Vote Results and a Chat (Passing the Buck)

The majority of votes were for 2, so let's keep it that way. We'll maintain the basic routine of two updates a day with occasional extra updates, but with fewer extra updates. Those who chose 1 don't need to worry about it becoming a quarterly update.

In the past month or two, I've added more content, but I've definitely cut back on polishing it—I have to admit that. It's better to be more careful; I still want to write things that people will enjoy more, not just make easy money.

However, we must also defend ourselves, as some things are not quality issues.

For example, the latest Qiu Niu, certainly behaves strangely. But if you find it strange, can't you wait and see if it develops further? Why rush to object? This kind of thing isn't about the author's quality, but rather the reader's patience.

The experience of following an update and nurturing a book is different. Nurturing a book allows you to enjoy various plot twists, while following an update can feel awkward if you don't get the twist in time, and you might even abandon the book and start cursing. Authors are forced by the latter to avoid planting suspense and plot twists, while the former criticizes them for not having suspense. This is an irreconcilable dilemma, leaving authors in a lose-lose situation.

The most typical example is the first volume. It received a lot of praise, and even now many still consider it the best. However, before the final twist, I was criticized for two whole months—for being melodramatic, verbose, and indecisive. A lot of people dropped the book. Who could I complain to? Later, I changed my writing style, dared not plant any more plot threads, reduced the number of twists, and avoided too much philosophical speculation. As a result, many people criticized it for lacking suspense, being too bland, and losing its original essence. Who could I complain to then...?

I'm still an experienced author, and I have many brothers who support me. If this is the result, you can imagine how much of a headache it must be for new authors to write books.

A friend of mine, Hai Di, isn't a new writer anymore, but recently he's been getting so much criticism that he can't even write anymore... Actually, it's not just haters criticizing him; many of the criticisms come from legitimate readers who genuinely want to improve his work, but the results are just frustrating. There's nothing I can do about it. Hai Di confided in me, and all I could say was to ignore the comments. Deep down, I know that's impossible, unless he completely stops reading the comments, which would mean losing connection and interaction with his readers, which would be a real shame.

Another issue, which is also related to the crackdown, is that some details are difficult to demonstrate.

For example, I've admitted in the group chat that Yu Shang wasn't well-written. I completely understand why many readers are dissatisfied with this character.

The main problem is that the training section was too abbreviated, with various scenes involving the burning of an incense stick, and the content was completely omitted. The character's transformation from arrogance to gradually losing his temper, the shift in his mindset, and the manifestation of Stockholm's influence are all contained in this part, which couldn't be written out. As a result, it lost its three-dimensionality and felt too easy to write.

That could be expanded into at least three chapters. Without those three chapters, the characters would become flat, and there's nothing we can do about it.

This should be considered a design mistake. When designing characters, one should consider the environment. This type of design should not be done. I guess this is the bitter fruit of my own bad taste.

I won't be watching any more episodes; I'll just have to leave it here with a regret.

Okay, I've cleared up the blame, yay!

Since I've started this chapter, I'll also be asking for your monthly votes!