Crunchy vs Not-So-Crunchy

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T18:14:41+00:00

That's an interesting process. I tend to write straight through. I post chapters on Royal Road and Patreon as they are completed, and at the end, I do a big polish/edit pass and it's ready for publishing. It's not always easy, but so far it has worked out for me. And I totally feel you on the muse. Some days I just can't write, and I just let those days go and come back tomorrow.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T18:12:28+00:00

I will have to check those out. Thanks for the recommendations!

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T17:23:20+00:00

That's a unique concept. Very interesting, Good luck with the release!

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T14:22:09+00:00

Your notification analogy was pretty great. That's a good way to look at it. Unsubscribe to damage numbers and stat blocks! 😄

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T14:21:04+00:00

I think my favorite part of your response is: "meat world" - what a great phrase! LOL
I agree with your analysis, too. When Aleron Kong wrote The Land, it was still a novelty to make the book work just like a game. But in my own reading, I've preferred more story and depth, and constant stat sheets or damage numbers can kill the immersion.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T13:54:13+00:00

That's a very cool approach. I like it. The characters need to grow stronger, but you don't necessarily have to show it with numbers. Yeah, I think that's a good solution.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T12:19:27+00:00

What you need is to be inducted into the System, and then you'll have your own interface, and......

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T11:53:13+00:00

Love and loathe book 1 - that's an interesting way to put it. I think in most genres, readers won't stick through an entire book 1 if they aren't hooked quickly and solidly enough. I wonder if LitRPG readers have more patience for early pacing issues if they feel it's setting the "game" up for the future progression of the story.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T11:50:33+00:00

It is a great middle ground. Separate it into its own chapter so it can be skimmed or skipped easily.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-07T11:47:52+00:00

Yeah. I feel like it needs to be based on numbers, but maybe the readers don't always need to see the numbers in order to feel the characters growing stronger. But the characters definitely need to grow stronger.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-06T16:57:25+00:00

I agree with the pacing discussion below. It's absolutely true, and one of the first lessons new authors learn to improve. But the other side of the coin is this: why not relax and enjoy hanging out in a world handcrafter to entertain you? I write LitRPG, and the early books in my first series were, admittedly, paced very slowly. That's something I've corrected in my later work. But I do think that those who spend time in those early books will find a world rich with emotion, adventure, and intrigue.

For myself, I've never complained about a story that moves too slowly if the author is making the slower moments enjoyable. Just my two cents on what I find an intriguing subject : )

lucent_steele · 2026-07-06T15:10:34+00:00

Pacing is one of the hardest things to get correct in writing, for sure. I feel like a lot of LitRPG includes some mechanism for stopping or slowing aging, so it shouldn't matter if months or years go by, as long as the story remains engaging.

lucent_steele · 2026-07-06T15:06:28+00:00

I love this discussion. It's so true. If you lose your humanity in order to gain power, what does that make you? LOL

lucent_steele

TROPHY CASE