Chapter 67 We have found a treasure
"Mr. Holmes" has a total of about 170,000 words, and about 50,000 words have just finished the first volume of the story.
"It's finally here." Han Zang is a good editor, because he has already started thinking about how to reject the manuscript without damaging Gu Lu's self-confidence.
If Gu Lu were an adult, Han Zang would have told him directly that if there was a more suitable method of writing, you would not use it, so you had to change your writing style. Isn't that childish? Isn’t the money delicious?
But the other party is in the third grade of junior high school, not in high school. Still at the age where he had dreams, Han Zang kept it in his heart.
[Thanks to Zhang Yudong for the gift of "Four Signatures", which made me feel the charm of Sherlock Holmes again. ]
The first sentence is a thank you, which is normal. There is nothing to say. Han Zang continues to read.
The opening chapter is that Holmes is ninety-three years old, slow in movement, and living in seclusion in a suburban manor. His only hobby in old age is keeping bees.
"Keeping bees..."
As a mystery lover and the editor of "Mystery of the Years", he has watched Sherlock Holmes many times.
It seems to have been said in "The Second Bloodstain" that Holmes kept bees in the Sussex Downs for a period of time.
Han Zang stood up and came to the bookshelf on the left. The large bookshelf was basically a face-saving project, displaying classic mystery works at home and abroad.
He pulled out Sherlock Holmes, then turned to "Last Salute" and found that it was clearly written.
"It is indeed written in the original work that Holmes wrote "A Practical Handbook of Beekeeping—Also on the Study of Isolating Queen Bees." It's interesting. It seems that Teacher Xiao Gu has indeed read it thoroughly."
My interest in reading instantly aroused a lot, which at least shows that the author didn’t write it out of the blue.
These 50,000 words explain that Holmes only has his housekeeper Mrs. Munroe and Munroe's son Roger (little boy) around him.
As the reading progressed, Han Zang also frowned. The memory of the ninety-three-year-old Holmes was gradually deteriorating, so he took royal jelly every day to improve his memory.
He even came to China to look for Acorus, which is said to have the effect of increasing memory.
And Holmes also brought the calamus back to England all the way.
Gu Lu made changes to this sub-line. The original work was to go to Neon to find rock pepper. The reason for the change was not necessarily to have anything to do with China, but mainly to do with the Chang Pingyuan bullet.
Neon made such a big mistake in China, so what's there to lament about being hit by an atomic bomb? Naima deserves it!
The reason why editor Han Zang frowned was that he could not accept that Sherlock Holmes, who was quick-thinking, absolutely rational and rebellious, would become like this in the book.
"Yes, Watson is dead, his brother Mycroft is also dead, and all the familiar people are dead, except for an old man. Even Holmes is only a person, not a god." Han Zang understood a little later.
The description in the book is too detailed, as if Sherlock Holmes really existed, and this was what happened in his later years.
[Meadows with blooming flowers and untrodden woods can be the direction you are looking for. If this does not become the most important goal of mankind, then I believe that an era of true enlightenment will never come. ]
[He did not understand that the deceased were actually not far away. They're just on the other side of the wall. ]
[I have always been lonely...all my life. But my thinking skills are a compensation. ]
......
"It's hard to imagine that a high school student can have such a unique insight into loneliness. Is this the loneliness that geniuses don't understand?" Han Zang thought.
If it were Lao Li, the editor of the Story Society, he would immediately think of family factors. Because the two of them know different things, the directions of their brainstorming are also very different.
After reading more than 50,000 words in one breath, Han Zang still felt unfinished.
Because the article sets up two hooks, the first is also the biggest. What is Holmes’s last case?
Due to the failure of the last case, Holmes went into self-exile and never solved the case again.
In the article, Holmes' memory regresses and he can only occasionally remember a few words. This should be the main line of the novel.
The other little hook is the bee raised by Holmes. It died for no reason and no reason can be found.
"No more?" Han Zang apologized for his previous thoughts, "Sure enough, Teacher Xiao Gu, who can change his writing style at will, has inhuman creative abilities that a mortal like me cannot comment on."
"Sign, you must sign. From the current perspective, these 50,000 words don't look like a mystery novel, but there is no problem at all in writing a sequel to Sherlock Holmes and publishing it in a publication!" Han Zang approached Editor Gao. Editor-in-chief Gao of "Times Mystery", as mentioned earlier, is a super mystery fan who is more experienced than Han Zang and is familiar with most mystery works.
Because it was related to the signing of the author, Editor Gao put down his work. He read it very carefully and spent half an hour reading 50,000 words.
"Xiao Han." Editor Gao raised his head and called out.
Han Zang listened attentively, "What is the editor's evaluation of the book?"
"Maybe we have really dug up a great person." Editor Gao said, "This book has an exchange of third-person and first-person perspectives. It’s very fluent, which is normal for an experienced writer in his thirties or forties.”
“But the author, Gu Lu, is only in high school, so he is extremely talented.” Editor Gao commented, "And the change of writing style leaves almost no trace, and the imitation ability is the best I have seen in more than 40 years."
Han Zang agrees with Editor Gao's high praise. Except for a little bit of habitual wording, There is no trace at all, this can only be said to be talent.
"Such a good manuscript, such a talented author. It would be a crime for us not to sign it." Chief Editor Gao concluded.
The serialization fee is 180 yuan for 1,000 words, and other help in publishing books, etc., the conditions remain unchanged.
The day after Gu Lu sent the manuscript, he received the news.
"I'll send the contract back as soon as possible." Gu Lu said on the phone.
Han Zang asked, "No problem. Regarding the serialization time, does Mr. Gu have any preference?"
"Let's start at the end of August," Gu Lu said.
Ordinary high schools say school will start on September 1st or 2nd, but No. 8 Middle School starts school a week earlier, with a military training for new students first.
Mystery novels and fairy tales were all serialized in high school, Gu Lu arranged them.
"Basically no problem, we will coordinate the time. By the way, Teacher Xiao Gu, if you have time, you can come to our AC Forum 10th anniversary offline party." Han Zang sent out an invitation, ""Years of Reasoning" "The signed writers will basically be present."
"AC Forum?" Gu Lu has never heard of it.
Han Zang explained that the AC forum is Grandma’s forum. It was originally a gathering place for Grandma’s book fans. Later, it slowly and spontaneously translated foreign classic mysteries and became the largest forum for reasoning exchanges in China.
The AC Forum was founded by Gao, the editor-in-chief of "Times Reasoning".
Gu Lu would like to ask, do you include round-trip air tickets?
The conversation was divided into two parts, Gu Jiayu returned home.
"Gu Lu will come by himself in the car when the time comes. Your Uncle Xiao won't have time to pick him up. He is such a big man now," Gu's mother said.
"...Brother is not coming." Gu Jiayu said.
"Huh?"
Mother Gu's nasal tone showed her doubts, and she looked at Gu Jiayu strangely. In the past two years, even if Gu Lu wasn't allowed to come to her birthday, he would ask his sister to hand over the gift. This year What's going on?
The strangeness in her heart was forcibly healed by Gu's mother. She said, "It would be better not to come. We, a family of four, can celebrate properly."
"Mom——" Gu Jiayu hesitated. Fan decided to say, "Mom doesn't want to see my brother. Is it because she has a new brother?"
The new brother is naturally Xiao Yang. Gu Jiayu knew that this question would make her mother unhappy, but she still wanted to ask.
(End of this chapter)