EDIT: As always, thank you for your help! I've made my decision. Now I'm off to update the readers! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Post: fellow spiders of the interweb - advice needed This is regarding my web fiction that I used to write on webnovel (published under a different username, no use looking it up v(￣∇￣)) Spoiler: why on earth quidian?? That was pretty much the only place I knew, cause I when googled: where to post web novels? BAM! ---> webnovel dot com showed up right away (as much as you can hate qidian, they picked that name well) I didn't get into details, seemed like a strong community, so I joined in, and started writing. I'm thinking of moving to other platforms (tapread and scribblehub). I don't have any problems with breaking the news to the readers of my novels, but there is one novel in particular that I don't know how to deal with. And it concerns my first story ever, which I decided to rewrite. Spoiler: Backstory of Novel 1 This all happened quite a while back. At that point in my life, I wasn't yet exposed all that much to the world of web fiction. I didn't know all those over-used tropes. Everything just seemed fresh and original to me. And I stumbled upon a novel, where one of the elements, one of the tropes, made me wish there would be a certain story. I wanted a different development. I started thinking more and more about how it could have played. I thought more about it, and then, it turned into my very own story idea. It was bare, no details, just straight to the point. I knew how I wanted the story to start. And I knew how I'd end it. Spoiler: Backstory of Novel 1 Eventually, I started it myself; wrote the novel that I wanted to read. The beginning of the story was action-packed and touching because it was me, writing my heart out after an overwhelming day. I thought it was beautiful. But as I wrote the beginning, I realized I did not know how I would get to that heart-breaking ending. And so I read other novels, to see how other people dealt with their storylines. Because I was posting on webnovel, I was submerged into a large community of various authors, translators, that all had a story to tell. Eventually, the stories I read started influencing how I wrote. I also noticed that the story was sort of an escape for me. And that it would follow my mood. When I was sad, I would wring my heart out and turn it into the characters' tears. And when I got better, I wanted my characters to laugh as well. So you would have, the storyline taking a sharp turn from gore to fluffy teasing, characters' traumas would be put on hold, the setting would go from the protagonist overcoming a spiritual struggle to them becoming a cold, business-minded genius. In my head, it still made sense. Nowadays - nope. I lacked time to flesh out the characters, to decide what to do with them, and even who should exist. But I still wanted to treat the novel right, so instead of pushing through with raw ideas, I pushed back on the releases. Spoiler: Backstory of Novel 1 At some point, I got busier and stopped posting as much. Then, officially put it on pause. I went on with my life, but in the corner of my mind, the novel would still haunt me. Reluctant to drop it, I decided that I will resume the novel, but this time I will fully write out the plot beforehand, and only then will I start publishing again. I announced my intentions to rewrite the story to my readers. I sculpted the characters. Outlined the plot. The backstories, the extra chapters with fan service, the quantity of the volumes and their length - I have it all planned out. After a long pause, I was done with the new plot. And it's not that story. Granted the 2nd one would not exist without the 1st one. But they've ended up being completely different stories. With a different beginning, a different ending, a different title, and different characters.The new novel, titled "Playing Checkers in the Rain", is through and through new. I treat them as different stories. Which is fine, because I can post it as a different story. Except, I've left all those readers of Novel 1 with a promise and with a mindset that the promise will be kept. I don't know what to do with them. All I know is that I can't leave them hanging like this? On webnovel, Novel 1 was active only for several months, overall it's been hanging on the platform for two years already. And during those two years, I've received supportive feedback, comments asking what's going on and when will I come back. I've left Novel 1 at 50k views. Despite me not touching it, and classifying it as 'Paused' (which makes many readers avoid the novel) people still kept viewing it, and recently it hit 120k something views. Saved in multiple collections. So, how do I break the news? That I finished writing the story, but it's no longer the same? And that I won't be posting it on webnovel, but on another site, under a different username? Does it even make sense to notify the readers in the first place? I feel like whatever choice I make, I will upset them. If I just stop bothering with Novel 1, they will be annoyed waiting for updates; but if I tell them Novel 1 got scraped, they will get even more annoyed still. Is there any way to do it gently? ノಠ_ಠノ
tell them you got covid and need a break, them travel to the other end of the world, change names, changes ID on internet, and begin a new journey as Mukol(that is the inverse of Lokum).
Yeah I'd rather be notified and have basically the same explanation as above, doubt most people give a damn where they read it most would prefer not webnovel I'd say. We get novel's are a labor of love, if your love has changed or evolved and YOU feel it's improved any real fan would/should support you all the way. And if they don't like the way the new version goes well hey just like you did they can write their own novel. Good luck hope to see it on NU soon
I think they might, but then what to do with the new readers who will be coming in - I don't really feel like taking down Novel 1 T_T Thank you for the pat, I feel better now that's also an appropriate response
Thank you, I haven't thought that way ^-^ And I already started publishing the new novel on ScribbleHub and TapRead, but I'll probably start a blog here as well. Or add it to the novels forum. Thanks again!
I'd say be straight up about it. Don't pull a Patrick Rothfuss and leave readers hanging for years of pointless waiting. At the end of the day it's your novel and hard work, you decide the direction of the story. Just make sure you keep your fans informed, I'm sure they'll understand.
In a writer's POV (though I'm not a writer), I think that it is understable since as you mature, your way of understanding and style would change too. Historically speaking, even the the great European lits of the past always do this too, like always editing their already published work and sorts, bcoz they never get satisfied with their work. (I can't name them since I don't really pay much attention in class but I assure you those old..*ehem* I mean great poets and the likes do that ) But as a reader, especially if I am someone who fell in love with the story or with the characters and their quirks, I might get hurt if it would just be gone with the wind...(get the quote?,,,) Anyway, it would still be better if there's communication. I mean who knows, they might like the version 2.0 better or if not, receiving some constructive criticisms every now and then would be medicine, but I don't believe that people would be too mean about it. At the end of the day, It's still your intellectual property. No one would really have the right to tell you how you manage it, that would be trespassing (swear, I'll stop)
Since Novel 1 is on hiatus for a long time, it won't be priority for most readers. Anyway, Apologize. Tell them you tried.. making some changes.. then made some more and now it's a new novel altogether. How you can't go back to the Novel 1 when you're totally absorbed in the much better novel 2. How it'll be a hassle to you. And how you won't be able to deliver the best to the readers. Point out some flaws/stuff from Novel 1 that are done better in Novel 2. And how readers would like Novel 2 more than the previous one. blah blah Novel 2 is better overall.. and say that you'll complete Novel 2 at any cost. Apologize again. Put 'dropped' or whatever in novel 1's title. Also mention Novel 2 in the synopsis, auxiliary and last chapter of the novel 1.
step 1. ghost em step 2. check back with ur alt account to see what they think of you step 3. use said alt account to defend ur og account rinse repeat
Woah, yep, that'd be awful. I'll tell the readers. Also, when I finish the book, and gained a large fanbase, I wouldn't mind pulling a Tolkien
I see what you did there (≖‿≖ ԅ) Also, I'm confident the second novel's plot is better. I'm gonna give readers an update! Gotta brace myself for a lot of apologizing ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ ＂ Ok!
Just tell them that you've dropped Novel 1 and rewritten the parts you liked as Novel 2. If it's been on hiatus for so long, I doubt anyone would kick up a huge fuss over it. If they do, you ignore them and move on. Most authors don't seem to care about diverging opinions unless they lose money so why should you?