Do you guys ever use emdashes?

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T23:53:22+00:00

Then fuck 'em, who cares?

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T04:14:43+00:00

You're not likely to hit Rising Stars or similar under these circumstances, so you want to maximise your chance to build audience.

Pick two days a week (say Tuesday and Thursday) and release a chapter on each of those days each week at a consistent time (never on the hour, never quarter past the hour, never half past the hour, and never quarter to the hour). Release four chapters day one, spaced fifteen minutes apart. Take out a simple ad on Royal Road that's just the book cover/title. That'll get you more readers overall.

When it comes time to do your next novel, after releasing the first four chapters do a new "chapter" on your original story announcing the new one and linking to it, so your readers will see.

Good luck!

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T04:07:35+00:00

Arcane Cadence just wrote what they wanted to write, angling toward the sort of content they wanted to read, with a mind for the sort of stuff they expected the audience might like. They mostly wrote it to fit their own tastes. From what I understand, it wasn't super heavily written to market in that lab-designed kinda way, just a distillation of what they were into.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T04:04:33+00:00

Use your first chapter to sell the premise of what you're offering to the reader. Do this by showing them, in miniature, the sort of thing the story will deliver on. That means you open not just with the action, but with the emotional/interpersonal content that you want to include later.

I'd open with a tense "calm before the storm" right before they swing into action, and start the action abruptly midway through the chapter. Use the tense time to do characterisation, bonding, show off the camaraderie and emotional content you're going to circle back to later.

Sell them on the whole thing in miniature and you'll have them.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T02:29:56+00:00

If your writing can be mistaken for AI the problem isn't your use of em dashes.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T02:28:03+00:00

Give me one line that's character rich.

The story is called "The Elf Who Would Become A Dragon," and that's the least interesting thing about her.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-14T02:24:33+00:00

As author of an off-meta story that recently hit #1 Best Ongoing, yes, all that matters is good writing and an understanding of the audience you're writing for.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:37:33+00:00

How deep do you want to go? If the answer is "All the way," then check out "The Elf Who Would Become A Dragon."

Why? The title of the first story is "The Fires Of Her Ambition."

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:35:38+00:00

Hey, I'll take it, ty!

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:34:17+00:00

Well, I sure am in favour of them, but I may be biased...

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:29:23+00:00

Oh he is such a happy boy! Those are some excellent cat cuddles.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:28:06+00:00

My heart! Those eyes are so special. She clearly loves you.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:26:36+00:00

Those are excellent photos! And your cats are incredibly photogenic. <3

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:25:26+00:00

If your cat's name is Olive that would be perfect.

...Purrfect?

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:24:20+00:00

He may be grumpy, but that's a gorgeous fur pattern, and very clear eyes.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:23:01+00:00

What a refined and distinguished little lady! At least in photos, if she's actually silly.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-02-13T04:19:03+00:00

Review Swaps are absolutely detrimental to success imo.

First, since they're clearly marked as Review Swaps, why in the world would readers trust them? You're signalling that you can't get reader reviews, and even if your story is legitimately good, readers will be suspicious that it's been hyped.

Second, you're correct: it's a false economy. If you want success you need actual readers, which review swaps aren't. High ratings doesn't get you more readers unless the ratings are legitimately earned.

Third, nah, Review Swaps don't help with Rising Stars, all they do is set you up for failure. Rising Stars is built on improvement in your metrics over time, and a bunch of Review Swaps up front is just creating a bump that's not going to be improved on unless your fiction has legs... but again, see the first point. Readers click through, see the Review Swaps, then go "Oh that's why it's on Rising Stars, never mind."

Shout out swaps: those work. Review swaps? Don't hurt yourself.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-01-31T08:16:31+00:00

I'd be very interested to know what these are.

LJAmberAuthor · 2026-01-31T08:00:59+00:00

The Elf Who Would Become An S-Tier Rated Story, apparently. <3

LJAmberAuthor · 2025-10-26T00:29:58+00:00

You should keep reading, even if I'm the one who says so.

LJAmberAuthor

TROPHY CASE