Pleasedeteme I will, and thanks.
Should I continue writing?
Pleasedeteme I have done that quite a lot last month, and it would indeed boost up the views a lot. But since we all know that the views and reviews are from the fellow writers here, so I would only do it again when I have no choice.
Pleasedeteme sounds like a nice plan however I'm not the kind who just wants to use a word document for writing checking really, I would rather keep typing on Inkstone than let's say MS Word or Libreoffice Word but as long as people can get the story is my point, I will also allow people to give feedback on how to improve writing if there is any sides that they and if my novel ever gets attention
AI380 I'm so fed up with people trying to dig out all the grammatical errors I made, without even reading the contents, even used Grammarly, and somewhat proofreading before publishing it, they can still find the mistake.
Erm, you should not be fed up. Grammatical errors do put off readers. It can totally be one of the reasons why you do have a lot of readers which you are upset about. Even if your content is marvelous, it you leave the errors that you have presently left in your book, a lot of people would not prefer reading it. I am just talking about a bunch of people. Surely, there are people who keep content over grammar but we are here figuring out about the lack of readers so of course, the focus will be on the former.
When we have a problem, we have to look for the solution. Your problem right now is lack of views/readers. Since we all know how important grammar is in a story, why not fix the basic errors first? Writing is all about editing.
The person above has given a golden advice. Fix your errors and republish again. Also, I see you have misunderstood his/her statement. The person has clearly said with a somewhat similar title and not a different title. This is only to help getting your book in the new ranking which will automatically increase its exposure. And people will stick to your book when they will see it because you have now edited it as well. Now the only reason to step back for them would be if the content is not what they prefer.
Don't stop writing. Believe in yourself. Work hard and invest in your craft. You will definitely get the exposure you desire. All the best.
Cheers.
GorujoKun Oh... Thanks
LostInFictions Yes, I realized about that, and I have tried very hard to improve that, ever since I migrated to this place, I have edited my story lots of time, but then, there are still some grammatical errors that I don't even realize it's a mistake.
I really need some time to relearn how to use proper verbs...
But I would more appreciate if people actually look into my story content instead of my grammatical errors.
- Edited
AI380 But I would more appreciate if people actually look into my story content instead of my grammatical errors.
That's what i want for every single of my valid readers!
I'm also the kind who just cares on how the story goes and the errors in writing or grammar not being so serious, so if you ever convince me to review your novel (in which case for AI380 i did by myself this time) I'll only be focused on the story and not the minor errors.
But unfortunately not everyone is like me in this situation so yeah it's hard to write books for reputation reasons because of this.
I can also advice actually reading books, by just reading books, you can learn how writers actually write their stories from plot to how they do the dialogues, the reaction of characters, characters behaviors and etc. And unfortunately i don't really read books so it's a disadvantage for me and for others who wanna write as part of their passion but I would still advise against that!
- Edited
@AI380 I understand that but we, as writers, cannot control what readers like the story because of. Some readers like the story for its content. Some end up adoring the grammatically right sentences. Some end up faling for the way scenes are sequenced. We cannot control what they see in the story that keeps them going. We only have control over our efforts.
Pleasedeteme nah.. i use the free one. Even i'm broke right now. But yeah.. what i like about grammarly is the auto correct of capital letters. The dots, the comma, the spacing.. also, correcting my misspelling. It even make sure i double check the use of past and present tense also the use of singular and plural.
- Edited
Sythcake Criticism is almost very common to popular writers and yes it can cause that but that doesn't mean that they should feel bad, I understand that they could over react at first but as long as writers think about their expectation as how good their book can become the more they write, the better they will be convinced to keep writing and ignore criticisms that make them feel bad.
- Edited
Carciphones_02 Yeah free version just tends to fix most of your grammar but there is no guarantee it will make your writing even better however yes it really helps, I remember the first time i wrote just by using Grammarly, it had me assist most of the times while I was writing without even having to check back and that's the point but as I said: "There is no guarantee it will make your writing better"
LostInFictions Yes, I realized about that, which is why I will try to fix issues that are been pointed out, as much as I can. Although some are out my limits, for example, some grammatical errors that I don't even realize about it.
But I hold quite firmly to my story content, I would not easily change it.
My ultimate advice as a newbie whose only been writing a year.
Write for yourself.
Do you have a story to tell? A character you want to be given life through your words?
Then write.
Do you wish to make money and become famous? Do you want to win awards and have your story used in classrooms for literary examples of excellence?
Then worry about views, if people aren't viewing and are harshly trolling your work then maybe it's time to go back to the storyboard and rework your story to match those goals.
But if you just want to share your stories even if only one other person reads your work...
Then don't give a shit what anyone says. If you enjoy your story, write it. Eventually somewhere down the line someone who sought that sort of story will read it and smile and make everything worth it.
Pleasedeteme i also don't write on inkstone. One time, when i write on it, my chapter dissappeared without trace. From that day.. i write on notes app, then copy after finish and paste it on inkstone.
Pleasedeteme I suggest you to put those fillers and important information in auxiliary chapters. You know, people will find things to complain.
Pleasedeteme I read it, I think it's alright, it gives a mysterious feeling to the plot, which is also a technique to push the storyline.
Pleasedeteme yeah.. filler episode is not good in early chapters. As you can see in many popular novel, most of the filler episode are in the latest chapter not in early one. we should put many event in the beginning so the readers are excited for the updates, they keep waiting for what will happen next.
Filler episode should only be used after important event. For example, after a war arc, all the characters are exhausted. Give them a filler episode so, they can rest.
Or, based on any celebration, like Christmas and holloween, you can also make a filler chapter for this. But, keep it short. At least a chapter only.
Also, a filler episode where the MC don't really have any mission in mind. Just make him go out of his house and get to know other characters. Better if this filler episode has a good information for future event. For example, MC get to know that his friends is a good cooker. In the future event, when they are separated from the other in the forest, MC will leave the cooking job to his friend.
You can change it to other skill than cooking. Like, Lockpicking, stealth, swordfighting, embroidery, and many other skill. Just make sure the filler episode is not for the sake of you to updates quickly everyday. Make sure the filler episode has a good information for future reference.
- Edited
Pleasedeteme if you mean that gibberish comments, I think it's a troll.
And I can't really see that as filler
Pleasedeteme if you feel those chapters are actually filler, you can change it to auxiliary as a prologue or something, you don't need to delete it.
Pleasedeteme i've read it. I don't think that the chapter is worthless. It give the readers clues about new character, whether that character is enemies or not. What kind of problem will rise in the future.. something like that. I don't find anything wrong with it. You don't need to delete it if you don't want to. Just tell that weirdo, you are going to improve yourself and keep getting better. You did your best. But, if you really think that the chapters is not your best and you want to change something inside, you should do it. That is how you improve yourself.
Pleasedeteme i read it again, and i see there are lot of room for more improvement. Would you like for me to do some reviews? I'm not really a pro, but i can help to point out something inside your novel.
Pleasedeteme oh yeah.. i also just found this discussion. I recommend this discussion inside webnovel forum. Search, "Writing tips,tricks and resources". They are discussing about useful writing tips. Go check it out.
As said above, i was focusing on reasons that stop you from getting new readers.
When a story is bad(and i don't mean the grammar), people will comment/review the webnovel, especially if they are strongly disappointed. The more engaged they are, the harsher their words( Of course there are also stupid mean readers). So basically, if you can't get enough readers, you have to look for things you can easily fix. Because indifference is the worst.
Verb tense consistency is truly easy to fix when you get the trick, same for punctuation issues.
For the novel title, if you're not contracted you can basically rename it the same with (edited) in brackets, or just change a letter or something like that. It has been done more than once, for example for people that wanted to participate to the Spirity Contest.
AI380, i have check your novel, and that lock nice.
But i have to advice for, first change the cover of you novel, and delete the first line of you synopsis. Because when people are seaching novel the first thing they saw is your cover and the first line of your synopsis, if you do that i'm sure you will make more view
Sythcake Oh yeah, being sarcastic means I care about being criticized and I'm overreacting.
I think you're just being nasty for no reason. I don't even know you, but for some reason you've always been heckling me. Is it because you think I'm pro-Webnovel, or my posts just rub you off the wrong way?
Perhaps I should just ignore you from now on.
You know what I think? This is my criteria for posting a chapter or story:
Would I read it myself if I was a reader?
Has it been at least 2 days since I wrote it?
Have I gone through it at least once?
Am i satisfied?
These can dramatically increase quality if you're someone that posts immediately after writing a chapter. Giving time allows the brain to reset, allowing you to spot mistakes that might've gotten past you during the writing process. Also, it enables you to read it more like a reader instead of a writer, since you're more detached the more time passes.
Motivation is a hard wall to pass. There're huge gaps on my updates if one payed attention to my stuff since the beginning, partly due to prior commitments and chronic wrist pain, but mainly due to lack of motivation sine nobody reads my stuff anyway. I started daily again cause of the quarantine, but I can't guarantee if I could continue afterwards cause real life is forcing me to contribute to society. But do I care?
No. Not anymore.
I write for myself. A vanity project so to speak. I don't care if nobody'll read my stuff. So long as the mountain of notes on my phone continue to exist, I'll keep on writing, just to get this ideas off my head.
I guess that's the way I cope with lack of readership. Don't do it for views, do it cause you want to. We all sucked at writing in the beginning, experience will come with practice and massive consumption of quality content. Don't give up just yet.
MokouFriedChicken True!!! Even for me, I write what i have in mind first. Even if that doesn't make any sense, but, as long that the idea is related to the chapter, i will write it. I keep writing until a paragraph is born. Then, i repeat the step, not caring about any grammar problems.
After that, i will start the process of editing. Rewrite, and checking it again. After i posted the chapter, i will read it again as a reader. Only then, will i see my mistakes that i never realized before. Then, i will keep editing it from time to time.
Editing our chapters even though you have already posted it is a good way for us to find our mistake, sticking to the plot, we also won't forget about our own plot because we keep reading the chapter, again and again. It also help keep the motivation going.
For the motivation problem, Pinterest is a good application for us writer to get our motivation back. I've done this a lot and it's working. There are many interesting idea inside, the cool arts, writing prompt , dialogue prompt, skill, fighting and more.
Listening to music also helps a lot. I love to listen to sad song to cry. Then, when i cry and feeling sad, i tried to think of a future plot where i kill someone(inside novel). If i listen to heroic song, i tried to think of when my character will become a hero that save the word, or they are going to war.
I want to recommend a few good singer or dj for motivation purpose.
-SVRCINA
-Besomorph
-Miia
-Hidden Cirizen
-Neoni
-Bahari
These are all just my opinion though. You can use your favourite song too.
I too, have a playlist whenever I write. Mostly consists of Persona or other Game OSTs.
maelbarach Yes, that seems like the main issue, I guess I will have to spend some time to redraw that cover page again. And I have deleted that first sentence.
AI380 true!! I agree with maelbarach . I checked your novel earlier and see the cover of your novel. It give me the impression of little kids trying to write romance novel for the first time after being influenced by twilight movie .
It's true that there is a saying that said, "don't judge a book by its cover."
But, the point of the saying clearly shows that many people judge a book by its cover. That is why the saying was created. People keep judging a book by its cover.
Oh, the irony.
- Edited
MokouFriedChicken right!!! It really help us writer to get in the mood of writing!!
GorujoKun telling an author to follow the readers advice is like telling them they get no say in how the story they created goes. Please do not feed half baked comments to someone seriously looking for advice on whether to continue.
Now, to answer the original post, it is entirely up to you whether you want to continue or not. What you need to do is ask yourself do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy the story? Do you have the time/energy to continue. You should really only consider your personal feelings when it comes right down to it. At the end of the day we writers write for ourselves, to put the stories that are stuck in our heads down in written form to free up brain space for other things. Yes it feels great when readers appreciate and approve of our work but that should never be the goal. Writing for recognition and money is a gamble at best. Just do it for you and make it the best you can for your enjoyment.
GabrielKross It depends. Some advice is useful. Structural criticism is the best kind of criticism, because it's not personal, and it actually points at the underlying problems of the story itself, rather than subjective, emotional feedback.
I'm actually happy for constructive criticism. Like when someone points out, "okay, your transition is pretty bad here, there's not much flow here." Or "what is your character's goal? It doesn't seem clear here." The mechanical issues. "The conflict seems absent" or "the climax seems to be placed at an odd place." Maybe grammar and spelling mistakes. "You have a typo here." "Punctuation is missing here." "Dont flunctuate between present and past tenses."
However, a lot of the criticism or feedback consist of "this character is stupid." "MC is spineless/weak/retarded." Or he's an idiot. Or "story is boring." Or "story is s*." That's not useful at all. I'm not writing a story to pander to your particular taste of super-smart, genius, overpowered protagonists. I'm trying to slowly develop him from weak to strong. Now if I get something on pacing, I am happy. For example, "these scenes seem to drag on" or "the climax feels too rushed" or "the standoff is too slow." However, if your complaints about pacing is "why is he still so weak at chapter 20 (when it's a 500-chapter story)?" that's not about pacing, that's you just wanting a strong protagonist, which is not what my story is about.
You have to learn to filter which is the right and useful advice and which is subjective and overly emotional - usually from readers who get upset because you're not writing the story THEY want to read (the sense of entitlement here is unreal). As I said, usually the most helpful criticism is structural. Because it doesn't get too personal or emotional and actually addresses the underlying problems of the story, not making it all about "how dare you not write the story that I want to read?!".
MokouFriedChicken Nice! I like DMC ost when I write action scenes. BTS is my tunes when I want to bring out the stoic hero attitude.
Carciphones_02 this is how I can tell the writer is either writing off outline or not using one.
Outlines prevent the orphan, random filler.
- Edited
@AI380 Never got to say thank you for opening this discussion and being brave to express your experience.
It's cool to see you're not alone in this, right?
That's why I said your on an Artist Writer path.
All influential writers of our age faced similar situations. Even JK Rowlings face countless known and unknown rejections and zero show of love and support for her writing before Harry Potter.
So I'll express again. keep at it. Learn. Try. Do. Believe that you can deliver a story another will be eager to read.
You've got this!
Carciphones_02 and so, I changed my cover page.
I really do. It's just that there isn't much you can do about it. All you need to do is write a good story, put it out there and wait. You can do some advertising on social media and other sites but don't expect much.