Chapter 84: Launch Announcement
Finally made it to going on shelves. This book has been revised many times back and forth.
I’m considered an old author. Based on my experience, usually you get scolded a lot before going on shelves, and it gets better after, but I feel this book is suspenseful—it might get scolded from start to finish.
Every time I check the backend, my head hurts, so I go look at the Infinite Train comment section.
My mentality improves a lot.
For train stories, No Second Cola is the leader big brother. I have to feel my way across the river by touching stones.
A flop like me can only feel my way across the river by touching Cola.
See where he gets scolded and try to avoid it.
The effect is indeed there.
But a couple days ago, I still got scolded for that Yu Yue plot segment.
That segment isn’t purely smutty. Mainly, I wanted to establish the female characters’ personas before going on shelves.
But since it’s two people, the content feels a bit much. If I really wrote it all out, it’d be at least five thousand words.
The first three thousand plus are actually all buildup… The purpose is to push Yu Yue. Normally she likes singing and is quite shy and bashful, so have her do what she likes most at her most shy moment, to pull at her emotions, leading to breakdown, changing some of her attitude toward the protagonist, forming new pull space.
People are different in everyday states and extreme states. It can expose some core personality traits, while conversely reinforcing the protagonist’s malicious personality.
But this writing style needs more focus on emotional stuff, which conflicts a bit with the previous style.
Leading many people to think this plot is boring. Usually at night right after finishing coding words, my brain lags a bit, and then seeing someone complain about padding, I blanked out and skimmed over the key plot afterward.
As a result, this plot segment became even more inexplicable, like it was forcibly inserted for smut.
The new pull space didn’t form, character relationships didn’t change, and the protagonist’s status in the supporting characters’ eyes didn’t change.
Thinking about all this gives me a headache. If reading from the start, you can clearly see it’s cut off here.
I hate not slapping myself. I clearly had it all figured out, why the hell revise it.
Not revising gets scolded, revising still gets scolded. Now it’s good, both sides have scolded.
Eaten the loss several times but no memory.
Thought about it all day, I feel this plot segment still needs to be added.
[Chapter 79 was originally 2100 words, I plan to add to 4000 words, still free. Interested ones can go back and check it out.]
Finish supplementing before going on shelves, treat it as welfare for the brothers.
Really, fiercely adding updates before going on shelves, feels like I’m an idiot hahahaha…
——
Next, say something interesting.
Because apocalypse vehicles count as level 3 classification: sci-fi – apocalypse – apocalypse vehicles.
The earliest in this type is big shot Twelve Heavenly Kings Bai Yu Han’s Heavy Truck Armored Vehicle in the Apocalypse. My book title borrowed from his.
But more similar to me are the other two on the list train stories. Open the sci-fi list and you can see them.
But—
Interestingly, there’s absolutely no room to borrow from them.
Not a damn bit!
Three people writing completely three directions.
Including the old book Heavy Truck, and the two trains, what they wrote are all non-rebirth stories. This leads to them having a particularly strong sense of crisis whenever they encounter anything!
There’s a big environment big crisis forcing them forward.
But mine is rebirth, which essentially eliminates a lot of crises, so the path is different, turning into a complete “showing off” story.
To make the book longer, I set the time point at the awkward node of four years into the apocalypse.
You say the protagonist knows a bit? Yeah, but not that much.
Crises exist a bit, but the showing off feel is weaker…
At the earliest, I thought train stories were crazy Mad Max style road stories. Mobile shelter, right? Just fight monsters along the way, collect resources, done.
Then old habit flared up, hung sheep head sell dog meat, wrote it as old-style apocalypse story. Later Old Jiang pointed it out to me. (The author of Who Stole My Brain) He said your story’s protagonist is the train, why don’t I see you upgrade the train?
I suddenly realized. Before it went on recommendation, three days wrote over twenty thousand words, replaced the original content.
Started writing the train, writing the shelter.
But still felt not refreshing enough, just upgrading without refreshment.
At the time when chase reads plateaued, I went to consult Wild Liang Giant (the author of I Am Not a Literary Master). He pointed out the problem from the root: rebirth story is invincible path, I only did rebirth without showing off, so readers don’t feel refreshed. The protagonist has no phased elevation in supporting characters’ hearts, like from contempt – fear – worship gradient changes.
Neither side pleased.
So I frantically increased the passengers’ scenes. Of course, the focus isn’t writing passengers, but writing the protagonist through them.
Then I went to research how to show off, sort out the main line tasks.
——
Many readers ask, why not take a plane? Why not take a boat? Why not drive a car?
What if the train encounters broken tracks, landslides, etc.
Answering from a writing perspective.
Actually, these vehicle types have all been tried by authors. Currently only train theme survived, meaning most readers just mention it in passing; they won’t read planes, boats, etc. One reason is they’re uncommon, no immersion; another is “no problem.”
In writing, no problem is the biggest problem.
Any train story will have a ton of readers questioning one thing.
How do these authors not use their brains?
In apocalypse, who maintains the tracks?
What if broken tracks?
This question is unavoidable, like a child growing up inevitably faces falling, but I’ve never heard anyone ask a parent, what if your kid falls later?
So every time I see readers questioning this in Infinite Train, I have to laugh for a bit.
Then I thought, when I write, I definitely have to list the solution to this problem upfront to avoid getting scolded.
After writing it, I couldn’t laugh anymore.
Because there’s still a batch asking this question.
What numbs me more is some people saying, “You say it can be solved so it can?” “I think you can’t solve it.”
Falling and broken tracks are both unavoidable, but isn’t the point watching how the author solves it?
——
Since answering, I’ll respond to all current doubts at once.
Protagonist’s personality a bit evil, not likable.
Earliest to point it out was Goose Director (author of From Live Streaming Money Printing to Art Master, currently writing Middle East Tyrant). He said your protagonist’s personality is prone to getting scolded.
At the time I thought, get scolded then get scolded, controversy better than flopping.
Traffic effect is indeed good, but really gets scolded.
So someone scolds me, why is the protagonist so bad, can’t write a good person?
I often look at the question not knowing how to answer. Can I write a good person?
Yes.
Why is the protagonist so bad?
Because I’m writing a bad person… More fun to write, more satisfying, no moral shackles.
Why can the protagonist at the start intimidate a thousand people alone?
Here’s an interesting example. At the time I was reading Northern Qi Strange Tales. Because the protagonist has no inner thoughts, I was curious what motive supports the protagonist doing certain things.
Once Wolf God popped up in the group, I curiously asked him.
His answer also very author-style.
“I didn’t think about it.”
I pondered that question a long time, realized something.
Writing isn’t flat linear narrative, but picking key, good-looking things to show. This good-looking stuff at least has to be good-looking to the author himself.
Similarly, how the protagonist intimidates a thousand people is definitely with violence against violence.
…I left a week’s time. In this week before the story starts, the protagonist uses his “point who dies” supernatural ability, plus a ton of mind games, finally subdued most passengers. Some unconvinced ones either got off or clashed with protagonist and got killed.
But how tortuous the specific process, how much effort, I don’t need to write that detailed.
Though it’s logically an important link.
But writing these out doesn’t help my results, and no one wants to read that “natural progression” filler.
Because everyone is here to see how the train fares in the apocalypse.
Not to see how the protagonist painstakingly prepares and seizes the train.
Why does the protagonist toy with that girl at the start? One aspect his malicious fun, another he’s observing the girl’s personality. From my description, it’s not hard to see the protagonist rather likes Gao Zhe.
Because Gao Zhe is ruthless enough, fits his four years into the apocalypse cognition.
Prototypes for Gao Zhe and Lu Xiao both from my roommate, Marine Corps veteran, also Northeasterner. In winter washes hair with cold water, high fever 40 degrees, left hand whiskey right hand smoke, ass hemorrhoids still bleeding, coughing wildly while watching English tutorials doing animation. He sits in front of computer 14-15 hours a day or more.
Then why Gao Zhe lives or dies?
Is it I pity him?
Is it showing the setting… Severe injury and insufficient accumulation, forced evolution leads to gene collapse.
This isn’t weird story, so no unkillable situation.
Extending another question, someone says Lu Xiao and that woman getting together is a bit toxic.
That’s too damn normal. By chance I’ve contacted more of this type, levels vary, I know their nature too well.
But their identities special, can’t say too much. Without identity filter, their upper and lower limits are much wider than normal people.
Then where did the “justice” forces in the book go? Part of the setting, have to tell you gradually. After all, on a date you can’t ask the girl right away what color her panties are, right?
But you can ask me, who lets me spoil fans so much.
I don’t wear.
——
Last question, Silver Alliance is from my girlfriend, Yu Yue’s several song voiceovers also her.
Ordinary Alliance is from my reader and fellow Director Nan’s reward. She’s about to start a new book soon (What’s Wrong with Your Dungeon?).
Then thanks to brothers for chase reads and rewards along the way. Brothers who frequently post comments I’ll be more familiar with. Won’t list one by one here. Over a thousand comments, over five hundred rewards and votes, Aqian will remember in heart.
Don’t worry if the author is petty like the protagonist or whatever.
The author is.
By the way, on behalf of my girlfriend responding to those “I like you” brothers, thanks ha.
Later there’ll be more such voiceover content. I think it’s pretty fun.
——
Old Jiang said this book at most eight hundred first subs, so my goal isn’t high. Over a thousand subs, I’ll add one chapter. Normal is ten thousand a day, 5 chapters. Add to 6 chapters. As for higher subs whatever, not realistic. After getting off work I’ll prep tomorrow’s update.
Old rules, on shelves sacrifice wave.
《What’s Wrong with Your Dungeon?》
《Becoming Main God from Devouring》
《Mysterious Revival: Start by Controlling Trading Ghost》
《Who Says This Top Traffic Flopped? This Top Traffic is Too Explosive》
《Mecha Era, Fist Explodes Heavenly Star》
《Fairy, Don’t Use Me as Simulator Ah!》
《Rebirth Millennium: Getting Rich from Fishing》
《Restart 2006: Picking Up Attributes on Set》
