How to improve as an author?

[Rookieqw]

Sorry to bother you, but I need advice if you have time to burn.

I've been writing for a little while, but I'm still suck and can't write a good story to save my life, despite wanting to write. Writing is a hobby for me, but it is irritating for me to not be able to improve.

So far I have been doing:

Writing 2, 000 words per day.

Edit everything I write and give it some sleep before posting.

Keep a schedule that works for me (3 chapters a week).

Read a book per week.

Read writing advice (currently I am reading The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester).

Be respectful to commenters, and correct my mistakes when they are pointed out.

Plan the story ahead to avoid getting lost.

I remain a bad typist. Now I know I have no talent and my creativity is low. There are also very few comments in my stories, so I can't judge in which area I am lacking. Let's be realistic and assume that I am weak in all areas. Are there any ways I can get better?

 

[Corty]

The hardest part is getting comments and pushing through that hurdle. That is true for every story, even if you have a basic following established. There are simply times when a story just doesn't click with the audience. Don't think it is because of talent or the lack of it because, many times, that isn't the case. Reading what you are doing to improve is a good start, especially the word count, schedule, etc.

Still, my take on improving is that it needs to be done through time & experience. I was writing for a year (started off elsewhere) before finally getting comments and then beginning to truly improve. Even then, my books currently stand at a 50-50 success rate. I have 3 that worked out as I hoped and three that failed. I even deleted one of those three because I couldn't force myself to finish the story.

All in all, I can only say that don't give up, keep your head down, and continue writing until you get that breakthrough. It may not be your current story, but it may be your next one if you keep writing. You just never know.

Edit: I checked your profile and stories. You are proficient in writing, but I see that you really need a lucky break. I may give them a read when I get time. I make no promises, though. I managed to have way too big of a backlog to read. I am no good with how to advertise a story, so hopefully, others can chime in and advise you on how to get more eyeballs for your story. I did it by simply pushing out daily chapters

 

[LuoirM]

apprendre à apprendre

 

[Rookieqw]

apprendre à apprendre

Certaines personnes ont des difficultés à apprendre. C'est pourquoi nous demandons de l'aide pour trouver une orientation ou une méthode d'apprentissage.

 

[Enkiari]

Well, for one... your synopsis are not very good.
I cant comment on the stories themself, but you wont get clicks with blurbs like these.
They are too dry and full of information the potential reader wont care about.
You are explaining worlds and things in them, but readers wont care about it most of the time... because frankly, they are generic.
You should focus more on MC and why we should care about them.
You should hook readers in with what makes your story special.
As is, imo these blurbs dont work.

 

[Corty]

Ah, I also forgot: Try scheduling your chapters and aim for them to appear in a reasonable American time zone.

 

[RainyLiquid]

Just get better.

 

[greyblob]

I read your first chapter when I had time a while back. It was fairly strong. There were some aspects that I wan't the biggest fan of but it was solid. You've got a good grasp on story telling and how to bring characters to life.

The one thing I can tell you is that the way you write won't make you big on SH. not that its bad but it is not the norm. the definition of a 'good story' is very subjective. If you want some general advice, write what you would want to read and experiment. personally, i dont enjoy planning stories. I think up a few big evebts, some general plot lines and character traits, and wing it. the story and the characters evolve over time and that bring me enjoyment.

 

[Nolff]

apprendre à apprendre

Certaines personnes ont des difficultés à apprendre. C'est pourquoi nous demandons de l'aide pour trouver une orientation ou une méthode d'apprentissage.

Sorry to bother you, but I need advice if you have time to burn.

I've been writing for a little while, but I'm still suck and can't write a good story to save my life, despite wanting to write. Writing is a hobby for me, but it is irritating for me to not be able to improve.

So far I have been doing:

Writing 2, 000 words per day.

Edit everything I write and give it some sleep before posting.

Keep a schedule that works for me (3 chapters a week).

Read a book per week.

Read writing advice (currently I am reading The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester).

Be respectful to commenters, and correct my mistakes when they are pointed out.

Plan the story ahead to avoid getting lost.

I remain a bad typist. Now I know I have no talent and my creativity is low. There are also very few comments in my stories, so I can't judge in which area I am lacking. Let's be realistic and assume that I am weak in all areas. Are there any ways I can get better?

Just be consistent with what you've been doing. I've written plenty of chaps for both of my series and gained 2900 views, 33 readers, and a few comments (Mind you, I started my first series in October last year while the second one started a month after the first one).

Also, note that my works are pretty decent IMO. So, why do I get that much in a year while the others get hundreds of people garnering around their stories?

Simple. I uploaded my chaps right after I made it. A quick proofread, grammar check, and click on publish.

About backlogs...

My upload schedule is very inconsistent. Hence why I rarely get any views.

 

[Rookieqw]

The one thing I can tell you is that the way you write won't make you big on SH. not that its bad but it is not the norm. the definition of a 'good story' is very subjective.

You are right, but I have tried posting to several sites and the result is the same everywhere. I want to believe that my stories aren't bad, but if I get the same result everywhere I post them, then the problem lies with me. It's me who can't write an interesting story, who can't create good characters and action scenes, and whose prose and creativity are too dry and boring. If I want to change that, I have to keep learning.

The problem is, I am dumb. I never even considered changing my synopsis; it seemed fine to me. So here is one thing to ponder about.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

You are right, but I have tried posting to several sites and the result is the same everywhere. I want to believe that my stories aren't bad, but if I get the same result everywhere I post them, then the problem lies with me. It's me who can't write an interesting story, who can't create good characters and action scenes, and whose prose and creativity are too dry and boring. If I want to change that, I have to keep learning.

The problem is, I am dumb. I never even considered changing my synopsis; it seemed fine to me. So here is one thing to ponder about.

You know, some Jamon can be rather expensive and tasty. You can sell the tastiest and most expensive Jamon to people for cheap, but I doubt muslims would appreciate it. It's not about product, but to whom you sell it.

 

[Lloyd]

You are right, but I have tried posting to several sites and the result is the same everywhere. I want to believe that my stories aren't bad, but if I get the same result everywhere I post them, then the problem lies with me. It's me who can't write an interesting story, who can't create good characters and action scenes, and whose prose and creativity are too dry and boring. If I want to change that, I have to keep learning.

The problem is, I am dumb. I never even considered changing my synopsis; it seemed fine to me. So here is one thing to ponder about.

I like your writing, but it's too heavy imo. Cut the prose, trim the fat, make it easier to read. Also learn when to cut your losses. Most people don't like to hear this, but if your novel isn't hitting the numbers after 10-20 chapters, scrap it and come up with something new.
And another thing, most people say that want something fresh and unique, but that's fake. People are retard and they want the same old slop fed to then from a trough over and over. Learn what people like and try to incorporate it into your writing.
If all that fails, fuck the readers and write for yourself.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The advice I have gotten in the past is:
1. Set challenges to yourself; try writing from a different POV, or in a different genre, even if just for a few paragraphs or something.
2. Definitely set a schedule - but include in that schedule time for editing and reading. One author who recently passed, shared his schedule which was pretty close to this: "Two to three hours rereading what I wrote the day before and revising, scrapping or expanding it where needed. An hour break to spend time with the wife and maybe read a few things, check social media, etc. Three to four hours writing; if a project has an approaching deadline, focus on it, otherwise work on whichever current project calls for attention the loudest. An hour for reading, either before or after dinner, and split whatever time is left of the day between social media and family"
3. Write. Does not have to be part of a current project, just something. If you have a favorite author or recently read something you really liked, try to copy that style for a bit, but add your own touches as you do so, rather than a blatant copy.
4. Read - whether it is what you wrote previously, favorite authors, new authors, just read.

You are right, but I have tried posting to several sites and the result is the same everywhere. I want to believe that my stories aren't bad, but if I get the same result everywhere I post them, then the problem lies with me. It's me who can't write an interesting story, who can't create good characters and action scenes, and whose prose and creativity are too dry and boring. If I want to change that, I have to keep learning.

Not necessarily - action scenes are tricky (and I tend to gloss over that more than I should, I suspect). But if you do not think your story or character to be compelling ... steal. Seriously - take an idea, a plot, a character, a scene from some author you consider good. Rewrite it in your own voice and build from there. In my experience, this is one of the best ways to learn to write - copy from the masters.

The problem is, I am dumb. I never even considered changing my synopsis; it seemed fine to me. So here is one thing to ponder about.

Synopses are HARD. Do I give away too much? Too little? Did I go a paragraph too long? A sentence too short? Honestly it is kind of an art form in and of itself. Being unable to do a compelling one is not a sign of being dumb but possibly of being "too close to the story" or just not having that "salesman's instinct."

And heck, some of the most interesting synopses on book jackets and such are written by people who never actually read the book, just a list of highlights or a page long summary that they boiled down to "teaser length" (this also applies to the covers of paperbacks, by the way - a lot of them, especially in the 70s, used "stock art" or they just called a "pet" artist and said: "We have another fantasy [or whatever] novel, what do you have for us? What? No, no details, it's fantasy [or Romance or Space Opera], who cares about the details?")

 

[greyblob]

You are right, but I have tried posting to several sites and the result is the same everywhere. I want to believe that my stories aren't bad, but if I get the same result everywhere I post them, then the problem lies with me. It's me who can't write an interesting story, who can't create good characters and action scenes, and whose prose and creativity are too dry and boring. If I want to change that, I have to keep learning.

The problem is, I am dumb. I never even considered changing my synopsis; it seemed fine to me. So here is one thing to ponder about.

A good story is not always successful and a successful story is not always good. you're validating your proficiency and skill by the stats you receive. that is tricky.

I do not know how 'interesting' your novel will get but, as I said, from the one chapter I read, i can tell you can write. whether what you write is going to be successful or not, that is a different matter.


what audience are you trying to approach? SH? what genre? what tropes are popular in that genre? which novels are the most popular in it and why?

what is left is to adapt. Identify what makes a novel popular on a site and attempt to emulate it and add your personal touch to it

 

[Nolff]

You know, some Jamon can be rather expensive and tasty. You can sell the tastiest and most expensive Jamon to people for cheap, but I doubt muslims would appreciate it. It's not about product, but to whom you sell it.

I personally agree with Sailus here.

 

[TASTYLEADPAINT]

I think your stories are fine. I think why a lot of people throw in the towel early is because they want a story to have that big break and reach 1 million views in a week and when that doesn't happen they think they are.not good at writing it's not true. You're writing is good it's just your story isn't appealing to a large group of people.

If I had to use an analogy for this.

Imagine you're a fisherman and you've made some good bait to catch a fish. In your mind this is some great bait you used the high quality ingredients no expense spared. You cast the line into the lake but besides one or two bites your not getting anything.

Then you look to your side another fisherman pulls up and uses a regular old worm as bait cast his line and boom his boat is swimming with fish so much that he can't even fit them on his boat.

You see the point I'm trying to make. You can write a great story but sometime what you are writing is just not popular and as widely appealing as what others are writing.

Now from this point you have several options.

You could just pivot and write what's popular and get loads of views

Stick with what you got and maybe it will find it's audience.

Keep trying new a differnt things until something bites I did this
I wrote 4 differnt stories until I got one that caught and I liked and worked with me. I mow know a have a good ability at writing really dark and gruesome stories and there is an audience for that stuff.

Or you can choose the hidden forth option and just write smut and just start swimming in the views.

Either option just don't take it too hard. Write for yourself and because you enjoy it not to chase a number. It's how you prevent burn out and keep this fun hobby fun

 

[RiaCorvidiva]

I also am unsure. The only way to improve is to keep writing, keep reading, keep refining your craft, and not give in to despair.

The one thing that I can say is that, depressing though it may be, writing is never going to be a discipline where talent and hard work together will lead to success. You'll also need some sort of luck to break out from the crowd of other talented, hard-working would-be writers. Think authors who explode on BookTok, as one example.

 

[Sergeandgreen]

How the hell do you write almost a million words and only have 12,3k views. That isn't meant to be mean, but more a question of how insanely dedicated you are to finishing a story. I currently have a story i consider dropping because it doesn't really have any readers, and even though i like writing it, i think i could have the same fun when I write something different. So how do you stay so determined to finish a story so long without a positive resonance.

Also, just as a suggestion, make the chapters a little shorter. The typical webnovel reader gets tired when he has to read a chapter longer than 3k words and some of your stories have an average above 5k. Unless you think the chapter length has a specific purpose.

 

[Deleted member 166076]

I'm going to assume what everyone else said about you being a capable writer is true without checking for myself.

Your genre can be a bad match for multiple sites. I have a series that is wildly popular on 2/12 sites I've posted it to. The others it barely gets views at all and I end up questioning why there is such a massive difference. That story is romance with a reverse harem set in a beastworld, so it's kind of a niche story. If you write something like mystery or certain sci-fi or fantasy subgenres then you may not be able to get views at all on any of the free sites available. That's largely because most of the sites have an audience for either romance, LitRPG, or something else that's hard to pin point. From what I hear, people who revise their novel and go on to self-publish on Amazon can sometimes find an audience that way.

However, to answer your question, you have to give it time. Write lots of different stories over a decade or more in order to build up a following and to slowly improve your skills. Writing is honestly a lot like exercise. You can't improve over night, in a week, of even in a month by any significant margins. I used to write, then I took a decade hiatus, came back and have been writing for two years. I've improved a lot since I was a teenager due to maturity and life experience, but the changes over the last two years where I've actively been writing have been slower. I've written more than a million words, but it's mostly just helped me refine my writing style and learn to format, edit, and market my work. I'm still not as good as big name authors and I may never be, but I wouldn't have even approved this much if I didn't put in the effort.

 

[Sergeandgreen]

Sorry to bother you, but I need advice if you have time to burn.

I've been writing for a little while, but I'm still suck and can't write a good story to save my life, despite wanting to write. Writing is a hobby for me, but it is irritating for me to not be able to improve.

So far I have been doing:

Writing 2, 000 words per day.

Edit everything I write and give it some sleep before posting.

Keep a schedule that works for me (3 chapters a week).

Read a book per week.

Read writing advice (currently I am reading The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester).

Be respectful to commenters, and correct my mistakes when they are pointed out.

Plan the story ahead to avoid getting lost.

I remain a bad typist. Now I know I have no talent and my creativity is low. There are also very few comments in my stories, so I can't judge in which area I am lacking. Let's be realistic and assume that I am weak in all areas. Are there any ways I can get better?

After glimpsing at two of your stories, i can say that you certainly don't lack creativity. But the type and genre of your stories propably don't count as popular ones. So even if you are the best writer in said genre, you probably won't become trending on this site. This doesn't mean you should switch the genre you are writing, as from what I read, I could feel the passion you have for your works and the worlds you create, and if this type of story sparks this passion, it suits you. You could naturally try a few other types of stories as well, and see if you like writing them, but that is for you to decide.