Discussion Webnovel is rapidly becoming similar to Wattpad

1. Let me be clear, I haven't read anything by you so in no way is this some attack on your writing.

2. Read my comment on Grammarly "to ensure some of the most blatant and obvious errors get caught". In no way am I saying it's the Holy Grail of Editing. What it is is a useful tool that can help anyone improve their writing.

3. As far as whether to post corrections on WN, my comments were more towards typos and common errors. Not for revisions. It's common sense that the more polished ̶ i.e. fewer errors ̶ a novel is the more likely it will be to gain ̶ and retain ̶ readers.

4. For that matter, if the writer utilizes their readers they can get some semblance of proofreading. Those Entitled Readers you so disparage are pointing out those errors with the intent of helping out the author, and the next reader! Yet, if a writer doesn't actually take the time to make those corrections on the platform, why should those readers even bother to point out errors? At that point, they do simply become consumers.

5. If a novel is getting nothing but 1-star ratings for bad grammar and typos, isn't that a sign in itself that there is something wrong? Isn't the goal of posting to a web novel platform to get better?

If it's just a few sour 1-star reviews then ignore them! It's been my experience when reading reviews that you should usually ignore the 1-star and the 5-star. Neither of them means much. The real reviews, for the most part, are the ones in-between.

Edit: My only other point is this:
If an author doesn't bother editing their chapters, or making corrections later after the original posting, then it can simply create a negative feedback loop that isn't helpful.

By that I mean one reader posts about the typos, then later another reader makes a similar post, and then a third reader, and then a fourth, and then a fifth etc, all it does is keep digging into the writer that there is a problem.

Yet if the writer takes the time to edit the chapter there would be far fewer such posts about typos and errors. There would also be less grief, and dare I say, much fewer 1-star reviews. Fewer 1-star reviews can lead to a happier writer. A happier writer leads to better/more writing. Better writing leads to an increased chance of monetization of their works; if that's what their goal is. It's amazing how that can happen!

Yes, there will still be errors, but that's to be expected. Seldom is any book completely error-free, even in traditional publishing.

 

everything you say is reasonable and fair, but also completely useless when applied to WN. and also right now, we're only talking about writers on WN.

because there is none of that constructive criticism you are talking about.

also i understand that you are not talking about my novel and i have been talking about what authors on WN have to deal with.

besides, its also been very clear that readers dont care if you have bad english on wn as long as you write certain things...just look at the top 100...

 

Also before installing grammarly read up on the pitfalls of installing it. Some of them are downright horror stories.

 

"Chicken Scratches" is what people say about writings they cannot read whether it is bad penmanship, doctors prescription, or other language in this case chinese. They also call them "moon runes" including japanese.

Also disney is known to alter their films for young audience *ahem*LatelyThierAgenda*ahem*Starwars*ahem*
so it is prudent not believe everything they say.

 

What do you expect from cheapskates who are not paying for something but want it to be professionally edited. Something that will cost thousands of dollars(Imagine $1 per chapter at 1000 chapters, $2 per chapter at 500 chapters). That is for amateur editing to be honest

People on here are so narcisstic that it is ridiculous

 

I was kidding. I've heard about chinese characters being called chicken scratches but I was just joking around when I was referring to the cricket in Mulan writing the letter.

 

I don’t know why you are so bitter while @checkm8 didn’t say anything wrong.

 

I am not referring to him but others on here.
Some think writing a book is so easy and cheap.
I have more than enough discussions on here to know how a good number of the community thinks.
And no, I am not bitter. I just find wilful ignorance annoying.
Then again, it's most likely entitlement borne from the nefarious thinking and lack of respect for labor.
People use Amazon Prime which as a standalone is a failure or Netflix as an example, which is also a failure. A company running with $30 pulls billion in debt is not a role model to emulate.
There is a reason Dramafever is dead.

 

I read fanfiction, which is basically bottom-of-the-barrel grammar-wise. If the "translations" on your site have such sorry grammar that even I notice, then there's nothing left but to credit Google Translate as the editor.

 

like i said, everything checkm8 said is reasonable and proper, but it isn't the current state of things nor is it what is happening.

many people think proofreading is easy, but i gave an example and it is ignored conveniently.

have you ever tried proofreading/editing your own work? why do you think companies get another person to do it if the author could do it all himself?

 

This I completely understand. Another set of eyes (or more) really helps the process. I don't think anyone would disagree. But editing and proofreading your own work isn't an impossible task nor does it have to be particularly hard. We do it all the time when writing emails or forum posts.

A mistake many new writers make is that they try to do everything at the same time or try to edit immediately after they finish writing. The chapters are so fresh in their mind that they end up speeding through and miss many obvious things. In essence, they are too familiar with the chapter.

Take a break and let a chapter rest for a day or so, and then come back to it with fresh eyes and with the mindset to edit.

Another mistake is they try and perform every type of edit in the same pass. Line editing and proofreading are two completely separate processes, combining them is just asking for issues.

Last, like anything else editing becomes easier with practice and proofreading doesn't have to be a time-consuming chore. Most chapters can be proofread in 10-20 minutes.

 

I guess that's why counterparts usually don't work.
Maybe qidian's goal was to be the same thing it is, but in English.
It would be weird that they would keep the Chinese translations and not just launch a brand new platform though.

 

To add to my previous post. Just discovered this and I thought it would be apt.

 

that's not a real chicken, that trumpcken..

 

I thought you said content there, whoops