Gonna be making those four panel ms paint meme ads. People like those

>>24678530
Chatgpt kinda blows for anime imagegen, just use something else

>>24678536
Any free ones? I got no money and no gpu.

>>24678539
>I got no money and no gpu.
Lol that does limit things, admittedly

>>24678539
Gemini AI Studios

>>24678548
Yeah, once this pc kicks the bucket, hopefully I'll have enough money for one. But thanks for the input.
>>24678550
Will try it tomorrow, thanks!

I've got 300k words done, two book volumes done. Not sure what to do about selling the book in a physical format yet. I have a handful of Patreon subscribers only.

Not sure whether to keep trucking along with my fiction on Royal Road, and/or to make a physical copy (not KDP because I don't want to do exclusivity with Amazon).

What would anons do?

>>24678558
what are your goals?

>>24678465
Where to download an epub? (Of Reverend Insanity in English, mtl okay but edited would be nice)

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>>24678539
here's a gen if you want it
hands a little weird but the painterly fuzz almost adds authenticity desu, can cover up with title anyway

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>have a general storyline events planned out
>characters and their backgrounds established
>relationships and chemistry for the characters at the ready
>setting, worldbuilding, and places mapped
>even have fucking crossover fics in other medias for my characters to be dropped into in my head already
And yet.
>still don't know how to start the story
How does one start out a story? It's difficult because the start of the story is also one of the most important aspects to bring in readers too.
Any tips on how to write the start of the story?

>>24678558
Hard to say anon, do you feel that you can grow more? You could try relaunching your fiction and fix any issues that readers pointed at the beginning.
Otherwise, you could just cash in, move to your next work and put that one on Amazon only.
>>24678574
Wow, really didn't expected that anon, you're awesome. Can I use it as a cover?

>>24678574
Not that anon but, what gen did you use and what prompt?
I really like the "natural" look to it. The somewhat messy lines do have appeal and the artstyle is nice.

>>24678587
>Wow, really didn't expected that anon, you're awesome. Can I use it as a cover?
yeah feel free i can inpaint any details relevant to the character too, i just used your img as the template

>>24678579
start as late as possible

>>24678558
You can do KDP (ebook and physical print on demand) without doing Kindle Unlimited (exclusivity). I'm doing that right now with my book on RR and there's been no problems.

I am planning to do a book of bonus stories on KU set in the same universe with some of the same characters, and I think I can still sell that epub and keep it on patreon while being on KU because other big authors do the same thing as far as I know. I'd have to reread the KU TOS.

Good luck anon! May you sell millions of copies.

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>>24678579
As one anon once said:

>in media res
>waking up
>dialogue
>scenery description
the holy quaternity of slop openers

pick and choose; mix and match

The storyline should begin either before, during or a little after the kick for the conflict.
>>24678596
Nah, you don't bother, it's fine for me as it is. But really, you're awesome, thanks anon.

>>24678593
it's a custom secret sauce, and it's ripping specific artists off so i would feel guilty sharing lol

>>24678606
>you don't bother
you don't need to bother*
I'm not sure what happened there.

>>24678579
>>even have fucking crossover fics in other medias for my characters to be dropped into in my head already
Based. I heard of some fic writers add their own OC and THEN making a completely original story for them.
Pretty sweet.

Also for a tip, just read how other stories start to get a general idea of writing the beginning.

>>24678579
you'll probably change your opening many times
just start with something that gives you momentum while fully expecting to change things up as your story becomes an increasingly concrete thing rather than just stuff in your head

>>24678562
1. Build readership to a tipping point where the fiction gets decently popular online

2. Make a nice little bit of income from the project.

>>24678587
Cashing in seems to be premature if the fanbase hasn't built. I'm doing okay in terms of response given my fiction isn't slop that panders to readers.

>>24678602
I know I could just sell ebook copies and physical copies, but tapping into the KDP unlimited readerbase would be huge. But not yet, since I don't want to have to take my story off Royal Road. Also, fuck Amazon.

>>24678579
Post your story here once you're done writing the first chapter.
Unironically your story sounds interesting already judging from what you already planned out.

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>>24678574
>>24678539
and some typography if you want it

>>24678656
>Cashing in seems to be premature if the fanbase hasn't built.
Are you running ads and shoutout swaps, posting your fiction elsewhere where the readerbase could be more receptive? Being off-meta kinda limits your total potential, so you have to reach more people if you want to grow.
If money isn't your primary objective, you should just keep doing what you are doing; except if you think you could get a lot more popular through Amazon. But that's a gamble imo.
>>24678681
Well... That's the cover part solved! Thanks so much man.
Seriously, if you want anything, send me a dm at Another Anonymous Amateur, I'm unironically in your debt.

>>24678690
I have a high readership retention. And I genuinely think and know from the responses I've gotten from dedicated readers that my story is decent enough to continue to grow an audience.

My fiction isn't a flash in the pan overnight success that only really makes sense to Royal Road readers. I'm aware though that just putting my fiction on Amazon won't be a magnet to new readers.

The ideal would be some e-celeb promoting the series but that's not going to happen any time soon.

>>24678656
>Build readership to a tipping point where the fiction gets decently popular online
>Make a nice little bit of income from the project.
these are nearly (but not exactly) equivalent. readers & paying readers correlate pretty strongly in the web fiction space

what are your follower numbers? are you certain this series actually has legs? have you considered relaunching? but please note that relaunching is usually inadvisable. if you're floating at like 500 followers though, that shit isn't going to blow up.
popularity is generally about marketability, which means you win or lose at the starting line. it's all about premise and appeal
you can succeed in spite of general appeal if you are truly a great writer e.g. katalepsis

>>24677416
>It forces* the author to limit everything to one person. What that one person sees and hears and thinks. This prevents the reader from knowing too much information. It guarantees some mystery and suspense. Because the reader doesn't get that info until the first person gets it. I feel there's something more intimate when first person is used.
A lot of those are things I dislike about the perspective. Few things in a story bother me like plot critical off screen action being related to the protagonist second hand, and I don't think the benefits make up for that when I can just not show the points of the mystery that I want to keep hidden anyway. It opens up some appealing doors too. One thing I want out of this series is the opportunity to write in several detective subgenres, and Columbo style howcatchems or two sided cat and mouse chases are high on that list.
I also think that too much intimacy with a protagonist can be a barrier to what you can do with them. Getting some distance makes me more comfortable with character development by not having to dance around internal monologue or directly acknowledging some of what he's thinking. I think it's much easier to write a cold and solitary individual growing to accept and appreciate new people in his life when you see it from the outside purely by his actions without having to walk through the thoughts that bring him there.

>>24678690
>Well... That's the cover part solved! Thanks so much man.
np happy to help. are you the anon that was talking about doing an archmage clone? "glass cannon" opmc mage makes me think so

>>24678579
What is the moment where the main character's life is irrevocably changed, the plot has undeniably gotten on track and there's no chance for them to go back to their life before?
Start a paragraph after that.

>>24678703
Yep, this silly idea has consumed my brain since sunday. I put out on writing my long-term fiction in place of seeing this come to life. It's very derivative and I have zero hope for it's success, but my brain commands this to be written.
It's about a fujo who has a heart attack and gets dropped in isekai by a goddess that basically tricked her into fixing her world. Every spell she casts is overpowered but her physical strenght is the same of a child. I want to write this poor skellie girl being manhandled by her party members. Got almost three chapters done and I'll launch someplace about the weekend I think.
Really didn't expect someone to chime in to help, hence I'm so grateful for you.
Also got spooked when someone pinged actual OccultBeat when I was talking about it on II, funnily enough.

>>24678579
As the other anons said, scenery description and dialogue can work well.

>>24678698
>>24678698
629 followers, 300k words, 2.2k average reads.

I probably would have quit the series if I didn't have really solid reviews and over a half dozen dedicated readers.If all the views stopped, followers unfollowed on mass, etc, then I would have pause for thought. But that's not happened yet thankfully.

>>24678719
Derivative actually means higher odds for success, lol. RR is a funny place
>Really didn't expect someone to chime in to help, hence I'm so grateful for you.
i'm the local slop baron and seeing someone write something on meta for once excited me enough to save yet another story from an awful cover, lol. this thread really loves its unreadable titles and un-thumbnailable-images, which matters A LOT for new authors, because it's the biggest traffic driver (unless you run an ad)

before you post, let me check over your title/blurb too, and maybe chapter 1 if you want

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>>24678734
Well, thanks for saving this from my own idiocy lol.
>this thread really loves its unreadable titles and un-thumbnailable-images
Funny you say that, I was going with a gigantic LN-like title (I started writing this for Honeyfeed), but then I just went back to the original title: Glass Cannon—fits nicely on the thumbnail.
The original title was "I may be brittle as glass but my spells are powerful as a cannon!", no way that would fit in a cover and be readable.
>before you post, let me check over your title
Glass Cannon — Tricked Into Fixing The World (just came up with this, didn't thought much about the sub-title).
>blurb too
Blurb still not written :(
Going to write it tomorrow I think.
>chapter 1
Well, you can read it if you want. Still needs a pass through grammarly. Wrote this in one sitting on sunday. It's bad. But I'm going to post it anyway.

>>24678750
>It's bad.
NTA, but I disagree. Its very competently written, straight to the point and witty. You get an immediate emphasis on Sakura's character and it jumps right into the action. The BL goddess, and the elements of meta humor also went over surprisingly well for me.

>>24678763
Well, if you liked it, it makes me happy. I just want to write stories that people may enjoy.

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I think I've been ruined by chinese webnovels
I'd been reading them over the past half-year or so and got bored of them. They're mostly shit with terrible pacing and developments, so I went back to western works or the other two asian spheres. I thought I'd enjoy some good webnovel slop and waste away as is the daily protocol, but... the protagonists are just too unlikeable. They're all pussies, basically. I just opened a novel where the MC reincarnates/merges with a 12 year old noble girl who had just gotten killed, and then her first reaction is 'Ah, well, I was really spoiled and indifferent to the servants around me, so really it's my fault that the people on my parent's salary who swore an oath of loyalty attempted child murder.'
Like, what?
Where's my petty revenge and sociopathic rage? There's no fire in these animals. They need testosterone injections.

>>24678750
>The original title was "I may be brittle as glass but my spells are powerful as a cannon!", no way that would fit in a cover and be readable.
This could be unironically be a very solid title for Royal Road--you would just keep "Glass Cannon" for Amazon, and leave the cover as is. I'm a strong believer in LN-style names. It worked for "New Life As a Max Level Archmage", lmao
>Glass Cannon — Tricked Into Fixing The World
Also fine, though it focuses on a relatively unimportant plot gimmick rather than something genuinely attention-grabbing
>Glass Cannon: Am I Supposed To One-Shot Epic Monsters?
Or something equally LN-cringe might be better. "Tricked into fixing the world" isn't something that grabs a reader's attention, it doesn't make a tone promise, it's just a moderately interesting macro-gimmick, which isn't the purpose of a title

>blurb not written
blurb is very, very, very important, so please write and revise it like a dozen times

>chapter 1
i'd be happy to give you a full line edit if you want, but only after you do your own passes and call it good

Chapter 1 is the most important chapter of a web novel. It's where most "bounce" happens, and you really want it to be as perfect as possible. Sustained quality obviously matters, but if there's anywhere to spend disproportionate effort, it's the start of the story lol

>>24678793
I have an easy fix. Just have it to where the MC was a real hot head in the last life and was in the middle of improving when they died. Were they trying to be a better person? Kind of. They just wanted to switch from blowing up over everything to cool and calculated revenge. Then, once they have themselves under control, bring in a hot headed follower that reminds the MC of their past selves and take them under their wing.

>>24678802
>This could be unironically be a very solid title for Royal Road
Yeah, I do think it's a good title. Sometimes the best idea is the first one you have. I think the title sets the first expectation someone has on the novel.
>Or something equally LN-cringe might be better.
Cringe is awesome—this is pure, unadultered LN cringe. One of the things I thought when I wrote this was:
>Unashamedly otaku

>blurb is very, very, very important, so please write and revise it like a dozen times
It is, but I'm really tired right now. I really got zero marketing skills, so I put it later.
>i'd be happy to give you a full line edit if you want, but only after you do your own passes and call it good
Yeah, just speed reading I saw half a dozen things that needed changing or correcting.
>Chapter 1 is the most important chapter of a web novel. It's where most "bounce" happens, and you really want it to be as perfect as possible. Sustained quality obviously matters, but if there's anywhere to spend disproportionate effort, it's the start of the story lol
Strong agree!

>>24678750
Cute story, I like it so far. It does need a bit of grammar work but if you're going to run it through some website it should be fine when it comes out.
>Why do bad things keep happening to me
No! Get on that yuri train and like it Sakura!

>>24678579
I start in "after action event", like the protags have just been fucked in the ass, then you start at the aftermath

>>24678579
I started with a slow buildup, then inciting incident with some consequences, and then had the story jump off the rails pretty hard. Basically the total opposite of the recommended four starts.

Did it pop off? lmao no. But I think beginning the way I did is important because it sets the tone for the entire rest of the story. How can one pine for home if they never see it?

My next story will begin with truck-kun explicitly and unapologetically.

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Are (you) going to finish your project?

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>>24679016
Of course.
Actually this just gave me a good idea. I'll make a chapter outlining the ending of my story and set it to post in a year automatically, that way if I die or something the end will still get posted and my readers won't be let down. But I should have the whole thing finished by the end of this year regardless.

>>24679016
I'm 60 pages in. 240 to go.
And then I have to edit and draft all of it and then start on the next book and finish my story

I'm writing a web serial so my project doesn't finish. Why the fuck would I want to stop making money?

>>24679060
self pub as a career is a blend of profit and personal interest. you stop writing a profitable project to move on to one you have more fun with, that you like more but may have less (or more) public appeal
i know tards in this thread like to make it seem like its one or the other but anyone with actual writing experience knows it's a mix

>>24679064
>you stop writing a profitable project to move on to one you have more fun with
If you're weak willed or something.

>>24679080
i will write 9000 chapters of Supreme Ascension Sorcerer because my sick grandmother depends on me, I promise

>>24679064
>anyone with actual writing experience knows it's a mix
>No true Scotsman or appeal to purity is an informal fallacy in which one modifies a prior claim in response to a counterexample by asserting the counterexample is excluded by definition. Rather than admitting error or providing evidence to disprove the counterexample, the original claim is changed by using a non-substantive modifier such as "true", "actual", "pure", "genuine", "authentic", "real", or other similar terms.

>>24679087
Just 9000? Not over 9000?

>>24679088
nah man i do think anyone who writes for a living knows what i'm saying. it's not a no-true-Scotsman fallacy. swarms of amateurs grossly misrepresent what self publishing """should be""" while having no fucking clue about the realities of writing as a career
any adult knows that life is full of compromises. why would this be different

>>24679095
>"real writers would know what I'm saying"
>"real writers would put sugar in their porridge"

>>24679109
>"real writers would put sugar in their porridge"
real writers would put sugar in their porridge, tho

>>24679112
Spoken like a true writer.

Real writers don't eat porridge until after they finish their daily quota. REAL writers consume energy drinks while they write.
I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine how I know this.

>>24679156
Only last night you laid out your writing regimen, and we all saw the shocking extent of your caffeine addiction.

>>24679156
You don't need to consume so much caffeine, bro. But if it works for you then it works.

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>>24679175
>shocking extent
It's really not even that much.

>>24679215
I can do fine on just one drink and let that carry me, but I enjoy it. That I'm still awake this late at night is entirely unrelated. Surely!

>>24679237
Yeah I get you; coffee is extremely tasty. I'm currently avoiding any of it, because once I start drinking it, I can't stop.

real writers communicate with Wotan and Dyeus in their dreams

>>24678787
Shogun is fiction. It's inspired by real life, but only inspired.
They have made a TV series out of this twice even.

As a book it has good "worldbuilding". The premise is interesting, but the story has problems later on which I'm not going to mention in case you want to read it yourself.
I enjoyed it. It's only a few steps away from a modern web novel.

I have a small youtube channel where I make gameplay videos. It's not big, but I get consistently 1-2k views per video.

If you were me would you shill your story on that YouTube channel? Even thinking about it feels embarrassing, but it is a potential channel to get initial readers. Would you do it? Or would you keep the two entirely separate?

>>24679322
You absolutely should, lol. Maybe try testing the waters first with written books being reviewed beforehand so your audience gets an idea.

>>24679322
Make gameplay videos about it. Like the same format and style for how you'd do a gameplay video, but for reading webnovels on your site, the "gameplay" of you writing your chapters, etc.

>>24679322
I'd start streaming games first, then once those have a consistent viewership look for an opportunity to casually bring up the story in response to something said in chat.

>>24679322
post ur channel so i can give you an upboat

>>24678572
web novels often don't show up on libgen / anna's archive but mobilism often has them
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=1293&t=3974742

>>24679322
Listen, anon. The absolute stone cold fact that you've got to realize is that actually writing webnovels is maybe a third of the business at best. The rest is marketing, promotion, schmoozing or "networking" if you prefer euphemisms, and picking the right deities to pray to. The recent cabal debacle makes this even more clear. You're getting a leg up on the marketing already so make use of it.

https://sharetext.io/ea2dfc1d
there's always someone mentioning hardcore smut.

do i need to put a content warning on RR if my MC is an undiagnosed paranoid schizo

>>24679445
What a woke question.

new monitor has arrived
my backlog is going to look SO good on this lil big guy

>>24679427
You're right about this. It's the same way in game development and even youtube. I'm just worried that web novels and video games are very different niches and my audience is too small for there to be enough overlap. They might even infringe on one another.

But I do have to write more of the story first anyway.
>>24679341
>>24679373
That would be fun to try, but I was thinking more about whether I should keep them entirely separate or not.

>>24679375
Thanks, but I'm good.

>>24679602
>new monitor has arrived
>my backlog is going to look SO good on this lil big guy
>
good for you anon. I was late to the two monitor game and wish I had started sooner. Now I'm getting an idea. I wonder if the 30 or 40 inch flat TV I'm using as a second monitor would do this. I mount the widescreen TV sideways so its super long like a big phone. I run linux mint, so i think maybe I can rotate the monitor output. Now I'm kind of psyched like you are with your monitor that i think about it. Thanks for making my day anon.

here's a 1k word sample if any anon would want to spot check my writing.
>
https://sharetext.io/87f28f28

>>24679698
I don't understand what this is.
What's your power system?

>>24679698
Good stuff in there, but it reads like someone vomited every half-baked thought onto the page. Cut the whining, fix your tired idioms, and stop narrating like a foggy Tumblr diary. Pick a tense and stick to it. The Mike dump is boring clunky exposition; make it one sharp line or axe it. Keep the Zar sneaking bits, they actually have teeth, unlike the rest.

>>24679699
>I don't understand what this is.
>What's your power system?
so you read it then? Its just an excerpt from a larger chapter. I assume you mean by power system what lit-rpg trope it is. Its not rpg lit. But if you read the sample, how would you grade my writing by itself. Readable, unreadable, what. With no idea what the overall plot is, you get to grade me just on writing ability alone.

>>24679701
>Good stuff in there, but it reads like someone vomited every half-baked thought onto the page.
>
Rough draft first version. Liking anything at all even a little bit is fine
>
>Cut the whining, fix your tired idioms, and stop narrating like a foggy Tumblr diary.
>
That's fair. Its meant to be true first person. They simply talk their inner thoughts to you and tell you a story.
>
>Pick a tense and stick to it.
>
I'm not an autistic grammar fag. I accept criticism however. Is this an easy fix like the time I finally read about going to war almost on overuse of "ly" words. I try to keep them down to a trickle now. I've heard other newb writers told this too. How do I quit it.
>
> Keep the Zar sneaking bits, they actually have teeth, unlike the rest.
>
Zar sneaking off that you like? Interesting to me. She was a sub-plot to go along with the whole mystery then action case. if nothing else maybe I chose wisely with her and her sub-plot.
>
>The Mike dump is boring clunky exposition; make it one sharp line or axe it.
>

Again, that's fair. But you are getting a tiny chunk late in the story but as I said its still fair. For context. All the main action is over. MaleMC is recuperating from said action. The boring(you said clunky) Mike exposition. There's an official response to the earlier conspiracy being commissioned here. A couple of professionals are going to get sent out to handle things. Quietly.
>
If it helps any this is from more of a pulp novel crime fic thing. Not styled as a WN. I tend to do 10k words for a chapter on average. So a little bit of "down time" might be more appropriate for me. But I like your critique, seriously. Thanks. (and I'm most interested in the short non-autistic answer to my tense thing. Its a newbie writer mistake I see others get accused off)

>>24679698
Its fine. Just run it through Grammarly. Maybe have another look over the dialogue.

>>24679754
what's your opinion on the tense thing.

>>24679766
Its not a deal breaker, considering most of it is just dialogue, but I would advise maintaining consistency.

I like cultivation slop, but I'm running into a recurring problem
>Read Chinese cultivation slop
>5000 chapters where nothing happens and all the characters are the same and the protagonist is boring as hell
>Read western cultivation slop
>Either decent with 50 chapters 1 release a week and randomly dropped after 100 chapters or they shove litrpg shit into it

The only one that seems to have bucked this trend is Cultivation Nerd which I have enjoyed for a while. I have also been reading of Hunters and Immortals and it's been good so far, but it's still only at about 80 chapters.

>>24679977
This is a common problem for creatives, that nobody has written exactly what you're looking for. Unfortunately, the only solution is to do it yourself. (Or like hire the poet Virgil but I think he's fully booked)

Portals, how do they work?

Let's say you have 4 portals (Orange, Blue, Red, Green), that work kind of like the ones from the game Portal. Each paired up as follows: Orange with blue and Red with Green. You set up the Orange portal and a blue portal on different sides of the Earth, or maybe on different planets. Point is, stepping through the portal the person is moving through space technically faster than light. You set up the same Red and Green portals in front of each of orange and blue portal, very closely.

So: Orange-(short space)-Red
-(long space)-
Blue-(short space)-Green

And you start walking between them, so you go into orange, then come out of the blue, enter into green, then come out of red, then back into orange. You make “copies” of yourself in this setup because the FTL portals send you back in external time each lap, so different-aged versions of your single timeline overlap in the same moment, and from the outside it looks like multiple yous exist at once. That means, if the portals are closed at the same time, many instants of "you" from different subjective timestamps will remain (you that walked the portal loop 5 times, you that walked the portal loop 4 times, and so on).

So, if a character has the power to make portals, should they also have the power of making arbitrary amounts of time clones? Including any legendary artifacts they might bring with them through the portal. If a sort of energy (mana) is used to make the portal, as long as you can store it (via a mana potion or whatever), you can find a point where you're also producing infinite mana that pays for the portals and leaves more for your copies to use. Or should you make your world so that moving FTL is impossible?

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>>24680115
The thing is when you try to apply actual physics to stories is that aberrations like that start to appear.
Honestly, don't bother with things like that, most readers will not understand the 'FTL implies time travel' line of thought, and the ones that understand will expect more of your work.
Why doesn't relativity applies to a speedster? How can someone with super-strength lift stuff without the ground collapsing under their own feet? How can a time stopper interact with the would without destroying everything with the implied acceleration? Questions like those generate more trouble than they are worth.
Keep powers simple. Yes, your portal-making character could clone themselves, but most readers wouldn't think that and the one that does is a weirdo party pooper (AKA a physicist).

>>24680144
But I do want to answer those questions if I introduce such powers, if only to solve some problem with it later and show off to my readers how smart I am

>>24680115
Your explanation was unnecessarily convoluted and difficult to follow, but yes, it's theoretically possible to clone things with portals. But FTL isn't the problem, the problem is that being able to arbitrarily place portals wherever, even in locations you can't see or that are immensely far away, is completely broken bullshit. Why go to that trouble, when you can just chop up your enemies with portals while they're in the bathtub on the other side of the planet, or whatever. Your character is basically god, there is no story.

>>24679977
Read The Storm King on RR. It's a fantasy cultivation-like story.

>>24680211
You can balance it by having big costs associated to the portal, or only being able to make a portal to a pre-determined distance (make a scroll, that scroll opens a portal exactly 100 kilometers to the east in relation to the scroll, and in the same orientation as the scroll itself, in relation to the Earth) or needing some unique resources, or making a portal take a long-ass time to produce, or any number of other ways.

>>24679977
ave xia rem y is still alive
I think Beware of Chicken has an entire universe now of spinoffs and AUs and shit

>>24680245
The more I think about it, the less plausible this trick seems. Firstly, you're technically not moving faster than light with portals. The point of teleporting is directly connecting position A and position B, allowing the distance to be skipped entirely (don't make me pick up the goddamn pen and folded paper). Otherwise you're talking about a transmitter, which can't send stuff faster than light.

Then I thought, what if there's a massive gravity difference between the entry and exit points. If time flows slower on the other planet, would the dilation effect let you cut in front of yourself. But no, that doesn't work. You can only lose time on the way, but not gain it. You will have always left the previous location before you can port back there. There will be no clones.

>>24680252
Dude, it's magic. It does whatever someone wants it to and you don't have to explain shit.

>>24680243
>>24680246
Those are all shit.

>>24680115
The whole point of portals is that they aren't FTL. They connect two points in space so that they are, via the portal, adjacent. So you can avoid the entire issue of time clones in that way.

Now, you can write them however you want. It's your story. If you want portals to mean time clones, you can certainly do that. But you don't have to, either. In fact, any time your readers think too much about your system and start reasoning things you don't want in your story, you can just decide it doesn't work like that.

There's a point in my story where a mage tells the protag that some Skills are a kind of magic. This introduces something of a plothole where magic can replace a Skill that is a huge plotpoint, where another character doesn't have that skill, and their problems could be solved via a magic spell version of that skill. So I have the protag ask directly, oh, so is this particular skill magic, too? And I have the mage say "no, that's different" and then leave it at that, unexplained.

How satisfying or unsatisfying that conversation/explanation is depends on my skill as an author. But the point is how "realistic" anything in your story is is entirely up to you as the author. This is where things like "rule of cool" come into play.

>>24680291
Wrong

>>24680314
well, I read all three of them for a bit and I don't remember anything except that I thought they were shit.

>>24680321
Which xianxia do you consider good then?

>>24680326
They are all shit, but Martial World and Cradle are tolerable.

are there any xianxia with the same resource management based progression like in the Immortal Arcs of Reverend Insanity? the concept of immortal apertures, managing resources, having to fight off natural disasters sent by heaven, etc. tickles my autism like nothing else.

>>24680330
If you think all xianxia is shit then I don't think your input on which xianxia are enjoyable is valuable in the slightest, anon

>>24680348
no need to get your panties in a twist m8. xianxia is shit, that's a fact. but I still read it because it can be fun.

>>24680351
just pointing out that someone who hates a genre isn't a useful person to get recs from lmao

>>24680356
but I don't hate it, also I didn't give any recs.
you need to take a step back and think things through logically instead of being influenced by your emotions.

>>24680366
you need to shut the fuck up and go back to /wg/ you obnoxious faggot ass contrarian

>>24680246
AXRY sucks and ceases to be actual cultivation after the first arc

>>24680368
lmao, calm yourself, dumb retard. no need to get so upset just because I have different opinions.

>>24680372
you don't have any opinions

>>24680372
>>24680375
>no my slop is better than your slop
Someone call the tard wrangler and drag these faggots by the scruff of their necks. You’re throwing shit in a shitter and both stink to high hell.

>>24680389
>i don't read or like anything
not an opinion, not a personality

fuck off back to /wg/

>>24680366
this wasn't me: >>24680368
although I do agree with the sentiment tbqtch

if you think an entire genre is shit your input either way (i like this, i don't like this) is kinda pointless. but more importantly, responding to another anon's recs (that original anon wasn't me either) with "these suck" without giving your own in return is just super faggoty behavior, which is why you're getting hostile responses.

just don't be a net negative presence to the thread anon, it isn't hard

>>24680389
>sees argument that has concluded
>responds just to fan the flames
you are the retard

>>24680399
this post reeks of faggotism. if you don't like my posts, just don't respond.

>>24680407
>this post reeks of faggotism. if you don't like my posts, just don't respond.
if i see someone acting obnoxious I'll call them obnoxious, and tell them why.

Best font choice for a cover?

>>24680419
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_(typeface)

>>24680419
Are you anti-AI? It's better to generate typography than to use default fonts and try to make something yourself.

>>24680392
>>24680407
>dumb tards still arguing
Nothing you write will be anything but the genetic runoff of cartoons and comic books. No original ideas and even if you did stumble across one, you’d be too retarded to execute it without ruining it entirely. Stick to writing play-by-plays of anime instead of shitting up the board with your inane observations, you dysgenic freaks.

My god he's back for today too. Now that's an impressive level of mental illness

>>24680438
>>24668754

Do you guys write your characters like real people or do they have the cow eyes, tapered chins and boneless bodies of manga characters?

>>24680447
I never describe physical traits so that the reader can imagine whatever they want, it's the mark of an amateur to do otherwise (why limit a reader's imagination?)

>>24680442
My god you’re back for today too. Nothing written, I imagine? Still procrastinating? Keep coping.

>>24680444
Read here:>>24680438

You should give up before you waste time transcribing cartoons and calling it art. Retard.

>>24680456
keep crying wgcuck

>>24680459
not just A wgcuck, it's gotta be THE wgcuck. the live-in full time troll that's haunted that thread for years. he shows up here sometimes. quick, grab a camera

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>MC is super powerful
>but for plot reasons, the power must be suppressed
>MC is treated as weak and has to use more brain than brawn to solve problems
I thought this was a good concept, but...they're going to shit on me because of the MC not kicking enough ass, aren't they?

>>24680459
Keep coping. All you do is sit in the corner and watch anime. Keep procrastinating nigga

>>24680451
A few notable traits are good
I agree it's amateurish to go into ridiculous detail about facial features

>>24680464
>they're going to shit on me because of the MC not kicking enough ass, aren't they?
unfortunately, yes. but that doesn't mean don't write it. this is a formula that's worked for all sorts of very popular stories, there will just be vocal retards complaining about it

>>24680466
go back to your dead general seething noread tranny

>>24680464
You should just draw a comic book. No one is going to read your garbage.

>>24680472
You write slop about faggots transforming into animals. Keep projecting retard

>No one is going to read
the wg motto

people do read my slop actually :D

>>24680469
I can't really think of any examples that didn't just ditch the MC's weak phase and make it clear to everyone he's the best right after the beginning

>>24680477
kek

>>24680464
Because you advertised it wrong.
In my story, the MC is the weakest, so he’s forced to use his brain to not die.
But if you present the MC as strong and then strip him of his power just because you want to write a different type of story, I’d be mad too.

>>24680495
Shadow Slave is the biggest example. one of the most popular serials of all time & very heavily commits to the "appear weaker than you are" throughout most of the series (not up to date tho). if you do it right it's definitely very popular

>>24680503
Or maybe just accept the change and see where it goes. Why are you so insistent on living vicariously through an MC?

>>24680509
>Or maybe just accept the change and see where it goes.
Just don't mislabel and mis-signal what your story is about. This is author 101 stuff man, don't try to excuse it

>>24680512
A plot twist is supposed to mislead, that’s what makes things interesting. I’m sorry if you fell in love with the power fantasy, but some people want to write more interesting things than “MC stockpiles power.” Power should be a means to a more interesting narrative, not the end itself.

>>24680464
>>24680469
People expressing discontent over the MC not kicking enough ass are just begging for catharsis. It's not a big deal as long as you intend to provide it to them. Just reply to them with "just wait and see :)"

>>24680516
Presenting your story as a romance and turning it into an action thriller is retardation.
Likewise, presenting your story as a power fantasy and then yanking that away to do something else is also retardation.

>>24680503
But it's not misadvertised. The MC is powerful, I just want that power used sparingly for the maximum effect and not as a "solve everything immediately"-button. But I know I'm going to have to deal with whiny fags like you who really want everything solved immediately, and I already hate it

>>24680504
Guess I'll check that out, thanks for bringing it up

>>24680528
>But I know I'm going to have to deal with whiny fags like you who really want everything solved immediately, and I already hate it
bad news, but royal road readers in general are the whiniest bunch I've ever had the misfortune to deal with, so there's no escaping this no matter how safe you try to play your story beats
just do what you want and ignore them
unless you're shooting for top ~100 for traffic on those pages your ranking doesn't even matter either, so 1 stars aren't a big deal either

>>24680521
You don’t seem to be getting this. Power should be a means to a more interesting narrative, not the end itself. That’s why power fantasies are appealing: the narrative is impacted by the cool abilities and strengths the characters express.

Limiting a normally powerful MC can allow them to express some other talent, like their intellect or charisma. And once they regain that power, they emerge to be even more threatening, since they’ve just shown they don’t always need it to succeed.

I’m guessing that kind of nuance flies over your head though, since you equate power fantasies to only be about stockpiling power…as if that’s the only way to demonstrate superiority over others. So stupid.

>>24680538
>You don’t seem to be getting this. Power should be a means to a more interesting narrative, not the end itself.
You're the one "not getting it". I ignored that statement earlier because it has nothing to do with anything
We're talking about presentation and setting reader expectations. Stop rambling about other shit.

>>24680544
I dismantled your point and that’s why you’re refusing to engage with it. I accept your concession.

>>24680546
Fascinating

>>24680419
I tried a fancier one but it makes hard to read. No matter what you pick, remember that it should be readable from a distance. You can't go wrong with squary and simple. Use different colors to accentuate words you think are important.

>>24680536
You're right. My previous stories thankfully had almost no negative comments, the readers were very nice, but those weren't really mainstream either. Expanding readerbase is probably not happening without taking some fire no matter what

>>24680555
popularity is a lightning rod to truly insane individuals, so be ready for it.
when I was starting out and only getting a handful of regulars they were all very nice. the more popular I got the more insane my fanbase got too, to the point I just started banning or ignoring almost everyone, unfortunately
my best experience has been on Ao3, fanfic readers (or maybe it's shipfic romance readers) are very nice. even getting 50+ comments per chapter they would all be kind and enthusiastic, and when they did have a complaint they'd be so circumvent about it that it was almost funny.
royalroad power fantasy readers, however, are a blight upon humanity. man, does the money and views roll in though

>>24680561
>the more people who read my slop, the more insane people I got
Or maybe you just aren’t used to accommodating to your audience.

>>24680554
>more discussion about cover font color and audience that actual writing
The absolute state of /wng/

>>24680565
an author isn't obligated to accommodate an audience lol, and only royalroad readers have that entitled perspective.
i will write my story, and you are allowed to give it a bad review and drop it, but you do not have the right to tell me how to write it or demand I "fix" something so it suits your preferences better
even feedback is whatever though. it's their tone of voice and how they present their criticism. they're just annoying and sometimes genuinely insane

>>24680570
This isn't a writing general, tard. It's a web novel general and what we're talking about solidly falls under that umbrella
You a /wg/ refuge?

>>24680572
Your whole purpose is to cater the story to your audience. No readers means you failed. End of story. If a bulk of your audience is saying something should change, don’t be surprised if they leave when they see nothing changes. Don’t mislead your audience.

>>24680580
>cover art and audience retention is more important to web novels than the actual content
>if you disagree you’re just a troll from the other general
Very informative.

>>24680528
Then you should have written a weak to strong MC and made each new struggle harder.

Your story is just wrong.

>>24680561
Fanfic readers really will take anything they can get, especially if there's a rare pairing or the original work is less known. I've only shared one fanfic online long ago and got really nice and encouraging comments, even though in hindsight it was terrible shit

>>24680582
>Your whole purpose is to cater the story to your audience.
No, my purpose is to write a story how I like it. sure, I can target an audience and make decisions to widen its appeal, but it's still my story, not theirs
Catering to the royal retard commenters will ruin your story, I absolutely promise you that.
>if a bulk of your audience
Not what we're talking about at all, but sure, I agree: if most people say something, there's an issue. But the actual topic is the insane/entitled readers that come with being popular

>>24680591
>Catering to the royal retard commenters will ruin your story
Thinking of your audience as retards will only spell a road of disaster for you. But oh well, you’ll keep turtling up here in your shell while the crabs keep pinching. I tried to warn you.

oh I think it's the troll just trying to be more subtle about his baiting, my bad

>>24680588
Are you chinese?

>>24680592
>Thinking of your audience as retards will only spell a road of disaster for you.
i think of them as retards and do very well for myself, so no, I don't think so. if you can't tell, I'm speaking from experience, these aren't hypotheticals

>>24680596
The Chinese are very strict on their labeling. Get one thing wrong, you get fired from the factory.

>>24680599
So your writing attracts retards, and you won’t even do the bare minimum of appealing to that core audience. At least embrace being a tard wrangler.

>>24680604
>and you won’t even do the bare minimum of appealing to that core audience.
man i really can't tell if you're the troll but I hope for your sake that you are. because as I've repeatedly said we're talking about the minority of readers, the insane vocal entitled ones that are inevitably attracted to bigger stories, not the "core audience". the average RR readers if aight I guess, but still more annoying on average than other sites I've posted to
>embrace being a tard wrangler
why would I embrace that? I would much rather they chill the fuck out rather than be autistic and annoying in my comment section every single chapter

>>24680610
Admitting to have a hostile relationship with your audience, and not having a problem with that, is not something to be smug about. It’s pretty embarrassing, actually, to admit your writing attracts people you think you’re above. Total lack of self awareness. I hope you get the help you need.

>>24680422
I'm already compromising by using slop for a cover when I'd prefer to commission something, I'd rather not slip further into sloth.
>>24680554
I'm well aware of that part. I gave myself a headache looking through various fonts checking which ones were actually free or not.

>>24680615
You've clearly never worked a job where you needed to deal with the public
Individuals are pleasant (most of the time). When you have to work with people in the general sense, you inevitably develop a sense of disdain for them.
I don't see myself as "above" any given individual reader, but when I have to deal with them as a writhing, congealed mass of pure autism, I do start to hate them.
I won't speak for every author but I know many of them feel this way too

>>24680622
Not going to give you more attention, you probably don’t even write to begin with. But if you do I seriously hope you learn to have empathy for people taking the time to write and give feedback on your work. Otherwise this mindset is just ghoulish. But you do you.

Oh I see, so this place is like a concourse of hacks and free-booting writers, frauds and phonies, who backslap each other and put down the real talent. Small wonder that you worship word count above originality and precision. You're like depraved farmers that, having once filled up the trough for all the piggies, bow on all fours and partake of the slop yourselves, shoulder to piggy shoulder.

>>24680625
>you probably don’t even write to begin with.
On the contrary, I've experienced the reality of popularity and it's not as pretty as you imagine in your head. I promise you that other big authors feel this way too, we bitch and commiserate about insane readers all the time. there's an actual dedicated channel for it in the Order
There's nothing wrong with working fast food and complaining to your coworker about all the retarded customers you have to deal with. It's just human

>>24680629
Even pigs have the sense not to shit where they eat. Not the case here sadly.

>>24680630
what a narcissist lmao

>>24680642
Maybe? But then most big authors are (and most people who deal with the public).

>>24680648
whatever helps you sleep at night

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>>24680629
FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist' >>> Your Garbage

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>Didn't sleep well thinking about my fiction
>Too tired to actually be productive on the next day
I think I'm gonna take nap.

>>24680658
>FFF class
Sounds like koreaboo slop. I’ll pass.

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>>24680668
Yeah, the title is inspired by SSS-Class Suicide Hunter because it created the meme that the worse the title is, the better the series turns out to be.

>>24680686
Reminds me more of FFF Class Trash Hero.

>>24680668
>unlucky antagonist
I really couldn’t get into it. i can appreciate the author’s world building, and I’ve tried to enjoy it, but I just can’t.

The constantly switching viewpoints when you haven’t really defined your mc’s motivation. The oveeconvoluted situations that make way more sense when characters have been previously well established (which they have not]. The author has chosen a really difficult style to pull off and imho he hasn’t. it is really hard to read .

I hope it can get better. And I know the author has been working hard for all to make sense. It just feels way too much, way too fast, way too early.

>>24680723
Trash Hero MC is… trash?
My MC is sheer evil without being childish.

>>24680736
No offense, but your MC is a baby bitch boy in comparison.

>>24680732
That’s a shame, I was thinking of taking a look. But it seems the other reviews are saying the same thing. I’ve got too many others to keep up with, at least I didn’t waste time.

>>24680745
My MC can be killed by anyone with a single hit.
He’s just an element of the system and has to play by its rules.

Meanwhile, your MC gets everything retconned every single arc, lol.

>>24680732
i hate the multiple viewpoint thing. moved to webnovels specifically to avoid that lmao

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>>24680761
Not like that, my MC is just a support character in every arc. In one arc, he’s just a background character who only shows up at the end, and in another, he’s the antagonist who tries to stop a man from finding his happiness.

>>24680772
>mc isn’t even the mc
>this is compelling, somehow
Boring.

>>24680732
Kek I had similar experience. Style is like trying to play where’s Waldo with all the characters. Like the author is just playin dress up with dolls and expects us all to be filled in.

>>24680778
It’s called a non-linear narrative. Like a puzzle, the MC is given to you piece by piece, and the more you read, the more you realize the horrible monster that is slowly taking shape.

I'm writing a web-novel that centers on a serial killer all of whose victims are coincidentally black. It never goes acknowledged that he's targeting people of color but their race is introduced together with their character at the top of each chapter--and unfailingly it's black. How long, if you had to wager, will my webnovel live on Royal Road before its banished against the terms of service? (And before any of you scolds spring to the attack, I bear zero hatred toward the darker races. I only wanna do it as a social experiment.)

>>24680789
The author doth protest too much. Less damage control, more fixing up plot holes. Chop chop, slave.

>>24680759
>An 'antagonist' that follows the rules like a good widdle boy
Wow, what a lack of ambition. That's what you consider SHEER EVIL? It just sounds like your guy is a limp wristed faggot fit only to be a filler arc chump. Unironically taking your story off of read later now.

>>24680791
Unironically better antagonist MC than the rest posted here

>>24680572
If you're talking about Solomon Yeshua just report him. He's a huge faggot breaking rules about toxicity (btw also look at his review).

>>24680795
The laws of the universe aren’t something you can just choose to follow or not.
If, in your story, the author can simply ignore their own rules to make the MC win… what’s the point?
Pure evil takes over the system by exploiting the rules.
>>24680794
no plotholes because I'm the man who writes kino.

>>24680732
>And I know the author has been working hard
In this thread, sure. That weird arc about griffins was a little boring though, seems like a lack of effort.

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>>24680784
Do it with 200 dolls.

>>24680795
The whole thing is a filler arc building up to a reveal that never comes. Zzzzzz

>>24680800
Exploiting the rules =/= playing by its rules. You may not think it's important to be distinct on this, but it is.

>>24680821
Exploiting means learning math so you can play with cards objectively superior to the ignorant masses.

>>24680806
lol you can tell when a writer is hyper obsessed with some random new thing and changes the narrative to accommodate that interest. that and the 200+ characters shows severe lack of restraint.

>>24680818
Actually, my story is the prequel of the sequel.

>>24680806
>griffin arc
What does this mean?

>>24680865
Bunch of chapters about feeding, riding, even breeding griffins. Also a subplot about the MC trying to buy a griffin, then he forgets to and he misses his griffin riding class. Kind of killed the momentum for me desu I was just getting invested

>>24680869
>>24680865
He’s lying. In the next book, there’s going to be a Wacky Race arc where Jacques tries to win a griffin race by sabotaging others, but it isn’t out yet.

>>24680886
Is it important to the plot or is it a tangent.

>>24680886
>“MY STABLE!” Jacques roared. The impact had destroyed the Griffin stable.
>”For the same price, you could buy a speedboat, or why not—a Griffin.” Her words made Jacques punch his own forehead, reminding him that he had forgotten to buy a Griffin in time for his first lesson of Griffin Riding, scheduled in two days.
I’ll pass.

>>24680902
Sorry you can't recognize PEAK

>>24680903
Is the peak when we get to the Griffin riding lessons? Which we can’t do because we don’t have a Griffin, since you forgot to buy a Griffin for our Griffin riding lessons?

>>24680908
Keep reading. All will be revealed.

>>24680899
Kinda, because Jacques’s enemy, the Empire’s Prince, gets one of his strongest weapons in this arc.
>>24680908
There is no lesson because World War two has started.

>>24680911
I’d love to, but I don’t have a Griffin. So I can’t possible participate in the Griffin riding lessons, in training for the Griffin race. Because again, I reiterate, you forgot to buy the Griffin for the Griffin riding lessons. Your fault.

>>24680902
kek

>>24680913
Okay. Now get rid of the parts that aren't important or condense them. Obviously, someone who is reading your story has a problem with how this is being executed. You yourself can't say it's 100% not a tangent. Trim the fat or spread it out.

>>24680937
No the griffin sections are integral. I did not watch all those griffin videos online about griffins for you to just tell me I can’t talk about griffins at all. I will write the kino griffin race and stick it to all you griffin-hating fucks.

>>24680937
It’s already trimmed. Each chapter moves the plot forward and ends with a plot twist.

>>24680943
>every chapter ends with plot twist
Then it’s not a twist then, if we can expect it every chapter. It’s just you being indecisive.

what's with the dude constantly talking about trimming the fat on a WEB SERIAL? go back to /wg/ you tourist, that's not how this works

>>24680942
Do you know what Griffins are in my universe?
They’re anything that can host and fly with a knight.

For example:
Bald Griffins, a mix between a bald eagle and a lion.
Dragonflies,aka are giant butterflies.
Nightgales, a mix between a bat and a panther.
…etc.

>>24680951
Of course a /wng/er is offended at the notion of trimming fat. Hop on the treadmill, fatty.

>>24680946
That’s the point, anon. By plot twist I mean something the reader can’t expect even if he is expecting a plot twist.

For example:
A chapter about building a stable for Griffins ends with World War Two.

>>24680958
knew I had you pegged as a tourist. shoo, now, faggot, you don't know what you're talking about. people read serials FOR the fat, dumb fuck

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Here’s the blog entry about Griffins.

>>24680952
>It’s not just griffins
>they also come bald
So we can look forward to more chapters on breeding bald griffins, black griffins, gay griffins, and dragonflies. Dragonflies that you call giant butterflies, even though dragonflies are a real thing. You know that right? Dragonflies are real insects, that look nothing like butterflies.

>>24680963
>tourist
You got exiled for being retarded and made your own containment thread. Stop fatly seething and fatly waddle somewhere else. And trim the fat while you’re at it.

>>24680966
> Dragonflies are real insects
So?
The scientific name and the popular one are two different things. In this case, their contexts are so different that no one finds it strange

>>24680951
If someone has been spamming that particular phrasing, it wasn't me. I'm just trying to give actual advice to make for better writing.
>>24680959
If you are given a complaint by someone who is actually invested in your story, even if it is phrased like a joke, there is often a kernel of truth to it. That's all I wanted to get across. Just give a second look to those chapters from the perspective of a reader and see if there is need for any changes.

>>24680969
When you say “dragonfly” the audience will imagine the skinny bugs with two sets of wings. Not a fat retarded monarch floating across the clouds. So you’ll have to specify the difference each time, or change the name.

>>24680977
that's why is Dragonfly and not dragonfly
>>24680974
>from the perspective of a reader
That’s why the word count of the original draft has nearly doubled.

>>24680980
You think capitalizing is going to change that association? No one is going to pay close attention enough to remember that detail. They’ll just read “Dragonfly” over and over and think of Spyro’s sidekick instead of a butterfly. Use your brain you tard.

>>24680983
I’m going to write a description of a butterfly before calling it a Dragonfly.

>>24680989
Lmfao have fun with that

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WIP drawing for a cover for one of my stories.
Also, is there any webnovels where the author makes the art and write the story? If so, which ones?

>>24681062
If they could draw, they wouldn’t be writing webnovels.

>>24680686
But SSS-class suicide dude is fucking shit?

>>24681112
It's a good example of how you can go beyond your premise, just like I'm doing in my series, but in a completely opposite way.

In Suicide Hunter, there's a god willing to take on all of mankind's suffering.
In my story, the weakest entity in the universe causes all beings to suffer in his quest to cut off God's head.

>>24681124
I already know how your story ends. No need to read it then.

>>24681138
"What you're thinking right now would actually make a good ending, lol---the same sentence can have thousands of different meanings.

>>24681144
If you change the sentence, then yes, it will mean something different. That’s how words work. If I have to explain this to you, you’re really just proving the point that you have nothing to offer. Especially since you just told us how your series ends. No point in all those plot twists if they all drag down to that same point.

>>24681150
That's my approach.
'Luke, I'm your father' isn't really a plot twist because what actually changes for Luke if he's Darth Vader's son or not?
He's still himself, shaped by his experiences, and a single piece of information shouldn't redefine that.

So, my plot twists are based on an open-key system---the key piece of information is public, to ensure fairness, but the real game-changer is hidden between the lines of thousands of pages.

>>24681158
If you show us your hand before it even really begins, why would we care about what happens before? There are hundreds of other stories on RR that offer what you have, without spoiling it. Almost seems like all that effort you put into world building led to nothing, since we already know the ending. Who cares about dragonflies and griffins: we know the ending already. I’ll read something else that knows not to blow its load right away.

>>24681062
Oh, I actually know about one.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/56828/nevermoreenygma-files
I almost want to say there's an illust for every chapter but I'm not sure.

>>24681164
That's exactly why you're wrong.
One side of a 3D object can't define the object itself.
You're stuck thinking in 2D while I'm building in Nth dimension.

>>24680592
But the audience are retards. You should never cater to them other than choosing a genre with a large enough fanbase to make a living. You should always write for yourself, if you start to care what other people want your story to be it will be redditor coded cookie cutter shit.

>>24680791
I have something equally funny in my space opera taking place in another part of the galaxy, the seed ships happens to come from the countries I like. The Israeli controlled American seed ship just happened to get hacked by the Russian seed ship and they both just happened to change course straight into the sun. The UN ship with all the poors never got off the ground.

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>>24681124
>>24681158
Bro, why would you give that away? Your story isn't even done yet. What are you doing?

>>24681172
You’re stuck explaining to people why dragonflies are butterflies, and they leave once you tell them how the story ends. Keep sucking on shit, retard. The world will move on.

>>24681194
I'm not giving anything away. What I'm giving you is a tool that, with hard work, might help you figure out the real ending. So go and read FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist'.
>>24681203
My story is going to etch itself into the collective consciousness.

>>24681233
FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist' ends with him killing the god of that world. There, saved you a click. That was easy.

>>24680468
I tend to give every character their one thing. Its their most notable feature. Other than that I tend to describe them over time. I dislike writers that do a "police description" of every new character.

>>24681194
I don't read FFF but pretty sure that's the premise spelled out in the summary and not a spoiler, no?

>>24681238
Wrong.
Try again.

>>24681245
You're asking a /lit/ user to read?
Are you insane?

>>24681246
That’s what you say here:>>24681124
Either you gave away the ending preemptively, or you are lying to people here about your story. Both are questionable ways to market something that other anons have pointed out is technically weak to begin with.

>>24681255
read here
>>24681233
>What I'm giving you is a tool
Now, read the book and find out the ending.

>>24681267
The only tool is you, for telling us how the story ends. And what a lame ending. The MC is neesche….god is dead…and he will kill him!!! Derivative and boring, definitely not worth playing RoyalRoad scrabble to get to.

>>24681245
/wg/keks don't read, they just cry

>>24681278
Wrong again.
Ur brain small.

>>24678750
I feel like you're going to alienate half your potential readers by dropping 'BL doujinshi' in the first line without further context. You don't even hint what it is, and those that don't know what it is will just feel confused. Though, perhaps I underestimate RR readers, or your target is simply people that do know what it means.

I'm just a humble non-writer anon, so ignore me if you will, but I think a tiny line that adds context before the first scene-break would benefit retaining readership.

For instance:
> She sneaks a peak while running to the train station (train station is packed, and she can't wait to read something--anything!). She spots a tender scene between her two favorite male love interests and her chest siezes.
> Or, her bag breaks. She looks back, and sees a granny looking at a double page spread of a man taking it from behind.
> Or, how she'd want to sneak to watch the handsome boys changing clothes, and then fantasizing about them doing things to each other.

>>24681290
Boring book, boring ending. Thank you for saving us all the time from reading that drivel. The MC kills god. What a unique ending….

>>24681297
>if only you knew how bad things really aew

>>24681311
We already know how bad it is. The ending was spoiled.

Okay lads. I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl, and Cradle. What is the next thing to read?

>>24681293
No, I hear you; I started writing this for the Honeyfeed contest, so I assumed readers knew these words. But you're correct to assume the alienation issue, I was thinking of either exchanging it for an English term (like, Boys Love amateur comic) or putting a translation at the author's notes. I was more inclined to the former.

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Thanks Google, very cool.
>>24681321
Gemini AI debunks you.

>>24681293
everybody knows what BL doujinshi means

>>24681323
Orv

>>24681323
Embers Ad Infinitum

>>24681329
>Please read my work
>Google says it’s good
>No I won’t post my reviews
I’m sure you do have reviews praising your story where the MC kills god at the end, but the fact your first thought was to use AI is hilarious.

>>24681323
both of those are book series are you sure you shouldn't be in /sffg/?

>>24681332
using acronyms for someone asking for a rec is retarded
recommending translated sloppa for someone new to serials is also retarded

>>24681335
>search catalog for /sffg/
>0 results
what did you mean by this

>>24681323
Mother of Learning is probably the safest bet for an uninitiated genre prole
That or Worm

>>24681335
Honestly they are gateway drugs to litRPGs and xianxia web novels respectively.

>>24681338
man those sloppy fuckers are really letting their thread archive these days? shame

>>24681337
>using acronyms for someone asking for a rec is retarded
Ngl fair, it was retarded of me.

But still, Omniscient Readers Viewpoint is one of the greatest web serials of all time.

>>24678793
>They're all pussies, basically.
I know this feeling. I stay away from feMCs because they're all like this. With male MCs there's at least some chance they aren't. Male MCs suffer from the reddit problem though.

It's like I have to read something porn-adjacent to get assertive and proactive protagonists that aren't annoying.

>>24681344
Ah I see it in the archive now. Is that where I should look for recommendations that are more mainstream and less niche webnovel slop?

>>24681353
Yeah, lol. Id recommend going there first for classic genre fiction.

Started reading a shitload of Dumas, Doyle, Sue, and Collins in the delusion that whatever I can learn from these guys will still be relevant for modern serials.

>>24681417
A close study of ONE classic serial author is probably more effective than a sloppy speedread of four different ones. Also keep in mind the situation isn't totally 1:1. Serials back then were gatekept by editors and polished into a magazine/periodical. RR has a much less sophisticated audience, lower barriers to entry, and way more competition.
Good luck.

>>24681446
So far Dumas style seems really compelling to ape. Even in the translation it has a great rhythm. Three Musketeers is surprisingly kino, shame that swashbucklers are more dead and niche than even westerns.

>>24681481
Bring it back man. We need more cocky MCs with swagger who look like they're getting in over their head but then the clutch it out and get away with the goods and the girl.

>>24681499
>Expecting antisocial virgins to be able to write charismatic womanizers

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>>24681513
>implying virgin readers could tell it's not accurate anyway

>>24681513
Fortunately, just like how you don't need to be a good tactician to write one, or a genius doctor to write one, or a hardboiled detective to write one, you also don't need to be a womanizer to write one.

>>24681446
Brb closely studying Sade.

>>24681417
All of them had a factory of writers at their disposal, and some were genuinely talented. Collette started as part of a team of serial writers in her day. One man, unblessed by talent or formal training, could never compete.

>>24681642
Is that not why we're here? To refine our slop through effort and sweat and tears and challenge the very heavens!

>>24681238
Dang spoilers bro

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Chapter 8 "I feel like I’ve been reborn" of 'Oriko Magica: Sadness Prayer unofficial novelization' is up: https://archiveofourown.org/works/69296306/chapters/181833311

Writing on a set posting schedule is kind of stressful. i know it's sloppa words, but web novel authors are built differently all the same. 5 2.5k word chapters a week for years straight? how

>>24681978
I'm a daily writer, but you don't have to do 2.5k words 5 days a week. Certainly not starting out.

What I did was wrote until I had 20 chapters of about 1-1.5k words. Then, I posted three chapters on a monday, and from then on it's been one chapter every monday, wednesday, friday.

Obviously this is not in accordance with the precepts, but my first story is flawed anyway so I'm taking it as practice.

My first goal was to write 1k words per day. If I couldn't write a chapter, then that much outline. In the last month or so my chapters naturally started getting longer, and now I write 2k words as my minimum every day and it's not so hard, but I've been doing it more than half a year now. Now you'll notice I produce 7 chapters a week and only post 3: this gives me a very healthy buffer, and when I went to a convention and got sick after, I took almost a month off from writing. But my buffer was huge so I'm fine.

I think the minimum chapter length is 500 words on RR, so you can start with that and just try to produce that much each day, and only post three days a week. Writing is a muscle and you can train it and get stronger and more capable of writing.

Anyway I'd say I've been mildly successful. Just keep in mind that there are authors who post 3, some even just one time per week and they get on okay. Do what you can. Try to write a bit every day and make it a habit.

I'm between stories right now. I pick up a bunch of stories, read them, and put them down. That's fine, I'm not going to like every story. But doing this I've realized that I don't like starting many of these novels. They start out weak. The MCs aren't interesting and there's rarely anything that grabs my attention. I feel more compelled to go back to a story I dropped than to pick up a new one because of this.

I wonder why I feel this way. What is it about the start of stories that makes them less compelling than ones I decided I didn't like, but have got past the beginning.

>>24680419
please respond

>>24682024
unfortunately base/default/free fonts kinda suck and tracking down good ones is annoying and costs money, and that's only step 1 of cover typography
meanwhile AI can do text/logo design amazingly these days and you can get professional typography easy as typing in a prompt, and keep tweaking it/generating until you have something you really like
i know you said you're avoiding AI but if you're already doing cover art with it just accept the state of the world and get typography too imo

>>24682036
Frankly, I'm actually leaning towards giving up on that and pulling out my wallet yet again to commission art. If this shitty response of "lmao proompting can do everything don't even try" is all subhuman AIniggers can give me then there's no point communicating with you.

>>24682058
>Frankly, I'm actually leaning towards giving up on that and pulling out my wallet yet again to commission art.
You really should because it makes very little sense to be okay with AI art but refuse AI typography. at least be consistent if you're taking a moral stand
Not sure why you instantly had a meltie about it but I guess that's par for the course in these parts. good luck anon

>>24682063
Is it that hard for you to give me a basic response that isn't a regurgitation of what the past responses said?
Don't you think that if I was interested in that I wouldn't have already done it over 12 hours ago?
Could you try to infer why I was bringing up the question again instead of reflexively telling me the same shit you gave the last time then acting surprised when I react negatively?
I literally explained it earlier. Halfway, not all the way. If you're unable to help or provide new information, shut the fuck up.

>>24682009
It's probably just that the openings you're reading are, in fact, objectively weak. Beginnings are really hard to write, and if you're in a flaky sort of mood, it's easy to get turned off to an opening super fast rather than open up to the story and really give it a chance.

Instead of webnovels, try something else for a bit. Read some popular light novel, fantasy novel, etc. Or commit to reading the first hundred chapters of some big classic of the webnovel scene so you can at least say you tried it, like Azarinth Healer of Mother of Learning or something. Alternatively, don't read anything for a few days: watch an anime, go outside, play a video game, just mix it up a little.

>>24682068
relax u lil bitch its not that serious

>>24681158
>what actually changes for Luke if he's Darth Vader's son or not?
You mean, besides his entire identity and world view as an ordinary desert planet farmer being flipped upside down?

>>24682036
>>24682058
There is no best font for it. The choice is up to you. There are some great fonts out there.
You could also just draw the text by hand for the cover. Pick one of those fancy handwriting styles and try to mimic it with a brush in krita/GIMP.

>>24682003
If I was making 2k a month writing, I'd write 2.5k words a day.

>>24682058
As a typography enjoyer who dislikes using AI for this specific context, I might be able to help but let's all relax
As others have said, there's no universally applicable typeface. Share a bit more about your story and maybe even the type of cover art you had in mind

>>24681124
I'm not sure what anons are talking about here, considering all FFF anon has said is what the motivations of the protagonist are.

Like, does anyone here even read genre fiction? Did you all put down Wheel of Time when Rand Al Thor was fated to die and seal the Dark One?

>>24682570
/wg/tards don't read

>>24682570
I'm reader Georg, thanks to me the average WN chapters read per week for this thread is 12.

>>24682171
Yeah, are you telling me that Luke wouldn’t have done what he did if he weren’t from a noble breed?
I personally hate the idea that Obi-Wan wouldn’t see the nobility in his soul, but helped him because he was his old pal's son. Anyway, aside from that old guy, the rest of Luke’s accomplishments come from his skill. So, there’s no real game-changer between pre-revelation Luke and post-revelation Luke, except maybe some added flavor in his hatred for the Emperor.

For me, a plot twist is when you remove a filter the reader has been using to view the world, revealing it in a completely different way. It could be the classic twist where the MC was the bad guy all along, which I personally think is cheap. That’s why I was honest with the reader from the first chapter---my MC is the bad guy and his goal is not a good one---and even when the plot twist shifts the reader’s perspective, Jacques will still be a bad guy with a bad goal.

In short, the pre-plot twist and post-plot twist readers will experience a completely different story.
That’s my goal as a writer, and I hope it works.

>>24682669
You have an extremely shallow, infantile view of characterization, which says a lot about you as a writer.

>>24682705
>shallow and infantile
If you use these words, it means you can't show, only tell, which says a lot about you as a writer.

>>24682264
That's like saying if you made 2k/mo you'd bench 315.
You can't just go from making nothing and doing nothing to instantly benching 315 or writing 2.5k words/day. You gotta work up to it. And that's before even considering if that's 2.5k words that are good.

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Its all just monster girl evolution now. What the fuck, everything else is gone.

>>24682786
The slopceptcion is upon us

>>24682786
>MIN-MAXED FOR ENDGAME
I thought those synonym shitposts were just shitposts

>>24682801
>Fresh Start as a Level Cap Arch-Sorceror
>Rebirth as a Skill Ceiling Arch-Shaman
>I Was Reincarnated When I Died To The Last Boss, Now I Am The Secret Post Game Boss Lich
>Resurrection as the Server's Top Ranked Arch-Warlock
>Renascence as a Zenith of Power Arch-Thaumaturge
expect us

>>24682786
it's a hecking good thing chud, you are just a bad writer

my power system is so good I'm gonna fucking cry

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>>24682786
Just use filters. Doesn't everyone?

>>24682858
How about your characters and plot? Are those so good you're gonna cry?

>>24682786
My regret that I chose to hold off on my lite progression fantasy grows a little more over time. At this point I'm sure I put more effort into outlining it than most except all that means is I'll be an overlooked gem at best, and that's the consolation prize I tell myself.

>>24682860
Which ones do you use? I'm tired of the daily reminder that I have no networking skills. I just filtered AI stuff so far.

New:
>>24682944
>>24682944
>>24682944

>>24682075
If it ain't that serious you don't need to tell me what I already heard
>>24682357
>Share a bit more about your story and maybe even the type of cover art you had in mind
I would but not after I went and marked myself for trouble. Instead could you tell me what fonts I should never use or general recommended cover fonts? I've heard bad things about sans-serif fonts.

>>24682860
At a glance I think Bloodheir has the best cover out of all of these. Warfall is the best out of the progression lot but I'm not sure about making Legacy bigger. I don't think SSC even has a title.