A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

"There is something," Lin Shubai thought for a moment and continued, "I'm preparing to write a novel recently."

Lü Jia raised an eyebrow: "A long one? How long?"

"Approximately 50,000 words."

"What type?"

"Fairy tales. Or rather, children's literature."

When Lü Jia heard it was children's literature, she was visibly taken aback: "Your change is quite significant. Could you briefly tell me about it?"

Lin Shubai thought for a moment and said, "Tell a story about a little pig and a spider."

Lü Jia remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The piglet was very thin when it was born, and its owner originally wanted to get rid of it, but the owner's daughter saved it. The piglet grew up slowly in the pigpen and made many animal friends. One day, it heard that it would be slaughtered in the winter and made into ham and smoked meat."

"It was terrified, but its friend, a large gray spider named Charlotte, said, 'I'll save you.' Charlotte wove words into its web: 'Top Pig,' 'Great,' 'Radiant,' making the farmer realize that this pig was special and couldn't be killed."

"And then?" Lü Jiating was clearly intrigued by this.

"In the end, the little pig won a prize at the market and was spared from being killed. But Charlotte's life came to an end. She died at the market, leaving behind an egg sac containing her babies. The little pig took the egg sac back to the pigpen, and the following spring, the spiderlings hatched. Most of them left, but three stayed."

"How much have you written?" Lü Jia asked after listening.

"I haven't started writing yet, but I have a rough outline in my mind."

"A 50,000-word fairy tale can't be published in 'Story Club,' it's too long." This is the truth; Story Club is indeed not suitable for publishing this kind of fairy tale.

"I know. So I wanted to ask for your opinion on where would be a suitable place to submit a work of this length."

Lü Jia thought for a moment: "Children's literature magazines, or publishing a book directly. But you're a newcomer, without any reputation, and publishers generally won't accept long-form works from newcomers. When do you plan to start writing?"

"In the next couple of days."

Lü Jia looked at him for a few seconds, then said, "Write this fairy tale first. Show it to me when you're done. If the quality is on par with your three short stories, I'll help you figure something out."

"Okay." This was exactly what Lin Shubai had been waiting for. With a recommendation from a senior editor like Lü Jia, the publication of "Charlotte's Web" would go much more smoothly.

"But you have to promise me one thing," Lü Jia held up one finger, "Don't submit this fairy tale anywhere else until it's finished. Show it to me first."

"OK."

Lü Jia looked at him and suddenly laughed: "You agreed so readily, aren't you afraid I'll trick you?"

"Won't."

Why?

"You're the editor. Editors are even happier than authors when they see a good manuscript."

Lü Jia paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "The way you're talking makes it sound like you've been doing this for many years."

Lin Shubai smiled but didn't reply.

The two stood up and walked towards the counter. Lü Jia wanted to pay, but Zhou Chunhua refused to accept the money.

"I promised to treat you, so I can't accept your money." Zhou Chunhua pushed the money that Lü Jia handed her back.

"How could I possibly accept that? You're running a business here—"

"I haven't even thanked the kid for writing about my shop yet. A bowl of noodles is nothing." Zhou Chunhua glanced at Lin Shubai, then at Lü Jia, and asked, "Are you the editor? Is the kid's article going to be published?"

"Yes, it will be issued in November."

"Okay, okay." Zhou Chunhua nodded with a smile. "Show it to me when the time comes, and I'll buy a few copies to give as gifts."

"I will definitely send you a sample copy."

The two walked out of the noodle shop and stood at the entrance. The sunlight was brighter than when they arrived, casting dappled shadows in the alley. The sparrows on the power lines were still there, but they had moved to a different spot and were tilting their heads to watch them.

Lü Jia stood on the steps, put the folder into her bag, and then turned to look at Lin Shubai.

"Lin Shubai, your manuscript is excellent. I've been an editor for eight years and read thousands of submissions, but I've never seen anything like it before," said Lü Jia.

"Thank you, Teacher Lü."

"Don't thank me, it's because you wrote it well." She paused, "That fairy tale, write it well. Call me when you're done, anytime."

"it is good."

Lü Jia extended her hand and shook his hand again. This time, the handshake was a little firmer and lasted a little longer than when they first met.

"I'm leaving now. Be careful on your way back."

Goodbye, Teacher Lü.

Lin Shubai stood at the entrance of the noodle shop, looking in the direction where Lü Jia had disappeared. Zhou Chunhua poked her head out of the shop: "Little girl, Editor Lü is gone? Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

"No, Aunt Zhou, I'll head back now."

"Okay, come over for noodles next time."

"I'll definitely come."

Lin Shubai walked towards the bus stop. When he reached the alley entrance, he stopped, took out the Hello Kitty mirror from his pocket, and glanced at himself.

The boy in the mirror had a normal expression, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned and a glimmer in his eyes. He wasn't too stiff, nor was he overly smug.

He smiled, put the mirror back in his pocket, and continued walking.

On the bus, Lin Shubai looked out the window at the scenery, but his mind was filled with thoughts of "Charlotte's Web".

Fifty thousand words—not a lot, not a little. If he writes a thousand words a day, he can finish it in two months. If he writes two thousand words a day, it will only take a month. But he can't just copy—no, he can't just "write." What he has to do is the same work as the previous three pieces: localization and adaptation.

Wilbur the pig can't be called Wilbur; he needs a Chinese name. The barn needs to be changed to a rural pigsty. Charlotte the spider's name can be kept, but the words on its web—"SOME PIG," "TERRIFIC," "RADIANT"—cannot be translated directly.

"Top-notch Pig" and "Amazing" are good translations, but in the context of rural China, are they too elegant?

"Top Pig" can be replaced with "Divine Pig", and "Amazing" can be replaced with "Awesome" to better suit the rural style.

The bus arrived at the stop. Lin Shubai got off and walked towards the residential area. When he reached the gate, the radio in the security booth was playing an old song; he couldn't make out the lyrics, but the melody was very slow.

On the fifth floor, Su Wan's door was closed. There was no sound; she had probably gone out.

On the sixth floor, the key was inserted into the lock, and the door opened.

No one was home. Wang Xiulan had probably gone to buy groceries, and Lin Jianguo was likely working overtime.

Lin Shubai returned to his room, closed the door, and sat down at his desk.

Then he took out a sheet of graph paper and wrote the title on the first line—"Charlotte's Web." It's a good title. The name of a spider, a web, a promise.

He picked up his pen and began writing the first sentence.

"Where is Daddy going with the axe?"

This opening is from the original work; he didn't want to change it. The question has a magical quality, instantly drawing the reader into the story. The little girl, Finn, asks her father why he's carrying an axe. Her father says he's going to deal with a piglet that was born weak. Finn chases after him and snatches the piglet from his hands.

This opening doesn't need to be changed. Whether it's an American farm or a rural China, the scene of a little girl rescuing a piglet from her father is the same.