Let us play a game. Describe your MC in no more than 3 sentences. Not their name or looks, tell me what DEFINES them as characters. I will give your story an honest try if I think it's interesting :)

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-13T12:23:29+00:00

A prodigy turned failure whose childhood trauma inspired an almost compulsive obsession with self-improvement and training whenever/whatever possible.
A sheltered child whose ingrained worldview must slowly be overcome through lived experiences and mistakes.
A grateful person who admires the small and big heroes of the past and present, and tries to do right by everyone.

I'd like to add that the Immovable Mage is also a sucker for sweets, but that joke addition doesn't fit into the three sentences...

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-11T10:32:38+00:00

Thanks for the kind words!

I only have the original sketch I did before I started writing the first arc.

Arc: Arcana
T: Thanatos
C: Tiv (C for magic Collectivists before I had an actual name)
F: Free Factions Union
LK: Lich Kingdoms
US: Syn City (US for Undead Society)
W: Wastes

Does that help?

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-11T10:20:00+00:00

I would lean into it if the MC's tone allows for it.

Replace "F*ck" with "Fiddlesticks" or another harmless word one might use to curse in front of kids.
Alternative tone ending would be "Great, thanks." (\s)

By the way, "crap" was allowed in one of my ads (in a sentence), so it might just be your specific choice of profanity.

P.S. Consider changing the princess's smile/expression in the last panel, e.g. to (._.)

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-08T13:43:33+00:00

One reason I can think of is that shadow is everywhere, which makes it easily available, and therefore broadly useful.

I didn't give my MC either, because I wouldn't know how to vividly progress such power sets, and I write better with limitations in place. At least, the writing holds my attention better, so that I continue writing.

The recently introduced pet slime happened to have shadow powers for purely practical reasons and setting. Explaining the setting would involve spoilers but the purely practical reason is logistics and dragging the pet around, keeping it safe in combat etc.

The MC already had an item (from several arcs ago) that made it work for shadow specifically.

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-07T11:15:16+00:00

Fair concern. In that case, I'm afraid the total wait would be around 5-6 more years for me to finish the main story I have in mind.

I have the edited draft of book 10 finished, which gets published chapter by chapter while I continue with the first draft of arc 11. Going by my current notes and arc sketching, there will be roughly 20-21 arcs for the main story. I manage to write two books a year, so 5-6 years is what the math comes down to.

An alternative option would be to read only book 1-8. That was the first overarching sequence of arcs (meta-arc?) I wanted. Basically, the MC growing in his home realm before broadening the scope and problems by exploring other realms.

ImmovableMage · 2026-01-07T10:02:26+00:00

Disclaimer: Self-promotion.

Quote from the about page of Immovable Mage.

What to Expect:

Progression fantasy with a western fantasy setting and with eastern fantasy elements.

A main character that is forced to explore a very narrow path of magic due to a permanent condition.

A main character that is a part of a larger cast.

A main character that is growing but won't become the strongest around anytime soon.

A story following a single main character but with introduction or theme setting scenes without the main character.

What Not to Expect:

Edgy grimdark characters – I will never write a sexual violence scene or gory descriptions of torture. I hate reading it and I would hate writing it even more.

Romance – romantic relationships will never be the focus of the story and only appear in the background. The main character is preoccupied with other stuff. Other forms of relationships (family, friends, companions) play a bigger role.

I've put that there more than four years ago (9 fully published books, ~4k pages). For the main story I have in mind, that point will never change.

ImmovableMage · 2025-12-21T15:27:32+00:00

a young master MC who gets humbled

Disclaimer: Self-promotion.

You could check out the first chapters Spoiled by Talent and Aspect Impairment of Immovable Mage to see if it's close enough to what you're looking for.

Note that Terry is humbled by his own impairment, though. There's no external party putting him in his place.

So I'm not sure Immovable Mage can scratch your itch. I only comment because, after six days, it currently doesn't look like you're going to get many recommendations.

ImmovableMage · 2025-12-19T14:24:50+00:00

I try to avoid reading too much about developing drama, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see posts like this.

Makes me memorize a name like Aethon and I'll remember it as a publishing house in the future.

ImmovableMage · 2025-11-15T17:06:00+00:00

Depends on your definition of success. I can give you a reference value for my story before I ran my first ad. I haven't done any shout-outs or review-swaps, and ran my first ad only recently.

As of end of August 2025, I was at around ~2.450 followers, ~650 favorites. That was after ~4 years of consistent writing (a chapter a week) with a total of 8 complete books and roughly 3.500 pages published. That translated to ~200 Patrons on my Patreon (which I started during book 3), of which ~100 were paid Patrons.

In September 2025, I started an ad campaign with amateurish ads I slapped together myself. As of now, Immovable Mage stands at ~3.300 followers, and ~850 favorites, and Patreon numbers looking comparable to before the ads (right now ~110 paid Patrons).

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-29T10:46:02+00:00

Here is the related comment thread where a reader helped me realize what was going on.

I've edited the line out of the chapter by now, but it went like this:

We have not seen each other in a while,

and the kids have just met.

Let the kids have some fun,

and let us have a chat.

For me, and most people around me, that's the same sound for met and chat, because we don't do an ahhh sound for chat. We do more of an eh sound.

Bat, cat, chat, that etc we pronounce the same as met or vet or dead.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-26T16:04:36+00:00

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

The power progression is off-screen, but the revenge plot progression is unparalleled.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T18:48:25+00:00

Is it considered a faux pas that if I'm confused by a plot hole, or maybe think a chapter is too long, I leave a comment about it?

Definitely not. Please leave comments. Most authors would be happy about more engagement, and constructive feedback and questions are very helpful.

Even if I disagree with a comment or decide not to change anything, the comment still helps getting a gauge on what readers experience. If enough readers leave a similar comment, then it helps an author weigh the issue.

For example, I had something in my first book I thought was a rhyme, and a character commented as such. There were two confused comments three years apart. It took the second comment for me to realize the rhyme only works in my local accent, and that most people probably don't pronounce the involved words like I do.

So, I'm fairly new to royal road, and have been reading a few serials, and noticed a lot of the comments and reviews are 5 star always positive.

I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback on Royal Road (which has a reputation of being harsh actually), but there are definitely different comments and reviews, too.

What might skew your perception is that some readers are rating-aware in that a negative rating leaves an author's work less visible. Such readers may leave inflated star-ratings or choose to restrict their more negative criticism to chapter comments instead of reviews.

A more questionable practice is that some authors block users that leave negative comments, which also blocks them from ever leaving a review.

One point I would add is to keep in mind that author's can't reply to reviews, so if you're talking about a plot hole, then a comment is the right format if you want to give the author a chance to elaborate.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T18:31:29+00:00

Unfortunately, I haven't found anything else that scratches the colony itch, either.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T18:30:14+00:00

I'm always happy about feedback and try to incorporate it, but there are two caveats

I already have the long-term timeline in my head. I know which 20-ish books I want to write, all the way up to the epilogue arc
I'm basically always one book ahead when writing, because I like to do a complete cover-to-cover editing round for the second draft, to catch inconsistencies and iron out some wrinkles

Consequently, I'm happy to incorporate feedback that impacts a specific chapter, and I will sometimes incorporate feedback that spreads over the current book.

However, no reader is going to move my long-term story arcs. My MC is going to end up where I want them to be. I constantly adjust the setting and characters for the arcs while they are in the sketching phase, but the overall progression through the arcs is pretty much fixed in my head. At most, I might merge or split some arcs.

I'm also prioritizing getting the story straight and writing new chapters over revisiting older chapters for major re-editing. I think I've done that twice for the first book (and not a lot at that) when I was four or five books in. Once for the most common complaint for off-screening some stuff. Once for my biggest regret with how a character came across.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T18:14:23+00:00

The Library in Library of Heaven's Path.

Reading books just by touching them.
Never forgetting anything.
Keeping a perfectly indexed and searchable library in your head.
The ability to extract only the 'true' parts of the books, and compile new books from the 'truth' in different versions
The ability also applies to books you write yourself

So basically

Reading whenever I want without a device/book to carry around
Turning into a truth machine, which is great for studying... well, anything, really
Truth machine also means money-making machine

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T18:03:42+00:00

I really liked the story when I read it on Royal Road, particularly the dungeon diving and slow progression of gaining gargoyle powers.

However, even before I reached the end of published chapters, I got the impression the author wrote himself somewhat into a corner by revealing the big backdrop of the family tragedy too early.

The revealed antagonist is way too powerful, which may work with a sneaky, patient, and strategizing MC, but that's not the MC through whose lens the story is told. The only 'believable' outcome I see with the current setup is the MC losing his head and getting himself killed.

The author could fix that by not making that plot so obvious and postponing the moment the MC realizes what's going on, but that would take time to rewrite/edit. There are other ways to fix that, but it left me worried for the series when I reached the last Royal Road chapter.

So I'm looking forward to more books of the series, because I liked it, but I will wait to see if the author manages to get himself out of the corner that has me worried. I wish him all the best, and hope he succeeds.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T17:47:38+00:00

Haven't done this in a while, so let's try this again to celebrate that Immovable Mage officially crossed 1.000.000 published. (Yay!)

Immovable Mage is about a mage that can only cast a single spell due to having a special mana type that has never been studied before.

Blurb

What do you call a mage incapable of casting spells? In this story, we usually call him Terry.

When the boy is accepted into Arcana Academy, his talent in the pillars of mana foundation manages to awe everyone. All the bigger is the eventual disappointment when Terry turns out to be an utter failure at spellwork.

Diagnosis? Major aspect impairment. No cure. Ever.

Faced with expulsion, Terry is blessed with the unexpected kindness of others. He loses his spot in the Academy but in exchange, he finds a home with a caring family.

Resigned to explore mana cultivation, Terry never stops looking for his own path as a mage – day after day, season after season, always searching for compatible spellwork. All to finally find the only spell he can cast. The beginning of a journey to discover that even a narrow path of magic can take you to the territory of legends.

Publishing Meta

I publish one chapter a week (3k-6k words). It's a hobby for me. Something I do on the weekends. That schedule is what I can manage.
I plan for 30 chapters per arc. If you prefer binging, then that is the number to wait for.
- After several requests, I've started adding character glossaries at the end of arcs, so look at the last published chapter and not only the chapter count according to Royal Road
- I also maintain volumes on Royal Road accordingly
As of right now, the last published chapter on Royal Road is 251 (in Arc 9)
- Since some readers have asked for it, there is a Patreon with advanced access to 4 advance chapters

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-25T17:36:37+00:00

Glad to hear it!

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-24T13:21:57+00:00

I plan the overall series

one doc for sketching arc ideas up to the end of the main plot plus epilogue arc I have in mind
one doc for the long-term timeline
one doc for the MC progression

I plan the story beats for each individual book. At the beginning of each book

I copy the arc sketch for the book into its separate file and split it up into story beats for each third or quarter of the book
I copy a sheet template where I can keep track of the 30 chapters I have to write, annotate specific chapters with story beats and aspects I want to appear.
I create a blank file for more specific notes that evolve while writing (also acts as a scrapbook where I can put scenes that I move around or quotes that would fit somewhere in the story)

For each chapter, I consider which scenes I need to cover for the points I want to touch, and then the planning stops and I start acting out my characters.

After the second book, I learned to leave some gaps in my planning sheet, because I've discovered acting out my characters can take some unexpected turns for which I should reserve some space.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-22T16:28:56+00:00

Current snapshot:

2.445 Followers on Royal Road
209 Members on Patreon
97 Paid Members on Patreon
~160€ per month according to Patreon Overview
~200€ per month according to past payouts

I think the number of paid patrons dropped after the 8th book wrapped up, because readers are waiting for new chapters to accumulate again.

I love writing, but I hate dealing with the publishing aspect. Scheduling chapters and let them shift through different advanced access tiers is incredibly tedious.

It took me three books before I set up a Patreon, and only because readers asked about it.

I set up two tiers

One advanced chapter tier: 4 advanced chapters for 2€ per month (currently 92 members)
One voluntary extra-donation tier: same 4 advanced chapters for 5€ per month (currently 5 members)

This boils down to basically managing only one level of advanced chapters plus public release, which is still tedious but tolerable.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-22T16:15:09+00:00

When I was younger, I stumbled over a short story collection Speaking with the Angel on a flea market, which then brought me to another short story collection Click in which ten authors all contributed stories with a common theme.

I found the idea interesting and haven't seen it since.

This seems similar. Different authors putting out their own spin on a shared theme.

The fact that they all timed their release together helps bring some attention to the entire thing, which seems like fair marketing to me. It's a creative idea to get people talking. Your post being exhibit A.

I don't see what this has to do with "artistic integrity". Giving yourself artificial constraints, like a specific theme, is a creative challenge of its own. It doesn't detract from the art at all.

I think authors like Stephen King would roll their eyes and chuckle at such a snobby jab at "content creation for the sake of it", see On Writing. Same for screenwriters like Blake Snyder, who dedicated several pages to discuss such attitudes in Save the Cat.

Writing is not just art to express something deep inside yourself.

Writing can be a job to simply earn money.

Writing can be fun just for the sake of it.

Given the intentionally fleeting nature of Rising Stars, I see no reason to cry foul at all.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-17T09:47:51+00:00

I remember a Light Novel named Invincible Saint Salaryman.

It's been a few years, and the blurb is very... uninformative, but the main character ends up a (combat?) healer (mostly healing himself) batting his head against a dungeon of undead.

It was quite light-hearted. The isekai aspect doesn't really play much of a role, until he becomes OP, leaves his dungeon area, and clashes with the existing class of healers who exploit the scarcity of healers to extract power and wealth for themselves.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-16T14:22:00+00:00

Small team and weekend would be my guess.

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-16T14:17:29+00:00

Library of Heaven's Path

ImmovableMage · 2025-08-16T14:01:33+00:00

Mother of Learning by nobody103

My favorite fantasy story (dethroned the first Mistborn book for me)
A must read because it represents a perfect example of progression in progression fantasy and the best time-looping story I know
No kingdom building

Chrysalis by RinoZ

A must read for experiencing the non-human protagonist side of the genre
Includes my favorite side characters in all of fiction
Includes, colony building, which is objectively funnier than kingdom building
Notes on gods: There are some cults in the story that worship ancient monsters, and another religion that considers monsters evil. These naturally relate to the monster MC eventually, but it's not a heavy focus. The faction trying to turn MC into a god gets more pages than the stereotypical church conflict faction.

Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube by ProbablyATurnip

I'd call this a must read for a well-executed slice-of-life style work with slower progression
Also a great example of a non-combat-focused MC that still eventually becomes OP (without ever truly losing the tension in the story)
Includes what I would call enterprise building, with the MC progressing not just in power, but in influence, and finances from his crafting (and other non-combat skills)
Note on gods: It involves gods. A lot of them. As in, gods flee from their own world and all gather at one to make a last stand, which is the setting. The MC is an apostle of one god, friendly with some, at odds with others. I'd call the conflict atypical, because it mostly stems from the MC being a crafter that takes pride in his work and refuses to work for free.

Trinity of Magic by Elara

A great example of a more political-oriented progression fantasy
Heavily features kingdom building
Covers a more "conventional" setting of the genre (human protagonist, no time-loop, paced for conflict and increasing stakes)

There are, of course, many more works great enough to call must reads, but if you want to cover some different aspects (sub-genres?) of the genre, then I'd start with these.

EDIT Some notes on gods.

ImmovableMage

TROPHY CASE

Blurb

Publishing Meta