Have you ever gotten addicted to writing a new novel?

[ArchlordZero]

I've been a web light novel-style writer for about 7 years now, and ever since I became a lawyer, my time in writing diminished. I could hardly finish the whole novel now, being the last 3 novels I wrote were put on hiatus and I jump to another book idea because I get bored writing it. Hey, At least I finish the 1st book/arc/season of my novels, lol. During my "glory" days, I was able to write about 1500 words in a day (My personal best record was 3800 to 4000 words) as I was a contracted author in Webnovel a few years back. When I became busy with work, I can only write less than 1k words and my chapters were just as short.

I was pretty sure I'll be leaving my writing career as I intended it to be a hobby in the first place.

But then everything changed when I watched a certain anime and played a certain visual novel and got inspired by it. I tried writing my book based on that fiction, and I was surprised that I was able to write about 4500+ words in a day! Whenever I get a free time or wanted to clear my mind, I would just write chapters for this novel and let my hands do the typing. I'd dare to say that I am now addicted to writing this new novel of mine, and I don't mind it being mediocre. I have learned from my 7 years of experience to write for myself and not for my readers, so I don't mind if people will hate my new novel for being mid.

How about you? Have you ever gotten addicted to writing a novel?

P.S. The fiction that inspired me is Aokana. Truly an underrated gem

 

[Aefener]

I'm definitely addicted to writing. Even though I don't have as much time as before because of my job so I'm not able to write every day anymore, I can't imagine ever putting down writing. It's both my hobby and obsession. My current webnovel has 347 923 words and it's still far from being finished. I've been writing ever since I got my first computer as a child and I wrote several very long stories, but I overcame shyness and started publishing only recently (two years ago).

 

[proxybaba]

well, I am addicted to writing the current one publishing. Even with my exams around the corner, I found myself freeing two to three hours daily, just to write the chapters. It was so troubling that if I can't write, I feel as if I wasted my day.

 

[Corty]

The following post will be harsh. I'm sorry in advance, but I think this needs to be said to so many authors who pick up writing:

• How many books have you finished in those seven years? And I mean finished. Closed. Giving closure to anyone who reads it and to the characters?
• Will you get bored of this new addiction too, and it goes into the Bin of Hiatus like the rest?
• Can you drop a case because you got bored and pick up another one before judgment is dished out?

I'll be honest; seeing books being dropped because the author lost interest and got a shiny new toy and hops from book to book, never finishing anything, irks me. As a reader, I cursed so many authors/translators for dropping XYZ story because "oh, I got bored" or "I'm doing something else now."

If you decide to start something and make others invest (time in this case) in it by reading your story, you are bloody hell better off finishing it. It is like "scamming" others out of their time. A bad closure is better than no closure at all.

For my closure, just think of this:

Would you start reading any book from someone who never finished one before? No. You would skip it, knowing the chances of another blue balling. Then said author increases the number of books he/she drops because no readers come, getting himself/herself into a vicious cycle. More unfinished books, fewer and fewer readers.

Tl;dr:

You start a book; Finish it.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.​

 

[gaylolis]

not sure about writing, but i enjoy talking to the voices inside my head.

 

[ArchlordZero]

The following post will be harsh. I'm sorry in advance, but I think this needs to be said to so many authors who pick up writing:

• How many books have you finished in those seven years? And I mean finished. Closed. Giving closure to anyone who reads it and to the characters?
• Will you get bored of this new addiction too, and it goes into the Bin of Hiatus like the rest?
• Can you drop a case because you got bored and pick up another one before judgment is dished out?

I'll be honest; seeing books being dropped because the author lost interest and got a shiny new toy and hops from book to book, never finishing anything, irks me. As a reader, I cursed so many authors/translators for dropping XYZ's story because "oh, I got bored" or "I'm doing something else now."

If you decide to start something and make others invest (time in this case) in it by reading your story, you are bloody hell better off finishing it. It is like "scamming" others out of their time. A bad closure is better than no closure at all.

For my closure, just think of this:

Would you start reading any book from someone who never finished one before? No. You would skip it, knowing the chances of another blue balling. Then said author increases the number of books he/she drops because no readers come, getting himself/herself into a vicious cycle. More unfinished books, fewer and fewer readers.

Tl;dr:

You start a book; Finish it.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.​

1. Technically, I finished around 8 books already. Those 3 "unfinished books" are initially planned to be a multi-series but were only cut off to one book due to lack of interest (low ratings and low reader counts greatly affect the author's motivation, more so if the author is already bored in finishing the story). Authors write for money or just a hobby. What should an author do if he is unpaid and no longer enjoy writing it?

2. Maybe, maybe not. But the new novel I got had me more addicted than my previous more successful stories. It will take a lot of time and negative force before I would drop that new novel because as I said, I was addicted to writing it.

3. Cases are sources of livelihood, if you drop them, you starve. It is way different in writing novels as I write it as a hobby.

P.S. Finishing a story is easier said than done.

 

[Rhaps]

I'm the type of person who finishes what I started. But at the same time, I do like to start a new novel every now and then but I won't publish them at all, like, I just have them on the side and writes more every once a while, dumping ideas that won't fit what I'm currently writings.

I have an episodic novel that is about 10 chapter-ish about the life of adventures and people visiting a tavern runs by the Demon Lord and the Hero hundreds of year after the battle.

Then I also wrote a tragedy of a human turned Transformer by a super A.I that awakens in the far future where humanity is extinct, inhabited by cat people and vampires. The MC is also super racist.

Finally, a novel about a dancer reincarnated as a crab, which I have no memory of writing because I was super high on weed with some friends.

I don't think I would ever publish them, unless I finished what I have now.

 

[Corty]

P.S. Finishing a story is easier said than done.

Nope.

low ratings and low reader counts greatly affect the author's motivation

Yep. I have a book like that. I am still writing it, only 1-2 chapters per week, and I already have the ending planned out. Only getting there will be done slowly.

What should an author do if he is unpaid and no longer enjoy writing it?

Finish it. Start writing by knowing your story's ending. You get bored of it because you yourself don't know what you want to do with it.

It will take a lot of time and negative force before I would drop that

Good. That is the correct stand every author should have who wants to call himself/herself a writer.

Cases are sources of livelihood, if you drop them, you starve. It is way different in writing novels as I write it as a hobby.

Time is money. People spend it reading your story.

I write beside work. It is a hobby per se. Still, hobby or not, I respect my readers to give them a complete experience. They deserve it if they gift the limited free time anyone has to my story.

 

[SailusGebel]

Nope.

Although I agree with almost everything you said, finishing a story isn't that easy.

 

[Corty]

Although I agree with almost everything you said, finishing a story isn't that easy.

I can concede that point.

I may feel like that because I always go into writing a book with the ending clear and decided. I know how it is going to end. Getting there is the journey. But I can see many picking up pen/keyboard/phone/etc. with an idea of a story and not knowing how it ends.

So yeah, I can see how it is not the norm.

 

[ForestDweller]

I wrote really fast when I started my story. Like one chapter every day or two days.

But after the pandemic ended and I had to go back to work, combined with receiving negative comments/reviews and not enough views and popularity, I can't even write a single 3k word chapter in a week.

 

[SailusGebel]

I can concede that point.

I may feel like that because I always go into writing a book with the ending clear and decided. I know how it is going to end. Getting there is the journey. But I can see many picking up pen/keyboard/phone/etc. with an idea of a story and not knowing how it ends.

So yeah, I can see how it is not the norm.

It's not about ending. I have an ending, but I can't finish my novel as I have a lot of things going on in my life. And I'm sure there are authors like me. And I think authors that don't have an ending yet are willing to finish the story exists. The thing is, real life sometimes doesn't allow us to do what we want.

 

[Corty]

It's not about ending. I have an ending, but I can't finish my novel as I have a lot of things going on in my life. And I'm sure there are authors like me. And I think authors that don't have an ending yet are willing to finish the story exists. The thing is, real life sometimes doesn't allow us to do what we want.

Real-life reasons, when communicated to the readers, are totally fine. I would not fault anybody for dropping a story because of IRL issues.

My point was about writers who go from story to story because of boredom. Not because life takes a shit on their porch. I did not specify that, so that is on me.

There are always exceptions. But I am talking about generality that can be seen on this site in droves too, and not about the exceptions.

 

[ArchlordZero]

Time is money. People spend it reading your story.

Time is money for the authors too. Would you want it to spend it writing novels you don't enjoy?

Finish it. Start writing by knowing your story's ending. You get bored of it because you yourself don't know what you want to do with it.

Come on, I said already that I have planned a multiple-series for my books but only ended writing the first part. Tell me again that I don't know what I want to do with it. It's the process that is the problem.

Yep. I have a book like that. I am still writing it, only 1-2 chapters per week, and I already have the ending planned out. Only getting there will be done slowly.

I am wishing you well for this book, and I hope you don't get burnt out like me lol. Bad experiences from Webnovel's slavery contract, 1-star ratings without elaboration from RoyalRoad, and extremely low exposure on Wattpad and other sites made me realize that some novels are not worth burning time for.

Although I agree with almost everything you said, finishing a story isn't that easy.

Heisenberg: You're goddamn right

 

[Corty]

I have planned a multiple-series for my books but only ended writing the first part.

I may have misunderstood it; if so, take it I said nothing.

Bad experiences from Webnovel's slavery contract, 1-star ratings without elaboration from RoyalRoad, and extremely low exposure on Wattpad and other sites made me realize that some novels are not worth burning time for

Webnovel contracts are truly slavery in disguise. RR feels like everyone is on a high horse. Wattpad's discoverability is horrendous, IMO. I started writing my first story on Webnovel. Doing it for 1-year with minimal exposure or feedback. There was one guy who always gifted me his daily stones. I only found this site because I looked around where I could share it too. By now, I focus only here, finding my audience that I intend to entertain with my writing. I ditched every other site, and honestly, the community here is way better than I came across everywhere else.

Even if some of us can be a hardass, I hope there is no hard feeling there.

 

[ArchlordZero]

Webnovel contracts are truly slavery in disguise. RR feels like everyone is on a high horse. Wattpad's discoverability is horrendous, IMO. I started writing my first story on Webnovel. Doing it for 1-year with minimal exposure or feedback. There was one guy who always gifted me his daily stones. I only found this site because I looked around where I could share it too. By now, I focus only here, finding my audience that I intend to entertain with my writing. I ditched every other site, and honestly, the community here is way better than I came across everywhere else.

True that.

I have one of those commenters who always comment "Thanks for the chap" on one of my novels in hiatus here in scribblehub, and in webnovel too. I think I will continue that novel, but not today, not tomorrow.

You've won. Not because of your logic, but because you reminded me that there is still someone out there who is giving those pieces of trash some attention.

But let me sniff more of my addiction first.

I wrote really fast when I started my story. Like one chapter every day or two days.

But after the pandemic ended and I had to go back to work, combined with receiving negative comments/reviews and not enough views and popularity, I can't even write a single 3k word chapter in a week.

My peak was during the pandemic too. And work is considered a serial killer of novel writing

 

[Corty]

But let me sniff more of my addiction first.

I wasn't meaning to make you stop or win anything. As long as the high lasts, go at it hard like there is no tomorrow.

I just want more stories to be finished. It is good for the reader, good for the writer and good for the site, community and all around, for everyone else.

 

[Excadrill420]

The following post will be harsh. I'm sorry in advance, but I think this needs to be said to so many authors who pick up writing:

• How many books have you finished in those seven years? And I mean finished. Closed. Giving closure to anyone who reads it and to the characters?
• Will you get bored of this new addiction too, and it goes into the Bin of Hiatus like the rest?
• Can you drop a case because you got bored and pick up another one before judgment is dished out?

I'll be honest; seeing books being dropped because the author lost interest and got a shiny new toy and hops from book to book, never finishing anything, irks me. As a reader, I cursed so many authors/translators for dropping XYZ story because "oh, I got bored" or "I'm doing something else now."

If you decide to start something and make others invest (time in this case) in it by reading your story, you are bloody hell better off finishing it. It is like "scamming" others out of their time. A bad closure is better than no closure at all.

For my closure, just think of this:

Would you start reading any book from someone who never finished one before? No. You would skip it, knowing the chances of another blue balling. Then said author increases the number of books he/she drops because no readers come, getting himself/herself into a vicious cycle. More unfinished books, fewer and fewer readers.

Tl;dr:

You start a book; Finish it.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.​

I like your ted talk

 

[LunaSoltaer]

I really do enjoy my writing, but sometimes the things in my real life just kick me in the... well, the void I wish were between my legs.

Thankfully I did NOT run afoul of the TED talk! I did drop my own novel for a year but not of my own volition! And now im finishing it! (well, not that anyone outside of like 5 people would care but still)

 

[georgelee5786]

Yes