There’s a lot of great advice on this thread. In addition, I think it’s really important to go into it determined. I’m not going to lie to you, coding is way harder than it looks when you start. Eventually though, it becomes easier than it looks. It’s all just a matter of being determined, sticking to it, and working to improve your skills. You probably aren’t going to be amazing off the bat, and that’s okay. I only started coding in May and I remember crying out of frustration at the most basic things, and then last month I got featured as an Editor’s Pick basically on my coding alone. The skill will come in time.
Tied into the coding business- try not to use too many templates. Templates for things like dressing games and the like are fine, but if you’re on the forums looking for templates for everything, you’re never going to learn to do it for yourself and your story will be stunted because you’ll be limited to the templates other people share. That being said…
Ask for help! If you get stuck, the forums are always active. Have fun, make friends in the community here and on Instagram. If you have people around you, they will help you and your story be the best you can be. My friends and I often read each other’s stories before we publish, give feedback, ask each other questions, exchange backgrounds and overlays, even code short scenes for each other. Having people around makes the whole thing more fun.
Your story probably isn’t going to be a massive hit off the bat, and that’s okay. Most people’s aren’t. The minute you finish your story and put that [COMPLETE] in the title, your reads will skyrocket. My first story hit 2K reads the day I finished, and now it’s at 16K. People prefer to binge read. If you persevere until the end, your efforts will be rewarded.
Write for yourself, not for the reads, not for the fame, not for the popularity. Do it because you love it, because it’s a creative outlet, because you’re trying to learn and improve. If you do that, you won’t get down on yourself when your reads are slow and you’re not an instant star. YOU WILL GET THERE!
Good luck! I’m happy to help with any specific questions you may have 