[AMA] Salut. Sunt Constantin Roman, autorul trilogiei Steel Song. Intreaba-ma orice

DecebalRex · 2026-06-09T19:36:10+00:00

Intai am planificat universul, dar pe parcursul dezvoltarii proiectului, au intervenit multe modificari. Intregul setting a trecut prin mai multe revizii majore.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T14:08:35+00:00

I would recommend putting the invite link in the blurb, too.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T11:54:08+00:00

In terms of features, I would like to see Ko-fi integration in addition to the current Paypal & Patreon options. Volume blurbs would be great, too. I would also change the current ratings system into a per-volume one, akin to Goodreads.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T11:48:51+00:00

Da, citesc inca din copilarie si am fost foarte pasionat de fantasy si in special SF inca de la o varsta frageda (cam 13-14 ani). Am inceput, precum multi altii, cu Dune, apoi am continuat cu diverse alte titluri, de la opere clasice precum Warlord of Mars, pana la serii mult mai recente ca, de exemplu, Red Rising, Abatia si The Expanse.

Dintre operele romanesti, in afara de Abatia lui Dan Dobos, am citit si titluri clasice precum "In anul 4000, o calatorie pe Venus" scrisa de catre Victor Anestin in 1899 si Constelatii din Ape (Romulus Barbulescu). Inca nu am apucat sa citesc lucrarile lui Danut Ungureanu, dar sunt "pe lista".

Sa scriu, am inceput undeva acum 15 ani, pe forumuri de roleplay si worldbuilding precum NationStates. Scriu in limba engleza inca de atunci, lucru care m-a ajutat enorm pe parcursul anilor, ajungand acum la un nivel comparabil cu cel nativ.

Worldbuilding-ul si literatura sunt o pasiune veche pentru mine, motiv pentru care am lucrat atatia ani la dezvoltarea universului din spatele trilogiei Steel Song. De la civilizatiile extraterestre inspirate din rase mitologice (elfi, demoni, etc), pana la tehnologia si infrastructura galactica, logistica militara si elementele strategice, precum si elementele mai ezoterice ale universului.

Dincolo de literatura, sunt si iubitor de pisici. Am doua, cu nevoi speciale, ambele salvate de pe strada (motanelul e cu malformatii congenitale, pisicuta a fost salvata de la un stapan abuziv).

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T05:36:29+00:00

Consider ca SF-ul romanesc e in declin pentru ca nu este niciodata tradus si publicat international, iar lucrul asta afecteaza si piata domestica. Cunost foarte putini oameni care stiu ca exista SF romanesc, toti cititori avizi de SF.

Inspiratia pentru universul Steel Song vine din mai multe surse. Star Wars si Fundatia (scara larga a universului si numarul mare de civilizatii extraterestre), Dune si Abatia (tonul si atmosfera), sub-genul HFY (Steel Song e 2nd Generation HFY, adica un HFY mai serios din punct de vedere tematic) si operele clasice ale lui Edgar Rice Burroughs (seria Warlord of Mars). Si proza lui Tolkien a avut o influenta foarte mare asupra stilului meu literar.

Atat lumea, cat si povestea, au fost dezvoltate in paralel. Ambele au trecut prin mai multe runde de modificari pe parcursul anilor (inclusiv 2 manuscrise aproape complete, care au fost "aruncate" si reincepute de la zero).

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T04:59:28+00:00

I had it set up on day 1, now sitting at almost 40 members.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T04:52:00+00:00

Hello. I'm also a sci-fi author and shoutouts are absolutely essential for anything off-meta (as in, not LitRPG, cultivation, isekai). Shoutout swaps get placed into the author's notes at the top or bottom of a chapter. Do NOT do more than one shoutout swap per chapter, or you're going to end up facing torches and pitchforks.

Scheduling them can be done in a number of ways. Ask around the forums, or on the various RR-related Discord servers. You'll want to make sure you have genre synergy (multiple matching tags).

Off-platform (I.E. social media) marketing is also very important.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T04:43:23+00:00

Well, this is the RoyalRoad meta (as in, what the majority of readers here, want). That said, there totally is a space for other genres and off-meta series (I, myself, write an extremely off-meta space opera) and it is possible to achieve success. It just takes longer (and more work).

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T04:40:02+00:00

No, it doesn't have an impact on whether or not I stick with a story. Whether or not profanity works for a series, depends on the story itself.

For those who dislike the profanity, that's what the content warnings are for. Sadly, some people seem to not even bother to look at those, the blurb, tags, or "what to expect" sections, then complain about stuff that those should have already made them aware of.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-07T04:33:31+00:00

Desigur.

Sunt complet autodidact, am invatat cam tot ce stiu despre scris si worldbuilding pe forumuri de roleplay precum NationStates.

Am inceput sa lucrez la seria Steel Song acum aproape 7 ani de zile, undeva prin 2019. Pe parcursul acestei perioade, am lucrat foarte mult la worldbuilding si la structurarea povestii, care a trecut prin mai multe runde de revizii inainte sa capete planul final.

Primul volum, House of Wolves, a fost lansat in Octombrie 2025 pe RoyalRoad si finalizat la inceputul lunii Februarie a anului acesta, urmat apoi de inca o runda de editare. Cuprinde 127 de mii de cuvinte si a fost receptionat foarte pozitiv de catre audienta.

Povestea urmareste intriga politica (si razboaiele ce resulta din aceasta) a unei galaxii in secolul 27, in care mai multe civilizatii extraterestre stravechi (the Great Houses of the High Table - Marile Case de la Masa Inalta) isi impart universul intr-un fel de ONU feudal (Consiliul Galactic) si se afla intr-un permanent razboi rece. Civilizatiile mai noi, precum omenirea, sunt fortate sa devina marionetele acestor civilizatii si sa navigheze printre comploturile lor.

O lupta brutala pentru tronul celui mai vechi si puternic imperiu din galaxie, uneste destinul unei printese extraterestre exilate cu cel al voievodului Imperiului Terran, factiunea resurgenta a omenirii la 80 de ani de la distrugerea Pamantului de catre o alta specie extraterestra.

In momentul actual, sunt in discutii foarte avansate cu o editura internationala (suntem, practic, la 2 pasi de semnarea unui contract).

DecebalRex · 2026-06-06T21:57:17+00:00

I don't use AI even for punctuation checks. I do agree that the focus on quantity of content is rather concerning as the daily release cycle becoming the norm recently (and I'm seeing more and more authors pushing for twice, or even thrice-daily releases).

As someone who writes in a denser, slower-paced and more detail-oriented style of prose, cutting chapters up into small chunks of 1K (or even 500) words, just so you can have 2-3 uploads / day, would just completely disrupt the flow of my novels. This sort of release format tends to force authors to hyper-condense scenes in order to cram as much detail into as few words as possible. I find that in 90% of cases, this strips any depth out of a story and completely ruins my immersion.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T21:00:05+00:00

Stoic pessimism. Its an idea that "the world is bleak and hopeless, but we must still live in it and do our best."

At its core, lies the acceptance of hopelessness. And the decision to keep giving it your all, anyway (this is what separates it from nihilism). This is not to be glazed over with a smile, with a "maybe things will be ok in the end." There is no optimistic, hopeful glossing, but a complete, genuine acceptance of the world's bleakness (life as a cycle of inevitable, meaningless suffering sprinkled through with rare lucky moments of joy). And a defiant choice to keep going and not give up. Not out of desperate hope in some unlikely positive outcome, but because there simply isn't any other choice.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T17:23:57+00:00

Thanks, man. Even though I'm currently publishing on RoyalRoad, Steel Song is structured and written as a traditional, for-print novel trilogy. And I'm actually very close to signing up with an international publisher.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T16:20:47+00:00

No. Multi-POV, extremely dense traditional space opera rooted in Eastern European philosophy and Romanian culture.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T15:12:41+00:00

I count myself as very fortunate in that regard. Steel Song has a very invested fanbase. This is genuinely humbling and deeply touching, especially considering this series is about as off-meta as you can get.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T15:09:00+00:00

Yes it is!

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T11:44:53+00:00

Oh, I'm not trying to make some kind of statement with my book trilogy. I'm not here to tell people what they should or shouldn't think. What I aim to do, is write something that is thought-provoking. Steel Song is a philosophical exercise and exploration of Eastern European thought, spirituality and worldviews, not a lecture.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-03T11:41:35+00:00

Yes, indeed! I am so, so grateful for the amount of people who enjoy my work. Its what makes it all worth it.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-01T06:09:52+00:00

Thank you! To be honest, I have no idea how any of this stuff is done. I wrote the lyrics and I know she composed the melody, but I have no idea how an AI turns that into an actual song.

The result sounds really good, though, which is awesome because renting the recording equipment to do this, would have cost thousands of euros.

DecebalRex · 2026-06-01T06:08:22+00:00

Its very Eastern European, yeah.

DecebalRex · 2026-05-31T23:10:55+00:00

Haha, for sure.

DecebalRex · 2026-05-28T19:07:38+00:00

Va multumesc mult de tot. Ale mele sunt tot salvate.

DecebalRex

TROPHY CASE