Meh....

I'm sick. Have been for nine days now. I hope that this slight improvement I'm feeling is a 'getting better' kind, and not a 'fluctuate" kind like it was a few days ago.

Anyhoo, for anypony reading this, here is some random advice:

Your cover is the most important thing in getting you views. Good spelling and punctuation are very important to make your cover look really good, even if it's only a silly, random thing. After all, while you can't judge a book by its cover, many people do anyways, so make sure your cover is neat and tidy!

Also, choose your cover image carefully. A good cover image can really draw eyes. I have read a number of stories simply because I thought their cover art was cute/ funny/ endearing. Good cover art says "Hey! I'm puttin' somethin' into this story here!" If you are the lucky type to be blessed with artistic skills as well as writing skills, you can even make your own cover. Of have an artistic friend make you one. The latter also gives out the message "Hey! This story is so awesome some other person will spend their time drawing a cover for it instead of playing video games!"

Finally, make it stand out. You want your cover to grab the reader by the eyes and shout "Read me! Devour my words as if you were Twilight Sparkle! Rush with me as we blaze on in a trail of glory to the spectacular conclusion!" (This applies to slice of life as well. You don't have to have action to be enthralling.) Simply writing a basic description of what happens merely whimpers "Meh, wake me when it's over." Your cover must sing of what you wish to portray!

Observe a few test runs:

No
A magical item appears in ponyville and only Twilight can find the answers.

Yes!
A mysterious, mystical medallion has appeared in Ponyville, causing disquiet, curiosity, and fear. Twilight Sparkle Must take action and uncover the cryptic secrets of this arcane amulet, before panic... or worse... wreaks havok throughout the rural town!

No
The Mane Six meet my OC, Mary Sue, and together, they must fight Tirek!

YES!
Twilight and her friends encounter a new young mare, Mary Sue, who is worried that her bad habit of upstaging main characters in every possible way will make her unpopular. But when the town begins to shun the overpowered alicorn for her lack of character depth, Twilight and her friends must overcome their prejudices and ask for Mary Sue's help. For there is one who hungers for such raw, depthless power, and who will stop at nothing to get it.

(You don't have to reveal the villain in the description or even the tags. A mystery character will make people curious. Still, keep in mind some people will be driven away solely by content. I would not read any fanfic with this plotline, unless is was intended as a parody.)

No
This is the story of how Twilight Sparkle married my OC, Shadow Ripper.

Yes
I am very, very sorry for writing this.