that it's not finished yet, so I can't see the whole story. But now I can see that you designed a two-layer structure for the novel, right?"

"That's right. One layer is faith, and one layer is science."

Seeing that he was right, Li Shifei clapped his hands happily, "My guess was right. Through these two layers of structure, we can further deduce the beauty of human ideals and the cruelty of reality, but..."

He hesitated and said, "This novel contains a lot of religious content. I'm afraid it will cause quite a bit of controversy after it's published."

A few years ago, all religious beliefs were labeled as feudal superstition. Although people’s minds are liberated now, many people are still not interested in religious beliefs, or even disgusted by them.

“I don’t write about religious beliefs in their purest form, but I philosophize about them.

For the protagonist Xiao Sanjiang, there is no difference between Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. Rather than saying that these religions enlightened his faith, it is better to say that they taught him the philosophy of dealing with things.

What he finally learned was not faith, but constant piety and reverence.”

Li Shifei listened to Lin Chaoyang's words and agreed with them deeply.

"I have another question. In Xiao Sanjiang's narration, you set a trap, right?"

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Did you see that?"

“You used an author ‘I’, which is the first-person perspective, but you also narrated a lot of content from Xiao Sanjiang’s perspective. It would be strange if you didn’t have an explanation.

And you also used this technique in Shutter Island." Li Shifei said proudly.

Lin Chaoyang nodded and said, "The mystery will be revealed slowly later."

Li Shifei rubbed his hands and said with some anticipation: "I really want to see the whole story sooner. There are too many hooks in the structure and plot of your novel. There are also many miracles described at sea. I'm afraid they are all images, right?"

Lin Chaoyang smiled but did not answer him. "You will know when I finish writing."

The more he said this, the more uneasy Li Shifei felt.

He finished reading the novel all night yesterday. On the one hand, it was because he was about to leave Beijing and was short of time, and on the other hand, it was because the novel really had the magic to make people unable to put it down.

He only slept for two hours that night and then quickly read the novel. Because he read too fast, Li Shifei felt that there were many foreshadowings and clues in the novel that he had not noticed.

"When can it be finished?" Li Shifei couldn't help asking.

"It's almost done. I have plenty of time recently. I can finish it in about ten days."

The new novel was written on and off for several months, and the remaining content was all in Lin Chaoyang's mind. It was not an exaggeration to say that it took only ten days or so.

"So fast?" Li Shifei was a little surprised at first, then he became happy.

"That's great, it will be published just in time for the first issue of our magazine this year."

"Huacheng" is a bimonthly literary magazine, published on the 20th of every even month. The first issue of 83 should be on February 2th, which is still more than 20 days away, which is very relaxed in terms of time.

"That's no problem. I can guarantee it to you." Lin Chaoyang said confidently.

It's a rare opportunity to meet a client who is so willing to pay, so Lin Chaoyang's efficiency is also increasing rapidly.

"Good good."

Another important reason why Li Shifei was so happy was that he met with no less than 20 writers when he went north to collect manuscripts.

Every day I am either working on commissions or on my way to work on commissions, but things don’t always go smoothly.

Most of the writers he met this time were not previous contributors to Huacheng, and many of them were meeting for the first time. Under such circumstances, it was very difficult to collect manuscripts.

He has only received two manuscripts so far, and two manuscripts are still being written, but the writer has made it clear that they can be given to "Huacheng".

Other writers either have no creative ideas, or have already submitted their completed or in-progress works to a certain publication.

It has been more than half a month since he came out, but he only brought back two manuscripts, one medium-length and one short. The amount of manuscripts is somewhat unworthy of the effort made by him as the editor-in-chief.

Now with Lin Chaoyang's novel, he feels more confident.

Although the novel has not been completed yet, a glimpse of it can give us a glimpse of the whole picture. Moreover, he has read most of the content of the novel. He can say responsibly that this novel is definitely a very important work.

Moreover, the novel has a strong flavor of magical realism. Both the characters and the plot are full of magic and weirdness, and supernatural phenomena constantly occur in the narrative and description.

It has both bizarre fantasy atmosphere and realistic plots and scenes, making it difficult to distinguish whether it is an illusion or reality.

This flavor of magical realism is purer than that of some damn Latin American writers!
The creative ability reflected in this half of the novel is by no means something that can be acquired overnight. It is impossible that Lin Chaoyang wrote this novel just because the magical realism genre became popular with the blessing of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

If it weren't for the deep immersion and research in Latin American magical realism literature, it would have been impossible to create such excellent works.

He was extremely glad that he came to Lin Chaoyang for a manuscript commission. With this novel, this trip out to collect manuscripts would be worth it even if he returned empty-handed!

The only thing that made him regretful was that the half of the novel he currently had in his hands was not grand enough in terms of narrative perspective.

Li Shifei originally wanted to wait until Lin Chaoyang's current novel was published to see the response, and then ask him to write an article according to his own ideas.

But he changed his mind and thought that Lin Chaoyang was now very popular in the domestic literary world, and it was the right time for him to get the manuscript.

If he waits until the novel is published now, he may not be able to get another manuscript.

With this in mind, he thought for a moment and boldly made a decision. "Chaoyang, what do you think of the work "One Hundred Years of Solitude"?

Lin Chaoyang listened to what Li Shifei said and immediately realized that he was talking about "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

Marquez has only just become popular in China, and many of his works have not been introduced into the country. Even if some of them have been introduced into the country, they are official pirated versions.

The name "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is still the translation name in the official evaluation system in the 1970s. There is no complete unified translation name for this novel in China now, and some people call this novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

“A masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages!”

Lin Chaoyang only answered Li Shifei with eight words, but his evaluation was unusually high, somewhat beyond Li Shifei's expectations.

His original intention was to use One Hundred Years of Solitude to suggest to Lin Chaoyang that he should also write a magical realism work with a grand narrative perspective and epic temperament.

In his heart, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is of course an excellent work of contemporary literature, but Lin Chaoyang's high praise made him feel embarrassed to speak.

Li Shifei was afraid that if he asked Lin Chaoyang to write such a work, Lin Chaoyang would misunderstand it as an attempt to embarrass him.

Seeing that Li Shifei was silent, Lin Chaoyang asked, "Old Li, if you have anything to say, just say it."

Li Shifei then said: "Chaoyang, judging from the work you are creating now, your ability in the creative direction of magical realism is extremely strong.

Have you ever thought about going deeper and creating a masterpiece like One Hundred Years of Solitude?"

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyang showed a bit of surprise on his face.

The novel he is currently writing has not even been completed yet, but I am already planning to have him write another one.

This was the first time he had met such an aggressive Party A.

Lin Chaoyang did not think that Li Shifei's request was excessive. He hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not easy to write a work like One Hundred Years of Solitude."

Li Shifei said quickly, "It's definitely not easy to write. It's hard for ordinary writers to write such a work in their lifetime, but you are different. I believe in your ability. In today's Chinese literary world, if there is anyone who can handle such a work, I can't think of anyone else except you!"

Li Shifei's flattery was too loud, and even Lin Chaoyang couldn't bear it.

But then again, Party A was paying to do the job, so he had no reason to refuse.

The previous novels were "assigned essays", so this one must be considered a "custom-made article", right?
You have to pay more!

"You're praising me too much, praising me too much. For any writer, being able to write such a work is a lifelong pursuit, and it is also an extremely labor-intensive task. Without years of hard work, it is difficult to see results!" Lin Chaoyang said modestly.

Seeing that he was just being modest but had never directly refused, Li Shifei knew that an ambitious writer like Lin Chaoyang must have such ambitions in his heart.

What he needs to do now is to give Lin Chaoyang more motivation. Thinking of the scene when they were discussing the royalties yesterday, Li Shifei's expression became solemn.

"Creating such a work is a huge challenge for all writers. Writers need to devote themselves to it wholeheartedly for a long time without distraction, and the time and effort spent are immeasurable.

But if it can be achieved, it will be a great thing for Chinese literary world.

Chaoyang, you are the only one in today's literary world who can create such a work."

He paused for a moment, then said firmly: "Our magazine is willing to provide you with the greatest support. I can't say anything else, but I can give you a standard of remuneration that has never been seen in the Chinese literary world!"

Li Shifei's words were full of lofty ambitions and passion for idealism, and those who listened to them could not help but feel their blood boiling, but Lin Chaoyang was more concerned about the issue of royalties.

In later generations, "Huacheng" was famous for its generous royalties, and it once made news for "sky-high royalties". If Lin Chaoyang could be offered a price that satisfied him, it would not be impossible for him to write a work according to the other party's requirements.

"The current domestic remuneration standards are not high!" Lin Chaoyang said quietly.

What you mean is that the standards are not high to begin with, and your so-called "unprecedented standard of remuneration" may not be really high.

Li Shifei gritted his teeth and said, "50 yuan per thousand words! No one has ever come up with this standard, right?"

Lin Chaoyang's expression finally turned serious after hearing this. 50 yuan for a thousand words?
Not only has no one published it, but as of 1990, the highest remuneration for manuscripts in the "Interim Provisions on Book Remuneration" promulgated by the National Copyright Administration was only RMB 30 per thousand words. For those who pay more generously, the standard can be appropriately raised, but it will not exceed 40 yuan per thousand words.

This was a new regulation on royalties issued after the price explosion in 87 and 88. 50 yuan per thousand words was enough for Lin Chaoyang to see Li Shifei's sincerity.

"Old Li, don't joke with me. If you give me this price, will your publishing house agree to it?"

Of course, Li Shifei couldn't take back what he had said. His face was firm and he said in a decisive tone:

"I am the editor-in-chief after all, so I can still do this.

As long as your manuscript can meet my requirements and reach the level of the one I have now, I will force you to take the 50 yuan per thousand words fee even if you don’t want to! "

Lin Chaoyang nodded slowly, "Okay! I promise you, a magical realism masterpiece like One Hundred Years of Solitude. I'll take this task!"

Feeling the seriousness in Lin Chaoyang's words, Li Shifei couldn't help but hold his hand.

Li Shifei knew very well that it would be extremely difficult for any writer to create a work that could meet the standards mentioned by the two.

Apart from anything else, the time required alone is enough to discourage most writers.

Two years is not too little, five years is not too much, or even longer...

How many five-year periods do we have in our life?

Thinking of this, Li Shifei held Lin Chaoyang's hand even tighter.

"Chaoyang, you have a long way to go!"

(End of this chapter)