The Strategy

Okay, so lately, I've been trying to brainstorm how I can get my new non-fanfic story to get some attention online without resorting to paying the $6 a month for a writing account at fanstory.com. Don't get me wrong - $6 isn't that bad, even though I have this strange premonition that they probably want it in American dollars. I just think that I would rather not use a site to post my stories on that I never read anything on. Not only that, but I feel like starting my own online fiction archive whenever I go there, or at least emailing the creators of fanstory.com to tell them why their layout is like a pit of fire and brimstone.

Anyway, here are my strategies for advertising my new fic 'Ghost Mist' online.

1. Utalize my website. My website gets a little traffic. Not a lot of traffic, but it gets some and I need to take advantage of that. So, I was thinking of opening another main page called 'Other fics'. I don't think I'd include 'Dragon's Moon', 'Mystic Wings', or 'Mark of a Goddess' on this page, but I could advertise them as well and put their links up as well as the links for 'Ghost Mist'. Besides, just thinking about converting all those chapter to html makes me feel dizzy.
   
2. Advertise on fanfiction.net. Of course, this is going to be my biggest tool. In the past, I've always uploaded new chapters of my Escaflowne fics whenever I've gotten too far ahead of myself, but if I want to advertise 'Ghost Mist' then I'm going to have to stop that. I'll have to stick to updating only once a week. You see, I'm not allowed to work on 'Ghost Mist' until after 'Mark of a Goddess' is complete. So, if I'm a really good girl and work hard on 'Mark of a Goddess' then maybe I can finish it before I have to upload chapter 12. Then I could start working on 'Ghost Mist' and hopefully get a few chapters written on it before 'Mark of a Goddess' is complete. Then I could advertise 'Ghost Mist' with every single chapter I release on fanfiction.net as well as on my profile page and my forums. Hopefully, I'd be at a stage where I was releasing one chapter a week of 'Ghost Mist' at the same time as 'Mark of a Goddess'.
3. Hopefully, I'd also be able to scare up some readers on fictionpress.com as well. Hopefully.
4. I can also do the same thing on mediaminer.org as fanfiction.net and advertise with each chapter. I've been releasing on mediaminer all this time ... so hopefully some readers from over there will come too. I can advertise on my profile there too.

The thing that's going to be the most difficult about this transition is that lots of people just aren't interested in reading original fiction, so it's not going to matter how well I write - my readership is probably going to be cut from in the hundreds to probably about five (and only two of them will review). I can't imagine that any but the most hardcore are going to follow me over - no matter what I say. So, my feelings are probably going to be majorly hurt. But *cheerful smile* I can't let that get in my way.

Besides, right now, I'm just enjoying 'Mark of a Goddess'. I wasn't planning on rushing that one or anything. I wasn't exactly planning to write fanfiction anymore after it finished - not because I have issue with fanfiction, but because I don't really have any muses left. I like Gokusen and so I tried to write a Gokusen fanfic, but it was flat. I guess if I did do anything, I'd go write a Kenshin AU piece. I don't know how well something like that would d0 - they seem sort of fanatic over there in Kenshin world (I've seen one-shots get 130 reviews) . So, I was just planning to enjoy 'Mark of a Goddess' for what it is. Then after I write 'Ghost Mist', I'll be able to have the courage to approach a publisher with one of my 'other' projects. Probably not though. One of my online buddies thinks I won't be ready for that in two hundred years, and she's probably right. I'll probably get shot straight out of the sky.

I always feel sick when I think about sending something to a publisher. Like - really sick to my stomach. It's probably because very shortly, I will be celebrating that I've spent half my life trying to get something published. And if I haven't published something - anything - by the time I've spent two thirds of my life writing my can off - I don't know if I'll be able to continue ... writing that is. I am not sure if I can help it. It makes me so depressed to think about getting rejected - I see nothing but black clouds. Welp, I need to stop being so depressing and look up a recipe for fortune cookies. I wanted to make some today. I guess I can use all the luck I can get.