Views are dropping is my pacing slow?

[MissRiWrites]

hey guys, so i’m a new writer here and i think i’m losing my mind over my pacing.
i'm writing a slower-burn psychological mystery (Before the Storm Gathers – Prana) but my views/retention have been tanking recently and it's making me super paranoid that the intro is just a total slog to get through. because it’s mostly mind games and setup rather than immediate fast action, i'm terrified people are clicking away early on because it feels too slow or info-heavy upfront.
if anyone has a bit of time and likes dark thrillers, could you check out the first couple chapters and give it to me straight? is the hook actually decent or am i just boring people to tears with worldbuilding?
really need some brutal honesty on why the momentum is dying. thank you!! Chapter-1 Humans mistook the silence of the oncoming storm for the stillness of safety.

 

[FRWriter]

You can't compare views from chapter 1 to chapter 2...

Chapter 1 is what people see if they check out your story.

You have 5 readers who haven't dropped the story... how many views can your later chapters realistically get?

Make it 5 + 5 (for non-registered readers) = 10. That is the MAX! Usually, it should be way below that. I would expect your later chapters to get like 2-3 reads on average. Can't reasonably expect more than that. I wouldn't worry about viewer retention at all. Your story is completely unknown. You just need to grind and slowly build up a base of readers. If you're expecting to get hundreds of people interested in your story... I fear I have to disappoint you. Doesn't work like this, except you got an incredible cover and somehow manage to get popular early... which usually doesn't work.

 

[MissRiWrites]

You can't compare views from chapter 1 to chapter 2...

Chapter 1 is what people see if they check out your story.

You have 5 readers who haven't dropped the story... how many views can your later chapters realistically get?

Make it 5 + 5 (for non-registered readers) = 10. That is the MAX! Usually, it should be way below that. I would expect your later chapters to get like 2-3 reads on average. Can't reasonably expect more than that. I wouldn't worry about viewer retention at all. Your story is completely unknown. You just need to grind and slowly build up a base of readers. If you're expecting to get hundreds of people interested in your story... I fear I have to disappoint you. Doesn't work like this, except you got an incredible cover and somehow manage to get popular early... which usually doesn't work.

Oh so that is the reason, Thanks for telling FRWRITER.......I just got worried thinking maybe i am doing something wrong or the pacing or plots aren't good but i am thankful for you tell these view drops are genuine

 

[Wamba2K]

Oh so that is the reason, Thanks for telling FRWRITER.......I just got worried thinking maybe i am doing something wrong or the pacing or plots aren't good but i am thankful for you tell these view drops are genuine

Yeah, views can be disheartening to look at. That's why I don't bother looking at mine, lol.
Also, the link in your signature seems to be to the 'edit' page of your story. That means anyone not on your account will only get an error screen.

 

[MissRiWrites]

Yeah, views can be disheartening to look at. That's why I don't bother looking at mine, lol.
Also, the link in your signature seems to be to the 'edit' page of your story. That means anyone not on your account will only get an error screen.

Oops i made a mistake thanks for pointing it out..... aishhh it is embarassing

Oops i made a mistake thanks for pointing it out..... aishhh it is embarassing

Fixed it!

 

[FRWriter]

Oops i made a mistake thanks for pointing it out..... aishhh it is embarassing

Fixed it!

Also, not trying to demotivate you any further... if you look at your own chapter, that's one view. If you look at it again or press F5, that's another view.

So if you are aiming for numbers, you can get to 1k views in an hour or so... but these numbers are worthless.

Just be aware that if you edit/check your own chapters, or read comments, every single time you'll add another "fake view" towards them.

 

[MFontana]

Oops i made a mistake thanks for pointing it out..... aishhh it is embarassing

Fixed it!

We all make mistakes. Don't let it bother you overmuch.
Especially if you're still kinda new here.
The viewership in the screenshot looks pretty solid to me as well. What really matters, from what I've heard a lot of on here, however is Readers.
How many readers does the story have, and how many valid reads does it have?
Your geographical viewership insights can help get a feel for your regular audience as well.

The opening chapters will almost certainly have more views than the later ones, since that's where your prospective readers will gatekeep themselves and self-select out if the story or your writing style, aren't for them. Ultimately that's normal and to be expected.
From what I've heard from a number of people, you'll usually end up with a dip of about 50% between the early chapters, and those who stick around after that, are going to be your main reader base for the story.

 

[MissRiWrites]

Also, not trying to demotivate you any further... if you look at your own chapter, that's one view. If you look at it again or press F5, that's another view.

So if you are aiming for numbers, you can get to 1k views in an hour or so... but these numbers are worthless.

Just be aware that if you edit/check your own chapters, or read comments, every single time you'll add another "fake view" towards them.

Oh thanks for explaining that is why I mostly use dashboard to view stats and all or if i need link of a specific chapter only then i open it.

We all make mistakes. Don't let it bother you overmuch.
Especially if you're still kinda new here.
The viewership in the screenshot looks pretty solid to me as well. What really matters, from what I've heard a lot of on here, however is Readers.
How many readers does the story have, and how many valid reads does it have?
Your geographical viewership insights can help get a feel for your regular audience as well.

The opening chapters will almost certainly have more views than the later ones, since that's where your prospective readers will gatekeep themselves and self-select out if the story or your writing style, aren't for them. Ultimately that's normal and to be expected.
From what I've heard from a number of people, you'll usually end up with a dip of about 50% between the early chapters, and those who stick around after that, are going to be your main reader base for the story.

I will keep it in mind!

 

[Bimbanana]

Right, everything everyone mentioned above is true
Plus, your story is pretty niche, and you still haven’t changed the cover to the new one

The thing is, this is a long game, and you only started posting like a week ago
Umm, I feel like you’re the type who gets excited and panics pretty easily

Breatheeeee…
this is a long term game. A lot of people quit after a couple of months because, well… there’s no instant gratification in this kind of thing

Suggestion: Since your story is niche, try posting on other sites too so you can reach more niche readers. But keep in mind that every platform works differently

1. Royal Road: Lots of readers, very active audience, and visibility is quite "pay (ads) to win" unless you write something good and pop.
2. Scribble Hub: Smaller audience, mostly silent readers. They usually only comment when they see something they dislike. Tch.
3. Wattpad: The algorithm usually won’t push your story for the first few months unless you upload consistently. But once it does, the readers there are actually pretty fun.
4. Webnovel: Don’t get flattered too quickly. Their algorithm tends to inflate view counts for new authors. Pretty effective bait, honestly.

 

[morgan_arlen]

Umm, I feel like you’re the type who gets excited and panics pretty easily

Occupational hazard of being an author.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

hey guys, so i’m a new writer here and i think i’m losing my mind over my pacing.
i'm writing a slower-burn psychological mystery (Before the Storm Gathers – Prana) but my views/retention have been tanking recently and it's making me super paranoid that the intro is just a total slog to get through. because it’s mostly mind games and setup rather than immediate fast action, i'm terrified people are clicking away early on because it feels too slow or info-heavy upfront.
if anyone has a bit of time and likes dark thrillers, could you check out the first couple chapters and give it to me straight? is the hook actually decent or am i just boring people to tears with worldbuilding?
really need some brutal honesty on why the momentum is dying. thank you!! Chapter-1 Humans mistook the silence of the oncoming storm for the stillness of safety.

I feel you.
I suffered from the slow start syndrome.
It was explained to me like this:
"Yeah, when people p-a-y for a physical book in their hand... they're going to read that paperback, they'll suffer a slow start as long as its clearly ramping up steadily and they're otherwise finding something interesting. But in web-novel world? Nope. There's zero commitment, they can read *any* other book that starts faster"
I decided what I needed to do? What I call "Chapter Zero".

--- its the opening scene
--- short and sweet
--- explain nothing, introduce nothing and no one

You see this all the time, and just don't realize it.
Watch absolutely *any* James Bond movie from the first to the last in the huge franchise action story.
You will always see this:

---opening scene, some kind of action is coming.
---you recognize James Bond, but no one and nothing else, and its not explained
---some pithy dialog then the music and action
---couple minutes of this, then...
--- they do titles and the movie proper starts

its my chapter zero.

The other tip I was given, was person.
I lean towards first person, so my James Bond chapter zero openings are always 3rd person.
If you write in third person?
Make the chapter zero 1st person just don't name them or ID them.

this provides a sort of automatic "gear shift".
You can think of it as revving the engine to get going, then moving along.
Now if you're concerned about p-a-c-e, only one sure fire cure.
make a minimalist outline. Have start, middle, ending planned.
(I like a sentence or so every line number to let me know what that chapter is about.
This lets me pants the chapter as I like to, but with a destination and length in mind. )

 

[CharlesEBrown]

If you:
1) Have posted at least 20 chapters - OR -
2) Are marked Complete at fewer than 20 chapters - OR -
3) You spent any time in Trending
THEN those numbers are worrisome.
Otherwise, it's way too early to be concerned about that; just write what you want, unless you start getting some useful feedback suggesting changes, until you hit at least CH 20, or CH 50.

 

[MissRiWrites]

Right, everything everyone mentioned above is true
Plus, your story is pretty niche, and you still haven’t changed the cover to the new one

The thing is, this is a long game, and you only started posting like a week ago
Umm, I feel like you’re the type who gets excited and panics pretty easily

Breatheeeee…
this is a long term game. A lot of people quit after a couple of months because, well… there’s no instant gratification in this kind of thing

Suggestion: Since your story is niche, try posting on other sites too so you can reach more niche readers. But keep in mind that every platform works differently

1. Royal Road: Lots of readers, very active audience, and visibility is quite "pay (ads) to win" unless you write something good and pop.
2. Scribble Hub: Smaller audience, mostly silent readers. They usually only comment when they see something they dislike. Tch.
3. Wattpad: The algorithm usually won’t push your story for the first few months unless you upload consistently. But once it does, the readers there are actually pretty fun.
4. Webnovel: Don’t get flattered too quickly. Their algorithm tends to inflate view counts for new authors. Pretty effective bait, honestly.

Thanks for suggestion!

I feel you.
I suffered from the slow start syndrome.
It was explained to me like this:
"Yeah, when people p-a-y for a physical book in their hand... they're going to read that paperback, they'll suffer a slow start as long as its clearly ramping up steadily and they're otherwise finding something interesting. But in web-novel world? Nope. There's zero commitment, they can read *any* other book that starts faster"
I decided what I needed to do? What I call "Chapter Zero".

--- its the opening scene
--- short and sweet
--- explain nothing, introduce nothing and no one

You see this all the time, and just don't realize it.
Watch absolutely *any* James Bond movie from the first to the last in the huge franchise action story.
You will always see this:

---opening scene, some kind of action is coming.
---you recognize James Bond, but no one and nothing else, and its not explained
---some pithy dialog then the music and action
---couple minutes of this, then...
--- they do titles and the movie proper starts

its my chapter zero.

The other tip I was given, was person.
I lean towards first person, so my James Bond chapter zero openings are always 3rd person.
If you write in third person?
Make the chapter zero 1st person just don't name them or ID them.

this provides a sort of automatic "gear shift".
You can think of it as revving the engine to get going, then moving along.
Now if you're concerned about p-a-c-e, only one sure fire cure.
make a minimalist outline. Have start, middle, ending planned.
(I like a sentence or so every line number to let me know what that chapter is about.
This lets me pants the chapter as I like to, but with a destination and length in mind. )

Oh absolutely I actually have raw plots planned thanks for advice!!

If you:
1) Have posted at least 20 chapters - OR -
2) Are marked Complete at fewer than 20 chapters - OR -
3) You spent any time in Trending
THEN those numbers are worrisome.
Otherwise, it's way too early to be concerned about that; just write what you want, unless you start getting some useful feedback suggesting changes, until you hit at least CH 20, or CH 50.

understood it is too early to be concerned