How to self-promote and get the most out of your writing session

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

Hello, everyone. I am new to writing and wanted to ask some questions.
First, how do you get the most out of your writing sessions? I wrote one chapter in like four hours, and I still find it unsatisfying.
Second, how do you attract views and readers? I understand the importance of consistency, but the competition is daunting; the sheer number of stories is overwhelming.
How do you know if a new story will compete with those that have 500 or even 1000 chapters?
Once again, consistency comes to mind, but I want to write for an audience that engages with me and provides feedback on what is good and what is bad.
I realize I might be asking a lot, especially since I have only uploaded three chapters, and am on the sixth chapter.

But thank you if you can help me answer these questions.

And if you'd like to share some feedback with me, please.

The Pristine

In a world torn apart by war and shrouded in fog, Arkam, a seasoned supersoldier, descends into an abandoned bunker to complete a mission. Haunted by visions of a violent past, his biting sarcasm conceals a tired heart.

www.scribblehub.com

 

[Paul__Michaels]

It is a tale as old as time.
First off. Write for yourself.
Second, the other authors with 500 plus chapters aren't your competition. Readers want to read and their stories they follow don't get a more than a 5000 word chapter ever other day or so.
Third, ranking don't do much for getting traction, getting a chapter out a day does.
Four, it helps to write a story with a popular tag or tags.
Five, in the beginning you are writing for yourself... I said this already? Well, I'm saying it again.
Six, your first story is going to be rough so don't worry about it begin perfect.
Seven, Have fun.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

It is a tale as old as time.
First off. Write for yourself.
Second, the other authors with 500 plus chapters aren't your competition. Readers want to read and their stories they follow don't get a more than a 5000 word chapter ever other day or so.
Third, ranking don't do much for getting traction, getting a chapter out a day does.
Four, it helps to write a story with a popular tag or tags.
Five, in the beginning you are writing for yourself... I said this already? Well, I'm saying it again.
Six, your first story is going to be rough so don't worry about it begin perfect.
Seven, Have fun.

That was quick! In the end, almost everyone who writes does it as a hobby and for the experience. I have my reasons for writing; I'm not very good at explaining things, which is why I started.
Ultimately, all we need is to have fun with it.
I want to connect with people who enjoy these topics and gain experience from them. Since I’m new to this, my main goal is to have fun too, but when you see people talk about the story they read, you also get envious.
(nah, I am talking like an anime mc or something, like you did a talk no jutsu on me.)

Thank you for the advice, kind sir!

 

[KidBuu699]

Don't pay attention to other stories view counts. Don't compare yourself to someone else.

A while back ago I got a message from an author asking me if I was really reading a certain story. Both his story and this other one were fanfics from the same source. He was comparing view numbers and was upset that the other story had more than his. (Fyi the story he was comparing was a chinese translation with a large number of chapters coming out). I told him that his story had better quality but the other will still over take his because of chapter count release rate.

Even with me saying the quality thing I knew his story wouldn't be around for much longer. If your goal when writing these stories is just to beat other people's view counts then you are setting yourself up for failure. There will always be a better story. There will always be a story with more chapters. Especially since we are getting so many translations now.

The best thing you can do is to do the best you can do and keep moving forward.

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

1) Choose a popular genre and stockpile enough chapters for a stable update. If you are new, you gotta update at least 5 chs/week.
2) It'll be rough at first. Have patience. Most readers add books with over 30-50 chs, since most just abandon their books halfway, readers at least would want to read the complete first arc, which usually wraps up within 50 chs or so in most cases. Oh, and keep the word count to at least 1500-2k. Don't aim for 5k words chs like some authors.
3) Don't look at others' stats. Just focus on yours.
4) Ranking is basically useless.
5) If by 50-60 chs your book's reader count is less than 200, well, maybe you need to change things up.
6) Cover picture. And from my experience, adding proper tags gains readers. So, add as many as you can, but make sure your story follows the tags.
7) Finally, if you don't have patience and want to gain readers quickly> well, just add Harem & Smut tag. ?Speaking from experience.
8) Good luck.
...
EDITING after checking out your book.

It's a clustered mess.

[In a flying car,

A man sat on the passenger seat,

sleeping with his hand resting on the armrest.

His head rested on his right palm,

wiggling here and there.]

>That's really bad. You don't even know how to write a sentence. The next chapter is even worse lol. And your book reads like AI written. Now, don't say no. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway, you gotta read some other books and see how to write. Or learn English.

Sorry, it's harsh. But it's reality. And just my opinion. I'm pretty sure many would agree with me.

 

[Bluefish]

The next chapter is even worse lol. And your book reads like AI written.

Nah, doesn't read like AI. AI wouldn't write that way.

Seen some novels that are written by AI, and authors don't even mention it.

If it is written by AI, idk what model ones I've dabbled with are a bit better.

 

[JoshA]

It is a tale as old as time.
First off. Write for yourself.
Second, the other authors with 500 plus chapters aren't your competition. Readers want to read and their stories they follow don't get a more than a 5000 word chapter ever other day or so.
Third, ranking don't do much for getting traction, getting a chapter out a day does.
Four, it helps to write a story with a popular tag or tags.
Five, in the beginning you are writing for yourself... I said this already? Well, I'm saying it again.
Six, your first story is going to be rough so don't worry about it begin perfect.
Seven, Have fun.

Like I totally feel exactly the same I just started few weeks ago I have a story I think people would be interested in but still no traction.

 

[Paul__Michaels]

Like I totally feel exactly the same I just started few weeks ago I have a story I think people would be interested in but still no traction.

There's a reason for that brother. How many chapters have you posted since May 29th?

 

[Tyranomaster]

The fact of the matter is that most stories don't hit trending, or for that matter, hit over 100 readers until they're well past 50 chapters. Sure, I've seen a handful do it sooner. I've seen all number of things succeed that "break rules", but hoping that you'll be an exception to the rule is just as bad as believing you'll win the lottery. Writing, like most other jobs, requires hard work and dedication to succeed. It doesn't matter how good it will be, could be, or you think it is. If there isn't enough of it, or it hasn't reached a point where people can actually grasp what you're trying to convey, it's meaningless.

Usually, it takes months for people to get readers who leave a comment. The comment is usually "thank you for the chapter". If you break a few hundred readers, you might get someone who is interested in discussing the story. That's the hard reality of writing. The exception is probably smut, since people just want to read *enough* before they set it down since the session is done. That said, smut readers are way more vocal about what they like and dislike and want.

 

[RainyLiquid]

Just be good.

 

[Macha]

You shouldn't be competing with other writers. Compare your work with your previous works.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

1) Choose a popular genre and stockpile enough chapters for a stable update. If you are new, you gotta update at least 5 chs/week.
2) It'll be rough at first. Have patience. Most readers add books with over 30-50 chs, since most just abandon their books halfway, readers at least would want to read the complete first arc, which usually wraps up within 50 chs or so in most cases. Oh, and keep the word count to at least 1500-2k. Don't aim for 5k words chs like some authors.
3) Don't look at others' stats. Just focus on yours.
4) Ranking is basically useless.
5) If by 50-60 chs your book's reader count is less than 200, well, maybe you need to change things up.
6) Cover picture. And from my experience, adding proper tags gains readers. So, add as many as you can, but make sure your story follows the tags.
7) Finally, if you don't have patience and want to gain readers quickly> well, just add Harem & Smut tag. ?Speaking from experience.
8) Good luck.
...
EDITING after checking out your book.

It's a clustered mess.

[In a flying car,

A man sat on the passenger seat,

sleeping with his hand resting on the armrest.

His head rested on his right palm,

wiggling here and there.]

>That's really bad. You don't even know how to write a sentence. The next chapter is even worse lol. And your book reads like AI written. Now, don't say no. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway, you gotta read some other books and see how to write. Or learn English.

Sorry, it's harsh. But it's reality. And just my opinion. I'm pretty sure many would agree with me.

I am writing this message to share my thoughts.
I’m not sure if everyone will agree, but I asked a few people for their opinions, and they liked the style. This is my Zero draft, so it's still rough.
(On Synopsis, it is written, This chapter is just for feedback. I have 10 chapters, but I need feedback to understand the target audience.)

I’m still developing my writing style. Your comment felt quite harsh, which can be discouraging.
Since this is a zero draft, it's not a finalized piece, so I don’t believe I need to learn English right now.
Yes, it may read poorly because it is a 0 draft(again).

And just to clarify, I do not use any AI in my writing, as I often struggle to explain things clearly—that's actually why I started writing in the first place. I understand that constructive criticism is important, but it's crucial to deliver lil harshly.

I'm accustomed to this kind of feedback, but it can still be disheartening to receive such critical comments, especially from someone with your experience. And if you are good at this, give some tips, so I can be better, don't just start destroying my confidence. Just don't tell me to learn English or like read books.

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

Nah, doesn't read like AI. AI wouldn't write that way.

Seen some novels that are written by AI, and authors don't even mention it.

If it is written by AI, idk what model ones I've dabbled with are a bit better.

Check Ch: 4. This guy didn't even think he would mess up. The big bars and the clustered sentences, it's an old AI model. Don't remember the name but I'm pretty sure because when you copy and paste from there, the sentences break into parts after every single punctuation. Anyway, the book is a mess. I tried to give the author some pointers and he only gave an excuse and thought it was a hate comment.??

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

Check Ch: 4. This guy didn't even think he would mess up. The big bars and the clustered sentences, it's an old AI model. Don't remember the name but I'm pretty sure because when you copy and paste from there, the sentences break into parts after every single punctuation.

It is because copy-paste from Google Docs, and I noticed after some time. And I know you were giving some pointers, but it sounds lil too much, that's all. sigh.
Just let it rest, men, I will be better.

And, I finished my 5th chapter. If you want to, please, can you read it and tell me where to improve?
(Like I know it is sudden, but you said I gave an excuse, but now I'm asking you to help me.)

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

It is because copy-paste from Google Docs, and I noticed after some time. And I know you were giving some pointers, but it sounds lil too much, that's all. sigh.
Just let it rest, men, I will be better.

You opened a thread. Asked for feedback. So, in a thread, people will comment and reply to each other, even share their opinion, whether you like it or not. So, take it easy. Not every comment will be to your satisfaction and there's nothing you can do about it. I share mine, you shared yours, others shared theirs. And I'd very much stick to mine. Never thought you'd get ticked off from my reply to another person. Werid guy. lol.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

You opened a thread. Asked for feedback. So, in a thread, people will comment and reply to each other, even share their opinion, whether you like it or not. So, take it easy. Not every comment will be to your satisfaction and there's nothing you can do about it. I share mine, you shared yours, others shared theirs. And I'd very much stick to mine. Never thought you'd get ticked off from my reply to another person. Werid guy. lol.

Yeah, I got worked up (lol), but let it go.

 

[Lysander_Works]

I'm of the same source though; the metrics tell me I'm not getting anything on the latest...
How is it that translations and AI slop gets more attention? Another dark mystery for the universe.

I just feel like there's a better way to do this...

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

I'm of the same source though; the metrics tell me I'm not getting anything on the latest...
How is it that translations and AI slop gets more attention? Another dark mystery for the universe.

I just feel like there's a better way to do this...

Well, here quantity wins, not quality.
Even though the above replies are roasting me, and I know I am bad, I will get better.

Well, I can give your work a chance, above someone told me to read some books.

 

[Lysander_Works]

Well, here quantity wins, not quality.
Even though the above replies are roasting me, and I know I am bad, I will get better.

Well, I can give your work a chance, above someone told me to read some books.

Thanks. I do hope one day more and more people learn to desire quality over quantity, but maybe that's too optimistic?
Anyway, if I ever dig myself out of the personal hell haunting me this month, I will give your work as glance too.
Gonna add it for now to not forget later.

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

Thanks. I do hope one day more and more people learn to desire quality over quantity, but maybe that's too optimistic?
Anyway, if I ever dig myself out of the personal hell haunting me this month, I will give your work as glance too.
Gonna add it for now to not forget later.

I checked out your book. The first few chs. And I think I know the problem. [My personal opinion] 1) Too big paragraphs. Most readers read on their phone, and it hurts the eye and lowers the immersion while reading those big paragraphs.
2) Why do you use double space before starting every paragraph? Once again, it doesn't look good. + Those chapter theme shift. It ain't good. Don't do that. Just write the chapter in a simple format without those customizations.
3) Prequel, sequel> It confuses many people. Speaking from experience. Generally, not many will invest in books that end with barely 70 or 80 chs. Doesn't matter the quality. You should write it all in a single book instead of splitting every volume as a book.
4) You need to post it on multiple sites. RR, Wattpad, WN, too. That way, you'll get more exposure.
5) Not trying to say what you should do, just sharing my personal opinion. No offense.