Cultural / Xianxia Notes
The "Author's Note" Tradition in Chinese Web Novels
In the Chinese web-novel ecosystem, the relationship between author and reader is unusually intimate. Authors frequently append personal notes (作者的话) at the end of chapters, directly addressing their audience about their health, writing struggles, or daily life. This author-reader bond is a core part of the culture—readers often feel like they're walking the cultivation path with the writer, not just reading a finished product. A late update isn't just an inconvenience; it's seen as a broken promise to a community that waits together. This chapter captures that raw, unpolished sincerity perfectly.
The "Walls" of a Serial Writer
Producing a million-word Xianxia epic over years is an extraordinary mental marathon. The "two-million-character wall" is a well-known phenomenon—the initial creative energy has faded, the ending is still far off, and the author enters a plateau of grinding daily output. Many Chinese web novels die or drop in quality here. Tomato's honest admission and his choice to delay rather than rush are a mark of respect for his craft and his readers' trust.
Author's words (作者的话)
A traditional end-of-chapter note from a Chinese web novel author to their reader community, used for personal updates, apologies, or reflections on the writing process.
Chapter Overview
This isn't a chapter in the traditional sense—it's a raw, heartfelt moment from the author, I Eat Tomatoes (commonly known as "Tomato" to his fans), speaking directly to his readers. After an intense stretch of fighting to maintain his writing flow against genuine mental exhaustion, he opens up about the struggle of pushing past a writer's "wall." He compares the experience to hitting the wall during a long-distance run—a temporary, brutal limit that demands raw willpower to push through. It's vulnerable, honest, and a beautiful window into the real human behind the epic saga.
Key Plot Points
- The Late-Night Confession: The author admits to frequently updating at extremely late hours, causing readers to stay up into the early morning.
- The Two-Million-Word Wall: Tomato reveals he has been battling "mental fatigue" for two to three months, a common burnout phenomenon in web-novel creation when a book reaches roughly two million characters.
- The Refusal to Rush: He explicitly states he refuses to "write carelessly" (乱写), choosing to delay updates rather than sacrifice story quality.
- The Long-Distance Metaphor: A vivid comparison of the writing slump to hitting "the ultimate pain zone in a long-distance run"—a finite period that must be endured and overcome.
- A Promise of Recovery: He declares the worst is behind him and asks for his readers' patience, framing it as a temporary slowdown on the path back to normal rhythm.
Reading Guide
This is one of those rare, precious chapters where the author pulls back the curtain and shows you the person behind the keyboard. If you've ever felt like Ji Ning's battles against the Heavenly Dao were just epic fantasy, this note reframes it: every sword-stroke you read is carved out of the author's own spiritual stamina. Fellow Daoists, let this be a reminder that even Immortals need rest. The path ahead is long—let's let Tomato catch his breath so he can keep writing the war across Chaosverses we're all waiting for.