Clara : “I forgot to buy the seasoning just now , Myrna , go get a pack from the shelf over there.”
“Okay.” Myrna knew that her mother wanted to get rid of her.
After seeing her daughter leave, Clara finally spoke: “I also said this this morning, I’m still thinking about it.”
“Think about it. I mentioned this to you three months ago, right? You said you wanted to consider it then. Okay, I’ll give you some time to think about it, but you haven’t given me an accurate answer until now.”
Clara frowned. “We have worked together for so many years. You should know that I am good at short and medium-length novels of suspense and thriller, about 200, 000 to 300, 000 words. You suddenly want me to switch to writing online novels. This … the two are totally unrelated!”
“Aren’t they all novels? How come they are not related? Literature is all universal, there is no such thing as being related or not related!”
The woman’s tone was a little stern, and her smile faded.
Clara tried to analyze it for her: “First of all, online novels are basically long, often more than a million words. Secondly, popular online novel genres, such as urban romance and wealthy marriage, are not what I am good at. How do you want me to write?”
“Isn’t the lesson of “Green Fruit” enough? At the beginning, they also said they would transform, but what was the result?”
“Green Fruit” is Clara’s youth campus novel that was badly criticized.
Salome’s eyes flickered slightly, and his tone softened: “I know that the novel caused your reputation to plummet. You still can’t get over it, and you even quit the Internet … ”
“Yes, since you know I’m quitting the internet, why do you still want me to cater to the online market and write those domineering CEO romance novels?”
” Clara , don’t get excited, listen to me first,” Salome Joule said in a gentle voice, “The reason why Green Fruit failed to open up the copyright market is because you were too slow to publish it. It took you three or four years to finish writing and publish it, right? The trend of film and television dramas has changed a long time ago. When I suggested that you transform in this direction, the youth campus genre was indeed very popular!”
“So, this pot can’t be simply and crudely thrown on me, right? You are also responsible. Of course, we all have responsibilities. I’m not shirking responsibility. I’m just summing up the experience and lessons learned.”
Clara didn’t say anything.
She admitted that she was indeed a slow writer, but that was not a subject she was good at at all, and even her thoughts were confused. How could she write quickly?
Salome continued to persuade her earnestly: “But this time is different. As far as the online literature market is concerned, urban romance and wealthy marriage are evergreens. No matter how fast or slow you write, don’t worry. I promise that the problems that occurred last time will never happen again this time.”
Clara frowned even more tightly. “I’ve read all the online novels you sent me. They’re fast-paced, novel, exciting, and unrealistically exaggerated. The beginning is readable, but the plot gets more and more watered down as you read on. Even the protagonist’s name has changed after a million words. I’m not saying that online novels are bad, nor am I criticizing anything. There must be a reason why they’re so popular, but personally, I’m not suitable for this kind of writing style.”
Salome ‘s eyes were sharp: “I have said so much and communicated with you for so long, and you just say ‘not suitable’ and that’s it?”
Clara was puzzled: “What else? It’s not suitable in the first place.”
“Heh,” Salome sneered, “Do you really need me to make it clear? Fine, then I’ll tell you something today. In the past ten years, you have only written one novel, and its sales were dismal. If you don’t come up with something new, then what is the need for you as an author to exist?”
“Is a writer who cannot produce works and generate sales still a writer?”
Clara was also angry: “I have a lot of ideas, but you … ”
Salome interrupted directly: “Your ideas are not distinctive and have no selling points. Writing them will only waste time and book numbers. They won’t sell at all! Do you think you are still the popular ‘Suspense Queen’?”
“To put it bluntly, you are already out of fashion! Clara , you need to face reality and yourself now!”
“Mom-” Myrna couldn’t bear to listen anymore and strode out from behind the shelf.
Clara immediately pushed back the tears in her eyes and forced a smile: “Did you get it?”
Myrna shook the seasoning in her hand . “Here it is. I think it’s getting late. Dad might have come back from school. Let’s pay the bill and go home.”
“good.”
“Then Auntie , we’ll leave first.” Myrna said goodbye on behalf of her mother.
Because she knew that Clara must be very sad now and didn’t want to face the person who made her so sad.
Salome smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll go shopping some more.”
After that, she looked at Clara and said, “Think carefully about what I just said. Alas, we are old friends and have worked together for so many years.”
Clara half-closed her eyes and said nothing.
Myrna took the shopping cart and led her away.
“Mom, did you sign a ten-year contract with that aunt?”
“Um.”
“If I remember correctly, this should be the last year?”
Clara calculated, “It really is.”
“What do you think of her?”
Clara was silent for two seconds, then squeezed out a sentence: ” … very professional.”
Myrna smiled and said nothing, only asking, “Is your contract still in place?”
“Yes, what’s the matter?”
“Can you find it tonight and show it to me?”
Clara : “What are you looking at this for?”
“Just take a look. Why can’t you let me see it?”
“Of course not! You can see all of my mom’s things!”
“Hehe … Mom loves me the most. Then give me a copy of the novels you’ve been writing at home over the years!”
Clara was even more surprised: “They are just scraps of practice writing. Why are you looking at them?”
“I suddenly realized that having a writer mom is a very cool thing. I want to read your work carefully. If someone asks me about it in the future, I can talk to them! Otherwise, they will think I’m lying!”
As a child, Myrna wanted to read two of Clara’s best-selling books – “The Killing Machine” and “The Deserted Village School”.
But every time Clara said it was “too bloody”, “not suitable for children”, and “you can only watch it after you are 18 years old”.
But when she turned 18, Myrna had no interest in reading her mother’s works again.
she finished reading these two books during the countless days she waited for Ansel to come home.
I have to say, my mother is a suspense genius!
From logic to suspense settings to plot twists, a perfect and impeccable closed loop is formed.
No wonder these two books are still on the bestseller list.
But in the past ten years, her mother hasn’t published any suspense works. Although Myrna found it strange, she didn’t try to find out the reason.
It wasn’t until today, when she saw her mother’s edit, that she seemed to know what the problem was.
Can a publishing editor wear a complete set of Dior and carry a Herm’s crocodile leather platinum bag?
What kind of publishing house makes so much money?
How could she not know?