Chapter 319.5: Side story — Afterword for Volume 1

Good, good, good.

It took over three months, but I’ve finally finished writing the first volume of the new book……

Now, I miss that time before starting the book when I didn't have to write so much. I just hate why I only rested for three months after *Godslayer* ended. It feels like in the blink of an eye, I’m back to the working life of struggling to update every day…… Well, mainly, writing *God of Drama* is really draining.

*God of Drama* is Sanjiu’s third book, and it’s the one that has taken the most mental effort. It has completely stepped out of the comfort zone of *Replica Mirror* and *Godslayer*, opening the door to a brand-new genre……

In plain language: I changed the genre, changed the theme, and changed the style.

*Replica Mirror* and *Godslayer* were both patriotic, hot-blooded fantasy novels, which are the genres I’m most familiar with. Before I started this book, countless people advised me: since you finally managed to get some success with a book like *Godslayer*, why change the genre? It would be best to write *Godslayer 2*, or continue with the same style. With the existing fan base, at least it wouldn't flop, and you could keep building on that style……

To be honest, I did seriously consider it. Changing genres is not only tiring, but it’s also easy to lose old readers. After all, they might just like the original genre, and if the flavor changes, they might not like it anymore. Especially for an author with a relatively large fan base, there are many old readers. If the genre doesn't suit their taste, or if they "hoard" the book and stop reading after flipping through a few pages, it makes the book's data look very ugly…… Even if new readers come in, it’s hard to win the old ones back.

But after struggling with it, I still chose a new genre…… The main reason is that after writing two books in the original genre, I got a bit tired of it…… (doge)

I don’t know if you all will get tired of it, but I definitely felt a sense of fatigue. I just couldn't find any more freshness or passion in that genre. It felt like writing more would just be following the same old pattern. I needed to change the genre, change the flavor…… After all, if you lose your passion for writing, what you write won't be very good. Rather than that, it’s better to take a gamble!

So, with my writing passion reignited, the framework for *God of Drama* was conceived in half a day.

A wasteland genre with scientific regression (perhaps it can't even be called a wasteland?) + theater stage and audience cheat (extremely rare) + a protagonist faction with a villainous vibe (neutral characters with distinct personalities.jpg) + a Republic-era background (for now) +…… These messy elements combined to form the basic framework of *God of Drama*, and the core philosophy has also been updated.

If *Replica Mirror* and *Godslayer* were hot-blooded combat themes centered on patriotism, with a straightforward setting of conflict between humans and gods, then the core of *God of Drama* is more introverted…… It’s not as obvious as the first two, and you can't feel the hot-bloodedness at a glance.

The core of *God of Drama* is like a storm hidden beneath a calm lake. It’s a kind of "hidden strength" (dark force). Only by reading deep into the later parts can you realize the source of this "hidden strength"…… It’s the arduous struggle of tiny humans against the unknown and fate in a desperate era. That’s roughly it; I feel it’s hard to express it completely in words. But I think after finishing the first volume, everyone should be able to feel it a little bit……

It is more subtle than the first two, but it has more power, is more grand, and more tragic.

But this also means…… its barrier to entry is higher.

For an author, this isn't actually a good thing, because it means losing a significant portion of readers, but there’s no way around it…… All I can do is make the story as interesting as possible, so that those who might have given up can read a little deeper…… That’s all.

Before starting this book, I was already prepared for it to flop. Changing genres, adding barriers…… my mood was quite depressed. Anyway, I just thought, if it flops, it flops, I’ll accept it…… To use the line from the end of the first volume:

【On a stage where no one asks, complete a curtain call filled with applause】

But I don’t regret it, because so far, many readers have expressed that they really like it, and the reviews have been overwhelming…… This is perhaps the best medicine to soothe my anxious heart (I read the paragraph comments every day too), and it has given me the confidence to keep writing.

In the end, thank you to all the brothers and sisters who have always supported Sanjiu (hands pressed together)!!

Although the first volume has ended, the world-building has only just begun, and the main plot has only revealed a corner…… The story ahead will be even more exciting!

If you think Sanjiu writes okay, remember to give a five-star rating and write some comments. If you are a reader who gave a good rating shortly after the book started, you can give it again…… After all, ratings without enough reading time aren't recorded. The current rating is 9.7, and I dare to try to raise it a bit more?

Also, you can recommend it to friends offline or online. Sanjiu thanks you all (laughs).

That’s it for the first volume summary. See you in the next volume!