My work feels boring

[GreyJackass]

So I'm currently working on a story about the System. I've got the concept, I've created detailed character backgrounds, I know how it's going to go and how it's going to end, but the problem is: I don't know how to make it fun to read.

Every time I try to make it 'fun', by giving the MC the 'convenience' of using the System, it feels like a forced armor plot or Deus ex Machina

I was much more interested in developing the story from an emotional point of view, but that made the System lose the spotlight instead

Is there any way to make the story fun to read and write?

 

[SailusGebel]

Get rid of the system.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Write it out and show the world.

 

[doravg]

Make the system malicious, constantly trying to get him in trouble. Then, make the story about the MC trying to get rid of the system, but it won't go away, and he slowly slips to madness.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Get rid of the system.

I agree with this.

 

[MajorKerina]

There’s a few things I like to try when a story gets a certain issue. I either jump ahead to the part that I really want to do in the story or I blow things up to break the status quo.

 

[GreyJackass]

Get rid of the system.

Well, I can't. The system is the main concept, if I remove it, then I'll have to rewrite all of it

 

[Leti]

Get rid of the system.

Well, I can't. The system is the main concept, if I remove it, then I'll have to rewrite all of it

Keep the system, but by the end of the story reveal it as the MC's imagination. The system exists only in the MC's head.

 

[SailusGebel]

Well, I can't. The system is the main concept, if I remove it, then I'll have to rewrite all of it

Then you can't make it fun because system novels aren't fun. It's that simple. Well, it can be fun to the fans of system novels.

 

[DonHon]

Make the system have a boring personality no not like "Please save the world" personality make it a "i just wanna go home" personality

 

[TotallyHuman]

Bring down the system! Bring down da man!
oh, we are talking about a different kind of system?
I dunno then. Given only this information, how can I tell you anything?

 

[irei1as]

Character interaction, world building (mainly lore) and story progression. You want to show at least two of those on each significant portion of your story.

If you relate the system to those then it'll help to harmonize with the flow of the story.

Well, that's my point of view as a reader. Let me point some famous examples.

In the webnovel version of the raising of the shield hero (it seems this isn't used in the anime), it's found that each hero has a different magic system related to the game of their world and they argue of what one is the 'correct' one. The MC has the brilliant idea that at the end all of them are correct and that unlocks a perspective change.

In ascendance of a bookworm, a gruesome civil war has destroyed important knowledge about the 'magic system'. The main character finds information about it and 'tries' to not get involved with the consequences of knowing.
I'm trying to be spoiler free so just think of it as a lore example.

In reincarnated as a slime or I'm a spider so what, getting stronger in the magic system unlocks special abilities that become relevant to the power hierarchy so they have to confront the story behind everything.

 

[GreyJackass]

Bring down the system! Bring down da man!
oh, we are talking about a different kind of system?
I dunno then. Given only this information, how can I tell you anything?

So it's Kumo desu-ga and Tensura-type. Skill tree and class evolution stuff, you know

For example:
In this story, my MC is orientated to be a fighter, but he doesn't have the physique of a fighter. So the System gives him the ability to find his opponent's weakest point. It's not as simple as it sounds because even if the MC decides to attack that point, the percentage of success is never 100%. Therefore, after going through several battles and winning, Sytem gave him a skill that could increase the success percentage of his attacks.

Sorry if this sounds too complicated, English isn't my first languange

Then you can't make it fun because system novels aren't fun. It's that simple. Well, it can be fun to the fans of system novels.

I like Sytem stories and think they're fun, like Solo Levelling and Tensura. Even though story-wise it's standard, it's something interesting to follow. But, the problem is that I don't know what makes it so interesting

 

[TotallyHuman]

In this story, my MC is orientated to be a fighter, but he doesn't have the physique of a fighter. So the System gives him the ability to find his opponent's weakest point. It's not as simple as it sounds because even if the MC decides to attack that point, the percentage of success is never 100%. Therefore, after going through several battles and winning, Sytem gave him a skill that could increase the success percentage of his attacks.

that sounds like Deus Ex Machina bull. Have mc do his own research, make him (him, right? Whatever) work very hard to find a class tree suitable for him, give him awful drawbacks, or get him to swallow up his complains and do what has to be done instead of having solutions served up to him on a silver platter.
What's the point of the whole plot point of mc not having a fighter's physique if it is going to be resolved just like that?
Alternatively you can do away with this plot point and have him, who has a fighter physique, choose this path

 

[SailusGebel]

I like Sytem stories and think they're fun, like Solo Levelling and Tensura. Even though story-wise it's standard, it's something interesting to follow. But, the problem is that I don't know what makes it so interesting

Then write similar stuff, and fans of system novels will read it anyway.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

I like Sytem stories and think they're fun, like Solo Levelling and Tensura. Even though story-wise it's standard, it's something interesting to follow. But, the problem is that I don't know what makes it so interesting

I don't like system novels, and I can give you reasons why I come to hate it. So I guess maybe start from there?

1). Characters don't feel 'human'. Maybe it's the game-like setting? Or the repeated stories being brought out with tons of one-dimensional characters? Or FMCs that tend to become as the 'rah-rah' girls of the MMC (they're there for the harem, and to tell everyone that whatever the MMC does is great and powerful and extraordinary).

2). Mary Sue Characters. Yeah, one of the best appeals of characters is that, they tend to know some great stuff. However, unless you're writing about a genius, having a character that knows all is an impossibility, and ends up only forcing the plot forward.

3). Rushed build-up. I guess, we can't quantify interpersonal relationships. But system novels does that. Not popular? Increase Charm levels. Unable to use a sword? Open your character UI and increase Sword Skills.

Take note, I'm not averted much to this trope. However, it seems that a lot of system authors make this as a shortcut to get to the exciting parts, skipping a proper story build up that not only brings the characters closer to the audience, it also develops them as person.

4). Repeated cliches, over and over again. Adventurers' Guild. Level system. Dungeon diving. The extraordinary power the MMC has (aka the Cheat). While these are 'essential' elements of a 'system' novel, I'm always wondering, is there any other way to make these different from others?

Well, those are my pet peeves on system novels. Take it with a grain of salt.

Addendum: let me be clear that I read LitRPGs and other system novels before. I love those at first, but came to hate it for the repeated stuff I discussed above.

 

[KrakenRiderEmma]

If you want to keep the System in the spotlight but are trying to make it more interesting, one approach could be to go back to the wellspring: what are Systems inspired by in the real world, and what are the interesting human, character-driven challenges involved?

In the real world, game systems for “protagonists” are not set up by a divine power or a god / super-witch / whatever outside space and time, they’re set up by humans who are trying to keep other humans interested. That doesn’t have to be LITERALLY true in a LitRPG story but it could inspire some differences of approach or personality for a LitRPG system. For instance, just looking at how LitRPG Systems are usually static, whereas real-world game systems are dynamic;

• systems (lower-case s) are changing all the time based on how players react and their feedback and opinions, but they can’t just constantly change or there would be no structure, just wishes being granted; so it’s a challenge to figure out how they can change
• changes in a system can actually backfire because they’re complex and can have unpredictable effects, if a system is trying to make a player happy by changing one aspect, it can break another aspect. LitRPG does this all the time by having a “broken” cheaty protagonist who can take advantage of the System, but it tends to work out well for the player — this is not the case in a system because for instance, the economy of the game world could get totally broken with currency becoming meaningless, etc.
• there are usually many, many players, sometimes in the same world, who are all aware that the system is a system and trying to take advantage of it, as well as NPCs, so there are differences of opinion, people who cheat “too far” etc. Obviously used in some LitRPGs
• Balance: the system is always attempting to be not too easy (boring) or too hard (frustrating) but keep things in a pleasant middle (flow state) where the protagonist feels powerful and important, but it’s really all a kind of trick (Monkey King in the palm of the Buddha stuff), On the other hand, some systems are run or changed by sadistic GMs who like to switch things up, change rules, carpet pull, etc
• There are usually multiple personalities or conflicting forces in charge of changing a system, diagnosing problems, etc. leading to all sorts of problems, arguments, etc. This happens in some LitRPGs too ofc.
• Then there are systems that are just trying to extract money from players with gacha pulls, etc.

 

[Premier]

I was much more interested in developing the story from an emotional point of view, but that made the System lose the spotlight instead

If it's not too late, cheat and do what I did. Make emotions part of the System. There's no rule that a System has to be dry and numerical, hell you'd make your story a lot more unique and interesting if it's not.

All system novels could benefit from working out what you want the story to be, then having the System run off it.

Your character is a researcher? Have the system be complex and poorly understood in the world.
Do you want to write about action and adventure? The system rewards risk and new experiences.
Tournament fights? Skills are based on hierarchy. The only way to improve them is to beat people better than you. The only way to maintain them is to allow challenges.
Like character development and conversations? Persona-style social links or skills you can only level through self-understanding and learning from others.

The worst mistake many System novels make is making the character find the bit they want to write about "Easy" and remove all tension or challenge from their own novel. If you want to write about a great mage, don't have them learn magic easily. Make it hard, then people will be engaged with watching them struggle to learn it and cheer when they do!

 

[Theirl]

So I'm currently working on a story about the System. I've got the concept, I've created detailed character backgrounds, I know how it's going to go and how it's going to end, but the problem is: I don't know how to make it fun to read.

Every time I try to make it 'fun', by giving the MC the 'convenience' of using the System, it feels like a forced armor plot or Deus ex Machina

I was much more interested in developing the story from an emotional point of view, but that made the System lose the spotlight instead

Is there any way to make the story fun to read and write?

if u want to make something diferent, make a fall from grace give him the sistem for sometime make him cocky and someone will come make a trap for him and steal his sistem with part of his soul(for motivation) ... so now our protagonist need to try to recover his sistem asap without one or with a buggy one that dont work properly

 

[SilvoidVorstellung]

So I'm currently working on a story about the System. I've got the concept, I've created detailed character backgrounds, I know how it's going to go and how it's going to end, but the problem is: I don't know how to make it fun to read.

Every time I try to make it 'fun', by giving the MC the 'convenience' of using the System, it feels like a forced armor plot or Deus ex Machina

I was much more interested in developing the story from an emotional point of view, but that made the System lose the spotlight instead

Is there any way to make the story fun to read and write?

My guess is it's because lack of stake, MC have it easy, everything is going well, he's not going to lose an arm or two, he has a higher chance of winning, had never lost his loved one.

There's no devil plotting against him, even there is one, the plan never leave a devastating consequence, never the threatening force, never the feared evil, the antagonist that can't put a single scratch on MC heart.

No reaper scythe on his neck, no demon breathing down his neck, no life on the line, especially who he consider his friends/family, no one important will die, none of the character the reader care leave him.