Special Extra 1: The Planner’s Memoir—Author Interview Part 1

[This chapter is completely unrelated to the main story and serves merely as the author's miscellaneous (rambling) talk, to be released under certain circumstances.]

[The following content is excerpted from the special feature "Planning Memoirs: Author Interviews Vol. 01" in XX Evening News.]

Reporter: "Hello, esteemed viewers! Welcome to a new segment of the 'Planning Memoirs' interview! Today, our guest is the original author of 'Wasteland Romance Game,' a retired boxer and current university student from Night Axis City, the one-eyed Mr. Author."

Author (smiling): "Hello, everyone. I'm glad to take part in this interview."

Reporter: "By the way, Mr. Author, your pen name is 'White Ink Slashes the Black Sky,' isn't it? Would you prefer I not address you by that name?"

Author (awkward): "Ah… that pen name was something I came up with during my cringier, adolescent phase. I never got around to changing it, and honestly, I feel embarrassed when people call me that."

Reporter: "I see, then I'll stick with 'Author.' Now, Author, rumor has it your novel 'Wasteland Romance Game' is about to be featured on Qidian's top recommendations and banner promotions. Do you have any thoughts about this good news?"

Author (sighing): "Top and banner promotions, huh? I used to think those spots were reserved for true heavyweights. That a book of mine would make it there… it's simply unimaginable."

Reporter: "So the shock outweighs the joy?"

Author (shaking head): "Not so much shock, more like I have no idea what to feel, so I simply feel nothing at all. To be honest, when I started writing this book, I had no confidence in myself. I didn’t even believe an editor would sign me; I was just writing for fun."

Reporter: "That's understandable, considering your past attempts at web fiction weren't very smooth."

Author: "Calling it 'not smooth' is putting it mildly—it was more like a tragedy. I've been dabbling in web fiction for three to five years, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't find my 'path' or achieve any notable results. Even when I did my best to imitate successful works, what came out was a patchwork mess of twisted plots. At first, I could at least get my works signed, but later, even that became an issue… it was as if I'd gone down a wrong path entirely. Eventually, I just stopped writing. After all, staying home playing games felt more meaningful than writing aimlessly."

Reporter: "That sounds like quite a journey. So after a year off, what inspired you to suddenly start this new book?"

Author: "The inspiration… was probably 'admiration.'"

Reporter: "'Admiration'?"

Author: "Simply put, I saw someone fascinating doing something fascinating, and I wanted to try it myself. By then, I’d lost all interest in web fiction. I’d started self-teaching myself music composition and production, and I was getting good enough to transcribe Touhou tracks. But this feeling of admiration made me reopen my writing software and decide to write a new novel."

Reporter: "So your motivation for this book came from admiration for… what, exactly?"

Author (thinking): "Another web novel on the same platform, called 'Is There Really Someone Trying to Be an Idol in the Wasteland?'—let's just call it 'Idol Is Dead.'"

Reporter: "As I suspected."

Author: "What else? My drive to write this book came from stumbling upon 'Idol Is Dead.' In recent years, web fiction has felt stuck in the same circles—wanting to innovate but always turning inward. Even I began questioning the point of web fiction’s existence. But the playful style of 'Idol Is Dead' shattered the genre’s old framework, yet kept the story engaging, giving me this sense of, 'Is this humanity’s new potential?'"

Reporter: "Is it really that magical?"

Author: "Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I genuinely love that book. I read it all in one go, then followed every update. But doing only that felt too dull, so I wondered if I could write something similar myself."

Reporter: "It sounds like you had a very clear goal for your writing. Did you encounter any difficulties at first?"

Author: "Are you kidding? There were plenty! I wanted to write in a playful, irreverent style, but I had zero experience. Before, I only wrote dark, tragic stories—I didn't know how to be lighthearted even if I tried. So to capture that 'fun,' I started by loosely imitating the opening of 'Idol Is Dead,' while making sure my characters had their own personalities. I also chose a wasteland city setting, since it’s easy to create absurd, comedic scenarios, and I wouldn’t have to worry about background world-building like social order or law enforcement."

"Back then, I was pretty indifferent—after all, I wasn’t sure if I’d even get a contract. But writing a playful story was genuinely enjoyable. By the second volume, I started to get a sense of how to make my novel 'fun.' Then came the contract offer, so I just kept going."

Reporter: "Did things go smoothly after signing?"

Author: "Not at all! I submitted to the light novel section, so I had to compete with level-345 authors and fanfiction giants—it was way too tough! My trial read performance was only average for the time, and I didn’t get a second-round recommendation. I thought the book was doomed and would have to reach paid release without any more promotions."

"But while I was a bit annoyed, I wasn’t surprised. I’m an old hand at failure, after all. And a light novel about a playful protagonist in a pure-love wasteland? That’s about as unorthodox as it gets."

"Honestly, I didn’t care much whether this book did well—my original motivation was admiration, not money or fame. And the work I drew inspiration from wasn’t even a hit; my fellow writers teased me for using it as a benchmark. They said it was hopeless."

"But if my book flopped, I’d feel like I’d wasted a lot of time—might as well have kept learning music. And frankly, I wanted to use my book to draw more attention to 'Idol Is Dead,' to let others experience the charm of a playful novel. As a fan of the author, it’s the least I could do."

Reporter: "Even though the start was rough, your book eventually caught the editor’s eye and earned top and banner recommendations from Qidian."

Author: "Yes, and I have to thank my editor for that. Honestly, I wasn’t confident in my book, but she believed in me, and the readers are looking forward to updates, so I can only keep working hard. I also hope this book will let the author of 'Idol Is Dead,' Teacher Night, know that he’s not alone in blazing a new trail—I’m also trying to follow and understand his solitude."

Reporter: "Absolutely! Love is power! Because you write out of pure love, it’s only natural you’d be rewarded. But with that admiration, aren’t you worried your book will always live in the shadow of 'Idol Is Dead'?"

Author: "How could that be possible? If the goal is to live in someone else’s shadow, what’s the point of writing at all? Of course, I have my own opinions and my own views on 'comedy.' I’ll write according to my own ideas—rest assured."

Reporter: "I’m sorry… we’re running out of time, so we’ll have to end the interview here. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?"

Author: "There’s actually a lot I’d like to say, but I’ll save it for next time. Finally, I want to mention that a chat group for this book has been set up—it’s open to everyone, with no requirements to join. I’ll put the group number in the summary. Anyone interested is welcome to join and chat."

Reporter: "That’s all for this interview. See you next time—"

"......"