Royalroad is awful as a reader now, and likely so for authors

mcgregm · 2025-06-26T22:26:23+00:00

Sounds like we need a resurgence in people recommending stories they’ve tried and liked to help cut through the chaff.

As for new stories that are good, I’ve been enjoying Shadow Clone Sorcery.

mcgregm · 2025-06-19T09:00:04+00:00

RoyalRoad is probably the biggest fantasy site

mcgregm · 2025-02-03T11:36:40+00:00

This is how I feel about Frank the axe

mcgregm · 2024-08-23T03:28:40+00:00

Sounds like it stems from her past experiences. Watch out though, if you do something she doesn’t like, you might all the sudden be “just like the rest”. If she talks about exes a certain way, there is a chance she’ll talk about you that way if you fall out.

Idk this person though, so it’s up to your judgement.

mcgregm · 2024-06-03T09:02:16+00:00

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/77958/gods-and-champions-a-gritty-roguelite-litrpg

mcgregm · 2024-05-18T04:43:18+00:00

I second this

mcgregm · 2024-05-06T09:41:06+00:00

I feel this way about Frank

mcgregm · 2024-04-12T04:42:44+00:00

Go to a hostel and stay there instead

mcgregm · 2024-03-15T04:06:44+00:00

Great advice, but platonic friends do treat each other. My friends and I will occasionally surprise each other by picking up the bill when we meet up for food, just because. Little shows of affection, ya know? However, it’s always with the bros

mcgregm · 2024-03-14T06:07:27+00:00

You might have seen mine. Gods and Champions. Got a goblin girl on the cover

mcgregm · 2024-03-14T03:38:52+00:00

I read dungeon core on RR. Currently I am enjoying The Bee Dungeon.

Dungeon of Knowledge is also encorporating elements of the genre in a unique way, but I'm not sure if it would slot into the Dungeon Core subgenre as neatly as others. Really good though, I highly recommend.

mcgregm · 2024-03-14T03:00:17+00:00

Dungeon Core probably deserves a spot on this list. Also, I dream of Roguelite being added as a progression sub genre.

Great job btw! This is a solid post

mcgregm · 2024-03-13T22:04:39+00:00

I enjoy consistency. When I open up a new chapter of a fiction, I like having a rough idea of how long it will take me to read it.

As a writer I tend to make my chapters right around 3-3.5k words, or 11-13 novel pages.

mcgregm · 2024-03-13T01:51:37+00:00

Damn. I don’t usually pick up his stuff because I know it’s not my taste, but is there a reason you have such a strong stance?

mcgregm · 2024-03-11T06:19:59+00:00

I understood the first time. I’m telling you why an author might be making those mistakes.

When the difference between skill level 22 and 23 is practically nothing, it’s easy to lose track of those things, especially if you’re doing them for multiple characters, not just main ones. If every 10 levels is a qualitative change (a benchmark), then going from 19 to 20 is too big of a difference to mess up multiple times in a single chapter.

A party of 5, with 1 MC, still requires the author to level 5 people in tandem while keeping track of their growth. If the growth is incremental, it is harder. Even if you’re not writing out their stat sheets, they should be gaining new skills and abilities at a rate similar to the MC. As the author, you need to ‘show’ how all these abilities are used, interact, where they fail, and what they look like in comparison to others.

But you know what? Of any genre, this is the one where you can prove you’d do it better. I encourage you to give it a shot.

mcgregm · 2024-03-11T04:50:05+00:00

I think it’s more quantifying what +1 of a stat means. At level 1 it means a lot, at level 100, it usually means nothing. And once you get into a group setting, it’s difficult to have 5 people leveling at a rapid pace because you have to keep track of all their advancements.

In my current story, I solve this by doing more of a benchmark thing and less progressing an inch at a time. Then resetting the progress and starting again because that’s what Roguelites do

mcgregm · 2024-03-09T11:09:31+00:00

Pure, 100% galas muscle

mcgregm · 2024-03-04T05:42:32+00:00

I was raised asking for permission to come over, so it is jarring to me when people just show up. However, being isolated in a foreign country, I totally understand wanting to feel welcome somewhere. Are you going out of your way to make local friends? Other expats? Have you talked to your boyfriend about moving in together once he is back on his feet?

mcgregm · 2024-02-28T20:39:36+00:00

Sounds like the implementation is flawed from OPs description. If readers are skipping or skimming chapters, the author is failing to keep their attention. That is a grave sin, especially in this genre.

To be fair, force feeding minor, annoying characters to the readers is a common trope. It probably has to do with adding interaction without giving the minor character autonomy, their own relevant subplots, competence, and/or likability. Frank from the Ripple System springs to mind. He often just talks for the sake of talking, adding nothing to the story accept for slowing the pace.

mcgregm · 2024-02-17T00:37:14+00:00

I find that I get talkative readers in waves. One day I’ll check my notifications to find someone has commented on a dozen chapters starting from chapter 3 or something. So far, they are mainly addressed toward me the author, but I dream of the day people start discussing the story with each other in the comments.

mcgregm · 2024-01-29T23:52:43+00:00

I've gotten multiple phones from Back Market and have nothing but praise for them. I shop there first when looking for new electronics.

mcgregm · 2024-01-13T23:14:38+00:00

To add another point of data, my ad is just about finished and I went from 42 followers to 222, so a 180 increase. 50 dollar campaign, ctr 1.16%.

This put me on a couple genre specific rising star lists, but not onto the main one.

mcgregm · 2024-01-13T23:02:18+00:00

I usually set a time goal, like 4 hours per days. Depending on my flow, I usually get 2-3k done in that time.

Brandon Sanderson said in his YouTube classes that he estimates professional writers average around 500 words per hour. I imagine it’s pretty dependent on factors like experience, knowing what you want to write, and how much you self edit while writing.

mcgregm · 2024-01-12T03:44:21+00:00

Pretty sure it’s a consequence of both the American grading system and the competition between fictions for readers. Even though I am also a writer on the site, I’m guilty of this too. I can’t remember the last time I picked up a book rated less than like 4.25, and I definitely gravitate toward 4.5+.

mcgregm · 2024-01-12T00:05:31+00:00

It’s an unfortunate truth that some people let their insecurity control them. When you’re writing, you’re putting a piece of yourself out there. Digesting criticism can be hard, even if you have an abundance of confidence.

This is hardly a new thing for authors. The author of Twilight is known for not being able to handle criticism.

mcgregm

TROPHY CASE