Webnovel.Forum

I’ve been reading webnovels since 2015 and IET was my favorite writer since coiling dragon. I have since followed all his works from stellar transformation to desolate era to seeking the flying sword path. All I didn’t read was the nine cauldrons. However, I’ve started to feel disappointed with his works for a while. Firstly, all his stories are so similar there’s a concerning lack of originality. DE, LXY, STFSP, etc, they are all basically the same story. I suppose you could say all cultivation stories are like this but it gets tiring reading the same thing from the same guy every time. It feels like you know what’s going to happen especially since IET is most famous for his romance Someone always gets stolen and the girl is completely forgotten after reuniting with and by the mc. I wish he just stuck to one universe and somehow connected everything like tjss does. That would make the similarities a little more palatable and seemed like what he was originally going for but forgot about. But the biggest reason I wrote this post is the fact that not only are his stories the same but they’re getting worse. Compared to bebe and xiao hei and that monkey feifei the newer novels don’t have any close friends that last and have importance. SS, LXY, STFSP are all one man shows to the extreme. Not only that but the world building is dropping. LXY has one of the worst worlds ever. Deities that lived for centuries go whipping random passerbys in the street and top powers don’t even pay attention to their territory and don’t care if their disciples betray them or get bullied. These newer novels aren’t half as good as fhe first few stories which is ironic since writers are supposed to get better with time. So, any thoughts on my rant? Btw I don’t hate IET, it’s more like I expect more from him since I always follow his stories so I’m just disappointed by the drop in quality.

UnderTaker26 Well, after years of writing and getting to the top with his novels, it's understandable that he burned out. I doubt that he has the same passion and ideas for writing as he did when he started.

Traditional writers tend to write for months and then have months of proofreading and editing before they push out a book. Webnovel writers have to push out chapters every day with little rest. Since he already earned a lot money I doubt that he has the same drive to develop the worlds as he had in the past.

I'd guess he's more interested in the TV/manga aspect of the industry now than he is on novels, and is only writing to keep his fanbase and stay relevant.

I was going search "I eat tomatoes novel updates" to see how many novels he has, but midway google showed "I eat tomatoes novel order". LMAO.
Guess all the novels is 'more of the same'.

I think he should probably take a break. He pumps out entire novels almost every year. Like Coiling dragon, Nine Cauldrons, and Swallowed star were written back to back in a year each. Supposedly he got dissatisfied with writing Swallowed star and left the end unfinished. He started a new novel "Inch of Radiance" in the same year. His only break was probably between writing that and Desolate Era in 2014.

Tonufan123 nooooooooo!!!!!!!
I’ve been following SS since before the move to qidian but now you’re telling me it’s going to be another galactic dark net? It’s already been going downhill since entering the virtual universe company but now you’re saying it just gets dropped? I was hoping for it to pick up in the future, maybe after Luo Feng finally finishes training, but now I might as well drop it. It had such potential too and the beginning was spectacular.

DarkNorth23423 The endings aren't anywhere near the best parts of his novels. So I'm kind of scared of what Swallowed Star's ending will look like.

DarkNorth23423 I disagree. I have never seen a good ending from IET's novels. Coiling Dragon was way too abrupt and ended right at the beginning of a reunion leaving too much to the imagination like the friends' reactions to the new universe and Linley's reunion with his mother. Stellar Transformation was similarly too open. The guys just left their world and we have no idea what kind of world they were creating or what they want out of it or even their life moving on. It was implied that there would be a story with Qin Yu's son but as of yet we haven't even seen another story in the same world. Desolate Era was probably the best but the entire point of the plot was to revive Yu Wei and we get like half a chapter of her basically listening in the background. None of them felt complete and seemed like IEt just wanted the story to end. If this is his ending when he's invested in the story I shudder to think what Swallowed Star will be like.

UnderTaker26 He is a recycler. I don't like him or respect him. If you just read one or two novels of his then you will certainly like him and respect him. But reading most of his work made me lose all respect since he just uses the same fucking story in a different way.
But unfortunately, the web novel scene works like this. It's usually quantity over quality.
Pick one or two novels of his and read them and it will give you a great experience.

Only thing I like about IET is his world building.
Fav out of all: DE.

KingBiBiK even his world building dropped. Check out Lord Xue Ying, actually don’t. Once he leaves his home world, the deity world was one of the worst worlds I’ve seen in any novel. Laws are practically meaningless, deities that lived for centuries whip people at random for no reason other than pleasure, unafraid of consequences and relationships between master and disciple and also master and subordinate are shallow and illogical. I couldn’t stand it and eventually dropped it.

Kulha The endings aren't anywhere near the best parts of his novels.

Name me 5 web novelists that actually write good endings. Most of the authors have no idea how to finish their story, nor in fact is there any incentive for learning how to write good endings. Frequently they just pick a point to end it. Others will simply drop the novel.

Others just keep writing, ala Bringing the Farm to Live in Another World (7700+ chapters & counting) or Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao (7800+ chapters & counting).

Furthermore, almost all web novels that I have seen feature the same recycled tropes and repetitive plots. It's only how they package them that are different.
Great examples are "System" novels. Or "Cultivation" novels. Or "LitRPG" novels. Every novel is the same:
System: MC gets some kind of OP cheat. Only the setting will be different.
Cultivation: MC story to becoming 'Greatest Cultivator'. Usually includes 'leveling up' by ranks
LitRPG: MC in a game setting/world leveling up.

However, the same can be said to be true for most genre fiction in traditional publishing. The only difference is that most genre novelists focus on novel-length novels and learn the technique of writing novel-length novels.

Most importantly, they always go through multiple revisions/edits by the author as well as a variety of editors. Revisions that can help to create the best possible novel.

Really what readers of web novels get is a rough draft of a story written from an outline(if the writer is smart) with a sprinkling of sloppy editing and proofreading (maybe).

Kulha The endings aren't anywhere near the best parts of his novels.

Name me 5 web novelists that actually write good endings. Most of the authors have no idea how to finish their story, nor in fact is there any incentive for learning how to write good endings. Frequently they just pick a point to end it. Others will simply drop the novel.

Others just keep writing, ala Bringing the Farm to Live in Another World (7700+ chapters & counting) or Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao (7800+ chapters & counting).

Furthermore, almost all web novels that I have seen feature the same recycled tropes and repetitive plots. It's only how they package them that are different.
Great examples are "System" novels. Or "Cultivation" novels. Or "LitRPG" novels. Every novel is the same:
System: MC gets some kind of OP cheat. Only the setting will be different.
Cultivation: MC story to becoming 'Greatest Cultivator'. Usually includes 'leveling up' by ranks
LitRPG: MC in a game setting/world leveling up.

However, the same can be said to be true for most genre fiction in traditional publishing. The only difference is that most genre novelists focus on novel-length novels and learn the technique of writing novel-length novels.

Most importantly, they always go through multiple revisions/edits by the author as well as a variety of editors. Revisions that can help to create the best possible novel.

Really what readers of web novels get is a rough draft of a story written from an outline(if the writer is smart) with a sprinkling of sloppy editing and proofreading (maybe).

If you guys want better books from IET he would probably have to leave quidan, and the webnovel system in general.

In around 3 months IET writes the same amount that a "traditional" author will need 1-3 years for depending on the author. This is fast food fantasy, it's kind of unreasonable to expect high quality stuff.

Due to the method of releasing per chapter instead of per book, writers can easily write themselves in a hole or create plot holes. It's no wonder they stick to similar storylines.

Heva while being better is certainly preferable. At this point I’d like to at least maintain the quality. After Desolate Era his later works have been steadily declining. Swallowed star had a great start but fell into a mire of training and almost no communication between characters or even fights. Lord Xue Ying had one of the worst world building I’ve ever seen and IET’s personal worst in my opinion. And seeking the flying sword path is just stale. It’s like IET gave up trying to create and just took what he knows and patched something up for his fans. Since he’s already made his fortune it may be better to take a year off and focus on creating something totally new. I know he has the talent and ability.

Well, this reply will probably be irrelevant, but I get what you are trying. I have read all the novels he has written (total amount - at least 10 million words). He has written so much but still, there is no progress in his writing. Why so?
The simple answer for this is Qidian... they only care about money and IET is already deep in their contract... he has to produce at least 5k words content a day- Writing 5k without thinking if his book will get his old readers satisfied.

i eat tomatoes novels has 4 types
Dao of time skipping
Dao of Exaggerating measurement
Dao of Confuse ending
and lastly Dao of monogamy (perhaps this is one of the daos that i like lol)

checkm8
5 web novel authors that finish stories well? Hmm I heard that Heavenly Silkworm Potato ends a story well (Battle Through the Heavens, Wu Don Qian Kun and The Great Ruler) and he has done what IET was trying to do but right (have each story link.
HSP done this great cos TGR links BttH and WDQK amazongly with the MC's of the latter two actually playing important roles in TGR's ending).

Apparently Martial World has a good ending and great overarching plot. So that is CocoonedCow (though TMW is full of filler rip).

Annnd honestly, I don't know. Haven't finished many translations. I mean, Er Gen might be a good finish writer and aparrently Way of Choices has a great ending. But that is 4 authors max there. Ohhh wait, does the author of Blue Phoenix and Condemning the Heavens count (original english writer iirc but still good endings)

UnderTaker26
Tbh, I really liked LXY's cultivation system wit the deity hearts and Dao. That was done great. The world-building is as you say tho.

Such a good and fairly original cultivation system placed in such a shit world.
IET is decent at making unique cultivation systems like Stellar Transformations for example had a cool one.

Cador
Yep, no polygamy and harems in IET which is a good part. But unoriginal romance stuff.
I suggest reading Monarch of Heaven's Wrath (original) if you want a great romance in an Eastern Fantasy (it is actually realistic, they have an actual relationship and a connection)