When fate plays its hand
132

Chapter 0132

Mindy said, “I forgot to pick up the baking powder. Mimil, can you get a packet from that shelf over there?”

“Sure,” Miranda said, knowing her mom was trying to send her away.

Once Miranda was out of earshot, Mindy turned to Edith. “I mentioned this morning that I’m still thinking about it.”

“Still thinking? I brought this up three months ago. You said you’d consider it, and I’ve given you time, but now it’s been months and you still haven’t given me a clear answer.”

Mindy frowned. “We’ve worked together for years. You know I write short to mid–length suspense thriller novels, about 200,000 to 300,000 words. Now you want me to switch to writing web novels, which just doesn’t fit my style!”

“But aren’t they all novels? How can they not fit? Literature is universal; there’s no such thing as a mismatch!” Edith’s tone became more serious, and her smile disappeared.

Mindy said, “First, web novels are usually really long, often over a million words. Second, genres like urban romance and rich–guy dramas aren’t my specialty. How am I supposed to write those?

“Isn’t the trouble with ‘The Green Fruit‘ enough of a lesson? You told me to change what I was doing, but look what happened.”

“The Green Fruit” was Mindy’s young adult novel that got a lot of criticism.

Edith’s expression softened as she spoke, “I know that novel hurt your reputation and that you’ve had a tough time since, even leaving online platforms…”

“Yes, and if you know I left online platforms, why are you still asking me to write those romance novels?”

“Mindy, don’t get upset. Just listen to me,” Edith said calmly. “The Green Fruit‘ didn’t do well because you took too long to finish it. By the time it was published, trends had changed. When I suggested you shift to something else, the young adult genre was still popular

“So, it’s not fair to put all the blame on me, right? You have some responsibility too, and so do we all. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility: I’m just trying to figure out what went

wrong.”

Mindy stayed quiet. She admitted she wrote slowly and wasn’t good at the genre Edith was suggesting. Her ideas often felt all over the place, making it hard to write faster.

Seeing Mindy’s hesitation, Edith continued, “This time is different. Urban romance and rich–guy dramas are always popular online. It doesn’t matter if you write fast or slow. I promise we won’t have the same problems as before.”

Mindy frowned more. “I read the web novels you gave me. They’re fast–paced and exciting but sometimes too exaggerated. The start is interesting, but the story gets weaker as it goes on, and sometimes the characters‘ names even change after a million words.

“I’m not saying web novels are bad–they’re popular for a reason. But I’m not suited for it,”

Edith’s expression turned serious. “So after all this, you’re just going to say ‘I’m not suited for it? That’s your answer?”

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Chapter 0132

Mindy looked confused. “What else can I say? I’m just not suited for it.”

Edith laughed coldly, “Do I need to make it clear? Here it is: In the last ten years, you’ve only written one book, and it didn’t sell well. If you don’t come up with new work soon, what’s the point of being an author?”