u/IAmJayCartere

I just attempted to read the first chapter of HWFWM for a second time.

I couldn't get past the MC unrealistically speaking all his thoughts aloud. Absolutely hate that.

I can look past the repetitiveness and some iffy editing choices, but that pulled me out.

Same thing happened when I tried to read 'my life as a max level archmage' (I think that's the title?).

The MC waking up in another world and immediately talking to themselves just feels weird and wrong to me. I wouldn't mind if they thought the exact same things, but them speaking to nobody seems like the author's copying something they saw in anime—a medium where saying thoughts aloud is more necessary for the viewer's benefit.

Maybe people actually hold full conversations with themselves like this in real life, but I can't relate.

Anyway, this seems kinda petty to me. Both are highly regarded works and probably get better later on, but that initial impression pushed me away.

What pet peeves/petty reasons have forced you to stop reading a story?

I like to think of myself as pretty good at spelling, but there are a few words that trip me up almost EVERY time.

Words like:

• Receive - I always get the i/e placement wrong. Literally just happened.
• Surprise - that troublesome r before p is laughing at me.
• Surpress - same issue as above

Why can't receive just act normal like 'achieve' and 'believe'? School drilled the 'I before E' thing into me, and I follow it religiously—to my detriment. I'm sure they said something like 'unless it comes after C' but who can remember all that?

What words are your worst enemies?

Edit: Suppress got me again! That sneaky bastard!

I didn’t expect much when I started uploading my story to Royal Road. I didn’t know if anyone would care, didn’t know if anyone would like my writing. Had little to no confidence in my fiction writing ability.

I had goals I wanted to meet: get 1,000 followers, gain enough subscribers to pay bills, finish my first story.

I didn’t meet two out of three of those goals. I’ve currently got 718 followers, make $5 on patreon, but I’ve finished my first book and have greatly improved as a writer.

It was my fault I didn’t meet my other goals. The beginning of my story was too slow, the writing too mid. I rushed to release because I was worried about my financial situation (never a great place to build a business/career from).

But I stuck with it anyway.

Now I’m rewriting my story and preparing for a relaunch. It’s easier now because I’ve finished the first draft and understand my world, characters, and plot better.

And, to be honest, it’s a miracle I’ve gained over 700 followers on my story. It’s heartening so many readers saw the potential in my stilted prose and flat dialogue. My story even passed 100k views today.

The best part is, going back through my writing, doing developmental and line editing has given me more insights than I’d expected.

I’m a much better writer now, and critical enough to see how wack I was when I started. But I never would’ve improved if I didn’t keep going.

I never would’ve gained confidence in my writing because of supportive commenters and reviewers. Never would’ve realised what I’m capable of.

Of course, I may look back in a year and think the stuff I’m writing now is dogwater, but that’s the price you pay for improvement. If you’re not cringing at your old stuff, you’re not getting better.

The Royal Road community and website helped me stay motivated and hopeful. I don’t know if I could’ve finished my first draft without it, or stuck through the gnarly process of editing and revising.

Thank you. I’m eternally grateful.

If you’re just starting out, and didn’t hit the goals you aimed for, this is a friendly reminder to keep going. You’ll only improve and get closer next time.

You only lose when you give up.