Chapter 54 of 100

Chapter 54

16 min read3,879 words

"Your idea is amazing. The protagonist living alone on Mars waiting for rescue, and all the scientific and technological support needed, sounds like a fairy tale. I've never seen such a writing style. You must write this book well. I have a feeling that this might be the most relatable science fiction novel to our lives, not as cold and distant as other hard sci-fi, with a stronger resonance with real life."

"Do you think it's good too?"

Lin Han and the other person were so excited that they couldn't stop talking. How the protagonist would survive, how he would contact the outside world, and how Earth would rescue him—all these were suspenseful elements that kept Li Wenyuan on the edge of his seat.

This novel could transform the narrow, specialized, and niche interest in science into a mass consumer product, which was perfect for Lin Han, who needed to increase his visibility.

"The Martian" is essentially a story of individual heroism. The protagonist discovers problems and finds solutions, with no shortage of drama and twists. Every time the reader finds the protagonist temporarily successful, a new problem arises, firmly capturing the reader's attention and making them pray for the protagonist in their hearts.

"I plan to write this as a documentary-style science fiction novel, so there will be many real names, places, and scientific technologies. This is a huge project. The only challenge is setting the protagonist's background. Why did he go to Mars? This is crucial and must convince the readers."

In the original "The Martian," the protagonist is named Mark Watney, a botanist who specializes in hydrology and environmental science. His main work focuses on key areas on Earth, and he later applied to join the NASA astronaut training program to conduct scientific research on Mars.

This background makes readers believe why the protagonist can successfully grow potatoes on Mars and convert fuel into water.

Li Wenyuan also knew that just having such an idea was not enough. The details were crucial and could not be wrong. Science fiction readers are often very meticulous and can spot the smallest bugs, sometimes even destroying a book because of them.

"So, what's your idea? Is it about the protagonist's identity or work background?"

Li Wenyuan hit the key point right away. Mark Watney is an American scientist, and his teammates are also Americans. In the end, it's NASA and China that work together to rescue Mark. Lin Han was unsure whether to modify the background. If he didn't, some radical readers might call him a traitor for having foreigners as the main characters in two consecutive novels, possibly even criticizing him.

"The Martian" is like the best promotional material for NASA. Writing about the American space agency as a Chinese person seemed a bit off.

So he said, "I originally planned to set the protagonist as an American, and the rescue would be a joint effort between the United States and China. But now, I think the protagonist can be Chinese. This change won't affect the story much. The most important thing in a book is the plot and narrative style; the character's name and background are just symbols."

"That's true, but if you want to cater to both the domestic and international markets, it's very difficult. A good work can ignore these issues, but what you need to do now is find the scientific and technological support to make the novel stand up to scrutiny."

Li Wenyuan looked at his friend with a complex expression. This guy was really made for writing science fiction. The long and short novels he had already published were rare gems in the genre, and this new book sounded great. It was a good decision to bring him into the world of science fiction.

After deciding on the content of the new book, Lin Han felt much more relaxed. He had seen the movie "The Martian" and read the Chinese version of the novel, but he had only read part of the English version before giving up.

The specialized scientific terms and calculations in the novel, especially the 25 pages about NASA, were too profound for him to understand.

But since Lin Han was going to write this novel, he first needed to understand these concepts and methods himself. Only then could he explain them clearly to the readers. This might be the most challenging novel of his writing career, requiring a lot of accumulation and research, not something that could be done overnight.

"By the way, when are you going to release your new book? It's been too long since your last one. Your readers are constantly looking for you online to urge you to write more!" Lin Han was concerned about Li Wenyuan's new book. It had been almost a year since he last released a new book, and science fiction readers were already starving for more.

"I'm not in a hurry. I'm currently reading books about time, wormholes, and dimensions. The title is already registered, called 'Time Tunnel.' I'm currently working on the setting with a physics professor from Tsinghua University, which is quite complicated."

No book is easy to write. A novel of hundreds of thousands of words requires a lot of content to fill it, and it's not something you can just write on a whim.

Since they were friends, there was no need for too many reservations. Li Wenyuan curiously asked, "Your 'I, Robot' is selling very well. What percentage of royalties are you getting? You don't have to worry about exceeding 500,000 copies in total sales. Your goal is definitely to reach a million, right?"

"I signed a tiered royalty agreement. The more it sells, the more royalties I get. A million is a bit far off, but the sales are still strong. I hope it continues. When will the Galaxy Award be announced? I saw that 'The Village Teacher' made it to the semi-finals in the November issue, and now it's been a year, and I still don't know the result."

Lin Han originally entered the science fiction world because of the Galaxy Award, but now that his new book was already on sale, he still didn't know if his short story had won. The efficiency was really too slow.

Li Wenyuan shrugged and smiled, "I thought you could keep calm and not care about these things. The results have been handed over to 'Science Fiction World.' I can't get specific information. The confidentiality is very strict, and the results are tallied by a notary."

"Aren't you a judge? How can a judge not know the result? But my 'The Village Teacher' shouldn't be too bad, right? At the very least, it should get a consolation prize."

Lin Han joked, originally hoping to get some information about the award through Li Wenyuan, but he failed. However, he didn't place too much importance on the award's prize money. With "I, Robot" selling so well, his royalties wouldn't be too bad.

But the Galaxy Award is a prestigious title for a science fiction writer, the highest honor in domestic science fiction.

Abroad, there's the Hugo Award, also known as the "Science Fiction Achievement Award," which is not in memory of the great writer Victor Hugo but in honor of Hugo Gernsback, the founder of American science fiction magazines. There are also the Nebula Award from the World Science Fiction Society, the International Fantasy Award from the Science Fiction Writers Association, and the Pilgrim Award from the Science Fiction Research Association, all of which are significant awards.

Lin Han couldn't reach the international awards for now, but the domestic Galaxy Award gave him a glimmer of hope. His "The Village Teacher" had gained significant influence and received consistent praise from both inside and outside the industry.

Judging from Li Wenyuan's expression, Lin Han knew he shouldn't be too bad. If it were, Li Wenyuan's face would definitely show it, rather than deliberately keeping him in suspense.

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