A 'Light Novel' Tag?

D

Deleted member 45782

Guest
LN or WN are formats definitions. Not genre. So, no.

We need other more urgent genres, like: xianxia, xuanhuan, wuxia, isekai, western fantasy, western cultivation, LitRPG and GameLit.
LITRPG and ISEKAI are counted as genre on SH.
Wuxia got lumped with everything under Martial Arts genre. Yes, that will mean modern day fighting will be lumped together with Wuxia.

@FreemenMuaddib you should check out the site and its sister site (NovelUpdates for translations) while you're at it before you post so you can find things already existing that can help answer your questions.

Now, other genres like xianxia, xuanhuan, western fantasy, western cultivation, should be counted as genres in their own right instead of being downgraded to just tags. It makes it unbalanced when some genres count as genres and other genres are counted as tags instead. A whole lot harder to fill out the Genre section when your genre is not listed there instead and you need to have at least one genre to save the story so you have to choose the second-best genre that describes it.

On another note, maybe just lump things together as cultivation like what wuxia is lumped under martial arts. Xianxia, western cultivation. Just lump it under a cultivation genre....
 

FreemenMuaddib

Active member
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
Messages
17
Points
28
We already have all of those except western fantasy, western cultivation, and GameLit.

Here are the current genres on ScribbleHub. I can’t find Xianxia, Xuanhuan, Wuxia, Western Fantasy, Western Cultivation, and GameLit anywhere. Also I forgot to cite Arabian Fantasy (Aladdin, Sindbad, 1001 Nights, etc.) and Indian Fantasy (Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vikramaditya Veergatha saga, etc.), both very well estabilished genres. Those are all missing from Scribblehub. And tags have nothing to do with them: tags are about plot and characters, not genre. And mixing Wuxia with Martial Arts is simply wrong: the former is an entire fantasy genre with deep roots in chinese culture, myths and religions (specifically the 3 major ones: Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism), while the latter is just a story featuring martial arts fights. For example Naruto would be classified as Fantasy+Martial Arts, but definitely never as Wuxia genre!

 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 45782

Guest
Here are the current genres on ScribbleHub. I can’t find Xianxia, Xuanhuan, Wuxia, Western Fantasy, Western Cultivation, and GameLit anywhere.

Did you look at the tags? Xianxia, Xuanhuan, Wuxia are counted as tags instead of genres, which is unfortunate. There's a bunch of tags just to describe how a story is set in a game world (closest genre is the LitRPG, i believe that is what you're looking for.)

If you want western cultivation tag and western fantasy tag, state that on the Tag Implementation thread in Feature Request since there is no tag for "western cultivation or "western fantasy" yet State a reason for each tag requested.

If you want a genre to be added instead of it being counted as a tag, put that in the Genre Implementation thread. A reason must accomodate per genre request.

You must read both the Genre section and look through all the the tags in the Tags section.
 

FreemenMuaddib

Active member
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
Messages
17
Points
28
Let me repeat my points:

  1. ScribbleHub lacks the following genres: Xianxia, Xuanhuan, Wuxia, Western Fantasy, Western Cultivation, GameLit (different from LitRPG because the GameLit genre depicts any story with non RPG game elements, i.e. VR, Tron, Dating Sims, Otome game, Gal game, etc), Arabian Fantasy (Aladdin, Sindbad, 1001 Nights, etc.) and Indian Fantasy (Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vikramaditya Veergatha saga, etc.). All are very well estabilished genres and cannot be ignored or lumped under other labels.
  2. Tags have nothing to do with them: tags are about plot and characters, not genre. For example the “Harem” genre should be a tag instead, because it doesn’t define a genre at all, just the behaviour of the main character.
  3. Mixing Wuxia with Martial Arts is simply wrong: the former is an entire fantasy genre with deep roots in chinese culture, myths and religions (specifically the 3 major ones: Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism), while the latter is just a story featuring martial arts fights. For example Naruto would be classified as Fantasy+Martial Arts, but definitely never as Wuxia genre!
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 45782

Guest
Let me repeat my points:

  1. ScribbleHub lacks the following genres: Xianxia, Xuanhuan, Wuxia, Western Fantasy, Western Cultivation, GameLit (different from LitRPG because is about any story with non RPG game elements, i.e. VR, Tron, Dating Sims, etc), Arabian Fantasy (Aladdin, Sindbad, 1001 Nights, etc.) and Indian Fantasy (Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vikramaditya Veergatha saga, etc.). All are very well estabilished genres and cannot be ignored or lumped under other labels.
  2. Tags have nothing to do with them: tags are about plot and characters, not genre. For example the “Harem” genre should be a tag instead, because it doesn’t define a genre at all, just the behaviour of the main character.
  3. Mixing Wuxia with Martial Arts is simply wrong: the former is an entire fantasy genre with deep roots in chinese culture, myths and religions (specifically the 3 major ones: Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism), while the latter is just a story featuring martial arts fights. For example Naruto would be classified as Fantasy+Martial Arts, but definitely never as Wuxia genre!
This is good. And this I agree with all three points. Initially it felt like your other thread and initial comments on here did not mention those things before, so it sounded like you haven't even looked around SH yet until others pointed this out to you. Now that you clarified your points more, it is much better.

And yes, I find it weird to have Wuxia lumped under Marital Arts. You could have a regular kickboxing story that doesn't evolve sects and stuff and is more on the contemporary/modern side and still get lumped together with wuxia under Marital Arts.

I feel like we are diverting from the initial OP thread which is talking specifically about light novels only and not other genres.

As I stated, please post genre request and the reason for the request in the Genre Implementation thread (this thread is on Feature Requests). Per genre, then there must be per request. And stay with its consistent format.
 

DarkGodEM

Book Editor
Joined
Sep 12, 2020
Messages
311
Points
103
LN or WN are formats definitions. Not genre. So, no.

We need other more urgent genres, like: xianxia, xuanhuan, wuxia, isekai, western fantasy, western cultivation, LitRPG and GameLit.
We already have some of those. I do want GameLIT!
 
D

Deleted member 45782

Guest
We already have some of those. I do want GameLIT!
Aside from isekai and LitRPG, the rest are tags instead of being actual genre categories themselves on SH. :/

And we don't have western fantasy or western cultivation either, actually. I looked for those tags.
 

DarkGodEM

Book Editor
Joined
Sep 12, 2020
Messages
311
Points
103
Aside from isekai and LitRPG, the rest are tags instead of being actual genre categories themselves on SH. :/

And we don't have western fantasy or western cultivation either, actually. I looked for those tags.
I mean, true, but we dont even have the Tag for gamelit.
 

Alkareel

Cuisses de Grenouille
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
224
Points
103
The format of [Light Novel] being easily digestible sentences and paragraphs with a not too complex plot that easy to understand for almost all ages is a good reason for it to exist. Sure [Light Novel] is different from Web Novel in that it's considered a complete publication instead of being serialized, however the meaning to the international community who receive translations of these stories, and I'll cite the entirety of NovelUpdates as my source, is that do follow a particular format, with short concise sentences, descriptions, dialogues that are quite different from lengthy and erudite wording found in sizeable pulp fiction.

For the fellow citing Mushoku Tensei as one, you know the precursor to that (Overthrow of King Dragon) story wasn't light at all. It was a grueling narrative full of descriptive sentences about one of the characters in the latter part of MT's story's early history. It was tough to read and tough to translate. By comparison, Mushoku Tensei by the author's own admission (there's an article about this) was made to be easier to read and digest by all ages (as a web novel) to attract readers.

So to me, LN doesn't mean YA. It's more an All-Ages tag that means the novel isn't overtly complex and instead is easily digestable, even in a serialized novella format.

TL;DR: Upvote for [Light Novel] tag.
I feel like I've read a 50 chapter manga after going through this thread.
Out of all the arguments though, I'll toss my vote to this one.
 

Discount_Blade

Sent Here To Piss You All Off
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
1,347
Points
153
I'm kind of annoyed that everyone is saying they haven't read Artemis Fowl. That was the VERY FIRST series I picked up and read in elementary school, even though some of the books I had to wait for since they came out later on.

It's potentially nostalgia on my part but those were good fucking books peeps!!!

Also, for the most part, Young Adult fiction is straight up romance, or at the very least, has a significant amount of romance within the text to justify it as such even if it isn't listed as so in its "official genre".

I can go to any library where I'm at in Brooklyn, or in neighboring boroughs and check their YA section, and it will be overwhelmingly filled with romance or "romantic like" fiction. So, @TunTun is right.

Just because something is listed as otherwise, doesn't mean it isn't also something else. I mean cow shit is straight up shit, but people consider it to be several other significant things (like fertilizer) and no one dares to argue the point.

Also, I definitely want Western Cultivation added to the tags/genre/whatever list. I tend to shit on xianxia/cultivation but I've found quite a few good wester cultivations written by Chinese authors lately and I never thought I would like anything written by Chinese authors. Color me shocked.
 
Last edited:

Minasharpwrites

Active member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
13
Points
43
From a library in the US stand point not every light novel is categorized as Young adult. There's three that are actually placed in regular adult fiction(that I know of) instead of in the YA fiction. Seraph of the end, Shield hero, and is it okay to pick up girls in a dungeon? are in either the adult fiction section or in the adult science fiction section(which includes fantasy at my library).

I find the style to be different from a specifically english YA and don't think they are necessarily equal. Just because they have similarities doesn't mean they shouldn't be distinguished.

Though a more one to one fit would be novella based on the usual size of the finished product.
 

Kenjona

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
489
Points
103
Hmmm: So what about this definition of the Romance Genre?
Or This:
 

GDLiZy

Tale Admirer
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
598
Points
133
I see two definitions for Light novels, one for easy-to-read Japanese fiction, aka we don't need this. We write in English, not Japanese.

The second one is apparently writing style(?). Writing style isn't a genre. It's the author.
 

TunTun

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
141
Points
43
I see two definitions for Light novels, one for easy-to-read Japanese fiction, aka we don't need this. We write in English, not Japanese.

The second one is apparently writing style(?). Writing style isn't a genre. It's the author.
Explain to me, how is Young Adult a genre then. If the only difference between regular romance/fantasy/fiction and YA is the writing style.
 

GDLiZy

Tale Admirer
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
598
Points
133
Explain to me, how is Young Adult a genre then. If the only difference between regular romance/fantasy/fiction and YA is the writing style.
Young Adult is a demographic, and so Young Adult fictions are about an experience of a youthful protagonist, dealing with the "first," generally coming-of-age kind of stuff.

I don't really buy demographic genres as a genre, but well.
 

Lentin

Active member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Messages
25
Points
28
His Dark Materials from Pullman is also Young Adult, rather, it's first book, Northern Lights was adapted as a teen movie called The Golden Compass
Holy crap, I didn't know about this. I used to love The Golden Compass movie when I was a kid
 

Minasharpwrites

Active member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
13
Points
43
I see two definitions for Light novels, one for easy-to-read Japanese fiction, aka we don't need this. We write in English, not Japanese.

The second one is apparently writing style(?). Writing style isn't a genre. It's the author.
I don't have the words to describe it but from what I've seen in my limited reading, light novels have titles for their chapters, they stick to around 40,000- 60,000 words per book and have pictures (usually in color, though not always).

I'm not sure if all books do this since I haven't paid attention that closely but the translated novels I've read don't seem to have any he said, she said, they shouted anywhere within the work. it's just the dialog with the differences coming from how a character speaks as well as the context of the sentences before and after giving a clue as to who is speaking.

There's probably more but that's all I can think of right now.

The reading experience is different. I can tell the difference between a regular fantasy or romance novel versus something written as a light novel. It could be because of it being "easy" to digest but I think there is a difference.

Edit: From what I understood, the original poster wanted to add it as a tag, not a genre. I forgot to mention that. Lol. I think as a tag this would be fine to add
 
Last edited:

AliceShiki

Magical Girl of Love and Justice
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
3,530
Points
183
I don't have the words to describe it but from what I've seen in my limited reading, light novels have titles for their chapters, they stick to around 40,000- 60,000 words per book and have pictures (usually in color, though not always).

I'm not sure if all books do this since I haven't paid attention that closely but the translated novels I've read don't seem to have any he said, she said, they shouted anywhere within the work. it's just the dialog with the differences coming from how a character speaks as well as the context of the sentences before and after giving a clue as to who is speaking.

There's probably more but that's all I can think of right now.

The reading experience is different. I can tell the difference between a regular fantasy or romance novel versus something written as a light novel. It could be because of it being "easy" to digest but I think there is a difference.

Edit: From what I understood, the original poster wanted to add it as a tag, not a genre. I forgot to mention that. Lol. I think as a tag this would be fine to add
That's more of a Japanese style of writing dialogue than anything. Authors usually also have the habit of putting specific styles to each character's way of speaking so as to make it easier for readers to discern who is the speaker. (Like, one character uses desune, another desuyo, another da, another da ze... And so on.)

... And well, since we don't have such easy to discern speech markers in English, there are often times in dialogues with 3+ characters that the speaker becomes confusing in fantranslations that don't add a "he/she said."

Translators sometimes stick to this style in order to give a similar reading experience, or they localize it by putting the usual speech denominators you expect in English novels.

Official translations tend to localize the speech to feel natural to English speakers, mind you, so... The dialogue you see is only present in fantranslations and in the original Japanese, really.
 
Top