What are some general tips on how to write good original fiction?

Rookieqw

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Sorry for being a bother, but I need guidance. I want to write at least one story in my life that can earn, in an honest way, 200 watchers on it and some comments. So far, no matter how hard I try, nothing works out in this direction, and each of my works is worse than the last. It feels awful, and I want to change it, but I don't know how to tackle this problem. What can I do to improve?
 

RepresentingWrath

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I assume you talk about SH, right? Monitor top 8-10 trending for at least one week. ideally couple weeks or more. Next step, skim through every work that appeared on trending during that time. As you look through those works, take notes of what works. Take notes of what readers like, what they dislike, genres, tags, plot points, arcs, tropes, characters. Take notes of what is enteratining. Last step, you squeeze the most out of your research, and write something based on it. Obviously if there are contradictory notes you will have to pick what suits your personal taste better. And don't forget, you shouldn't necesserily emulate how others write, but you must adjust your own writing based on research, and you have to entertain readers.
 

aurifex

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Monitor top 8-10 trending for at least one week.
Scribblehub's trending algorithm is genuine nonsense and doesn't reflect the preferences of the site at all. It's the worst trending algo I've ever seen. Literally ignore it

Go sort by readers or monthly/weekly views. Or an advanced search for new stories that grew the most in the past 3 months. That's what people actually read here. Good advice otherwise.
 

aurifex

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Don't know who you are but if the implication is that you show up on the trending list often, that's the exact problem. I went and checked the first 4 pages of
which displays the stories with the most views over the past week, and you don't show up anywhere in the top 100
the trending algorithm is legit nonsense and barely correlates to stories that are performing well. I'm sure it's not literally random but it favors some other metric besides stories people are following and reading
 
D

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Don't know who you are but if the implication is that you show up on the trending list often, that's the exact problem. I went and checked the first 4 pages of
which displays the stories with the most views over the past week, and you don't show up anywhere in the top 100
the trending algorithm is legit nonsense and barely correlates to stories that are performing well. I'm sure it's not literally random but it favors some other metric besides stories people are following and reading
I haven't updated in the past week until just now.
I haven't updated in the past week until just now.
Also you only used a views metric, but sorting by readers my story is number 33 in weekly amount.
 
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RepresentingWrath

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Don't know who you are but if the implication is that you show up on the trending list often, that's the exact problem. I went and checked the first 4 pages of
which displays the stories with the most views over the past week, and you don't show up anywhere in the top 100
the trending algorithm is legit nonsense and barely correlates to stories that are performing well. I'm sure it's not literally random but it favors some other metric besides stories people are following and reading
I have my own problems with trending. Some of them are the same ones you have. Another thing, no one knows exactly how trending works. So we can't dismiss the fact it can take engagement into consideration. Engagement = comments. OP wants comments as well as views\reader. So dismissing trending entirely isn't the best option, in my opinion of course. However, your method isn't entirely wrong either.
 

aurifex

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I haven't updated in the past week until just now.
Okay...but you also are like #300+ for readers
Your stories don't get many views (by the standards of the actual big stories) and you aren't remotely in the highest-followers list either
Yet you always show up on trending?
The algo is broken, has been forever

Use the lists I mentioned if you actually want to see what ScribbleHub likes...this isn't about you, even though you and that other guy are trying to make it be. Stop derailing
I have my own problems with trending. Some of them are the same ones you have. Another thing, no one knows exactly how trending works. So we can't dismiss the fact it can take engagement into consideration. Engagement = comments. OP wants comments as well as views\reader. So dismissing trending entirely isn't the best option, in my opinion of course. However, your method isn't entirely wrong either.
No, that would be the "Activity" sorting, which literally does track comments
Trending tracks nothing and is just bullshit
 
D

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Okay...but you also are like #300+ for readers
Your stories don't get many views (by the standards of the actual big stories) and you aren't remotely in the highest-followers list either
Yet you always show up on trending?
The algo is broken, has been forever

Use the lists I mentioned if you actually want to see what ScribbleHub likes...this isn't about you, even though you and that other guy are trying to make it be. Stop derailing

No, that would be the "Activity" sorting, which literally does track comments
Trending tracks nothing and is just bullshit
Nice ragebait. Consider the following, stories that have more chapters will have more views. If you take in mind the ratio of views, to number of chapters, to number of readers, I'm easily in the top 1% in this aspect. If trending only focused on most all time views, then stories that get low traction but have been around for a while would actually make trending.

OP don't listen to this guy. I get plenty of readers, commenters, views, even with a lower amount of chapters. This guy is a troll. Sailus's advice is good. If/when you can get trending, your story will gain at least 50-100 readers. Especially the first time, that amount can be even more. If you go to Sailus's thread, he talks about this.

 

aurifex

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It's not ragebait, you're just stuck in this masturbatory echo chamber forums that doesn't know wtf they're talking about and won't ever call someone out for being wrong
Go sort by activity, views, or readers and compare to your own story
Your best story: Avg views 3300
#1 Most Read: Avg views 35400
#25 on Most Read: Avg views 15600
You aren't remotely some "big player" on ScribbleHub, and ScribbleHub is already a niche serial site 1/20th the size of RR, Webnovel, Wattpad, Ao3, etc. You're a medium fish in a small pond by the most generous interpretation
This thread isn't even supposed to be about you, you just have an ego problem
 
D

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It's not ragebait, you're just stuck in this masturbatory echo chamber forums that doesn't know wtf they're talking about and won't ever call someone out for being wrong
Go sort by activity, views, or readers and compare to your own story
Your best story: Avg views 3300
#1 Most Read: Avg views 35400
#25 on Most Read: Avg views 15600
You aren't remotely some "big player" on ScribbleHub, and ScribbleHub is already a niche serial site 1/20th the size of RR, Webnovel, Wattpad, Ao3, etc. You're a medium fish in a small pond by the most generous interpretation
This thread isn't even supposed to be about you, you just have an ego problem
You do realize that average views goes up the more chapters you have, right? I don't have an ego problem. I get trending consistently, and on another writing site, I have a best selling yuri novel. I also got top 3 earnings on that site the first month after the contract, so I know how to get eyes on my story and how to earn money from it as well. You are ragebaiting by intentionally not understanding the fact that number of chapters effects how much average views you will have. If OPW maintained the same level of growth over 500 chapters, it would be a top 25 story on the site in average views per chapter. Which again is only one metric.
 

Paul__Michaels

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Hey @autiflex! I'm glad to see that you are still as lovable as a bag of rotting dog diarrhea.

It's been awhile my friend :blob_popcorn:

I hope your crusade of leading us to your path of righteousness is still going strong. Lord knows we need it. :blob_melt:
 

aurifex

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You do realize that average views goes up the more chapters you have, right?
What.
It goes up over time and how many readers you have, I suppose. But not inherently with chapters--average views is... views averaged to chapter count. What the fuck point are you making?

I also got top 3 earnings on that site the first month after the contract, so I know how to get eyes on my story and how to earn money from it as well.
Explain to me why using the trending list is better than making a sort for "fastest growing new stories", then.

Hey @autiflex! I'm glad to see that you are still as lovable as a bag of rotting dog diarrhea.

It's been awhile my friend :blob_popcorn:

I hope your crusade of leading us to your path of righteousness is still going strong. Lord knows we need it. :blob_melt:
Genuinely pleased I left an impression. Don't know who you are but the fact you're attacking me instead of the content of what I said is very telling.

I made this account because none of you know wtf you're talking about and I felt compelled to tell you that.
you know, humoring you, I did a sort for "most readers for stories with 60 or less chapters" and you show up at #47
You're a real star player on ScribbleHub, the tiny serial site with little competition
Your patreon also has 2 subs lmao
I wouldn't even point this shit out if you weren't trying to use "credentials" to prove a point instead of making an argument that stands on its own.
 
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I'm sorry. This guy was too smart. He was right. The spike in views, comments, and readers you get from appearing on trending don't do anything to boost your novel at all. Oh the horror of my two patreon subs where I hardly update stories! The horror!
 

aurifex

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The spike in views, comments, and readers you get from appearing on trending don't do anything to boost your novel at all.
Sorry, where did I say this?
I said it's not the ideal list to check for market research. Trending highlights stories that aren't the site's top performers—in fact that's probably intentional, because the stories who are actually doing well don't need highlighting. There's a reader-max hardcoded somewhere, almost certainly.
Nice strawman though. Wonder if you did it intentionally or are just this bad at logic
@Tony This guy just ruined your whole career. Close SH down and save your face while you still can.
Did you really ping the site owner over this? Man you are cringe.
 
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