"I want you to add more sweet events."
It's the last weekend in April. I'm at the nearby cafe and that's the first thing out of my editor's, Amami-san, mouth. And this is my reaction:
"Umm, what"
Yep, that's it. Today is our second meeting for publishing my story. Last time, I got some advice for the manuscript we went over. My heart was racing the whole, as I was wondering what kind of response my story would get.
"Sweet events?"
"Yes, sweet events"
She folds her arms and nods her head. Her blonde hair sways with the movement of her head.
"If we publish "Sekaosa" as is, it'll be very sweet, but..."
"You want some coffee?"
"Sure, I'll take mine black."
"Didn't you just say you wanted more sweetness?"
"Hey! Do you want to flood my body with sugar or something!?"
"Pretty sure the only side effect would be just glucosuria."
"My entire bloodstream will be made of sugar!"
"I think you're being crazy here."
"You're the one that brought it up!"
"The pleasure's all mine."
"You deserve a Nobel prize for that. Anyways, joking aside."
Amami-san clears her throat and continues.
"You really should make the story more sweet, It's better to differentiate yourself from the pack, you know."
"Oh, so like... adding another chapter to increase the sweetness, like that?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Okay, I got it."
Of course, it would be a good idea to have something that can make my work unique. Compared to web stories, commercial works rely heavily on concept, first impressions and originality for success. A sweet romcom with a childhood friend... Trying to sell that concept to readers and exceeding their expectations would be a big success. So in this case, overloading on the syrup should do the trick. No reason not to, right?
"Sure, let's do it!"
"Alright!"
Amami-san does a pose that doesn't suit her office suit.
"So what I'm thinking in my head is an event that brings the protagonist and heroine closer together."
"Yes, yes! You're learning so fast!"
"We won't hit the page limit, yeah?"
Since we're publishing from the web novel, things should be somewhat ready, so we have an estimate as to how many pages we have left over before we reach the limit.
"It's fine! One chapter should be okay. Even if we exceed the page count, I know you're an expert at cutting stuff out."
"Sure, I guess you can say that."
"It's amazing how well of an editor you are."
Of course, writing a lot of sentences is important, but editing work taught me the importance of cutting down on stuff. When I started writing, I believed that if I didn't use a lot of words to express myself, readers wouldn't understand what I was trying to convey. However, what I didn't realize was that the readers themselves would add in their own details in their heads. On the other hand, writing detailed descriptions only slows down the pacing, and snatches away the reader's ability to have fun and imagine. That's why editing parts out is a lot more important than refining various details, at least based on my theory.
"Then, one more sweet chapter please!"
"I understand!"
"So you better decide where you and Rin-chan are going to collect more data."
"Yeah! Wait... what?"
I was going with the flow, but I turn my head in confusion after I processed everything.
"Rin and I are collecting data?"
"Is there a problem, Yonekura-kun?"
This is the first time Amami-san has a serious expression on her face.
"Collecting data is an important part of writing. For example, if you have a setting in mind for a story, it's best to actually visit there and collect data because more reality means more quality."
"I can't really refute that kind of logic."
But why does she want me to go with Rin...?
Oh wait yeah.
"...Because the heroine is modelled after Rin?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Amami-san leans her body forward in excitement as her eyes shine like gems.
"Sekaosa is is a sweet romcom with a childhood friend! And the heroine is modelled after a real childhood friend! Let the inspiration from the real world erupt all over!"
It's early afternoon in the cafe. Of course, other customers would gawk at an office lady breathing heavily from her nose and punching her fists in the air.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"No, not at all."
With that, Amami-san returns to her business mode. I hold back my biting remarks as I lament on her sudden shift. I mean, she does make sense here. Rin is the model for my story, so if we go out together to collect data, it will add an extra depth to the additional chapter. Besides just collecting data to improve my story quality, I get to go on a date with Rin too.
"I'll make sure we'll go."
"Yes, please do!"
With a smile, Amami-san nods as if she understands what's going on in my head.
"Collecting data, huh..."
So the rumours are true.
"So where should we go?"
"That's for you to decide, Yonekura-kun. It's a man's job to organize the date!"
"Hey, aren't you the one who suggested it though?"
It's not like I have a lot of options, considering the budget of a high school student. Going to a cafe, reading at the library, hanging out at the mall...
Karaoke? Bowling? I've never really gone to those types of places before.
"For collecting data, the publisher will provide the cost for that."
"Wait, really?"
"Of course."
Damn, they really are just going to do that?
"Don't forget the receipt though."
Ah, so it's like that.
And so the second meeting comes to a close. Now I'm in a situation where I have to go on a date with Rin to collect data for my additional chapter.
But just where the heck should we go?