Chapter 88: On-Shelf Note: A New Year’s Letter to Readers_2

Will I still succeed?

“A flash in the pan,” “lucky,” “coincidental,” “newbie wall,” “exhausted talent”… Authors who have written a single work that reached ten thousand subscriptions make up the vast majority of those who have achieved such numbers.

So-called ten thousand subscriptions,

are just the beginning.

Second on the new book rankings, the initial trend was good, but it’s a pity that after more than twenty chapters the story began to drag, and the protagonist lacked agency, leading to a decline in following readers.

Four thousand initial subscriptions.

Damn, no… not invincible anymore, not invincible anymore.

I started to study the data feedback, carefully pondering and experimenting with various new plotlines based on the patterns provided by the backend, and finally stabilized the following readership, while the average subscriptions also gradually increased.

Ten thousand subscriptions again.

Then, a comic adaptation.

Subscription results improved again.

Unfortunately, the invincible genre framework really can’t be sustained in the long run, and later performance couldn’t be maintained, exacerbating my anxiety disorder, and I could only barely complete the story.

One night, as I was brushing my teeth and bleeding, I knelt on the ground and cried, thinking I had contracted a terminal illness.

From then on, I embarked on a path of health anxiety, with forty visits to the hospital in a year.

I knew I couldn’t hold on much longer.

Went to see a psychologist.

It improved.

“If you take medication, you’ll feel drowsy and won’t be able to write your novel.”

Is that so.

Then I, refuse to take medicine!

For the new book, I wanted to lower the protagonist’s starting point and reduce the highlights, but the result was not good, until later I wanted to write a group portrait novel.

How about a protagonist playing games on a cell phone, controlling superheroes who continuously level up to save the world time after time?

As long as I write about the superheroes’ inner conflicts and struggles, creating information gaps should be interesting, right?

Alright, let’s get to work!

The new book started off well, until certain parts of the story began to drag, and then the following readership slipped, just like the previous book.

Truth be told, I basically lack a sense of language, needing to read my own work several times after finishing it to see the quality of the writing, and I can’t judge the quality of the plot either, needing the data to become clear.

If the plot doesn’t drag, I don’t know what good pacing is; if the plot isn’t bland, I don’t know what intensity is.

Late realization.

All this time, compared to those perceptive geniuses, my writing has always been akin to a blind man fencing, a slow bird taking flight.

No choice, now that it’s come to this, I can only accept my flaws.

Seven thousand initial subscriptions.

Very good, meets expectations.

The me of today has gradually transformed, through extensive note-taking and repeated reflection and deliberation, I have gradually come to understand what anticipation is, what structure is, and subsequent performance will surely not collapse.

Uh, my eyes seem to have a bit of an issue, could it be another health anxiety attack?

Go get it checked.

Retinal hole, laser repair, followed the doctor’s advice to rest for half a month, spent that half a month in bed listening to stand-up comedy.

After returning, readers who left left, and those who scattered scattered, leaving only over three thousand average subscriptions.

After resuming updates, the average quickly rose to over five thousand, and now I’m tenth in the writing competition, with not much prize money from fourth to tenth, and much more starting from third.

I said in the author’s group that I wanted to compete for third place.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Because the ranking was sorted by average subscriptions, at the time the author in third place had thirteen thousand.

I said that book’s framework wasn’t strong, all the highlights and anticipation were in the beginning; what followed was nothing more than a skeletal plot, unlikely to succeed.

As for me, now I can observe the backend data in real time, constantly reflect on new plots, and the later stages within the framework have plenty of highlights and anticipation, so the performance will gradually improve.

Of course, they didn’t believe it.

The writing competition had a word count requirement. Because of half a month without updates, I had to release mass updates to have a chance, so I began to churn out chapters, reflecting and pouring my heart and soul into it like never before.

Months later, my average subscriptions rose to eleven thousand, while that book’s average subscriptions dropped to ten thousand.

Won the competition prize money.

Finally, sixteen thousand average subscriptions.

…

Then, due to excessive stress, I had a mental breakdown, experienced daily palpitations, took several months off to recuperate, and only after recovery did I properly complete that book.

That year, Qidian’s anti-piracy measures were very effective, income caps increased several times over, and people around me started achieving results on Qidian.

“Ascend to the path.”

I want to become a Qidian great.

2023—Now, the Future, the Reshaping Period

I’ve fallen.

I deeply explored and studied the Starting Fire books, attempting to deconstruct their mysteries, and subsequently failed.

Not just once.

For an entire year, I started several books but couldn’t find the direction to keep writing.

Why is that?

I began to reflect.

Even if I complain about being born at the wrong time or about social injustice, nothing will change.

One must understand the current situation and analyze it, taking action only after fully understanding the reasons.

While reflecting, I was also doing another thing.

I no longer let my life revolve solely around writing books.

Exercising the body, traveling, giving lectures back at school, controlling my diet, initiating social interactions.

I fully realized that a good mental and physical state is necessary to maintain a consistent work output.

I began to learn how to please myself and stopped being harsh on myself, immediately indulging in food, drink, and fun when feeling anxious, to avoid bottling up emotions.

It took half a year, but I reduced my weight from 178 to 137, breaking free from over two decades of obesity.

Goodbye to insomnia and palpitations!

For more than a decade, I’ve generously solved problems for those who sought advice and expressed gratitude to those who’ve helped me, completing every single paid book I started, even when illnesses caused my performance to plummet.

Unknowingly, numerous loyal readers, author friends, editor friends, and other friends have gathered around me…

Each one of them provided encouragement and support.

Finally, by controlling variables, I understood the reasons behind the success of my books.

Whether it was “The Fourth Calamity” or “Salvation Organizations,” in reality, they all followed the framework of “detached protagonists with ensemble casts,” which I am most skilled at writing.

Why didn’t I write these genres when I first came to Starting Point?

Because, ah, ensemble stories are difficult to top the charts with, as they have a limited audience.

This makes it hard to become a legendary writer and reach the highest peaks.

The lifelong dream might thus be aborted, akin to forsaking the grand path in a world of cultivation in favor of minor techniques.

Most people are like those red minnows, slow to grow and unable to transform into golden fish, giving up in the face of initial setbacks and opting for easier tasks.

The few remaining realize their limited talents, destined to remain obscure all their lives, thus losing their fighting spirit.

I was somewhat unwilling to admit that I was a red minnow, even though I had long realized the fact that I lacked a sense of language and rhythm, with absolutely no talent for writing.

How can a blind person wielding a sword foresee the future and reach the highest realms without the ability to foresee, only reflecting after each injury?

Not until I saw a sentence in my completion note from a few years ago did I finally let go.

“Red minnows are destined not to become golden fish, but it’s okay if they never do, as long as they are the best red minnows they can be!”

So, I poured all my experience, inspiration, and passion from the past decades into a new story outline, hoping to transmit it with a hundred percent accuracy.

Ensembles, sacrifice, inheritance, epic tales, tears, laughter, revolutions, the fate of bloodlines…

The outline has the design for generations of characters ready, with each generation succeeding the last.

Good.

After being unemployed for over a dozen months, I, wandering in the darkness, seemed to have grasped the sword in my heart.

Draw the sword! Publish the book!

The opening results were not bad, and the editor even commented with high EQ that the book had the potential to be a hit.

However, the plot in the past half month has become dragging again, with the old problem of “issues with pre-launch plot” reemerging, and because I couldn’t see real-time readership before launch, I could only wait a few days after finishing to adjust the follow-up.

I gradually realized that the “old problem” was partly due to my hindsight and partly due to the fact the beginning and framework were well done, but the story between the start and pre-launch wasn’t polished enough.

I felt from the start that this book was going to be a slow burner; it was the slowest to start of all my books, and I was already prepared for a few hundred initial subscribers and a later comeback.

Only by breaking away from the original framework could I reach a new realm.

The early performance of this book has already exceeded my expectations.

I cannot say for sure that the writing will get better after launch, I can only say I’ll do my best.

I’ll end the launch note here.

Thanks to “Dreamy Mirage,” “Flying Words” for the leader’s support, thanks to Editor Cannan, thanks to the operations officer, thanks to the kindergarten head, Non-Praying Ten Strings, Poor Xixi, Green Cabbage, and Unfallen Fish for their chapter recommendations.

Thanks to my family and friends who have always supported me.

Thanks to myself.

And finally, thank you all for your support along the way, and I wish you a Happy New Year in advance.

I hope you will continue to follow this book from here all the way to its completion note.

In this life, I tread on thin ice,

Do you think I can make it to the end?