Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 64 Remarks on the launch
Thank you for reading. This book is finally available for purchase. I will continue to update two chapters every day (the two chapters will be combined into one later).

I'd really appreciate a generous first subscription, thank you!
The two things I can promise to do are:

I. The book will be completed, with an estimated starting word count of 400 million.

Second, I will not ask for leave; if something comes up, I will prepare the manuscript in advance.

Currently, the word count built around the [worldview background + setting], after removing all reference materials unrelated to the plot, is close to 40 words.

[Complete outline + detailed outline] It contains 15 words, not including the thousands of words of chapter outlines written every day, so there is basically no chance of writer's block. The ending was decided before the book was even started.

It's not unfinished, so feel free to subscribe.

The above is what readers are most concerned about.

Now, please allow me to briefly introduce myself.
I am a somewhat traditional self-media writer (out of touch with the times). I started writing on my public WeChat account in 2017, making me one of the earlier entrants.

Over the past seven or eight years, I have written millions of words in total, including several viral articles with tens of millions of views. I have a wealth of writing experience.

During that time, I worked on comics and long-form videos, paid knowledge products, tried e-commerce live streaming and AI websites, and had a matrix of accounts on various platforms, actively trying them out.

After going through all sorts of twists and turns, only the WeChat official account is making a stable profit; the others are not satisfactory.

I've come up with many reasons, such as my age, slower content iteration, or the platform cutting subsidies and traffic.
But the core reason is that I don't like being a self-media person.

I'm tired of expressing my opinions day after day, tired of misunderstandings and explanations, tired of taking sides, tired of clickbait headlines, tired of emotional manipulation in writing, tired of the constant stream of NPC insults in the background, and tired of the awkwardness of wanting to speak but not being able to.

Before 2022, I could "stand tall and make money at the same time" with this awkward mindset, but now it's really impossible, and I can't compete with my peers anymore.

So let go of yourself, and the world will be vast and boundless.

For the past twenty years or so, the only hobby I've never tired of is online novels. I started reading them obsessively in elementary school, and my nearsightedness worsened dramatically in middle school. I then tried to write them down and imitate them, finding great joy in the process.

However, I am well aware of my shortcomings, which lie in my storytelling, experience, and writing skills. I am far from being able to grasp the basics of online literature.

So after graduating from university, I tried my hand at the self-media industry, and the seed of online writing was planted deep in my heart, waiting to sprout.

Finally, when everything was ripe, I officially started writing two years ago, building the world view, the underlying logic and foundation, and then building the house, enriching and perfecting it little by little. Next, I created characters, wrote their biographies, laid out their own storylines, and then seamlessly integrated them into the outline through subtle foreshadowing.
During that time, I bought and scanned a lot of books, online novels, and various science fiction and popular science books. If I didn't understand something, I would read it several times and take notes to slowly digest it.

In the online literature field, such time-consuming preparation is tantamount to suicide. Effort does not equal success; on the contrary, a large ship is difficult to turn around, and even dogs would shake their heads in its presence.

Especially in the science fiction genre, the four-character title, the synopsis that doesn't grasp the main point, the slow-burn opening, the "torture of the protagonist," and the unpleasant, non-fast-paced writing all the elements of a flop.

Moscow doesn't believe in tears.

So, all internal submissions were rejected, all offline reviews were rejected, and all first-publication reviews were rejected. By the time I finally received a contract on the last day of the cross-review process, I was mentally prepared to write millions of words on my own, and I became quite at ease.

My wife said it's okay, at least she's still one reader who will follow it to the end.

I said yes, I will continue writing.

Fortunately, I don't have any financial pressure yet. I mainly rely on quantitative analysis and investment to maintain my income. I'll just keep a diary as a hobby.

Later, the book was signed.

The results weren't great, but they were within my expectations. I would be very satisfied if I could get 100 first subscriptions, which would mean that 100 readers would be willing to read my stories, which is much better than before I signed a contract.

There are many great online novel templates; I just hope they can accommodate my slightly niche writing style.

Here, I would like to express my gratitude to two people.

One of them was Chen Yeliang, the author of "I Am Not a Literary Master". He was very enthusiastic and taught me how to grasp the rhythm of the opening and how to grasp the core of a fast-paced novel. He also guided me through the night, polishing the synopsis little by little and increasing the book's selling points.

Another person was my editor, Ziliang. He rescued me and provided me with a more complete set of writing techniques, which was like a sudden enlightenment in martial arts novels. Follow the steps, it's simple, crude, but very effective.

Looking back at the plots and outlines I wrote, many of their shortcomings are now clear.

When I was designing the outline, I didn't consider the exciting parts or do any detailed design. I only considered individual characters and stories, and then wrote a very long plot line, integrating the protagonist into the historical timeline.

This resulted in the initial edition having a pacing twice as slow, severely testing the patience of both editors and readers. Storytelling is certainly important, but without proper techniques, no reader will be satisfied.

So what I do every day is write out the chapter outline, and then try my best to think about how to make the two chapters of the day more attractive, how to skillfully use techniques, how to avoid padding, and how to live up to the readers' expectations.

I start creating at six o'clock every morning. I spend the first three hours writing the outline, the next three hours writing the first draft, and two hours refining it. Then I go through it again in the evening, and that's about it.

It would be great if I could update more frequently, but I really can't maintain the quality, and I don't have time to review and summarize. I always have to make trade-offs.

Moreover, after a new chapter is written, it often needs to sit for a while before problems are exposed, allowing for targeted modifications.

Therefore, I prefer to take my time and write slowly, so that each chapter can live up to the readers' expectations.

I read every comment and bullet screen message. I fix any bugs, correct any typos, and read any criticisms.

However, the author knew the entire outline and had far more information than the reader, and thus laid many of Chekhov's traps.

Therefore, I cannot discuss the plot with readers, I neither reply nor explain, I will never leave the stage, and I respect every Hamlet.

But if you're willing to trust me, this won't be the kind of clichéd "classic" post-apocalyptic story you're used to. Some easily predictable characters and subsequent plots won't appear in my outline. I'm confident in my writing abilities.

I enjoy witty banter with my readers. If a reader manages to guess the plot early on, I'll quietly revise the outline a bit (just kidding).

This is my first online novel, and I will cherish it and try to write something that captures even a little bit of the epic feel of a post-apocalyptic world.

Finally, thank you for reading this far.

———————————— Maple Rainforest

The old man held a worn-out electronic screen and patiently read through this chapter, "Author's Note on Launching the Book."

The wind blew from the edge of the wilderness, and he sat quietly under the tree, his gray travel clothes swaying gently.

"Qidian.com, online novels, authors, paid content, science fiction channel, first subscription..."

He murmured these ancient words: "...I never thought I would see an e-book from 700 years ago."

He continued scrolling down, the screen flickered a few times, a low battery indicator appeared, and then went completely dark.

Beside him, the mouse-man had exhausted all his patience.

Seeing that the screen was no longer glowing, it scratched its head, made a disgruntled "chirp" sound, snatched the screen back, and ran back to its den.

The old man smiled and watched the mouse-man disappear into the shadows. Then he took out a thick notebook from the animal skin bundle.

He turned the yellowed page and wrote carefully:

"...This author, Maple Rainforest, is looking forward to one hundred first subscriptions and struggling for something 'worth it,' which is not easy for him either."

This makes me wonder what the creative environment was like in his time.

The authors of that time clearly still held a sense of awe for words. Although their creative methods were clumsy and outdated, this very fact imbued their writing with a human warmth.

He looked up slightly and paused for a moment at the distant ruins, where wisps of smoke were rising, indicating that some survivor team was preparing dinner.

"Speaking of which, reading itself has now become a luxury. Any paper that is not properly preserved will rot into dust within ten days, which is a great pity."

For well-off citizens, it's better to seek stimulation directly in their cerebral cortex than to rack their brains over words.

For those migrants struggling to make ends meet, whether in the virtual or real world, and regardless of the form of entertainment, nothing is more valuable than a piece of black bread to fill their stomachs.

He paused, as if remembering something, and added:
"My name is Lin Yu, and I am the last reader of this ancient work."

He slowly closed the notebook, the setting sun casting its glow on the cover, revealing seven powerful, vigorous characters:
Things That Happened in the Wasteland

(End of this chapter)