Vote Results and a Chat (Passing the Buck)

Most votes went to option 2, so let's do it this way: I'll stick to the basic routine of two daily updates with occasional extras. There'll be fewer extra updates, but those who picked option 1 needn't worry about this turning into seasonal updates.

Over the past month or two, there have been more extra updates, and admittedly less polishing. I have to acknowledge that. Better to pay more attention to it. I still want to write things everyone will like more; I don't want to make dirty money.

But I should defend myself a little, too. Some things aren't actually issues of quality.

For example, Qiu Niu's recent behavior was certainly strange. But just because it seemed strange, couldn't people wait and see whether it would be developed further? Why rush to object? This sort of thing really isn't about the author's quality, but the reader's patience.

The experience of following updates and stockpiling chapters isn't the same. Those who stockpile like all kinds of twists and turns, while those following updates may feel awkward when they don't get the reversal in time, even dropping the book and cursing it. The latter force authors to not dare plant suspenseful setups or reversals, while the former criticize them for having no suspense. It's an irreconcilable dilemma; authors end up caught between a rock and a hard place.

The most typical example was the first volume. Plenty of people praised it, and even now many still say the first volume was the best. Yet before the final reversal, I was cursed out for a full two months—called melodramatic, long-winded, indecisive. A whole bunch of people dropped the book. Who was I supposed to reason with? Later, I changed my approach. I didn't dare plant plot threads anymore, reduced the reversals, and