Pleasedeteme I wouldn't call that an isekai but a jump chain. When the author chooses specific aspects and abilities and gives it to the protagonist like earth manipulation but born in a poor family, shit like that. And this concept continues for like 5-6 world's, as many as the author wants.
(As for powers, if it's an inherent ability they gain because of their family, fair game)
kazesenken Sounds interesting from the get go, by simply using life experiences, you're diverting from the typical shitty route most trash authors choose to take.
Piggy I'm writing a book about a handsome CEO basically the male lead of every romance novel getting transported to another world where he is the chosen one but he is totally useless, he doesn't know how to fight since his bodyguards did it for him he doesn't have any survival skills since he was born rich and he doesn't have any social skills because he thought he was better then everyone else, oh and I'm doing a joke about how everyone thinks he is ugly but I'm doing all this because I want the protagonist to go through a character arc where he goes from confident and a bit of dick to humble and nice but I need to know what most people hate about another world novel and you seem like the perfect person to ask
heyitsbluejay That's good cause that creates character development, which isn't seen in most original isekai novels.
Personally I'm not a big fan of isekai novels but for me it's always the grammar, I always read the synopsis or the short prologue, as it gives me an idea of their literacy level, idc if English is their first or second language, if it's shit then I'm not gonna stoop to their level to read it. So always proof read and ask others to beta read your novel. Also, make sure your synopsis isn't shit, don't make it first or second person, make it third, get ideas from Chinese authors, they do this for a living.
Also, one of the biggest reasons why I stopped reading isekai novels in general was because the protagonist were always fucken pussies, they were literally bitches of the female lead, it's pathetic. (I'm not an advocate for male supremacy but when you write like that, it's kind hard not to)
Idk much cause I don't read that many isekai novels in general but for me its always the mentality/attitude of the protagonist and the grammar (also use paragraphs, don't be that dick that makes it hard for the audience to read)
Make it logical.
Piggy
I find that it's difficult to balance character development in a way that satisfies the majority of people. Yes, there's a lot of isekai novels where the MC is weak and bullied, and conversely, there are the edgelord MCs that just try to dominate everything. It's not just limited to Isekai. You see that a lot everywhere.
For example, I have a MC who is considered "weak" to begin with, despite having a trick up his sleeve. Well, some readers get pissed off about how he doesn't act certain ways and think he is being the FL's bitch because of it. For times like that, I step back and think about whether that really is the case.
Does the writing actually back that up, or are they possibly self-absorbed in the heat of the action? It's pretty annoying how often the latter happens, especially when they start claiming things out of nowhere (like where the heck did they get that idea?). People draw their own conclusions, so authors write however they think a scene works out.
Could be a cultural thing too. Some isekai novelists are bullied people using their own experiences as a basis. Maybe later in the story, things turn out in the best way for them. To them, aspiring to get to that point may be the story.
kazesenken I think it's not that the character is weak it's that the reader doesn't believe that character is truly growing stronger
heyitsbluejay
I'm not referring to comments like that. It's more the comments where the readers think a brash decision would be "better for the MC" just because of whatever reason.
For example, a suggestion that he shouldn't be "cooped up in the FL's mansion" where he could be out "doing stuff on his own", despite the MC having literally no way to fight. Or killing people at the drop of a hat. My character is really weak at the beginning. It's purposefully established that he's a one trick pony to start off with, and that he would rather develop other methods to deal with issues.
He's basically like Subaru's mentality from ReZero, whose only ability is Return from Death, needing to figure out how to use his ability to his advantage.
kazesenken
Idk much in relation to writing as I'm a reader myself, but readers are getting angry possibly because your protagonist isn't doing anything that is productive that gives them any benefit. Or, you can show the audience the protagonists thought process, to know his plans for the future, whether that's training, recruiting, developing skills, ways to master that one skill, etc.
I don't know your story so I can't give you much advice, but you can tell them to just fuck off and that it's your story.
Piggy
Oh, I'm not really bothered by those particular comments, especially when there's just as many comments that see no issue with it. I look at them and then think critically whether it's justified, but that's about it.
I was pointing out that there's really no way to satisfy everyone. And really, that one little thing that no one else minds can really tick off certain people and ruin an entire genre for them.
There are plenty of isekai that are good. Don't let a few bad eggs ruin the whole shipment.
kazesenken True
Pleasedeteme I can neither agree or disagree with you cause I have no idea what the fuck you're saying. Instead of all this bs, tell me straight up.
Hey, I couldn't help but notice this thread and you bringing up the surge of power fantasy and system books :3 Since you've already shared your ideas for what works for you in an 'isekai', I'm a bit curious on what is a good 'System' to you?
And lastly, when you speak of quality writing in web novels available in this site, does it mean you're looking for something written similarly to traditionally published books? And are the web novels you're reading... do they tend to only have one to three sentences per 'paragraph'? Or even just one? ( When I read something on mobile app, it looks decent but when I read it on desktop site, its formatting becomes an eyesore for some reason)
Rants are fine tbh, it's an interesting topic :D
A good system novel for me would that it would go into detail, like the way the system is structured, novels like "The legendary mechanic". That novel is detailed as fuck, you can tell how much effort the author put in. However, I generally don't enjoy original system novels as I believe it's the easy route in writing a novel, (you just gather the amount required, and you gain the ability/power with no explanation given, it just happens, it's pathetic), except for traditionally published novels, the authors do it for a living so they're generally well written and structured, and they also give some background information about the ability gained. It's somewhat like the system isn't even necessary for these protagonists, those are the readable ones for me.
As for the quality of the novels, even when the "write your own novel" function came out, the quality was still lackluster compared to the traditionally published novels, and even now the quality is pathetic, some novels ranked high on the leaderboard use colons, not quotations, FUCKEN COLONS.
For sentence structure and paragraphs, the ones I read tend to have max 7-8 sentence paragraphs, but those only occur 3-4 times in a chapter and the rest are relatively short with 3-4 sentences. But, the novels I read, the grammar, in general, is good, the authors know what they're doing, so it's readable, unlike some shitty authors on this site.
Piggy
Traditionally published novels go through lots of editing, whereas the writers here tend to slap something together and then post it without much thought. Even the ones that seem to know what they are doing are prone to this, but hey, popularity doesn't equate to quality for webnovels.
I'm kind of curious what you would think of my novels then. Based on what you've said, it seems like it would be right up your alley. Honestly, I have no idea how 'quality' my writing is, but I have an editor (volunteering his services for free) that finds only few minor typos occasionally.
My ongoing one technically has system, but it's only there to drive the narrative (I rarely ever mention stats or skills and stuff unless they are important to the plot).
Would be glad if you wanted to give it a shot to see how it compares with the bad ones you see all the time, lol. Just search my name for them and see if the synopses piques your interest.
@yaoyueyi Spam above
kazesenken Right off the bat I wouldn't read it because of reasons that are the:
Title - Otherworld Isekai Service. Just no.
Synopsis is a bit too long.
There's comedy, I enjoy serious synopsis'
You continued to use the quote in the synopsis with no spacing. Always start a new sentence when using a quote or simply separate the quote.
The last three words are "path of carnage" has no relation to the title or the synopsis you written. I would understand if it was like "path of regaining a human body" or something but path of carnage doesn't relate whatsoever.
"After getting killed in an accident" first several words, drop for me cause the route is so overused. You don't even have to give a reason, just transmigrate him into a truck with like a mental message or something.
Use of questions. I get you're trying to grab the audience's attention but that's an instant drop for me.
Also you used Kami-san, which I'm guessing is a god of sort and as an apology, he transmigrates him to another world. With what I said before, I fucken hate when authors go for the God route or whatever interdimensional being interferes with the protagonist's death.
When I'm checking someone's work, I check the titles and you used question marks and single letters. I like serious titles.
The titles don't grab my attention.
I read a bit and it's good, you used quotations, which is good, you're not like those shitty, lazy authors.
Yeah, I skimmed through you're novel and the grammar and the sentence/paragraph structure were good. But I won't read it simply cause I don't like these types of novels. I enjoy more serious novels. :)
You might think these reasons are bullshit, but these are just my opinions and you got 69k views so you're doing something right.
FUCKKKK I REVIEWED THE WRONG ONE.
kazesenken Yeah but for your more recent novel, I also wouldn't read it cause of:
The title, no hate, but light novel titles, the title that you made was what got me into reading web novels in general. So whenever I see a similar title, I avoid it, simply cause it reminds me of the past.
I like the use of volumes in the synopsis, but that's not for me. I honestly don't care that you're trying to give the reader an easier time of what's happening, but a synopsis is a short intro to your story, and that is not an intro.
The volumes are way too detailed.
Ugh... First-person, that's an instant drop for me. I just don't like the first person in general.
You got some chunky paragraphs there (in the chapters).
It's an isekai.
Some good sentence structure and grammar but you should work on your paragraph structure. Their a bit too chunky for me.
Overall, compared to the trash novels I read on this site, yours is incomparably better. But no, it doesn't pique my interest cause these types of novels are the ones I absolutely fucken detest. In general though (no hate to you :) ).
You deserve those reviews as well, some shitty novels I read honestly don't...The quality of standard, that the readers on this site have are simply pathetic.
Piggy
Fair enough. Just curious about what you thought. My novels tend to be a bit slapstick/parody at the beginning so it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Hope you find something that is more fitting to your tastes. If not here, then maybe try RoyalRoad?
kazesenken I tried royal road a few years ago and the originals on there were actually good.
RoyalRoad is a lot more pickier and critical in terms of reader base so the top-ranking stories there are simply amazing :D I love The Wandering Inn, ThreadBare and other notable stories. And thank you for an example of a good system novel! I understand that system novels can become a crutch for writers, especially since a lot of other people favor it. The ones ranking now tend to be Systems, LitRPG or the like.
Me: Ah, colons instead of quotations marks sweatdrops reminds me of roleplaying, I guess some people can get behind it but others don't
And thank you for giving a number on sentences in paragraphs, I think most authors tend to go for shorter paragraphs to avoid blocks of paragraphs that can deter the more simple readers who glaze over paragraphs lol. The reading habits of a webnovel reader does contrast a lot with that of an average reader of published books. Once again my thanks! I'm currently writing a VR Book with some System elements so I'll take your feedback into account :D It's probably something I wouldn't want you to read unless you like to give feedback for lackluster novels haha
