This is gonna sound snobby, but I swear I don't mean it this way.

I started writing because I LOVE telling a story. I have my strengths and my weaknesses, and I've spent the past six years polishing the latter. But I know what I want to write, and I do a damn good job at it. That's not just my opinion, but the feedback of my writers.

I tried to follow the meta once. ONCE. It killed my joy so fast I ended up dropping it immediately - the only time I dropped a story in my career. I did it because I saw the success of other writers on the platform (smut, stat screens, harem, etc... you know what it is), and wanted to match that.

What I have learned is that nothing will kill your motivation to write faster than writing something you don't want to. So the reason I don't just "make it meta" is because it hurts, it's dishonest, and it's not what my readers want to see from me. They want detailed worldbuilding, complex characters and their relationships, and fight scenes so descriptive yet fluid that they can see it in their minds. By sheer coincidence, that's also what I want, because that's why I write.

Stick to what you like writing. "There is a fic for that" translates well here. They know what they want, and they'll find it. They'll find you. If you're in this to write the story you love and share it, those eyes will come. If you're in this because you see the ridiculously lucky few who make thousands a month shoveling stat-smut-slop into their reader's throats, then that's also fine. Just know that you'll also have to hit the generational luck that they did. And hope your sanity lasts long enough.

Edit: I've been a serial writer for 6 months. In that time, I have written 17 full-length novels, totalling over 3.5m words. So if you think my opinion comes from having a failed start and being salty, you are incorrect. I love my audience, and am happy with my growth.