i feel like i get a lot of messages/posts on my board that talk about how good my writing is or how pretty my covers are and just a lot of kind support which i am more than grateful for! im not too sure why i wanted to write this, but maybe it's something i needed to hear when i was starting out.
your first book isn't gonna be amazing. in fact, it probably won't gain a lot of attention (sometimes, you'll be glad it didn't with the quality of your writing LOL). your first covers aren't gonna be amazing. your first rank isn't gonna be number one, your firsts are never gonna be great. and that is completely okay!
not being at the top means you have so much more to grow, so much more to prove— so much more potential.
when i first started inferno, i think i only had 400 views once i reached chapter thirty. i think i finally hit 1k well past the middle of it. of course, from time to time i did get a bit discouraged as i was putting out work i was proud of and loved—i even considered to give up on the book entirely—but i learned to not even bat an eye at the views or votes. doing something i loved was simply enough for me to continue and persist.
if you know you're growing with your writing and you love what you're putting out, keep going. i think inferno is truly my testimony for that. while electric has 80k+ reads at chapter 56, inferno probably only had 3K. numbers grow, you'll grow. trust me, i still get discouraged sometimes as well, especially with my other works (which you guys have heard me sulk about, lol.)
and honestly, if you don't like what you're writing, make it into something you love! if it weren't for reading other books, i wouldn't have built myself up to the author i am today. by gaining inspiration (not comparing yourself!!!) from other writers, i have/am developing a writing style im truly happy with. sometimes not being satisfied is good. reread your works, revise, improve. of course, if you guys ever want my (mediocre) help, i'd be happy to provide it.
and, of course, this is all advice from a barely average writer herself. at the end of the day, im just as distraught as the rest of you guys often are.
like ive said in inferno, quoted from seorin, the last thing to bloom on a fruit tree is, well, the fruit. greatness is coming to you. continue putting yourself out there, there isn't a day i haven't regretted it.
- peachi