The Bucketlist

29| REPUTATION AND RUMORS

"When was the last time you worked like you loved literature?"

Will asked as we sat, analyzing the depths of Sparks' upcoming novel. Dressed in his usual black formals with an undone collar button, Will skimmed through the script like middle-grade teachers checked the finals.

"Yesterday evening." I added, hiding a half yawn. It's a lie.

 Work started at ten today, and I walked straight into his office to save my ass from any unnecessary scoldings. If you were me, I would suggest the first thing you do in the morning before showing up at Will Turner's office is to get a cup of strong espresso. His lectures on editing ethics were as horrible as having history class on a Monday morning. Dare you yawn or blink an eye! He'd make sure you register every word in your brain or make you work to the core.

"This is stupid, Eva! Sparks writes for young teens, not for doctorates in English Lit. Have you gone through the manuscript properly?" He said irritably.

"Yeah, I think Sparks has topped the language flow prose. It would be a good chance for the young demography to explore." I defended Sparks. 

Sparks was our celebrity teen fic author for about a decade. They turned in a week ago complaining they don't feel like writing in lousy languages anymore and wanted to try out something more serious and stoic.

"You don't get it, do you?" Will put in firmly.

"Get what?"I asked in hysterics. 

That's classic jerk-Will for you!

"Do you know the majority of targeted demography these days are inclined to OTT and Entertainment industry? They are these freaking teens."

"And, you suggest?" I asked, folding the corner of the paper I was holding.

"I suggest that these kinds of books aren't for someone whose primary problem in life is to get rid of pimples! Come on, Eva! Half of the time, they seek to escape their boring lives, not a full-on literature spree with a dictionary." He said, and I thought the world slipped from beneath. What?

That wasn't going well! The author, Sparks, had worked hard to make this one work. Yes, the language was too elite for young teens, but the story line was moving. I was in tears when I got through half of the story.

"We can't proceed with this novel." Will put it in shortly. 

I felt horrified.

"No! You can't just discard it! Sparks is our all-time best-selling author. We can't do this to her! What am I going to tell her?" I said, feeling aghast.

"Eva..." Will said, and I found myself restless.

"No, now's not a good time for this, Mr.Turner...What am I to do?" My head was spinning.

"Cut off with the drama. I said we can't proceed with the novel in this genre." Will chimed.

"How's your saying that twice gonna change anything?" I said with haste. My mind filled with a hundred ways to convince Spark that their work wasn't deserving of the slush pile, but our CEO was a real-time bastard. Worse than what they have in cringy romance novels.

"You can add the manuscript to a different genre, Mellon! It's high time to give Sparks a break in Contemporary Fiction. That genre is better suited! What'd you say?" Will said with a spark in his eyes.

"I can?" I said with a ray of hope in my eyes.

"Why not! Didn't you say that Sparks wanted to try something different? It may be their thing!"