Its Been A Difficult Start, But Things Are Finally Starting to Look Up!!




Hey guys! I hope you have been doing well. The cooler autumn weather has felt so good, it's always super hot in Southern California during our long summers! Anyway, I wanted to share what's been going on behind the scenes with God of Bananas. 

I think it's been about a month since I started up this blogsite and began posting chapters. It's been kinda a rough start if I am being honest. I've been promoting the story frequently on different social media platforms, but the engagement has been almost nonexistent. There were views and a few likes here and there from good friends and some family members (you guys are seriously the best!) But other than that, I had no idea what the reception to it has been. 

A very different experience from whenever I post illustrations on social media. In case you may not know this, I am an anime style artist and I've posted hundreds of artworks online for years. I've had time to make friends and hone my skills so whenever I post a new drawing, I am blessed to have instant feedback. (I say that not to brag, but to report what my experience has been like)

https://www.instagram.com/jackie.staar/profilecard/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==

However, starting out as a brand new writer with a new story and no audience of readers, has been tough! I had no idea what I was doing jumping into this. I thought I could approach it the same way I did with my art. Post a link to the content, promote it on different platforms, and then wait. Sooner or later, the engagement would come right? Not so with writing!

With a written story, there are no pretty pictures to look at, nothing visual to give a quick fix of dopamine to the eyes. Just a bunch of text that requires time and effort to read. After posting new chapter after new chapter and not seeing any feedback on it - I had to come to term with the idea that people in general were just not interested in reading.  

There were a handful of days where it was hard. I felt depressed at times, sure. I think anyone would if they worked hard to produce something entertaining and the only thing they heard back were crickets. But it didn't stop me from continuing to try. There had to be a way to do this and find success with it - I mean just look at all of the successful writers on wattpad. 

So that's when I started to dig in and do some serious research and try different things. I started reading articles, real accounts from authors, and I watched YouTube videos on how to grow as a writer. The suggestions were more or less the same - with the emphasis on growing an audience of readers. From posting on social media, to promoting your work frequently, starting up a blog, joining a writing group... check, check, check, and check. I hadn't tried participating in a writing competition, I felt  (and still feel) too inexperienced for that. So what else can I do? 

That's when I stumbled on something called a Read for Read. Where if you read someone else’s story and leave a comment, they will do the same for you. It sounded like a good idea to me. So I tried it. I joined a Reddit Wattpad community and looked for people doing Read for Reads. And...aha! 

This seems to be working! The comments we were leaving on each other's stories were great. Detailed constructive feedback. Some pointing out the areas that needed to be fixed and others were sharing how the story made them feel. And not only that, many of us started following each other and reading even more of each other's stuff. The following comments below are some of the best ones I've ever recieved for GOB!




This is the point where I am at now - and I am very excited to see where it goes. I think it will be a good method to grow a community of readers and friends. So I will be continuing to utilize the Read for Read Method. Of course, if there is another method out there to grow a community - I'd be interested in learning about it. But that's about it for my update. 

A friend from Saturday AM created an image for me for GOB recently. (It's at the top of this page) It is a drawing of Chima and Kuzzah taking a selphie together. I think it is the most adorable thing ever!! Big shoutouts to the talented Jamie Molina on Instagram (@nomadmanga) - who is the creator of the manga "Paradise Down"!

https://www.instagram.com/nomadmanga?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==

Seeing these things makes me feel so motivated for the future. Thank you guys for all the love you've shown me! ❤️🥹 I'll keeping pushing to make GOB the best story that I can for you!!


- Lots of love

Jackie Staar <3


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