Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

Emmmm… So many days have passed. From the day the book was released in late February until now, it's been almost two months. ♜ ♦ ♗ ♦ Google search for reading… The time for it to be put on the shelves is approaching… I want to take this opportunity to chat with everyone.

Actually… in the beginning, when you saw this book, it was all quite accidental.

Harry Potter: Charlie's Chocolate Factory originated from a random idea I had.

Later, I wrote a 10,000-word sample with great enthusiasm, originally planning for an internal submission. However, I submitted it to three editors, and none of them were interested, not even a single reply.

At that time, I felt extremely dejected… I lay on the bed, constantly refreshing my QQ email, hoping to see a reply. For an entire week, there wasn't a single response.

I began to doubt whether I was truly suited to write a novel.

Fortunately, I had friends who advised me… Since you've already written it, why not just publish those 10,000 words first? It's better than just deleting them, right?

So, I listened to him and published those four chapters… And it was these four chapters, these 10,000 words, that got me a contract. I signed with a good editor.

What was the initial motivation for writing this book?

Because I was short on money… I wanted to buy a Switch, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and play Hogwarts Legacy… And I myself am a poor student.

My initial plan was to write a flop online novel… The kind that editors wouldn't like, and that would get me on the shelves after 130,000 words, earning a minimum wage of 1500 each month, happily living on it for three months, and then finding a reason to end it… I calculated that three months would be four thousand five, just enough to fulfill all my dreams above, simply wonderful.

But… the book became popular, seen by many people. The number of readers soared from a few hundred to over twenty thousand.

It got recommended by the editor, featured on the 'small speaker', and made it to Sanjiang…

I was stunned. First, I was overjoyed, and then, after the joy, came the pressure.

With over twenty thousand people reading my book, I certainly couldn't continue with my original plan of slacking off… That was my first thought.

But what do they like?! I didn't know. It was from this point that I started frantically searching for information, revising the plot, and patching up the things I had written incorrectly.

Then… I got writer's block… I didn't want to continue writing according to the original work, but if I wrote it this way, what should I do? Could I add some fancy elements, and start writing something else based on the original work? And if I really wanted to write it, how should I write it?

I considered it for a long time, struggling with writer's block while勉强 continuing to write…

Next, let's talk about the recent issues and my solutions.

Is what I write short? Two thousand words per chapter is indeed ridiculously short… But as a student, especially one who can't touch-type and can only use a phone to spell, it's really difficult…

However, I am willing to make changes for you… Because you like my book, and I don't want to let you down. After it's released, each chapter will be at least three thousand words, and I'll try to do two chapters a day. If I can't do two chapters, then it will be one chapter of four thousand words.

Is what I write repetitive? Yes… But I really can't change this habit… It's not that I want to pad the word count, it's just that I really like to use more ink in those inadvertent little places, and describe them with my own characteristics.

I can't change this… Really, I really like to delve into these small details. If I really changed it, then this book would no longer be this book.

Regarding comments… I really like reading comments. I've read almost everyone's comments, whether it's criticism or praise, I will read them carefully.

I've also banned people and deleted comments, but most of them involved personal attacks…

Let me tell you an interesting example… There was a brother who kept scolding me from the beginning, saying that I was writing a 'nanny' novel, and that I was too similar to Harry Potter, like a dog. It was really toxic.

Then, I originally thought he would quit, but he kept reading and scolding from the beginning to the end.

As a result, I banned him and deleted all his comments.

Then he changed to a new account and started spamming the comment section… Here, I want to thank my two administrators, without them, I really wouldn't have been able to clean up so many comments.

The plot is progressing slowly, and updates are also rare. If you want to 'raise' it, then raise it… As long as you are always there, and remember this book, and come back to take a look from time to time, I will be very happy.

Although saying this kind of thing before it's put on the shelves is indeed a bit depressing… But it's actually okay, after all, it's already much better than my initial goal.

This will be my pre-release thoughts for Friday - feel free to comment if you want to chat, and rest assured that I will try my best to reply to what I see.