#706 - Volume testimonials and random remarks

Volume 7, Chapter 110, has roughly the same word count as the previous volumes.

Generally speaking, the "Liangzhou Arc" of Volume 7 is a transition. There aren't any major conflicts or contradictions; its main purpose is to lay the groundwork for future plot developments.

Including the Eclipse Pearl, the love triangle between Chu Xianping, Li Zimu, and Tang Chen, the mystery of whether Chu Xianping will betray, and the Four Kingdoms War, all of these have only been partially advanced and will be answered and concluded in the next volume.

Many readers may have already noticed that the last few chapters of Volume 7 barely involve Wei Changtian and are mostly about Li Zimu and Tang Chen.

This was actually a bit of an overreach, and I couldn't quite rein myself in.

I'll adjust it later.

After all, I know who the protagonist is.

Um...

I don't have much to say about the plot, otherwise, I'll likely spoil things, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Let's talk about something else.

On July 16th of last year, the first chapter of 'The Great Villain' was published. It's been a year and ten days since then.

In one year, I've written 1.6 million words, which isn't a lot.

However, attentive readers should be able to tell that I put more effort into my book than the average web novel.

Here, "effort" refers to some very ordinary details.

For example, I specifically try to avoid repetitive wording, pay attention to paragraph transitions, scene changes, and narrative completeness in each chapter, and so on.

These things might not be noticeable if you're skimming, and they aren't really related to the plot.

But I've always felt that maximizing the reading experience to the best of my ability is what I should do.

Although most people might not notice it, they should be able to feel that it reads more smoothly, right?

Every time I look at the book reviews, the most frequent positive comment is "Good writing."

Actually, there aren't any long descriptive passages or fancy words and sentences in my book.

So, I think "Good writing" is probably because I put a lot of effort into improving the reading experience.

Using the simplest and most honest words to describe the most accurate and fitting emotions as much as possible.

Of course, there are many other details as well.

And this has led to my writing speed never being able to increase.

It's really frustrating!

I've also considered whether or not to give up on so many details and just write the plot like everyone else.

So, in the end, I thought I should just forget it.

It's best to stick to my own style and complete a work without regrets.

After all, my first book was quite regrettable...

The above are some of my thoughts on the one-year anniversary of the publication of 'The Great Villain'.

From a hobby to a passion to a side job, after I wrote my first book with over a million words that didn't completely fall apart, it's now difficult for me to evaluate what "writing" means to me.

Sometimes I get particularly excited when writing, feeling that this plot will be particularly shocking or particularly touching, and that I'm simply a rising star in the literary world.

Sometimes I also find it particularly torturous, especially when I'm not feeling well or during a dull plot transition period. Every word I type feels like completing a task, even more tiring than working.

I often want to turn off the computer and say, 'I'm not writing today! I'm going to sleep!'

But for the sake of the 1,000 yuan full attendance bonus each month, I have to grit my teeth and write.

Um... Although 1,000 isn't much, I've been milking this 1,000 yuan from Qidian every month since this book was published.

As for why?

It's not that I can't bear to part with the 1,000 yuan (although I'm a little reluctant), it's mainly because I'm afraid that if I really indulge myself, I might not be able to finish this book.

So, unless I really encounter something that can't be adjusted, or I'm feeling particularly unwell, I'll sit in front of the computer and start typing every day after dinner until 2:00 AM.

Gradually, it's become a habit.

Therefore, "writing" is no longer a hobby for me, it's just a habit similar to eating and sleeping.

As for making money from it...

To be honest, which web novel author doesn't want to become famous with one book and achieve financial freedom?

I had the same fantasy when I first started writing.

But I don't think that way now.

My first book, 'I Just Want to Be a Good Person', had a high subscription of 600, an average subscription of 200, and ended unfinished after 700,000 words, earning a total of 7,000 yuan (of which 4,500 yuan was the full attendance bonus from Qidian).

My second book, 'The Great Villain', is now at 1.6 million words, and its performance has increased tenfold.

Before I started writing books, I thought that with my years of experience in the writing industry, writing a web novel and earning a few million would be easy.

Obviously, in any industry, there are always geniuses who can succeed at once.

I used to think I was one of them.

As long as I wrote, I would succeed.

However, one day two years ago, when I saw another rejection email from an editor in my inbox, and I looked at the hundreds of thousands of words of worthless drafts in the writing software, I realized—

Alas, it turns out I'm not a genius.

Since that's the case, then I'll take it slow.

As long as there's progress, ordinary people can also succeed, right?

And so, I wrote for another two years.

Fortunately, I saw my own progress.

Perhaps many years later, I can also be interviewed by some unknown media as a "well-known online writer."

Then the host should ask me—

"Have you encountered any setbacks in the writing process? Have you ever thought about giving up?"

And I should answer in a very pretentious way, like most authors who have been interviewed—

"Of course, there have been times, but I'm very glad that I persisted."

I guess by then, I should understand that this sentence is not actually pretentious, but a heartfelt feeling.

Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered something interesting.

About a month or two ago, I saw a comment saying that someone on Tomato was copying my book.

At that time, I immediately downloaded Tomato with an angry mood, and then found that book.

Indeed.

The character names were changed, but everything else was copy-pasted.

Before I clicked on that book, I was furious.

But when I clicked on the book and saw those familiar lines of text, I suddenly became inexplicably happy.

I thought.

I never thought that one day, someone would actually plagiarize my book!

(Unfortunately, that person only copied a few dozen chapters and then gave up, probably because the book didn't have a market on Tomato.)

(Damn it!!)

ps: After being so sentimental, it would be a bit of a buzzkill to ask for leave at this time, so there will be a chapter after 12 o'clock.

Oh, right, I haven't posted the book club group number for a long time.

540542881, those who are interested can join the group to chat ~

Going to write now! Thank you, everyone!!

Volume 8: How Can Wind and Rain Bind the Azure Dragon.