Forcing myself to read Path of the Warrior and I have to say that it's been so long since I've read a royalroad litrpg, this is actually torture. I think I actively hate the litrpg genre. But I'm going to force myself to read it anyway. 

Disclaimer: path of the warrior is highly rated and well received by readers here and that's why I chose to read this one. I'm not commenting on the quality of the story at all. 

Why do you read what you don't like? I bet your local library alone is and will be stocked with more great books than you can read in your lifetime. 

Haust Wrote: Why do you read what you don't like? I bet your local library alone is and will be stocked with more great books than you can read in your lifetime.

He might be going for a writing style more suitable for RR, making this necessary research.

Eh, Path of the Warrior isn't that good of a LitRPG, and it has heavy influences from military fiction, which tends to be pretty dry. 

NDP Wrote:

Haust Wrote: Why do you read what you don't like? I bet your local library alone is and will be stocked with more great books than you can read in your lifetime.

He might be going for a writing style more suitable for RR, making this necessary research.

yep, necessary is an apt description  

I mean, even doing research for writing in a new genre, I don't read what I don't enjoy. If I don't enjoy it, I'm not going to take away much from other than, well don't write a story like that. Because if I don't even want to read something like that, how the heck am I going to write it?

I'm not in high school or in college anymore. I don't have to read anything I don't want to. There is no grade, end of semester test, or essay being hung over my head. So I read what I want. Screw anyone who says otherwise.

Most genres are broad enough with a lot of different execution that one can learn from, so one don't have to suffer reading a story they'll fall asleep to or want to toss against a proverbial wall.

HereBeTreasure Wrote:

NDP Wrote:

Haust Wrote: Why do you read what you don't like? I bet your local library alone is and will be stocked with more great books than you can read in your lifetime.

He might be going for a writing style more suitable for RR, making this necessary research.

yep, necessary is an apt description  

But if you don't enjoy it, do you think you'll want to write it? 

Yes, there is a predominant 'light novel' style on RR, but far from every book use it. Many of the ones on 'Best completed' and 'best ongoing' have more 'normal' prose, as do several books on popular this week. And even then, it's questionable if the 'light novel' prose style is a stylistic choice, or just the logical conclusion of authors trying to release several chapters every week and needing to rush it. 

I'm wondering if you aren't shooting yourself in the foot here. 

Haust Wrote:

HereBeTreasure Wrote:

NDP Wrote:

Haust Wrote: Why do you read what you don't like? I bet your local library alone is and will be stocked with more great books than you can read in your lifetime.

He might be going for a writing style more suitable for RR, making this necessary research.

yep, necessary is an apt description  

But if you don't enjoy it, do you think you'll want to write it? 

Yes, there is a predominant 'light novel' style on RR, but far from every book use it. Many of the ones on 'Best completed' and 'best ongoing' have more 'normal' prose, as do several books on popular this week. And even then, it's questionable if the 'light novel' prose style is a stylistic choice, or just the logical conclusion of authors trying to release several chapters every week and needing to rush it. 

I'm wondering if you aren't shooting yourself in the foot here.

I agree that making oneself write in a style or genre on actively dislikes for the sake of popularity is a self-defeating proposition. One could certainly do it, but it probably wouldn't be enjoyable or fulfilling. 

That said, as an author I find some value in reading at least a little material of poor quality or that I don't like, if only to get specific examples of what NOT to do. In OP's case it depends whether or not they aren't liking this specific work or the genre itself. If the former, when they write their own LitRPG they can use their previous experience as a guideline.

Turiya Wrote: I agree that making oneself write in a style or genre on actively dislikes for the sake of popularity is a self-defeating proposition. One could certainly do it, but it probably wouldn't be enjoyable or fulfilling. 

That said, as an author I find some value in reading at least a little material of poor quality or that I don't like, if only to get specific examples of what NOT to do. In OP's case it depends whether or not they aren't liking this specific work or the genre itself. If the former, when they write their own LitRPG they can use their previous experience as a guideline.

Fair 'nuff. And in retrospect, it really isn't any of my business, either. 

Haust Wrote: But if you don't enjoy it, do you think you'll want to write it?

I don't like he who fights with monsters, I don't like defiance of the fall, honestly I don't like most of the novels on this site. But other people do, so it is what it is, gotta just hold your nose and dive right into the cold water

The last novel I read and enjoyed here was Hunting for jade beauties. Other than that I like korean webnovels even if they're poorly translated. They might be litrpg too but it feels different and way better than american/european written litrpg. 

HereBeTreasure Wrote: I don't like most of the novels on this site. But other people do, so it is what it is, gotta just hold your nose and dive right into the cold water

But what is the benefit of you for forcing yourself to acquire that skill? 
Base on what outcome which you aim at? Fame? Profitability? Influence? 
Did they have the clear merits that can be truely admirable and desirable? 
Is this skill gonna make the bread on table?
Is it worth your health, and soul to work on it?
What is the long term benefit you would aquire in terms og 30, 50 and 60 years in future?

Shomin Wrote:

HereBeTreasure Wrote: I don't like most of the novels on this site. But other people do, so it is what it is, gotta just hold your nose and dive right into the cold water

But what is the benefit of you for forcing yourself to acquire that skill? 
Base on what outcome which you aim at? Fame? Profitability? Influence? 
Did they have the clear merits that can be truely admirable and desirable? 
Is this skill gonna make the bread on table?
Is it worth your health, and soul to work on it?
What is the long term benefit you would aquire in terms og 30, 50 and 60 years in future?

Down time during work that can be put to better use than bedazzling my baby kacheek on neopets and scrolling through tits and ass on tiktok 

"Researching" by reading something that you find terrible is unlikely to work.

Read something else, many fish in the sea.

HereBeTreasure Wrote: Down time during work that can be put to better use than bedazzling my baby kacheek on neopets and scrolling through tits and ass on tiktok

Ah, i see, if torture is what you're looking for...
Then go extreme! Be the worst masocist you may be...

HereBeTreasure Wrote:

Haust Wrote: But if you don't enjoy it, do you think you'll want to write it?

I don't like he who fights with monsters, I don't like defiance of the fall, honestly I don't like most of the novels on this site. But other people do, so it is what it is, gotta just hold your nose and dive right into the cold water

The last novel I read and enjoyed here was Hunting for jade beauties. Other than that I like korean webnovels even if they're poorly translated. They might be litrpg too but it feels different and way better than american/european written litrpg.

OMG I loved hunting for jade beauties it's such a gem 

HereBeTreasure Wrote: yep, necessary is an apt description

I've seen you post in the forums a bit, and I've read your stuff. You are way too focused on trying to analyze what works and what doesn't in other stories, and then trying to copy it and use it for your own story.

Even if you successfully analyze and break down the most successful stories into some step by step guide to a winning writing formula, it doesn't really matter if you don't have the skill to write it well. Whereas if you instead focus on further developing your writing skills, you'll attract readers no matter what you write. Especially as it appears you've become more and more bitter about RR as time goes on and you try to force yourself to dissect and write your own litrpg, a genre you seem to loathe. To the point you've dropped all subtlety and you're now writing a story specifically venting your frustrations and hatred of the genre.

Instead of forcing yourself to read and write stories you don't like, you'd be way better off reading or watching youtube videos about how to write or improving your writing. Also probably happier. Those videos about writing can be very relaxing and satisfying. Especially in comparison to the self-inflicted "torture" you're apparently going through.

Ziggy Wrote: I've seen you post in the forums a bit, and I've read your stuff. You are way too focused on trying to analyze what works and what doesn't in other stories, and then trying to copy it and use it for your own story.

Even if you successfully analyze and break down the most successful stories into some step by step guide to a winning writing formula, it doesn't really matter if you don't have the skill to write it well. Whereas if you instead focus on further developing your writing skills, you'll attract readers no matter what you write. Especially as it appears you've become more and more bitter about RR as time goes on and you try to force yourself to dissect and write your own litrpg, a genre you seem to loathe. To the point you've dropped all subtlety and you're now writing a story specifically venting your frustrations and hatred of the genre.

Instead of forcing yourself to read and write stories you don't like, you'd be way better off reading or watching youtube videos about how to write or improving your writing. Also probably happier. Those videos about writing can be very relaxing and satisfying. Especially in comparison to the self-inflicted "torture" you're apparently going through.

I think people get the impression that I got bitter gradually over the course of this account when I started this account that way lol. My first story here was a "fine is this what you want royalroad?" story 

Ziggy Wrote: Instead of forcing yourself to read and write stories you don't like, you'd be way better off reading or watching youtube videos about how to write or improving your writing

Is the writing standard on this site actually good though? This website is kind of an offshoot of fanfiction, just like how 50 shades of grey was a twilight fanfiction that took off. It was never really about writing quality, more about wish fulfillment for those feeling bored or unfulfilled with their lives. 

There's a story called gamer reborn that kind of shows that you can have (to quote from the reviews) 'run on sentences and lack of commas and words that are missing' and readers will be okay with that as long as the rebirth as an op baby part is serviceable enough to read 

Ziggy Wrote: You are way too focused on trying to analyze what works and what doesn't in other stories, and then trying to copy it and use it for your own story.

I know that video game rank is something silly to bring up (although litrpg is video game derivative content after all), but I hit masters in league of legends and masters in starcraft which are fairly difficult ranks to hit, solely off the back of analyzing what works and doesn't work for other players, understanding the underlying reason why they work or don't work, and then trying to incorporate it into my own gameplay, and then finally going beyond and generating a unique solution that is more than the sum of the emulated parts

2000 readers isn't enough for you?

Regardless of how you started, you seem to be gradually getting more vocal and more bitter. This post itself is about how reading litrpg is torture. No idea why you're doing this to yourself.

HereBeTreasure Wrote: Is the writing standard on this site actually good though?

You're missing the point of what I'm saying. If you want to write stories that attract readers, focus on your writing skills instead of trying to "hack the formula." You'll attract them regardless of what you write. Whereas if you're writing garbage you hate, nobody is going to care no matter how on-brand it is for their usual tastes.

HereBeTreasure Wrote: I know that video game rank is something silly to bring up

Yeah, it is pretty silly lol. Also unrelated. When you studied what other gamers were doing, those are replicable through imitation. X guy picks X champion, then does Y thing at Z time. Practice ad nauseam, tah-dah, now you also do that thing. Whereas when you try to focus on what plot points work, you're not practicing or improving your writing skills at all. You're just haphazardly trying to copy the broad strokes without improving the important bits; writing skills and technique.

If you just want to copy whatever's popular? There are people that ghost write and crib whatever's popular at the moment. They succeed because their writing skills are good enough to pull it off. If you wanna go that route, you do you. But it'll still only work if you focus on improving your writing skills first as a base, instead of constantly focusing on dissecting what's popular.

Some poorly written stories will become popular in spite of themselves. Ala Twilight. But authors that write well will always find an audience. As long as you focus on skill and keep up a consistent output with a good work ethic. Focusing on gradually becoming a better writer sounds way more enjoyable than obsessing over and forcing yourself to write in a genre you hate. More enjoyable from a reader's perspective, too.