Chapter 174: On Shelf Words (Must See) _1
It’s time, again, to write my thoughts on going premium. The last time I did this was in late March of last year, and the time before that, late January of last year.
Come to think of it, nearly two years have passed. Time really does fly. Unintentionally, I’ve found myself so close to turning thirty.
*Demon’s Arrival* is a genre and style I’ve never attempted before. My previous stories were mostly set against a real-world backdrop, whereas *Demon’s Arrival* is set in a completely original world.
A new attempt also means new risks.
Actually, I know very well how to write in a way that my long-time readers would enjoy, and how to write to directly guarantee a book’s performance and popularity. But there’s nothing I can do; as you all know, our ’Supernatural’ category has even been renamed the ’Suspense’ category.
However, my choice of *Demon’s Arrival* as a theme wasn’t due to many external factors; it was purely because I, myself, really enjoy this kind of narrative development.
I enjoy portraying characters, fleshing out each individual, each supporting role, making them feel real and alive. I find writing stories this way very interesting.
To give each of them their own unique characteristics, so that if you took any one of them individually, they could have a story of their own.
In fact, this is also the direction I’ve been exploring and learning in all along. Long-time readers who have followed my novels should be able to sense this.
Perhaps the genre and style of the novel have changed, but the fundamental essence still has that familiar feel.
Writing *Demon’s Arrival* every day makes me feel very expectant and happy. It’s that feeling of brewing a cup of Nescafé instant coffee, sitting down at the computer with a smile, and placing my fingers on the keyboard.
The image of Blind Bei and A Ming on a rainy day, sitting in a mule cart on their way to the Hyena Gang’s compound;
The image of Shatuo Queshi knocking on the gates of the Earl of North Border’s Manor; the image of the old man, gun in hand, advancing against the current;
Actually, what I personally like most is the feeling of Blind Bei and A Ming chatting in the cart. The two of them, just exchanging words back and forth, amidst the rain—that atmosphere feels incredibly comfortable.
That part of the plot with the old man and his gun—I personally feel I didn’t write it exceptionally well. Because of the update frequency of web novels, I didn’t have enough time to let it settle and meticulously refine it.
In short, I love this feeling. I write until I’m totally absorbed and enjoying myself, and then you all still like it.
Of course, it might also be because my ’literary youth’ tendencies are getting stronger. When writing, I’ve started to become more unrestrained—dabbling in scenic descriptions, slowly fleshing out minor characters, digressing here and there—which has led to a very awkward problem:
I’ve found that if a Chapter is 3,000 characters long, by the time I’m done with the foreshadowing and atmospheric rendering, the Chapter is over.
And the plot has barely moved...
So, this month, most of the time, I’ve been releasing Chapters of 5,000 characters. During the new book period, with 10,000-character daily updates, authors who release 2,000-character Chapters could label them daily as Burst 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Yesterday, I woke up feeling a bit unwell, so I just wrote a 3,000-character Chapter to submit. Then I saw you all commenting below: ’So short!’
Oh dear, it seems I’ve spoiled your appetites, hahaha.
Yes, as I mentioned before, after the book goes premium, I will try my best to ensure each Chapter is 5,000 characters or more.
Stockpiled Chapters? I truly don’t have any. Not a single character.
If you count the updates these past few days—nearly 10,000 characters daily during this new book period—it’s truly impossible to build a stockpile.
Once I finish writing a Chapter, I just want to release it for everyone to see. Then I can read the ’bullet comments’ and have a good laugh. There are truly so many witty people in there.
After I finish writing these thoughts on going premium, I need to go to sleep. The two Chapters updated this morning were written by pulling an all-nighter. What can I say? My sleep schedule is messed up again.
I’ll set an alarm to get up around evening to write. And don’t laugh, but I haven’t even written the VIP Chapters for tonight’s premium launch yet.
It goes premium tonight at midnight. There might be a slight delay with the backend system, so the first VIP Chapter will probably be released around 00:15.
On the first day of going premium, expect a burst of four updates totaling 20,000 characters.
After that, I’ll do my best to write as much as possible.
Well, this is probably the most ’peaceful’ author’s note for a premium launch I’ve ever written. It lacks the extreme, cringey angst of the note for *Hell Comes*, and not the resentful eagerness to prove myself as in the note for *Book House*.
Time truly does take away many things.
Actually, I check the fan contribution rankings every day. I see new readers, but many are old ones, including those with records of subscribing to *Book House* and my previous books.
For several years now, everyone has accompanied me. We’ve made a ruckus together, we’ve been cringey together, and it feels like it’s about time we all sat down together to sip goji berry tea from our thermoses.
These days, people willing to spend money to read books on Qidian surely know that they can find pirated versions with a few clicks in a browser. It can only be said that everyone is simply willingly paying for the stories they love.
I used to think that writing novels was much like being an ancient storyteller.
Now, however, I feel it’s more akin to running a restaurant.
Old customers, feeling nostalgic, will drop by from time to time. After being away for many years, they’ll think of this old establishment and make a special trip back to check it out.
New customers are always coming. Some come and go without a backward glance; others come and keep coming, slowly turning into regulars.
Alright then, the old shop has a new dish on the menu, officially going on sale tonight at 00:15.
To all my esteemed readers, gentlemen and ladies, young and old,
I humbly ask for your support!