Today happens to be Little New Year in northern China, and the new book has reached 100,000 words. I'm wishing all my readers an early Happy New Year~
I was going to look back on the past year, but when I thought about it, I'd already summed things up when my last book ended -.-
I've written two sports novels, so I can't really call myself a newcomer anymore. If I had to name one lesson I've learned, it would be:
"Don't fight the market QAQ"
A while ago, I asked a good friend who liked the NBA to read my last book and see if he could spot any shortcomings. But after just a few chapters, he complained:
"Iverson's like this? I'm dropping it..."
Later, he kept reading, then complained again:
"Jordan didn't even get his three-peat? Kobe and Duncan turned into clowns? You're just making stuff up!"
In the end, he forced himself to read further, and his complaints only got worse:
"Fine, whatever with James, but why can't you let Kobe and the others win a few times? Your protagonist has no sportsmanship."
"..."
After hearing his thoughts, I checked the rankings again and finally accepted reality. This book really was only getting by on the support of my longtime readers. I'd written something way too niche...
--
Now, about the new book. This is the subject I've always loved most. As an old-school anime fan, writing a shonen manga fanfic was a dream of mine back in the day.
When I started writing this book, I checked the rankings too. After I finished, I was stunned, because I couldn't come up with ideas like those...
When I submitted it to the big shot Qilin, I figured I'd pull it if it didn't pass. But it actually did =.=
Since it got accepted, I have to finish it. That means I have to tell a complete story!
Readers who've followed the book so far can see that its settings mostly come from the manga and official guidebooks, and its power system basically follows the original.
I could have skipped the White Fang storyline, but in the end, I decided to write it anyway. The point was to show the general logic behind this book.
Readers who accept it will keep reading. Those who don't can cut their losses in time.
The free chapters are there to tell readers how this book is going to be written, so they won't be caught off guard once it goes behind a paywall.
After all, readers are spending money, so the author has to take good care of them (¯﹃¯)
The main reason the protagonist hasn't had much presence early on is the timeline. Readers familiar with Naruto should know that the manga sets age restrictions for Jonin and Anbu squad leaders.
Kakashi becoming a Jonin at twelve was an exceptional promotion. In the Itachi Shinden novel, Anbu squad leaders had to be at least thirteen.
The protagonist hasn't reached that age yet, so there naturally won't be much conflict before the Third Shinobi World War begins. I don't want to force in action when I've got nothing...
The book's worldbuilding will also branch out from the manga and official spin-off novels, just like the "tool theory" mentioned in the book so far, which came up in the Land of Waves arc.
There's no need to worry about the power levels either, because the Naruto manga itself is a power fantasy!
Obito, Naruto, and Sasuke are the clearest examples. They became absurdly powerful at a young age...
Since the original characters are "strong," the protagonist will only be "stronger" at the same age.
--
=.= I can't help feeling this book is niche again, but the outline got approved, and I don't plan to change it.
Readers have mentioned the lack of detail about the ninjutsu, but I probably won't add much more later. After all, when I say "Chidori Sharp Spear" or "Spiraling Shuriken," everyone can picture it for themselves.
The only techniques I'll probably describe in more detail are the protagonist's Senjutsu and chakra applications. Those aren't in the original, so they really do need more explanation.
I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, so I wrote all this. I'll ask one last time: please keep reading QAQ
Qidian seems to have just introduced a new four-round PK system. I don't know how it works either. We're in the first round now, so all I can do is keep my head down and write.
Thanks to my longtime readers for your support, and thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed this book!
Happy Little New Year, everyone~