Introduction
To start writing, you need nothing but a determined mind-set to never give up midway through writing, especially if you are just starting out. Having said that, writing a web novel could be a great start for you. Just imagine pouring your mind and soul into crafting epic tales along with well-crafted characters that practically scream to come to life because of your writing and sharing all these awesome tales with thousands of readers. Reaching global readers with your own handcrafted web novel gives a very satisfying feeling, nothing short of what an A-list actor would feel if their movie got a blockbuster.
In this guide, we explore the secrets to transforming your raw ideas into a compelling web novel that not only grip the reader right from the start but keeps them on edge for your next chapter.
As web novels have gained immense popularity in recent years, you can also take part in this growth of immersive tales and write your dream fantasy into a book. Since web novels are fundamentally different from traditional publications, where you first have to get recognition before you get to publish your novel, here you can find some good web novel platforms that give you individual freedom as a novice writer. If you gain a certain amount of fanbase, you might get officially published by these platforms and earn a stable income from that. So without much further ado, let us first look into all the details that you must keep in mind before you start writing a web novel.
As the saying goes, “With popularity comes great competition.“
Pre-work before you start writing your web novel
Before we step into writing a novel, we need lots of experience beforehand like reading books with different genres. You can try finding a site that hosts such books like Kitenovel or other sites.
It should not be limited to one or genres but encompass a relatively large chunk of genres out on the internet. This will broaden your vocabs and sentence making of your web novel.
Finding Genre
Finding your specific genre to write keeps your end goal very easy to work on. In short, having a genre can help you shape your story’s vibe and tone and create a consistent writing style for you, while also determining the target readers for you in the long run.
Focus on your Interests: — We all have certain genres we love and this can be a starting point to write on those specific genres you find interesting. Either you go for crime thrillers or prefer slice of life web novels; if you love reading it then writing in those same genres can be more exciting and authentic.
Researching the popular genres: — Analyze the trending genres on web novel platforms, look for the novels that top the charts and from that you need to filter interesting genres that you also love to read and start writing on those. This step prevents you from going into those undervalued genres. Getting inspiration from reading other web novels in your target genre can help you write a strong plot for your novel.
Plan Your Web Novel
Outline Your Plot: — This is an important step that you must clear before you start your own web novel. Clear distinctions are needed from your start, mid, end point of the web novel. An outline of a plot serves as a roadmap along the twists and turns of the story and creates coherence and consistent plot points for your novel.
A detailed storyline can mitigate any unnecessary filler arcs to arise in-between of your major storyline. This can also be helpful in preventing any issues related to writer’s block in the future. With a clear outline, you can see the big picture and make sure that every chapter contributes to the overall narrative of the story.
Character Development: — Once you have clear prospects and foundation laid with creation of plot outline, you need to start developing the characters to drive the said ‘outlined plot’. Developing the characters can be hard, especially you need to create characters that suit and actually drive the plot while also showcases the growth of each character.
You can get the inspiration of characters from real life people like your co-workers, friends and even families. It will boost your imagination for finding the right personalities for your characters.
Setting and World-Building: — Since you have already cleared the previous two stages, you probably have figured out your ‘world’ to a certain extent. Now, it needs to be more refined to incorporate your complete storyline into your world-building.
It needs to be vivid and immersive to draw your readers to let them like they themselves exist in your world. Whether you choose a fantasy world, a dystopian future or contemporary city, you should be able to make it real and engaging. And here’s how to create such world building into your first web novel writing:-
1. Extent of the world – First we need to determine the extent of world creation, whether you start with a country/kingdom, city or village. You need to have an in-depth idea of this beforehand. So you can focus on small details without overwhelming yourself.
2. Setting of your world – This step requires you to set certain rules and logic. Define the fundamental principles that help in your world-building aspects such as you could include power systems, political rules if you have fantasy type worlds or you could also go for sci-fi where tech advancements and space travels and Mecha robotics are prevalent.
3. Craft History and societal design – Creating rich historical background can give the story more valid and stronger plot points. Design the history of your ‘world’ where it affects the present society; also include historical conflicts, cultural evolution, and significant events that have shaped the current society.
4. Evolve your setting – World building constantly changes with the progress of the story. In this case, one needs to be apt in mapping and planning the evolved settings to take part in the main story without affecting the story telling.
Writing the First Draft
After you figured out the base story, setting, character and made notes on those. You need to take the first step by writing your first draft web novel. This step needs practice and consistency.
Starting Strong – This is a crucial step, where you must portray what you have accumulated in ideas to your story. Here, you need to hook your readers with an impactful first chapter and set a tone to your writing style.
Introduce your protagonist and setting of the story, try to be concise and clean in writing while also hinting at what readers should expect from the story.
Consistency and Discipline – As you write, you must ensure consistency in your characters, settings, and plot elements, this will help make the story more trustable and valid in front of the readers. Keep track of names, characters, personalities or traits, or any other major or small events as well as timeline to remain consistent to avoid writer’s block.
Editing and Revising
This can be done as you write; no writing is perfect, especially in novel writing, so what you can do is focus on the narrative rather than perfection itself. But a mistake is unavoidable, and more so if you are just starting out. However, you can reach out to some close people and get feedback and critique on your web novel, which helps in editing and revising accordingly with the feedback. These can be done before you publish your novel chapter and after publishing. The importance of editing and revising according to the feedback of your readers should still take priority.
Choosing a Platform
Now we need to find the best web novel platforms to accommodate your web novel and let you earn some real money. After all, just writing a book is not the end of it, but only the start of your struggles. But if you can find a good publishing site for yourself, you might as well win 1 ⁄ 4 of the battle. So let’s explore some sites that we found along the way.
· Webnovel
· royalroad.com
· WuxiaWorld
· Wattpad
· Tapas
· Kindle Vella
· Radishfiction.com
· Fanfiction
These are some good online publishing platforms for web novels that cater to web fiction novels. You can try some of these and see which fits the mood of your web novel or you can also ask in the novelupdates forum section to gather more data related to the best publishing platforms or some tips and tricks to get signed early or how to use paywall independently from the said platforms.
Engaging with Your Audience after publishing
Once you have published your web novel on a platform of your choice, you may start engaging with your audience. This is a vital aspect of fostering honesty and trust between you and your readers. This not only helps create harmony but also enhances the overall experience for both you and your audience.
Build a community where your readers can interact with each other and with you. This could be in the comments section, a dedicated forum, or on social media. A vibrant community may encourage further improvement of your web novel.
Respond to any feedback related to the story, characters, or setting to enhance the experience of your future readers. However, do mind the ‘pride of a writer’, which means you must not tweak any part that may break the flow of the story just to please your audience.
Afterwards
Writing and sharing your first web novel can be a little daunting at first, but as you go on and start exploring the journey filled with challenges and rewards, you will feel inspired and equipped with knowledge to tackle any hurdles you may face in the future of your writing.
This is the end of this guide on how to start writing your own web novel, but before you go, just remember the determination and passion you feel before starting your web novel writing. Carry those emotions until the end of your web novel.
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