A Raging Self-Introduction | My First Note

Yeah, right! What do you mean, 'my first note'!

It's fine.
You can write as many self-introductions as you want.
Self-introductions are a win-win.

Look, even on X, there are people who post a self-introduction every month using hashtags like “It’s May, so let’s introduce ourselves to our followers again” right?

This kind of thing is perfectly fine.

Note Strategy Cheat Code [Infinite Self-Introduction Edition]

Here, I will introduce a cheat code for conquering note.
Since note allows the creation of multiple accounts, there is no need to delete an account even if you have already created one.

1. Create a new account and upload a self-introduction article.

Let AI write the content for you.
Nobody reads the content seriously anyway.

2. If the article doesn't go viral, delete it or move it back to drafts.

If it doesn't go viral, just pull the article for now.

3. Write and upload a self-introduction article again.

Since it's unlikely to go viral with the exact same text as before, try editing the title or having AI rewrite the body.
This is how you keep publishing 'Self-Introduction | My First Note' articles until one goes viral.

Once it goes viral, start operating with that account.
That way, you can start your note journey with a head start.

In gaming terms, there is something called risemara.
Short for 'Reset Marathon', it is a strategy where you start a game, play a little, pull the free gacha, and if the results aren't good, you reset and start over, repeating the process until you are satisfied with the gacha results.

If you are worried because your likes and followers aren't growing at all, wouldn't it be worth trying a 'risemara' on note as well?

Don't write a self-introduction with all your might.

The important thing about a self-introduction article is not to put too much effort into it.
Nobody reads a 10,000-character article written with all your heart.

Do you remember the content of a self-introduction article written by someone else?

You probably don't.
Nobody is interested in the content of someone else's self-introduction.
The reason self-introduction articles still get likes is simply because they are easy to like (the cost of liking is low).

Even a post of around 300 characters can go viral if it's meant to.
It's a game of luck.

Come to think of it, this article was supposed to be a self-introduction.
I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?
It's about time I started my whirlwind self-introduction.
Open your eyes wide and take a good look.

Here we go!
　Here we go!!
　　Here we go!!!
　　　Here we go!!!!

1. Name
Cat of the Mean Witch

2. Age/Gender
I'm a middle-aged guy

3. Family Structure
I have a wife and a cat

4. What I write about on note
Book reviews and essays

5. Why do you write book reviews?
Because I've read a lot of books

6. What's good about writing book reviews?
I think my writing skills have improved.
Also, as long as I keep reading books, I won't run out of things to write about.

7. A book I read recently that was interesting
Hitomi Kanehara's "Natural Born Chicken"

8. A book I'm reading now
Hioka's "Yurufuwa Tenjobito to Chiteijin"

9. About how many books do you read a month?
About 5 to 10 books

10. Why did you start note?
The ads on Hatena Blog were annoying

11. The theme of your first post
It was a book review from the start

12. Are there any themes you're bad at writing about on note?
I've never written anything like a "3-line diary."
I don't feel settled unless I write at least 1,000 characters.

13. Which article are you most proud of and want people to read?
My review of Pato-san's book.
It's not so much that I want people to read my review, but rather that I want them to read Pato-san's writing.

14. When you write, do you plan the structure first? Or do you write on impulse?
I often write on impulse.
This is based on experience, but book reviews are easier to infuse with personality if you just write them out on impulse, rather than trying to make them sound like a model student's essay.

Conversely, for essays, if I don't decide on the structure beforehand, they often end up as disorganized pieces where it's unclear what I'm trying to say.

15. How much do you care about likes and comments?
I care about likes, but I don't really care about comments.
I'm happy if people read my articles and chuckle, so I don't mind if there are no comments.

16. How would you describe your writing habits or characteristics in one word?
"Always a little bit prickly," I suppose.
I am aware that I write with a distinct style.

17. How do you overcome it when writing feels tough?
I don't update every day, so I often just take a break from writing.

Even so, when I feel like, 'I absolutely must write a book review for this author!', I write it while thinking through every single line.
I don't really have any techniques or philosophical theories for overcoming it.

18. What kind of notes do you want to write from now on?
My basic policy of writing book reviews and essays won't change, but I want to increase the proportion of essays.

Since I've become so accustomed to writing in the 1,000 to 2,000 character range, I'd like to try challenging myself to keep things under 500 characters, or conversely, writing long-form articles that exceed 5,000 characters.

19. Do you use AI when writing notes?
I do.
However, I never use AI-generated text as is.

For example, when I'm writing and get stuck on the structure, I paste the entire text I've written and give instructions like, 'I'm struggling with the structure, so please give me some ideas on what direction I should take to wrap this up.'

Ultimately, I am the one who writes.
I am also the one who decides.
I just have the AI provide ideas and hints.

20. Which AI services do you use?
About half and half between ChatGPT and Gemini.
I want to master NotebookLM, but I haven't been able to use it well yet.

21. What is the most common way you use AI?
It doesn't go as far as life counseling, but I often use it to organize my own thoughts.

22. How often do you use AI?
I use it every day.
I mean, if you search on Google, 'AI Overviews' appear automatically, and if you use X, you're influenced by AI-driven algorithms, so I think it's harder to go through life avoiding AI now.

23. Do you have any tricks for writing AI prompts?
It's to write detailed prerequisites in the very first question.

I often hear people say things like, 'You should include a prompt like, You are a professional, high-powered editor,' but I don't do that.

24. Are there any habits or ways of thinking that have changed because of using AI?
There was a time when I relied on AI for everything, so now I've reflected on that and am making a habit of 'eliminating AI-like thinking from my head.'

If you act on the premise of relying on AI, your thinking ability declines, so I try to intentionally forget about AI.

25. Do you give your AI a name?
I haven't.
It seems quite a few people do, surprisingly.

26. What do you think AI will be like in five years?
The speed of evolution is so fast that it's impossible to predict even what it will be like in half a year.
I mean, Nano Banana Pro was released half a year ago (November 2025), right?

27. How much trial and error do you do with AI?
When I'm paying for a subscription, I repeat it up to about 100 times when it's busy.
Right now I'm not paying, so it's about 5 times at most.

28. Are you the type to decide on a note's title first or later?
I decide on a tentative one first, then think it over again at the end.

29. How long does it take you to write?
It takes about two hours per article. I think I'm a very slow writer.

30. How many articles are sitting in your drafts?
There are about 70 articles. They are all things I stopped writing halfway through, and there are no plans to publish them.

31. What do you think about paid articles? (Writing/Buying)
I am quite passive about both buying and writing them.
I am the type who hesitates and eventually decides against joining even a 100-yen (first month free) membership.

32. Are there any projects you would like to try in the future?
I would like to try an interview project.
The interview articles by YeKu-san and Homura Fai-san were very interesting, so I would like to do something similar.

It seems interesting to both conduct and be the subject of an interview.

33. What do you think about the Creative Awards?
I watch over them as if they were something from a distant world.
I have no plans to participate at the moment.

34. About how many unread books do you have?
About 10. I am not the type to accumulate unread books.
I sell or dispose of books that I haven't read for a certain period.

35. Has writing reviews changed your reading experience?
It has changed significantly.
Instead of just reading once and thinking, 'That was interesting, the end,' I now often re-read specific parts of books multiple times.

36. Does writing book reviews deepen your understanding?
I do feel that going through the process of writing a review deepens my understanding of the book.

37. Do you feel uncomfortable with 'reading to write'?
Not at all.
I think any reason to read a book is fine.
Thinking, 'I'll read this book for content for my note,' is a perfectly valid motivation and nothing to be ashamed of.

38. What has become apparent to you by writing reviews?
I realized that there is pressure knowing that 'the author might read this.'
I can't write anything that would trash the content of the book.

39. How honest are you when you write?
About halfway.
If I'm not careful, my tone can easily become harsh, so I try to write in a way that is considerate of various perspectives.
If I absolutely must complain, I won't write it under the name 'Mean Witch's Cat'.

40. Who are you conscious of reading your work?
I write while assuming that a variety of people will read it.
People who have never read the book, and people who have.
People who agree with the book's opinions, and people who disagree.
And the author.

41. Are you confident in your reviews?
Hmm, I wonder?
I always write while thinking that if I say this, I might be countered, or someone might unfollow me.
I am always hesitant about how much summarizing or spoiling of the book is acceptable, whether I should assert my own opinion, and how much digression is allowed.

42. Do you think a review is an 'evaluation' of a work, or a 'dialogue'?
I think it's a 'letter'.

43. What was the first thing that made you think 'books are interesting'?
A biography of Natsume Soseki that I read when I was in junior high school.

44. What factor influences you the most when choosing a book? (Cover design, reputation, intuition, etc.)
'A sense of craving'.
What I am looking for right now is the point I prioritize most when choosing a book.

45. What do books that betrayed your expectations have in common?
I don't know.
I read them in the store, look through reviews, and still end up picking a dud.
I think you don't know if a book is a good match for you until you read it.

46. What is the best environment for immersing yourself while reading?
I am not easily influenced by my environment.
At home, in the library, at a cafe, on the train.
I can read anywhere.

47. Music while reading
None, or if it's something like classical or jazz, that's fine.

48. Do you read in one sitting or a little at a time?
I don't have much concentration, so I read a little at a time.

49. How do you deal with it when your reading isn't progressing?
I stop reading or read a different book.
I don't force it.

50. What is the difference between books you stop reading halfway and books you read to the end?
I often stop reading novels halfway through, and the reason is simply that I got bored.

On the other hand, with new books or non-fiction, rather than stopping halfway, I often just skim through them and consider them read to the end.

51. Are there any books where you felt your impression changed depending on when you read them?
I believe that the impression of every book changes depending on when you read it.

52. Are you the type who wants to talk to someone immediately after finishing a book? Or the type who likes to soak in the afterglow?
I am the type who likes to soak in the afterglow.
If it's a long one, I might soak in the afterglow for over a week before writing my thoughts on it.

53. Do you read books recommended by others honestly?
It depends on my relationship with that person.
If it's someone I respect or someone I want to get closer to, I will definitely read it.
If it's someone I don't care about who recommends something on their own, I'll pretend to have read it.

54. What are the charms of paper books and e-books respectively?
I think this is a theme that can be discussed from various perspectives, but I would like to look at it from the perspective of degradation.

Paper books degrade over 10 or 20 years.
If it's not out of print, you can buy it again, but if it is out of print, I feel there is almost no way to stop the degradation.

On the other hand, e-books do not degrade, but there is a possibility that the device will break.
In that case, it costs much more to maintain than paper books.
Also, since e-books depend on a platform, there are cases where they become unreadable due to account suspension or service termination.

I think each has a completely different vector of lifespan.

55. Criteria for letting go of books
Unless it's a book I really like, I let it go.
If I regret letting it go, I can just buy it again.
I do think twice about books that are out of print, though.

56. Do you underline or write in books while reading?
I used to underline and write in them a lot, but I haven't done that much lately.
Instead, I've started using sticky notes more often.

57. Do you think 'tsundoku' (buying books and not reading them) is a bad thing?
How could it possibly be bad?
Who said such a thing?
I don't think whether tsundoku is bad or not is even worth debating.

Perhaps people who don't like reading are arbitrarily deciding that 'tsundoku is a waste of money.' There is no need to listen to them.

58. Do you think there are books that are hard to read but valuable?
I think classics are the typical example.

59. Have you ever lost out by being a book lover?
I have never regretted being a book lover, but it is possible that I lost out on various things without realizing it because I prioritized reading too much.

The time I was most addicted to reading was during my university days.
I didn't have experiences like drinking at a friend's house, getting hooked on mahjong, or spending my days working part-time jobs.

I don't regret that even a little bit, nor do I think I lost out, and I still think it was good that I spent my days immersed in books, but perhaps some people might think I lost out.

60. What is the most important thing to you on note?
That my heart is stirred.

61. What are you conscious of in your opening lines?
Surprise, perhaps.
It would be boring if it just said, 'Nice to meet you. I'm the cat of the mean witch,' right?
Wouldn't it be more interesting if it started abruptly with something like, 'Liar, what do you mean this is your first note!'?

62. What kind of content is your most-read article?
As far as I can check on the dashboard, this article has the most views.

I'm not sure how my views are growing.

63. Conversely, which article was not read at all?
Probably the article on 'Preparing for Legal Disputes'.

64. Have you ever had a post go viral?
On X, yes.

65. What themes do you enjoy writing about?
I enjoy writing about every theme. In my case, I like book reviews, essays, and self-introductions as themes.

Conversely, it was tough when I was writing novels.
I was writing with the thought of 'I want to finish this quickly'.

66. Is there a writer you admire?
YeKu-san
Mikumayutan-san

67. Smartphone user or PC user?
I am a PC user, but since many people read on smartphones, I check my drafts on both PC and smartphone.

68. Do you ever show your work to anyone before publishing?
Sometimes I have my wife look at it.

69. Are you particular about your eye-catching images?
I try to be, but I don't have much design sense, so they might be mediocre.
I have the following rules for eye-catching images.

• Book reviews: Book cover

• Essays: Cat illustration

• Self-introduction: Long-tailed tit

70. Have you ever written a paid article?
I have, actually. I'm undecided on whether I'll write more in the future.
I don't plan on making book reviews paid content.
Making book reviews paid articles seems like it might involve copyright issues...

71. Tips for consistency
Maybe just taking it easy.

72. Do you always reply to comments?
I often just leave a 'like'.

73. Have you ever received critical comments?
Yes. Or rather, I received some nonsensical comments, so I deleted them and blocked the users immediately.

74. Do you have any measures for running out of ideas?
None at all.
When I can't write, I don't write.
After all, I'm not a professional.

75. Do you post on platforms other than note?
I post on quite a few places, although many are just accounts I created and half-abandoned. Details here.

I was also on Threads, but I got banned.

76. Do you often read other people's articles?
It's hard to define what counts as 'often', but I have hit the 'like' limit a few times.
It's not like I just write silently without reading anyone else's articles.

77. What are the strengths of your articles?
I pride myself on having at least a minimum level of writing ability.

78. What are your weaknesses?
I am a slow writer.
This self-introduction article also took me an entire day to write.

79. Do you think you are suited for writing?
I have been writing continuously for about four years, including my time on Hatena Blog, so I suppose I am suited for it. Whether I can make a living from it is a different matter, though.

80. Do you ever rewrite past articles?
Sometimes.

81. How much of your private life do you write about?
Hardly any.
There are many things I keep secret.
In particular, I make sure not to write anything about my work.
I am afraid of being identified.
All I have made public is that I am a middle-aged man living in the Kanto region.

82. What do you want to do on Note in the future?
A side hustle, of course! I want to make a ton of money.
Well, I don't have any plans for what kind of content I would use to earn that money, though.

83. Do you want to publish a book?
I am the kind of person who doesn't really have anything they want to write.
I don't continue using Note because I want to write something; I chose Note simply because I have an aptitude for writing.
I don't really care what the medium for expression is.
Whether it's video, audio, or text.
So, for now, I have no desire to publish a book.
However, if I ever have something that can only be conveyed in book form, I will publish one.

84. What other forms of expression would you like to try besides writing?
I would like to try posting songs on Pokekara.
Since I live in a rental, I can't sing at home, so I am thinking of going to a karaoke box to sing.
Or maybe I could sing when I visit my parents' house?
No, no, that's out of the question because I would scare the three cats at my parents' house.

85. What do you like about Note?
There are almost no ads.
It's free to use.
Even though it has social media elements, there is a culture where the writing itself is valued.

86. Conversely, do you have any complaints?
I don't like the social media-like atmosphere.
I like blogs, you see.
I like the old-school blog style of quietly continuing to post what you want to write.
I can't help but think that focusing on interaction on Note is somehow wrong.
You might say, 'Then why don't you just do a blog instead of Note?', but current blogs are a choice between 'having ads plastered everywhere' or 'paying for a premium plan.'
When it comes down to it, I end up at Note.

87. Under what circumstances would you stop writing?
I don't think I would stop unless there was a significant impact.
For example, not unless the constitution was amended and I could be arrested for writing whatever I like.

88. What is your definition of a 'good article'?
An article that shakes my heart and changes my behavior.

89. Do you ever write while out and about?
I sometimes write while waiting at the hospital.
I haven't done it at a library or cafe yet.
Even then, it's just reviewing drafts on my smartphone and making minor corrections.
I don't open my laptop and do any serious writing.

90. Are coffee or snacks essential?
I need water.
I always drink delicious tap water.

91. Have you ever wanted to quit Note?
No.
I have no intention of ever deleting my account until the Note service ends.
I once had a personal website I used to visit often that became inaccessible when the parent service shut down, and I was sad.
That's why, even if I stop updating my blog or Note someday, I will never delete them.

92. Is there a gap between the articles that get read and the articles you want to write?
Yes, there is.
The foundation of my Note is book reviews, and essays are just for relaxation.
I put the most effort into book reviews, but they don't get many 'likes'.
The essays I write for relaxation clearly get a better response.
That is always the gap.

93. What do you think about monetization?
I think you should go for it!
Note also encourages publishing paid articles.
I would also like to monetize on Note someday and earn something like 10 million yen.

94. What techniques do you use for titles?
I think using a 'question form' is the easiest technique.
That said, I don't want to make them overly blatant clickbait titles either.

• The common trait of Note articles that don't get read is ○○

• People who can't make money on Note honestly lack sense

• That effort is wasted. The topics that make money on note are ○○

I feel like that kind of thing is a bit vulgar.

95. Do you re-read your own articles?
I re-read my most recent articles many times.
I check for typos, omissions, or awkward phrasing.
Also, I simply like reading what I've written, so I re-read them with a grin on my face.

96. Are there any articles you regret writing?
I have no regrets.
I've never had an article go viral for the wrong reasons on note, either.
I did have a minor controversy on X once, but even then, I didn't delete the post.
I don't think I'd regret or delete anything even if it caused a bit of a stir.
Unless it became something as shocking as making the Yahoo top news, that is.

97. Which article are you most attached to?
I once wrote a review of a 'How to Write a Novel' book, which actually led me to start writing novels myself, so that article holds many deep memories for me.

98. Do you take notes on ideas for things to write?
Not at all.
That's why I'm not good at writing novels or essays.

99. A word to those who have read this far
You who read this far without skipping are a person with too much free time. But thank you.

100. A final word
You know how there have always been things like '50 Questions for Book Lovers'?
But I always had the impression that those were just filler questions like 'What's your favorite book?', 'What's your second favorite?', 'What's your third?', so I never really did them.
This time, I had an AI generate a massive amount of questions and answered the ones I was interested in.
It was fun, so I might do a sequel.

I've finished answering 100 questions, so I'll end it here.
The point was that even if you write a self-introduction article with all your heart and soul like this, you won't get many 'likes'.

If you keep 'rerolling' with the 'roughly 300-character casual self-introduction article' I mentioned at the beginning, I'm sure you'll get 300 likes eventually.
I won't do it, though.

That's all!!