IMPORTANT!!! Announcement (last updated Dec 28, 2024)

Hello my dear readers. While it may be sudden, I have some news.

I want to preface this with one message: DCGR will be written to the end, there is no compromise on that, and that fact will not change. I hope this disclaimer will help you read through this rather long post to its end.

While the above is true, there is a problem in that it is not financially viable to write DCGR as a main source of income at the moment.

The reason for that is a combination of factors, but as it stands now, the novel is in that weird limbo state. It has been in that state for quite some time, almost a year to be exact (out of the year and a half it has been in existence).

On one hand, it is supported by people who I would hate to let down, and who have poured much support that I intend to answer by writing this novel to the end. (As I said, I make no compromise on that, this novel will be written to its end no matter what, if only to answer the goodwill of those kind enough to spend their money to read it)

On the other hand, it doesn't earn enough and is not getting any features to improve its earnings. The prospects of gaining more features and earning in the future are also not very optimistic.

Features (marketing), earnings and reading audience are all linked in a weird way, in that they either elevate a novel up in an upward loop almost automagically, with all three factors positively influencing the others, or makes it stuck in a weird spot with a different kind of loop, with one factor hindering the others which in turn hinder it back. (spoiler, DCGR is not in the 'automagically' kind of loop)

In the first place, there is a fundamental flaw that prevents this novel from gaining a larger audience, which is in the nature of how this novel started out.

As everyone who read past the first 40 chapters, and especially those who have read later volumes know, this novel is an original one. But, it is also true that its beginning is not quite like that.

The novel began as something written out of spite, as an expression of frustration at not being able to witness the end of a story, and having basically no hope to be able to do that in the future.

Thus, from the novel name, synopsis, how it is positioned, its theme, and the introductory chapters, it clashes with a novel that I had thought to be basically dead, as the author seemingly had no intent to continue it (which was proven false quite some time after I started writing).

While this fact may work to its advantage when that other novel is dead, it is a liability when it is not, as it is now proven beyond doubt.

At the same time, due to the nature of the novel, it is impossible to finish DCGR in a short amount of time without it feeling extremely rushed. It is now at ~750 chapters of what I estimate to be an approximately 2000+ chapters novel. And making that shorter would diminish the quality of the novel, because part of DCGR's appeal, in my opinion, and as I was repeatedly told by my readers in private, is in the format it is written in.

All that is to say, that while it is impossible to know something that has not happened, it is from the standpoint of today, hard to see this novel prospering financially without placing a heavy burden that would not benefit any side, which would not have been a problem if only a small part of it was left, since I could just push through until its end, but since it still is very much in only its first half (still quite a ways off from half if we're being honest), it is hard to continue in this state for such a long period of time that is required to finish it.

I have hesitated to bring this up for quite some time (as I said, almost a year now), even though it has been constantly on my mind, since I know how sensitive WN readers can get around these kinds of topics, and how many times people have been betrayed. And the last thing I want to do is give you a sense of betrayal. Because I have no intention to do so.

My previous efforts to try and silently push through for the sake of all those who support the novel, had taught me that the only way to make the novel financially viable to write, was to push at the barest minimum 70 chapters a month. If I write less chapters than that in a month, the novel's earnings don't reach levels that cover my monthly expenses.

But there's a problem in that approach. I don't know how it works for other writers, but I spend quite a long time on each chapter, and call me idealistic, but I also don't think that disrupting story and chapter integrity with short but numerous chapters is a viable way to write, and so producing 60-70 of chapters in a month puts a lot of strain. For a short while it may not be a problem, but long-term this will lead to a burnout. I could tell because I felt it coming the last time.

I just recently came up with these calculations, and for a short while thought that I may pull it off, but upon reflection, I doubt pushing myself into a burnout is a good thing, whether that is for myself, readers who would have to then wait for me to recover, or the novel quality that would no doubt suffer.

A bit more recently, I tried to take on a different approach. I took a side job to try and cover expenses while still writing, and you all know how 'swell' that went. The result was, almost four months with less than 50 chapters to show, with a nearly month-long hiatus.

All of this preface is to explain the reasoning for the following.

While I feel very grateful to people who support the novel, and sincerely wish to repay them by writing the best version it can be, and finish it to the end, I unfortunately can't realistically do so under financial stress.

I am writing this not to put responsibility on any of my dear readers, your support, even if it was only purchasing the chapters to read, was immensely, incredibly valuable, and I could not ask for more. And there were also those who were in a position to, and were incredibly generous to go above and beyond that.

The issue lies in the way a novel's earnings depend on the number of readers, not on any individual reader or group of them to support it. And in case of DCGR, unfortunately, it fails to capture a large enough audience to be sustainable at a reasonable chapter update speed.

So while my dear readers are incredibly generous with me, it is through no fault of their own insufficient to provide stable income for the novel.

At this point, I simply have to admit the situation, and recognize it can't continue this way. My only viable recourse is to communicate the circumstances as straightforwardly as I can, and hope for your understanding.

There are two solutions that could be applied.

One, would be for me to find a different source of income (basically take my old job back full-time) and continue writing on the side, which will significantly slow down the release rate for the novel. But let's be real, that is basically putting the novel in the same spot that I hated the other one for.

Two, is to conclude volume 7 on a good note to take a break, and put this novel on hiatus. Then to write a shorter (maybe around 700~900 chapters) new novel, after which I can return and pick up DCGR.

It is not a guaranteed way, but if it does succeed, it would help finance writing DCGR.

The reason for not writing the two stories in parallel is pretty simple, chasing two rabbits at the same time will get me none. If I am to make a successful novel, it has to be a good one, which needs focus and attention. Splitting it on two novels will likely result in a mediocre result for both.

I also don't want to leave DCGR in that weird state of 'is it updating or not?', releasing a few chapters a month that barely keeps it alive, effectively stringing along readers. It is far better in my view to clearly communicate that it is on hiatus, but will definitely be picked up later and finished at a later date.

As you can see, I don't intend to drop DCGR.

And I don't intend to rush-end it, since not only would that be a disservice to loyal readers who supported it through thick and thin, but it would also ruin a story that could have been good.

As I previously stated, I'm quite invested in Wu Long's story myself, and want to see it finished in a satisfying way too. There are a lot of exciting things I have for it, and it would be simply irresponsible to waste the story because of the circumstances.

While this might be a disappointing announcement to make not that long before the New Year, I couldn't wait to postpone it.

To start a new novel, I would have to plan it out as I did with DCGR, make an outline, create lore, etc. write a draft, and possibly some starting chapters, I didn't want to start working on these things in secret, not communicating what I intended to do. I wanted to give this announcement as much in advance as possible.

I also would be making a New Years congratulations announcement after a few days, and it would have felt disingenuous to thank everyone for supporting the novel this year, and speaking about the next year in optimistic tones, only to blindside you all with this announcement afterward.

And, if we look on the bright side, DCGR might also benefit if I took a step back from it, and improved my skills while writing another novel, to then come back to it with possibly some fresh ideas and hopefully less stress about finances.

I will continue writing DCGR in the coming months to bring volume 7 to that good spot I talked about earlier, while also starting the planning for a shorter novel.

These are my thoughts on the matter. I hope this announcement doesn't come as a slap in the face to those who supported the novel this far, as I really, truly appreciate all the support and love you have all shown the novel.

I very much worry about offending or letting down people, but at the same time I also have to be honest.

To those who feel disappointed, my sincerest apologies, and I promise to return to DCGR with better skills in writing and fresher energy, making it even better than it would have been without this break from it.

I cannot help feeling nervous making this announcement, but I can only hope for your understanding.

Thank you for your attention, everyone, and for your time reading this long wall of text.

Sincerely, DaoistGreenOnion.

Dec 28. 2024

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