Web Novel Writing Tips
The internet offers so much for aspiring novel writers. You can find communities for similarly
aspiring writers where you can share tips, tricks, and ideas. You can also join
workshops to hone your writing skills. Of course, there are also groups that
will give constructive criticism on your work.
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As a platform, the internet is also excellent to share your
work. In recent years, web novels have gained quite the popularity. If you’re
thinking about writing one, then you better follow these tips first.
Writing Your First Web Novel
Writing a web novel is not much different from writing an
ordinary novel. You need to:
- Come up with a great story idea
- Establish the characters
- Create the settings
- Craft the conflicts and resolutions
- Set the point of view
- Draft the structure and outline
- Start writing the novel
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“So what sets web
novel apart?”
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Good question! So let’s discuss some stuff that any
web-novel writer should know.
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Schedule
Some writers aim for a consistent publishing schedule like
once a day or twice a week. Others just post whenever they get a chapter done. Which
one suits you best?
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See it from the readers’ point of view. They will most
likely prefer a regular schedule to an irregular want. If you publish every
Sunday, for example, readers will know when to get their fix.
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If you go for the regular schedule route, it’s best to have two
or three chapters as buffers in case life gets you and you can’t write as often
as you’d like. With the buffer chapters
in place, readers can still enjoy their regular dose of your novel regardless
of your circumstances.
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“How does that work?”
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Let’s say you just finish the first chapter. Instead of
publishing it right away, schedule the publish date to a month later. As you
complete the following chapters, schedule them one week apart from the previous
one.
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Scheduling is something you need to think thoroughly from
the start. Take a good look at your daily life. Can you even commit to a
schedule at all?
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Don’t be discouraged if you can’t commit to any fixed
schedule. Many aspiring novel writers have day jobs that keep them busy so they
just publish a new chapter, or even a sub-chapter, whenever they have one
ready. The key is clear communication
between you and your readers. Let them know you need to keep food on the table,
but you’ll do your best to keep the story going.
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Proofread
Make sure you have proofread everything before
hitting the Publish button. Being an amateur writer is one thing, but looking
amateurish is another.
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That said, even famous works of literature, especially the first editions, were not free from
typos. So when you’ve done your best proofreading everything and some errors
still manage to slip in, take it easy. One of the best things about writing a
web novel is you can fix the errors at
any time. You can’t have that with traditional novels.
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By the way, if your readers catch some errors and let you
know, be sure to thank them. Any reader who makes such an effort is a good
reader. You don’t want to let them go.
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Let everybody know
“Build it and they will come.”
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This old adage is sadly no longer true these days. Just
think of publishing your web content like opening a store on a dead-end street.
You can’t rely on foot traffic because there’s practically none. Your only
choice is to go out there, shout, and make people know there’s a store that
just opened that might interest them.
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Go to sites such as WebFictionGuide, TopWebFiction,
NovelUpdates, and the likes. Readers go there to find fresh recommendations.
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Please don’t be discouraged if you only have a few readers
in the first few weeks or even months. It takes a long time to build a sizeable
audience. You just need to be persistent
and consistent with your endeavor.
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