Chapter 2

First, let me vent: I was inexplicably prompted that my content had issues, so I revised everything I could, wasting two hours... and it still didn’t work! With no other choice, I had to post it in segments.

A suggestion: Could you please point out the specific issues so I know what to fix? It’s really a waste of time.

New author Yujianzhai, with over six years of online reading experience, writes in my spare time. I’ve joined several author groups and, over time, have seen the struggles and frustrations of new authors trying to survive and thrive, often feeling lost. At such times, I have many thoughts, and some things are just too much to keep inside.

I’ve read many posts about how to get a contract, go online, and make money. While many are insightful and educational, they often miss the most crucial point.

For a book to become a masterpiece, the key lies in: whether your novel tells a [brilliant story].

Especially nowadays, with more and more books available online and readers having read more, their tastes have become more discerning and their standards higher. For a good book to stand out and become a widely acclaimed masterpiece, it must tell a [brilliant story].

To all the authors who have applied for a contract but were not accepted, I’ll tell you why your novels didn’t pass: because your works are—some are not good enough, and some are just terrible!

[Rant 1]: Typos everywhere, sentences that don’t make sense—terrible!

When I first started writing, I was unsure and joined a few groups to learn from my peers. But apart from their complaints, no one focused on improving their writing skills. They acted as if they were reincarnated Shakespeares, always ranting about how hard it is for new authors online, the insider politics, the overpowered editors, and why their works aren’t contracted. “Why are the recommended works so bad, while mine aren’t promoted?”

I remember one author in a group who constantly complained about how hard it is for new authors online and how good his book was, yet he couldn’t get a contract. He ranted about how hard it is to make it online and how blind the editors are...

I was initially enthusiastic but was quickly discouraged. I decided to read his work with a learning attitude... What the hell—this is called a novel? This is something a human writes? If this could get a contract, the online editors must be crazy. In the first 100 words, I saw 6-7 typos. I forced myself to finish the first chapter but couldn’t take it anymore...

I thought this was a special case, so I checked other authors who were complaining, thinking maybe their works were overlooked. The result—

The result was that I decided to vent here thoroughly.

I emphasize: If you want to drive someone crazy, have them read novels that have written hundreds of thousands of words but haven’t gotten a contract!

If you’re not contracted online, first look at what kind of book you’ve written!

[Rant 2]: You didn’t revise your novel? You dare to upload it without reading it?

Please, can you stop embarrassing yourself? Do you really think you’re Ni Kuang, who doesn’t allow others to revise his work? What do you think you are? Ni Kuang’s novels were reviewed multiple times before being submitted to newspapers. Do you not feel ashamed of the typos in your work?

Hemingway said: All first drafts are sh*t!

Don’t ask me who Hemingway is, and don’t say you’re better than him!

I read a new author’s work: the protagonist is framed, and his wife shouts loudly, “Husband, husband...” What the hell, while almost every woman wants to treat her “husband” like a “laborer,” day and night, in bed and out... you don’t have to define it so directly, right? If you can’t distinguish between “husband” and “laborer,” how can readers support you?

The biggest difference between online and traditional writing is that online authors don’t have dedicated editors for proofreading. In a newspaper, an article goes through multiple hands. The commissioning editor reads it several times, and the proofreading department reviews it at least three times, each by different people, who are responsible for any errors.

But who is responsible for an online author’s work? Only you.

If you’re confused and don’t read and revise your work multiple times, you’re not only irresponsible to yourself but also to your readers, and you’re even insulting them. Do you think readers deserve to read your typo-ridden, terrible work?

If you look down on your readers, don’t blame them for not supporting you, and don’t blame the online editors for ignoring your book!

Suggestion: Read your work several times and make revisions. At the very least, ensure the sentences are smooth and reduce typos. Otherwise, it will seriously affect the basic reading experience.

[Rant 3]: You don’t write an outline and rely on inspiration? Who else but you will fail?

For a new author, even if the writing is a bit immature, readers have enough empathy to forgive these small flaws. But if the plot is well-constructed, the story is engaging, and conflicts and suspense are used effectively, the book will still be popular.

Some people write without an outline, with a story that has a beginning but no end, relying solely on initial inspiration. After 100,000 words, they don’t even know if the protagonist is alive or dead. Such authors should give up the idea of getting a contract to avoid criticism... Most of the works that fail after getting a contract on Qidian are due to the lack of an outline. After writing hundreds of thousands of words, they run out of ideas, frequently update, and have low subscriptions, ultimately failing.

An outline is essential! Don’t believe those who brag that they don’t need an outline. They’re either lying, or their works are terrible, or the outline is already in their head.

Question: What if you can’t write an outline?

Suggestion: Understand the six elements of narrative writing: time, place, characters, cause, process, and result.

You have a protagonist, right? First, flesh out the protagonist, then think about their dreams and the obstacles to achieving them. With dreams and obstacles, you have the basic conflict. Then add a final result. This is a simple outline. Cause, process, and result, all complete.

If this doesn’t help, consider the protagonist’s growth and evolution as the main thread. A protagonist can’t stay the same from the beginning to the end of the novel.

Regardless of how you divide the growth system, whether it’s foundation building, yuan infant, or divine transformation, this growth path can be a good main thread.

The protagonist’s dream is to become powerful.

So, you can plan what happens at each level of the protagonist’s growth, the challenges they face, the conflicts and contradictions they encounter, who they defeat, what powers they gain, and what treasures they obtain...

Each level can be planned this way, just like in "The Legend of the Immortal."

Question: I have an outline, but I often deviate from it. What should I do?

Suggestion: Find a main thread that must be completed, categorized by time. In a certain period, the protagonist must do something, or the consequences will be severe. For example, the protagonist must do something at a specific time and place, or they will fail, or even face death.

For example, in my work "Jin Yong’s Martial Arts in a Different World," there is a supporting main thread: the Divine Martial Continent’s sect competition, which occurs every ten years (similar to the World Martial Arts Conference). From the county, district, state, to the final competition, there are fixed times, places, and participants. This thread is time-based, so no matter how much I wander in the main story, I must bring the protagonist back to the competition when the time comes. This prevents the story from going off track.

[Rant 4]: Characters: Remember who your protagonist is. Supporting characters are also people and should have their own personalities.

In a web novel, after readers finish, they will mostly forget the story, but they will definitely remember a character with a distinct personality.

I believe: Characters are the soul of a novel.

If you can’t describe your protagonist and important supporting characters in detail, you won’t write a captivating work.

In a novel, character descriptions should have a clear hierarchy. This advice is familiar, but most people still make this mistake.

I read a new author’s work where the first and second chapters extensively introduced a character around the protagonist, with almost no background or setting for the protagonist. In the third chapter, this character died, and the name was never mentioned again... What the hell, only then did I realize that this character was just a minor role. Why did you describe a minor role so much? You misled the readers’ attention.

Suggestion:

1. Your protagonist must have a strong desire, which should resonate with readers.

2. Your protagonist must have a task to complete, which should interest readers.

3. Your protagonist must solve the task personally. Don’t let the task disappear halfway, leaving readers hanging. This is a common pitfall and will be criticized.

4. When writing supporting characters, don’t take up too much space. Your protagonist shouldn’t be out of the reader’s sight for too long.

5. Your protagonist must have a formidable opponent. Heroes are made by their enemies.

6. Your protagonist shouldn’t do stupid things, like provoking a world-class expert and winning mysteriously. It might feel good, but it’s incredibly stupid. Whenever I see such a stupid protagonist, I want to kick the author in the groin, making his ancestors’ lineage extinct.

Some people ask, aren’t web novels all about this pattern? The protagonist pretends to be weak and then reverses the situation, winning in the end. That’s true, but the basic condition is reasonableness.

You can make the world-class expert have a grudge against the protagonist or obstruct the protagonist’s dream, but it must be reasonable and have conflict. Too many new authors set up such thrilling moments without reason or with weak reasons. Such a protagonist will be seen as a super idiot by readers. Who would waste their time and money on an idiot?

Suggestion: Web novels must be thrilling and defeat the strong, but reasonableness is essential. Your protagonist can’t do anything stupid. A stupid protagonist will ruin their image, and no one will want to read their story.

Methods:

1. The protagonist should only do things that would happen in real life, not stupid things. Don’t worry about the protagonist not being attractive. The protagonist should do things that ordinary people can’t, but these should be forced by the opponent, not the protagonist’s initiative. So, the opponent is crucial.

2. You can have a stupid supporting character who does stupid things, and the protagonist has to clean up the mess.

Question: Your protagonist or supporting characters lack personality?

I’ve read many novels, and I can’t help but criticize some supporting characters, including those in works by famous authors. Your supporting characters lack personality, have similar plots, say the same things, and have the same outcomes... For example, in a famous author’s work, the early part is good, but after QY, some parts are frustrating. When the protagonist encounters a challenging supporting character (a common thrilling moment where the supporting character is arrogant and looks down on the protagonist, then gets defeated... a common thrilling moment in most web novels), this novel is unique. During the protagonist’s escape, these supporting characters appear one after another, each stronger than the last. But the frustrating part is that each supporting character is incredibly stupid. For example, the protagonist is level 1, and the challenger is slightly stronger, level 2, then gets defeated, and the protagonist levels up to 2... This is fine the first time. Then, the opposing force, like a super idiot, sends another level 2 expert, who gets defeated, and the protagonist levels up to 3, then sends a level 3 expert, who gets defeated, and the protagonist levels up to 4, and so on... Each supporting character is incredibly arrogant and stupid, with the same lines, and the protagonist is always incredibly arrogant... This so-called famous author wrote hundreds of thousands of words with the same pattern. The same scenario, the same protagonist pretending to be weak, the same stupid supporting characters, the same lines, the same outcome! Oh my, I can’t help but ask, are you crazy? Are you treating readers like idiots? Can you change the plot a bit and make the characters more distinct? Can you at least make their lines different? What’s going on? Are they all clones? Supporting character A laughs arrogantly; supporting character B laughs arrogantly; supporting character C laughs arrogantly... Laugh your ass off! Is supporting character A an idiot, and supporting character B a stutterer? Can supporting character C be mute? Do they have to be the same? I’m so frustrated that I want to kick you and make your lineage extinct—

I’ll say it again: If you don’t know how to make the protagonist pretend to be weak, read "The Legend of the Immortal" by Wang Yu. The plot is repetitive, always about the protagonist pretending to be weak, but why does it attract so many readers? The answer is simple: the plot changes, and the supporting characters are vivid, making you feel like you’re there. There’s no repetition in characters or plot.

Using the same formula, but the results are different.

Again, I criticize that so-called famous work on the Xianxia chart. Your supporting characters are the same from start to finish, just an arrogant and stupid idiot. It makes me want to vomit. If it weren’t for online support, you would have failed long ago.

Suggestion: Character substitution method. Substitute familiar characters into your story and imagine their reactions.

These familiar characters can be your parents, uncles, grandfathers, your neighbor’s dog, your classmates, teachers, neighborhood security, favorite actors...

For example, if you want to describe a scene in a tavern where a waiter spills food on your character’s clothes, how would your character react? If you like Ximen Chuixue, substitute him into your story and imagine his reaction.

Ximen Chuixue’s face is cold, and the waiter is nervous. Ximen stands up and returns to his room without a word. The waiter, puzzled, sees a silver ingot embedded in the table.

“A set of white clothes, delivered to my room!”

As the voice lingers, Ximen is already gone.

The waiter’s cold sweat breaks out.

Ximen Chuixue is just that cold and cool.

What if it were Guo Jing?

The young Guo Jing would probably be more nervous than the waiter.

“No problem, no problem, don’t worry, it’s not a big deal...” He takes out a small silver ingot and gives it to the waiter, “Please hurry and prepare new food. My friend must be very hungry...”

Guo Jing is just that honest and considerate.

What if it were Zhang Fei?

This guy could set fire to Kongming’s backyard while waiting. How would this scene play out? He might glare and slap the waiter, knocking out a few teeth...

Always reveal your character’s personality, no matter when or where. Your protagonist can be stereotypical, but supporting characters should be diverse. Readers don’t want to read the same plot with different names and places.

Don’t treat readers like idiots!

Online [Rant 5]: What makes a novel good? Plot, plot, and more plot.

New authors, don’t focus too much on background settings. Focus on the plot.

Can’t create suspense? No conflict? Are you writing a novel or a ledger?

I’ve read many great works, some with excellent background settings, some with distinct protagonist personalities... But I want to say, if you’re a new author, don’t put all your effort into background settings. Focus on telling a good story. Otherwise, you might do well initially, but ultimately lose readers due to an unengaging plot.

And the readers you lose are mostly those who are willing to pay for novels. The ones you attract initially are just casual readers who don’t want to pay or can’t afford to.

Suggestion:

1. Solidify your scenes, especially important ones where the story happens, not the scenery you see while riding in a carriage.

2. To make the plot engaging, learn to create conflict and suspense.

[Rant 6]: Authors should write authentically, not force it, and definitely not write against their emotions.

Emotions are the basic source of inspiration in writing.

The author’s emotional fluctuations greatly affect writing. When you’re angry, write angry scenes; when you’re happy, write happy scenes; when you’re confused, write confusion... Don’t write against your emotions. When you’re angry, can you write a tender scene? Not only will it be poorly written, but it might also make your protagonist do something incredibly stupid.

When you’re confused, let your protagonist be confused. After confusion comes reflection, then enlightenment, and finally improvement... This makes the work feel more real. For example, the description of Wang Dong’s transformation in "Immortal Reverse" is particularly memorable. Er Gen is one of the authors I admire because he writes authentically, putting his emotions into his work, making it feel more real and immersive.

I’ve written so much, and it’s taken up most of my day. I hope my blunt criticism can be helpful to everyone.

I have many more thoughts and writing techniques to share, but I really don’t have the time.

I must admit, I didn’t say everything clearly, and some points are scattered. After all, this is a rant, and it’s inevitable that the logic isn’t strong.

I welcome true aspiring authors to exchange ideas and improve our writing skills together...

Personal reading suggestions for new authors:

Learn to set up thrilling moments in your story.

If you don’t know how to write the protagonist pretending to be weak, read "The Legend of the Immortal" by Wang Yu.

If you don’t know how to write the protagonist being oppressed and then fighting back, read "Battle Through the Heavens" by Tian Can Tudi.

If you don’t know how to control the pace of your work and where to set up climaxes, read "Immortal Reverse" by Er Gen.

If you’re not familiar with the overall story structure, especially the main thread, read Tang Jia San Shao’s works.

Read works by authors like Dancing and I Eat Tomatoes to see their creativity.

After reading, summarize your findings. Otherwise, don’t write, especially not web novels.

...

I’m in a bad mood, and my rant is over—

If my criticism has hurt anyone—

I apologize!

If you think I have a point, feel free to argue with me!

If you want to curse me, I’ll curse back!

That’s my personality—curse me, and I’ll curse you back! Whatever!

Final advertisement: "Jin Yong’s Martial Arts in a Different World," link:

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