Talking about Literature with Lu Yao

Lu Yao just turned thirty this year, but he looks older than his actual age, appearing to be four or five years older.

He knew this himself, but he didn't mind.

"Sorry, I was just writing a draft."

Seeing that the room was a bit messy, with many things on Huang Wenbin's bed, Lu Yao quickly tidied up, saying, "When I'm writing, I don't care about anything else."

Huang Wenbin knew this because he had liked Lu Yao very much before he traveled through time and had bought his complete works.

My favorite works are "Life" and "Morning Begins at Noon", an autobiographical essay that tells the story of the creation of "Ordinary World".

As for "Ordinary World," it is indeed a great work, but it is too difficult to read, so Huang Wenbin doesn't like it that much and it can only be ranked third.

Huang Wenbin was actually quite curious as to why Lu Yao was there, so he casually asked, "Are you also here at the invitation of editor Li Xiaolin to attend the writers' conference?"

"Yes." Lu Yao moved the scattered manuscript papers to his bed and said with a smile, "Actually, this matter is somewhat related to you."

"How is this possible?" Huang Wenbin was stunned. He had never had any interaction with Lu Yao before.

Lu Yao chuckled twice, touched his mouth, and then said, "It's all because your work's symposium was published in the newspaper, causing a nationwide sensation. Everyone is discussing your novel, and after reading so many, they'll definitely want to find similar novels to read, so many new writers have gained attention in numerous magazines."

"I also benefited from your influence; several of my previous short stories were reprinted by major magazines and newspapers."

"Editor Li Xiaolin saw one of the articles and probably thought it was a bit novel, so she came directly to Yanhe to find me. I was invited here this time not only to participate in the writers' conference, but also to learn some experience from the veteran editors of Harvest."

Huang Wenbin said with a smile, "Then it must be fate that we meet here."

He roughly understood the intention behind editor Li Xiaolin's actions; she simply wanted to vigorously cultivate new literary talents and add some vitality to the literary world.

This is something that the elderly Ba Jin has always been doing.

Many of the novels that other magazines wouldn't dare to include, Harvest magazine not only dared to include, but also dared to publish them word for word.

To some extent, Ba Jin and his novel "Harvest" protected many promising young writers from the erosion of certain trends.

This same protection was also given to future literary figures like Yu Hua and Su Tong, which allowed them to gradually grow into pillars of the literary world.

"I guess so," Lu Yao said with a smile, fiddling with his fingers. Then he looked at Huang Wenbin and asked, "Do you smoke?"

Huang Wenbin waved his hand: "Thank you, I don't smoke, and I don't recommend you smoke either. Smoking is harmful to your health."

Lu Yao was a heavy smoker; he couldn't write a single word without smoking.

But now that there are other people in the room, it would be impolite to smoke.

Lu Yao smoked too much while writing "Ordinary World," which severely damaged his health, so much so that he passed away a few years after finishing this masterpiece.

Huang Wenbin doesn't smoke himself, but he doesn't interfere with others: "If you want to smoke, you can, don't worry about me."

Lu Yao waved his hand: "That won't do. I smoke, which can ruin my health, and then you'll be exposed to secondhand smoke, which wouldn't be good."

"What were you writing just now? Can I take a look?"

Huang Wenbin put down his bag and changed the subject.

"Of course, this is a good opportunity for you to review and approve it." Lu Yao gathered up the scattered manuscripts, arranged them in order, and handed them to Huang Wenbin:

"I started conceiving a novella two years ago, and it's been swirling in my mind ever since. I wrote a draft last year, but it was rejected by several magazines."

"So I've been revising it, and if it doesn't work, I just rewrite it entirely. This is already the fifth version, and I don't even know if it'll be okay this time. If it still doesn't work, I'll just burn it!"

"My efficiency is really no match for yours. I see you've written several novellas and screenplays in the past two years."

Huang Wenbin didn't respond, but silently took the manuscript. Upon seeing the title, "A Heart-Stopping Scene," he realized it was indeed the manuscript.

This novel was Lu Yao's first shot in the literary world, "Life" was Lu Yao's famous work, and "Ordinary World" is the masterpiece he left to the world.

However, this version is somewhat different from what Huang Wenbin remembered.

However, this is normal.

Traditional writers rarely write novels in one go; most of them need to revise them repeatedly before they are finally completed.

For example, there are some unnecessary details in this novel that need to be polished over time.

"How is it?" Lu Yao looked at Huang Wenbin with anticipation.

Huang Wenbin carefully considered his words and said softly, "The story is well told, and the structure is fine, but the details are a bit rough and need further polishing. A major trend in today's literary world is the theme of 'scars' and reflection. Although your novel is also set in that period, it lacks both scars and reflection, which is probably the main reason for its rejection."

"From a writing technique perspective, it should be inspired by the French writer Hugo's 'Ninety-Three.' It places the characters in the context of a turbulent era, deepens the conflicts as the story unfolds, and then abruptly ends at the climax, leaving a lasting impression."

Finally, Huang Wenbin shared his assessment: "It's a good piece of work, but it needs to find a suitable platform."

Listening to Huang Wenbin's words, Lu Yao finally regained some confidence. The repeated rejections of his manuscripts over the past year had made him think that he had no idea how to write novels.

"Where do you think it would be better to submit your application?" Lu Yao asked casually.

Huang Wenbin said, "Harvest, or Contemporary."

Lu Yao, puzzled, asked, "Why?"

Huang Wenbin replied, "With Ba Jin as our mentor and Qin Zhaoyang as our contemporary leader, these two are like guardian spirits, protecting us from evil. If you don't believe me, you can bring your manuscript tomorrow and present it to Mr. Ba Jin for his review."

"Would Mr. Ba read this?" Lu Yao shook his head hesitantly. "Wouldn't that be a bit presumptuous?"

Huang Wenbin smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, Ba Jin loves to mentor younger generations. He'll be overjoyed if you show him the novel."

Since it was a Shanghai writers' conference, the editorial department of Harvest magazine would definitely arrange for the authors to meet with the elderly Ba Jin.

The next day, three new writers arrived, two women and one man.

These two female writers are named Zhang Kangkang and Lu Xing'er.

Zhang Kangkang was born in 1950 in Zhejiang Province. He is 29 years old and has long hair that is braided and hangs over his left shoulder.

She began writing in 1972, and in 1975 published her novel "The Dividing Line," which reflects the development of rural areas in the border regions and the lives of educated youth. In March of this year, her short story "The Right to Love" was published in the second issue of "Harvest."

Lu Xing'er was born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province in 1949, but grew up in Shanghai. She is 30 years old now, with messy, fluffy hair and big glasses. She has a youthful appearance and looks very lively.

She has an even more famous older brother named Lu Tianming, who wrote many anti-corruption novels and TV scripts in the 1990s. His son is named Lu Chuan, the one who directed "Kekexili".

The man's name is Zhang Xianliang, born in 1936 in Nanjing, and he is 43 years old this year. He is a senior figure in the literary world. His most famous work is probably "Spirit and Flesh," the original work for the film "The Herdsman." He has been writing this book this year, and it was published in the 9th issue of "Shuofang" in 1980.

His hairline had receded, but he was full of energy. He had a bad habit of not liking to sit and would often squat in a corner to smoke, which he described as "an incorrigible bad habit."

Lu Yao and he had a lot to talk about, and the two of them smoked and chatted about literature.

The two female writers were chatting in the room, leaving Huang Wenbin alone. He could only write some novels to pass the time.

Just when they were feeling utterly bored, Editor Peng finally appeared. He was going to take them on a tour of the editorial office, let them wander around a bit, and then in the afternoon go to Ba Jin's residence to see the old man.

"Hey, if you're leaving, take me with you."

Just as they were about to leave, a strange voice called out to them.