Chapter 58

As the new week approaches, the author is eager for everyone's recommendations. Let the votes pour in!

Sometimes, the circle of enthusiasts is so small that a well-received novel can easily be embraced by otaku and tech geeks, who are willing to promote the work without expecting any reward, simply because they want more people to enjoy it.

What is it like to create a bestseller yourself? These seasoned readers might say it feels great. They have saved countless authors on the brink of despair, picking out a series of works from the vast sea of books and personally pushing them to the top of Amazon's sales charts.

Jesse didn't just post on SFFworld; he also shared the news with Chinese students studying abroad. Although the number of international students is not large, there are indeed many who enjoy science fiction novels and movies.

Originally, readers who found it difficult to understand Chinese science fiction novels began to turn to the English versions. These people are intricately connected, and quietly, "I, Robot" began to spread.

Since the price was not high, Lin Han did not continuously monitor the sales on Amazon. After getting a library card, he started searching for the information he needed.

First, he used his laptop to search for the general knowledge he needed, then locked down the titles of these books, and finally used the library system to find and retrieve them.

The English title of "The Martian" is "The Martian," which literally means "Martian" or "someone left on Mars." The name "The Martian" is more familiar to the Chinese audience.

This book is filled with professional knowledge, such as why the protagonist's spacesuit was punctured and how he could still survive on Mars; how to use the propulsion system of the spacecraft and the combustion of hydrazine to develop a water supply system, collecting all the water to sustain his life and grow potatoes. These are the issues Lin Han needs to address.

If the writing has too many flaws, it cannot be self-consistent, which is a fatal defect for a hard science fiction novel.

Actually, the biggest bug in the novel appears at the beginning, with the massive storm. This is the starting point of "The Martian" and also the least scientific part.

The atmospheric density on Mars is only 1% of Earth's, and the atmospheric pressure is much lower, making it impossible to produce such a violent storm as described in the novel, which can knock over spacecraft.

However, in reality, although Mars often experiences dust storms, the wind force is roughly equivalent to a gentle breeze on Earth, at most obscuring the view, and it cannot move buildings or machinery, only kites.

This significant issue left Lin Han at a loss. If he were to be rigorous, he should abandon this setting and find a new reason for the protagonist to be left on Mars, which would be difficult.

If he retains this setting, he would have to sacrifice the novel's perfection to enhance the story's drama and conflict, as there are similar plots later, with strong winds damaging the habitat.

Perhaps even classics have flaws, and some flaws can make them classics. For example, the Venus de Milo does not need her arms to be restored. Lin Han plans to write two different openings and see which one works better.

While thinking and enriching himself, Lin Han went out for lunch and then returned to the library to continue his work. Compared to others, he had taken a shortcut, so he must approach these works with a more professional attitude.

He recorded useful information in categorized labels on his computer, typing while flipping through books, sometimes searching for related information multiple times for a single idea, working with the dedication of a professional researcher.

To write hard science fiction, one must start from these aspects. Soft science fiction can ignore these details, but hard science fiction cannot.

As a person with years of work experience, Lin Han still found it difficult to understand these projects. By this point, his head was a mess, and he could hardly think.

Lin Han left the library before it closed. He needed to relax his mind, as absorbing too much knowledge at once required digestion before moving on to the next step.

Only with thorough preparation can one write with divine inspiration.

When he got home, he had no mood to cook, so he directly turned on the video game console and started playing a shooting game on the TV. The sound of gunfire was constant, and Lin Han did not even hear the knocking on the door.

"Lin Han? Are you home!"

Chen Jiaxuan's voice came from outside the door. She could hear the game sounds inside but no one came to open the door for her.

"Lin Han!"

With no choice, she had to use her "lion's roar," raising her voice to accurately reach inside the room. Lin Han, who was playing intensely, turned his head in confusion, then paused the game.

He opened the door and found Chen Jiaxuan, wearing a sweater, looking at him angrily. He asked innocently, "Sis Jiaxuan, what's up?"

The hallway had no heating, and Chen Jiaxuan had been shouting for almost two minutes outside the door. Her feet, in slippers, were already cold, so she quickly walked to the radiator in Lin Han's living room and said, "I heard the sound from your room and had something important to tell you. Here, this is your invitation. You're going to Shanghai the day after tomorrow."

Lin Han took the invitation Chen Jiaxuan handed him and opened it. It turned out to be an invitation to the "2017 Future Technology Conference," which seemed quite high-end.

"Wow, this is for me?"

"Of course it's for you. I received it a few days ago but didn't open it. The Future Technology Conference mainly invites thousands of representatives and enthusiasts from the technology and science fiction fields. I asked the organizers, and many scientists and science fiction writers will attend. The most important thing is that the Galaxy Award ceremony is part of the Future Technology Conference."

Lin Han looked at the small print at the bottom of the invitation and saw that the organizers were "Science Fiction World" magazine, the Chinese Science Fiction Authors Association, and the National Innovation Base.

He pouted and joked, "The Galaxy Award is finally being awarded. I thought they were going to delay it!"

The long-awaited award is finally being presented, and Lin Han must attend, as this might be his chance to receive it in person.

"It's not a delay. This is the only science fiction award on the mainland, and you have a good chance of winning. So start booking your flight online now. Have you prepared your outfit? You can't go up on stage in a T-shirt, can you?" Chen Jiaxuan, as a veteran in the entertainment industry, looked at Lin Han with disdain.

Lin Han touched his chin and said to Chen Jiaxuan, "I'll ask the organizers what to wear first. What if everyone else is dressed casually and only I'm dressed formally? That would be awkward."

"I've already asked. Casual business attire is fine. You might be the best science fiction writer among directors and the best director among science fiction writers."

"Maybe I'm also the best-looking one among science fiction writers."

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