I Hate Having To Say This

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Before I go off on one, I just want to say that this is not directed at the large majority of my lovely readers by any stretch. You have on the whole been extremely supportive and understanding of what has been happening with me since the start of 2018 in regards to my well being and other commitments.

Now please bear with me.

There's an extremely small minority who haven't been supportive or understanding.

Today I saw a comment about how I should change the way I should I update - the suggested way being the one I have already adopted - simply so that my readers don't have to "wait so freaking long."

You see, I know you understand that I've had work, exams, the complete loss of my friends and other family issues which have taken all my time meaning I haven't been able to write much until now. But that is changing every day as most of the things in my life are becoming calmer.

Exams are over, my work hours aren't so long and I've just quit caring about anything school related since I'll be headed to college in September for a new start and I'd finished secondary education. Yay.

So I am having more time to write frequently and I love that you all are so eager and also generally so polite and respectful through your curiosity as to when I'm going to update. My answer is that I will update as soon as this little authors note is also posted.

After I saw the aforementioned comments, it is fair to say that tensions escalated and I became incredibly annoyed as I tried to repeatedly rephrase the same point - I hate that I have had to take so long between updates.

The chapter in which I have explained all of this, and in which the incident also occurred, has been painfully clear. I want to update but wattpad deleted my chapters so it was not just a case of editing, I've had to rewrite a lot of them and refamilarise myself with a plot I hadn't looked at in 10 months.

But I understand because I'm in the same position with a lot of the books I read on wattpad. They do not update as frequently as I always wish.

Does that, however, mean I have the right to critique an author? To tell them to change the way they write? To put pressure on them to increase their workload - thus decreasing the quality of content and the authors wellbeing - simply for my greed of wanting another chapter?

No, it doesn't give me the right. To suggest such a thing, and then when the author lays out their reasoning repeatedly to you in such clear terms is plain rude. And wrong.

Nobody has that right. Nobody.

So because of that I am absolutely fuming. Who knows - maybe I'll take this little rant down in a minute.

Then again, I think this deserves to stay here so that people think before they comment. You may cause the author to feel like shit. You may reinforce the things that they already feel guilty for. You may trigger things that you do not wish to know the consequences of. I know that's what I'm feeling right now.

Frankly, you become the sort of reader that Wattpad doesn't need.

Simply, if you do not like how long updates take - something which I try my absolute hardest to take as little time as possible - then perhaps you should go and read another book. We don't need you making our lives, as authors, harder and less appreciated than they already are.

So then again, I also want to say a massive thank you to this particular hater. You've made me realise just how little some people value those who work tirelessly to produce the content you quite happily consume. We are not machines.

You have also made me realise just how much I appreciate everyone else's support and loving comments. Those asking when it's next going to be updated (because you're curios, you're not telling me that I need to change) or those just telling me to take my time and not rush because you understand, you guys are the best. Truly, I love you and it's because of you that I keep writing and editing even if I don't always enjoy the thankless work.

Anyway, if you want to check out the exchange in question to gain a better understanding of what I mean and things from my point of view, please head to the chapter entitled 'Sorry'.

But for now, I shall leave you with the fact that I'm publishing (as of 15/06/2018, the day this has all occurred) the next chapter of this book.

Dear haters, the answer to your question is that I'm updating it now. Turns out you don't have to wait 'so freaking long'.

And for everyone else, I love you,

K xxx

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