Readers don't have to read this since it has nothing to do with the story itself. Just a personal reflection for me since this was my first lengthy piece. For those who do read this, I hope it inspires you to write! If it does, let me know 😉
An outline is a must for long novels: It provides content when you have a writer's block and create a guide for events/foreshadowing
Remember, they are guidelines, not set rules. So, when you go off the paved path, appreciate how you came up with another route
A character map is a life saver: Especially when you have side characters that don't appear often. Heck, it's even useful with all of the nicknames and titles!
I am not Chinese nor have I attempted to learn the language so all the formal titles are based on novels that I've read.
As I progressed through the chapters, it became longer and longer: this showed that there's a lot of ideas in my brain. I just need to give it the opportunity to flourish.
To my past self who thought I was only capable of writing 1-2 pages: just wait until you can't condense the material into 3 pages...
As a writer, the most fulfilling part is world-building: when reality causes havoc in my life, at least through my stories, I have full control.
It's not about the end result, but the journey that matters most: As much as I love seeing the view count, rating, and comments increased, I'm most proud of myself for starting and completing this work :3
Editing Assistant: **not a promotion, am not getting paid for this**. I discovered Grammarly half way through the novel and it became my primary way of fixing my spellings, grammar, and using fancier vocabs. I'm only using the free version so far but I can tell the huge difference. For those who also need a little help, I recommend this.
TIME STAMP: March-October 2020. I originally planned to finish this within a few months, BUT I was fortunate enough to obtain a full time job (my first big girl's job after college 🙇🙇🙇) during this turbulent time. I can't believe it took 7 months, but more amazed that I even finished it.
In regards to Xiao Zhan - the time frame for this novel also tracks how long he has been wrongly accused by the antis. It appears that things are getting better and I hope that his 29th Bday marks a new turning point. Wishing him a contentful life if not best.