"Writing Web Novels." Until recently, those three words meant nothing to me. Then, over the last ten days, I followed a free webinar organized by **Livio Gambarini** of _Rotte Narrative_ that opened up a whole new world. Was it an interesting experience? Absolutely. Although it was a showcase for Rotte Narrative's paid courses (an aspect that was occasionally annoying, but understandable), the quality of the content was exceptionally high. I discovered a narrative universe with its own rules, strategies, and enormous potential, especially for those just starting. So, I thought it was worth sharing some of the insights that struck me the most. Here’s what I learned. ## **The 3 Paths to Publishing a Book** In this introductory lesson, the instructor outlined the options available today for a debut author. ### 1. Traditional Publishing - **How it works:** The classic route through a publishing house to reach physical and digital bookstores. - **Pros:** - **Structure and Prestige:** A well-established publishing chain (distribution, awards, festivals). - **Cultural Validation:** Being published by a traditional publisher confers the status of a recognized "writer." - **Professional Network:** Access to agents, translators, and opportunities for rights sales (film, TV series, etc.). - **Cons:** - **Extremely Long Timelines:** Months or even years to get a response and see your book published. - **Little Control:** The author has little say on marketing, cover design, title, etc. - **Minimal Profit Margins:** We're talking about roughly $1 per copy, making it difficult to achieve financial sustainability. ### 2. Self-Publishing - **How it works:** The author becomes an "authorpreneur," managing every aspect of publication, usually through digital platforms like Amazon KDP. - **Pros:** - **Total Control:** Complete freedom over every aspect of the book, from content to pricing. - **Speed:** Publication times depend solely on the author. - **High Profit Margins:** Significantly higher earnings per copy compared to traditional publishing. - **Cons:** - **Requires Multiple Skills:** You need to handle editing, graphic design, marketing, and promotion. - **Investment:** Production costs are borne by the author. - **Difficulty in Discovery:** Without a community, it's hard to get noticed by readers. - **Decision-Making Solitude:** The author is alone in making all the choices. ### 3. Web Novels (The Third Way) - **How it works:** Publishing serial novels online, with short chapters released on a regular schedule (e.g., weekly). - **Pros:** - **Real-Time Feedback:** You receive comments and reactions from readers chapter by chapter, allowing you to "course-correct" as you go. - **Community Building:** It’s a perfect model for creating and retaining a loyal group of readers. - **Lower Risk:** You can test an idea without a large initial investment of time and money. - **Serial Writing Training:** You learn to master hooks, cliffhangers, and how to maintain high tension. - **Cons:** - **Suited for Specific Genres:** In Italy, it works mainly for Romance, followed by Fantasy and Thriller. - **Young Audience:** The audience on these platforms tends to be very young. ## **What is a Web Novel?** It is a **serial prose narrative, published and consumed online**. It is defined by four key characteristics: 1. **Digital-First:** Its primary format is the web. They are read on dedicated websites or platforms, mainly on **smartphones**. 2. **Serialization:** The story is published in single chapters or episodes, typically at a very frequent pace. 3. **Reader Interaction:** Authors receive direct comments and feedback after each chapter, which can be used as inspiration for continuing the story. 4. **Author Accessibility:** The barrier to entry for publication is extremely low, even lower than for self-publishing ebooks. ### The Web Novel Market - It's a massive phenomenon in countries like China, Korea, Japan, and the United States, with hundreds of millions of readers and a multi-billion dollar industry. - In Italy, it's still a **relatively unknown** format, which presents a huge opportunity for those starting now. - The most popular genres internationally are **Fantasy** and **Sci-Fi**, unlike in Italy where Romance (mainly on Wattpad) prevails. ### Interesting Takeaways - **The Writer's Dream:** The lesson starts with a dream common to many writers: seeing their stories travel, cross language barriers, and be adapted into other media (TV series, anime, video games). Web Novels are presented as a concrete path to making this dream a reality. - **A Collaborative Ecosystem:** Unlike the traditional publishing market, described as competitive and saturated, the Web Novel environment is still growing and is perceived as "fresh," where authors tend to **collaborate and support each other**. - **Access to the International Market:** This is perhaps the most fascinating point. Publishing a Web Novel allows you to reach an international audience (American, Japanese, Korean) with a facility unthinkable in traditional publishing, even without knowing the languages (using smart machine translations). ## **The First Chapter** ### The Objective of Chapter 1 The goal isn't to prove you're the next Shakespeare, but simply this: **to make the reader click on Chapter 2**. ### Technical Characteristics of the First Chapter - **Length:** The ideal is between **1500 and 2000 words**. A short, dense chapter is better than a long, rambling one. - **Paragraphs:** Short and airy (1-3 sentences). **Avoid "walls of text"**, because reading is done primarily on mobile phones. - **Dialogue:** It should be **dominant** (from 50% to 70% of the text). It creates rhythm, movement, and is easier to read on small screens. - **Proper Nouns:** Use very few. **A maximum of 5, ideally 3** (characters and places). Too many names create confusion. - **Vocabulary:** Avoid jargon or overly complex words. Prioritize clarity. - **Continuity (The "3 Aristotelian Unities"):** The first chapter must have: - **Unity of Time:** No time jumps. - **Unity of Place:** The action takes place in a single setting. - **Unity of Point of View (PoV):** The story is seen through the eyes of a single character. ### **The "Three Promises"** The first chapter must clearly establish three things: 1. **A Clear Premise:** What is the story about? The reader must understand this immediately. 2. **A Genre Contract:** The reader must instantly recognize the story's genre (Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, etc.) through familiar elements. 3. **The Serial Engine:** What is the conflict or goal that will drive the story forward in subsequent chapters? (e.g., an orphan boy wants to become the strongest ninja in his village). ## **First Live Editing Session** - **The Dual Nature of a Book:** A book is both a work of art and a commercial product. Ignoring the market aspect is a mistake. - **International Potential:** Web Novels offer the chance to reach a global audience. ### The Cliffhanger: What It Is and What It's For - **Definition:** It's a narrative tool that involves ending a chapter at a moment of high tension or leaving a major question unanswered. - **Purpose:** To create suspense and compel the reader to immediately start the next chapter. It's not just about "cutting" a sentence in half, but about constructing the scene so the ending creates a strong desire to know what happens next. ### Interesting Takeaways - **The Reader's "Mental Movie":** A key concept. Readers get hooked when the writing allows them to "see" the scene in their heads. This is achieved with concrete details, actions, and dialogue, not abstract explanations. The analysis showed that the initial part of the text (the infodump) is easily forgotten, while the descriptive and active parts are more memorable. - **Dialogue as a Synchronizer:** Dialogue is an incredibly powerful tool. When characters speak, the time it takes to read almost perfectly syncs with the time of the story. This creates a sense of immediacy and presence that pure narration cannot provide. ## **Publishing and Growing with Web Novels** The fundamental concepts that distinguish Web Novels from traditional fiction are: 1. **A Global and Digital Phenomenon:** - Web Novels are a literary phenomenon born to be global, overcoming the barriers of traditional publishing. - They allow for almost instantaneous worldwide circulation of stories. 2. **Specificity and Genre Codes:** - It's a format with very precise rules and specificities, different from traditional prose. - The narrative structure, characters, and audience expectations are highly codified. 3. **Preponderance of Dialogue:** - Dialogue makes up a huge portion of the text, ranging from **50% to 70%** of the total. - This requires a different way of handling exposition, characterization, and plot advancement. 4. **Importance of "The System":** - Especially in the Fantasy genre (which dominates this format), the protagonist confronts a "system" of well-defined and organized rules, powers, and hierarchies. - The coherence and progression of challenges within this system are central to the story. 5. **Videogame Influence:** - Unlike Western fantasy, which has a strong literary lineage (e.g., Tolkien), Web Novel fantasy draws heavily from the imagery of **video games** (especially RPGs) and role-playing games. - This is reflected in the use of interfaces, power levels, special abilities, and a more "mechanical" approach to the narrative world. ### Interesting Takeaways Some specific and curious aspects that emerged from the lesson: - **Videogame Archetypes:** Characters often follow archetypes and logic that are more familiar to a gamer than a traditional novel reader. - **"Cheats" and "Cheat Codes":** Elements like the protagonist's immortality, knowledge of the future, or special powers ("quirks") are fundamental narrative elements expected by the audience. - **Second Life / Isekai:** Mentioned as an explosive narrative phenomenon within Web Novels, based on strong reader identification with a protagonist living a "second life" in another world. ## **Types of Web Novels** - **Cultural Differences:** There's a notable difference between Western and Eastern fantasy. Eastern authors often rework Western tropes (dragons, elves) differently, drawing on more modern interpretations (video games, films) rather than classical literary sources. This can create a sense of "cliché" or "strangeness" for the Western reader. - **Cultural Paradigm:** To write a successful international Web Novel, it's crucial to understand and embrace the cultural paradigm of the target audience, which today is predominantly Eastern. - **Genre Hybridization:** In Web Novels, genres and subgenres constantly mix. Hybridization is the standard. A single story can be Isekai, Xianxia, and Harem all at once. - **Tropes That Become Genres:** Some literary tropes (like Isekai or Magic School) are so popular they become full-fledged subgenres with defined rules and expectations. - **Evolution of Genres:** Traditional Chinese literary genres (Wuxia) have evolved, simplifying and absorbing Western elements to become more accessible to a global audience (Xianxia, Xuanhuan). ### Types of Web Novels Analyzed 1. **Adventure Fantasy:** - **Description:** The dominant genre in East Asia. It's based on the classic structure of a hero (or group of heroes) embarking on a journey to defeat evil. - **Characteristics:** Uses Western fantasy tropes (elves, dwarves, goblins, magic) but often in a more superficial way, based on contemporary reinterpretations (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons). - **Examples:** _Goblin Slayer_, _The Rising of the Shield Hero_. 2. **Urban Fantasy:** - **Description:** Stories set in the modern world that adopt tropes from Western Urban Fantasy. - **Characteristics:** Vampires, werewolves, secret societies, demonology. Eastern authors often treat themes from Western culture (e.g., biblical figures) with a casualness that can surprise Western readers. Tends to be _Low Magic_. - **Example:** _Lord of Mysteries_. 3. **Magic School Fantasy:** - **Description:** Inspired by the success of Harry Potter, the protagonist is a student at a school of magic. - **Characteristics:** Intertwines with the coming-of-age novel. The magical world is often hidden or parallel to ours. - **Examples:** _Mother of Learning_, _The Beginning After the End_. 4. **Slice of Life Fantasy / Cozy Fantasy:** - **Description:** A growing genre, often of Japanese origin. It's not focused on a major conflict, but on aspects of daily life in a fantasy context. - **Characteristics:** Conflicts are "low-stakes" (cooking, trading, surviving a harsh winter). The goal is to create comfortable and relaxing situations. - **Examples:** _Spice and Wolf_, _Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear_. 5. **Isekai (or Portal Fantasy):** - **Description:** A protagonist is transported from our world to a fantasy world. It's a powerful trope that has become a genre in its own right. - **Advantages for the writer:** Facilitates reader identification, allows for natural worldbuilding (the protagonist is a newcomer), and provides a clear objective (to return home). - **Disadvantages:** Risk of unoriginality; the "return home" goal can weaken over time. 6. **LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Games):** - **Description:** Novels set inside a video game or that use its mechanics (levels, skills, HP/mana). - **Characteristics:** The protagonist and other characters know they are in a game. Often fused with Isekai. The language is that of video games (jargon, stats, classes). - **Subcategories:** - **VRMMORPG:** Immersive virtual reality from which one cannot escape (e.g., _Sword Art Online_). - **Augmented Reality:** Game elements overlaid on the real world. - **Pseudo LitRPG:** The protagonist is transported to a world that _functions_ like a game, but only they are aware of it. 7. **Genres from the Chinese Tradition:** - **Wuxia (Martial Hero):** A traditional (_Low Magic_) genre set in ancient China, featuring martial heroes and a strong code of honor. The key concept is the **Cultivation** of one's "Ki" or "Dao" through training. (e.g., _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_). - **Xianxia (Immortal Hero):** An evolution of Wuxia, but _High Magic_. Through cultivation, protagonists can become immortal and even gods, transcending the human condition. The "cultivation" system is a _Hard Magic System_. - **Xuanhuan (Eastern Fantasy):** A hybridization of Chinese fantasy with Western elements (magic, technology, different creatures). It is the most "open" genre and geared towards an international audience. ## **The "Dramione" Case Study** - **What is Fanfiction?** Amateur narrative works, born from the passion of fans, that take characters, stories, and settings from an original work (books, films, TV series) and rework them, expanding the universe in new directions. - **The Function of Fanfiction:** It exists to "fill in the gaps" and satisfy the "what ifs...?" left by the original work, exploring themes, relationships, and scenarios not present in the "canon" (official) material. - **"Dramione" Case Study:** The analysis of this non-canonical pairing's popularity is used as a magnifying glass to understand the narrative dynamics, tropes, and audience desires that determine a story's success on the web. - **From Fanfiction to Original Novel:** As a testament to their narrative strength, many successful fanfictions are reworked (a process known as "filing off the serial numbers"), stripped of references to the original work, and turned into standalone novels, achieving huge commercial success (e.g., _Fifty Shades of Grey_, _After_). ### Key Concepts and Interesting Takeaways - **Essential Glossary:** - **Canon:** Everything that is official, created, and confirmed by the original author. It represents the "truth" of the narrative universe. - **Fanon:** Ideas, interpretations, and material created and popularized by the fan community. Sometimes, a "fanon" concept becomes so widespread that it is perceived as almost official by those in the fandom. - **Ship / Pairing:** Derived from "relationship," it indicates the fans' desire to see a relationship (romantic or sexual) between two characters, whether canonical or not. "Shipping" a couple is one of the central activities of fandom, and "Dramione" is one of its most famous and enduring examples. - **Fanfiction as a "Free Zone":** - As a non-profit activity, it is free from the commercial constraints and editorial filters that often limit creativity. - It allows for the exploration of **themes considered taboo**, risky, or niche for traditional publishing. Queer relationships, complex power dynamics, trauma exploration, and unconventional endings find fertile ground here, responding to representation needs that the mainstream market often ignores. - It becomes a space for pure **narrative experimentation**. Authors can test bold styles, structures, and character arcs without the pressure to sell, focusing solely on the story they want to tell. - **The Power of Community (Fandom):** Fanfiction platforms (like AO3, Wattpad) are not just archives of stories, but living ecosystems of **continuous interaction**. Authors and readers communicate through comments, kudos (likes), and messages. This creates a powerful bond and **immediate feedback** that can influence and encourage the author during the writing process—a dynamic typical of Web Novels. ### The "Dramione" Case Study - **Why Does It Work?** - **Opposites Attract:** Their dynamic is based on the most classic of tropes. Hermione (brilliant, Muggle-born, idealistic, the "light") and Draco (arrogant, pure-blood, cynical, the "shadow") are not just different characters; they represent two worlds, two ideologies, and two social classes in perpetual conflict, making their potential union incredibly charged with tension. - **Redemption Potential:** Draco embodies the archetype of the tormented "bad boy." He is not a one-dimensional villain but a character with weaknesses and internal conflicts. This potential for growth and redemption, often triggered by Hermione's influence, fascinates readers because it responds to the desire to see complexity and the possibility of change even in the darkest characters. - **Intellectual Tension:** Both are among the most intelligent and cunning characters of their generation. Their interactions, even when hostile, are full of sharp banter and intellectual challenges, creating a dynamic that is more complex and mature than a superficial crush. - **Types of Dramione Stories:** - **Hogwarts Era:** Coming-of-age stories set during their school years, often featuring the _Rivals to Lovers_ dynamic, where forced proximity leads to a new mutual understanding. - **Post-War:** More adult and dramatic stories that explore the psychological consequences of the war. They focus on processing trauma and redemption, with an _Enemies to Lovers_ dynamic developing in a more mature context. - **During the War:** _Dark_, intense, and high-tension stories that explore scenarios where the war takes a different turn, often with unconventional and bittersweet endings. ## **Dialogue: Putting Salt in the Coffee** 1. **The Problem: Weak and Boring Dialogue** - The weakest dialogues are those between "aligned" characters who share the same agenda and simply exchange information. These exchanges often fall flat because they lack tension and subtext. - The classic scene of "two friends walking and talking" used solely to provide background information to the reader (exposition) is criticized. This is a weak architectural solution because the characters stop acting and become mere mouthpieces for the author. 2. **The Solution: Inject Conflict** - Conflict is what makes a scene interesting and tense, even when the speakers are not enemies. It doesn't have to be an open confrontation; it can manifest as a disagreement, a misunderstanding, a hesitation, or an internal anxiety. - To create effective dialogue, you must find a way to insert some form of conflict. The goal is to turn a simple exchange of lines into a negotiation, a challenge, or a discovery. 3. **Three Macro-Categories for Creating Conflict** - **Play with Character Agendas:** An agenda is the set of a character's goals, whether overt or hidden. It's what they _want_ to get out of the conversation. Contrasting agendas create natural conflict. - **Leverage Information Asymmetries:** One character knows something the other doesn't. This disparity creates suspense and can be used to generate secrets, lies, misunderstandings, or blackmail. - **Introduce a Communication Disturbance:** Something (external or internal) prevents smooth and direct communication, forcing the characters to struggle to understand each other or to make themselves understood. ### Interesting Concepts to Remember - **"Conflict is the salt of all stories":** The key phrase that opens and closes the lesson. It's a mantra never to be forgotten because bland dialogue leaves no taste in the reader's mouth. - **"Coffee Shop Scenes":** An expression from Scott Bell's manual to define static and purely expository scenes. They should be avoided because characters often become "talking heads" who deliver information instead of _living_ the scene. If they are necessary, they must be "salted" with conflict to become memorable. - **The** _**Breaking Bad**_ **example:** A scene (season 5, episode 11) is cited as a masterful example of how to turn a "coffee shop scene" into a moment of extreme tension. The scene masterfully combines multiple layers of conflict: the diners' **agendas** are in violent opposition (survival versus justice), the **information asymmetry** is enormous (the real stakes are clear to only a few), and everything is exacerbated by an external **communication disturbance** (the waiter constantly interrupting with his guacamole), making the tension almost unbearable. ### Practical Tips 1. **Analyze the Agenda:** - What is the _specific_ and _immediate_ goal of each character in this scene? What do they hope to achieve before the conversation ends? - **If they share the same agenda:** Do they agree on _how_ to achieve it? Do they have the same priorities or urgencies? (e.g., "We need to stop the villain, but is it more urgent to go to the museum or the fortune teller?"). Is one more cautious or more reckless than the other? - **If they have different agendas:** Are they trying to persuade each other? Is one's goal an obstacle for the other? Is someone lying about their true objectives? 2. **Analyze the Information:** - Does one character know something the other doesn't? How does this secret affect their way of speaking and acting? - Are they hiding it for fear of being discovered or to protect the other person? - Are they using it as a bargaining chip or a weapon ("I'll tell you only if...")? - Is there a **misunderstanding** in progress (both think they're talking about the same thing, but they're not, creating a dialogue on parallel tracks that will eventually collide)? 3. **Analyze the Environment and Context:** - Can the location physically hinder the conversation? (Loud music, a storm, a street protest, lack of privacy). - Can the conversation be abruptly interrupted by an external event (a phone call, the arrival of a third person who changes the dynamics)? - Does one of the characters have an _internal_ reason to be uneasy? (The place reminds them of a trauma; it's the anniversary of a sad event; they are sick, in a hurry, or waiting for important news that makes them distracted and irritable). ## **The Passport for Stories - Interview with Ulisse Cucchi** - **The Author's Journey: From Doubt to Confidence.** Ulisse began his journey from a psychological position common to many aspiring writers: the "talent" block. He was firmly convinced that writing was an innate skill and, not seeing it in himself, had almost given up. The real turning point was not just technical, but mental. Through focused study, he deconstructed this myth, understanding that writing is a craft based on techniques, structures, and skills that can be **learned, practiced, and perfected**. This change in perspective was the true engine that allowed him to move from insecurity to action. - **The Publication Strategy: A Two-Phase Launch.** - **Main Target (Royal Road):** The choice of Royal Road was not random. It is the leading platform for LitRPG and Progression Fantasy genres in the English-speaking world. Targeting it meant addressing an audience that was already experienced, demanding, and passionate about those specific narrative mechanics. The story was conceived and structured from the beginning to meet the expectations of this niche. - **Testing Ground (Naro):** Using Shōsetsuka ni Narō was a stroke of strategic genius. Instead of blindly launching into his primary market, he used the Japanese platform as a true "laboratory." The goal was not success, but data collection: did the publication rhythm work? Did the first chapters hook the reader? And, most importantly, was his AI translation process good enough to make the story enjoyable for a native speaker? This approach allowed him to refine the product and method in a lower-risk environment. - **Unexpected Success: Data and Timing.** - **The "Golden Week" Factor on Naro:** Success in Japan was amplified by fortunate timing. The publication coincided with "Golden Week," one of the main Japanese holidays during which the consumption of entertainment content, including web novels, peaks. This gave his story an initial visibility that would have otherwise taken longer to build. - **The Explosion on Royal Road:** The result on the American platform was even more impressive and confirmed the soundness of his strategy. In just four weeks, he surpassed the numbers achieved in months on Naro, entering the prestigious "Rising Star" list. The key data point is the **4.5% conversion rate**, an exceptionally high metric indicating that nearly 5 out of every 100 readers who clicked on the story became followers. This demonstrates a very high ability to "hook" the reader from the very first pages. - **Community Interaction: Strategic Cultural Differences.** Ulisse's experience highlights how each platform has its own social etiquette. - **Japan (Naro/Twitter):** The community was extremely polite, supportive, and welcoming, but less inclined to provide direct criticism or constructive feedback. The interaction is more formal and encouraging. - **America (Royal Road/Discord/Reddit):** The environment is much more direct, almost like a "workshop." Readers and other authors do not hesitate to give frank and detailed opinions. This collaborative culture is a huge resource for improvement, and it also manifests in "shout-outs," a cross-promotion practice that is essential for organic growth within the ecosystem. ### Interesting Takeaways - **Mindset: Overcoming the Talent Block.** It's not just about studying, but about adopting a "growth mindset." Instead of thinking "I'm not good enough," the correct approach is to ask "what do I need to learn to become good?". Ulisse's story shows that investing in your technical training is the first step to building the confidence needed to get in the game. - **Low-Risk Strategy: "The Naro Experiment."** This tactic is replicable. Before launching your story on your chosen main platform, consider using a secondary site (or even a blog or a small group) to test the first 10-15 chapters. You'll gather invaluable data on pacing, characters, and clarity, allowing you to make corrections before the launch that really matters, maximizing your chances of success. - **AI Translation: A Process, Not a Button.** The common mistake is to think of AI as an automatic translator. Ulisse, instead, uses it as part of a _workflow_. This involves a multi-step process: a first rough translation, followed by subsequent steps where specific prompts are given to the AI to refine style, tone, and terminology, and then concluding with a human review. It is a collaboration between human and machine, not a total delegation. - **Building a "Buffer": The Secret Weapon of Consistency.** Having a reserve of ready chapters (at least 15-20, but ideally more) is crucial for two reasons. First, it frees you from the anxiety of "writing for yesterday," allowing you to maintain high quality. Second, it ensures a consistent and predictable publication schedule, a factor that is rewarded both by platform algorithms (which favor regularity) and by readers, who get used to a fixed appointment. - **The Importance of Community: Be a Participant, Not a Guest.** Interaction isn't just self-promotion. To succeed on platforms like Royal Road, it's essential to become an active member of the community. Read and comment on other authors' stories, participate in discussions on Discord and Reddit, offer feedback. Building genuine relationships is the most effective way to gain visibility, support, and, ultimately, those "shout-outs" that can make all the difference. ## **The Phenomenology of Reading** - **The Chicken Analogy:** - Chickens (and humans) can only process visual information when their eyes are still. - Reading is not a smooth movement along the line, but a sequence of very short stops (**fixations**) and rapid movements. - **How We Really Read:** - The gaze moves in "jumps" along the line. - During each pause (fixation, about 200-250 milliseconds), the brain decodes the words. - The natural path for English is **from left to right** and **from top to bottom**. Maintaining this flow is the goal for maximum fluency. - **Core and Peripheral Vision:** - At each fixation point, we have a clear area of focus (**core**) where we read and recognize words. - Around it is an area of **peripheral** vision where we perceive the shape of the next words, capital letters, and sentence length. This peripheral vision helps us plan the next "jump" of our gaze. - **What Slows Down and Interrupts Reading:** - Complex sentence structure, with many subordinate clauses and parentheticals, forces the reader to go back with their eyes (**ocular back-jumps**) to understand the logical structure. - This "rewinding" breaks the natural flow, causes fatigue, and creates an impression of "clunky" text. - **Negative Example (Academic/Essayistic Text):** A complex structure that requires effort to decode. - **Positive Example (Hemingway):** Short, clear sentences that follow a logical sequence. The prose flows forward without hitches, creating a smooth and transparent reading experience. - **The Writer's Role:** - Readability depends on two factors: the reader's skill (over which we have no control) and **the clarity of the text** (over which we have total control). - A simple, transparent style doesn't mean writing trivial content. On the contrary, it allows the reader to access the depth of the novel without being hindered by the surface of the text. - **Principles vs. Techniques (and the Importance of the Medium):** - **Principle (Universal):** The reader must always know who is speaking in a dialogue. - **Technique (Specific to the Medium):** In written prose, placing "John said" near the beginning of the line helps peripheral vision. - **Change of Medium (Audiobook):** The same technique can fail in an audiobook because the reader (the voice actor) might not see the name in time and use the wrong intonation. A different technique would be better for audiobooks (e.g., "John said: ..."). ### Interesting Takeaways - The concept that our eye only "sees" when it's still is counter-intuitive but fundamental. The fluidity of reading is an illusion created by the brain. - **Sub-vocalization:** When we read silently, we "hear" an inner voice (our own) reading the text. This process is crucial for comprehension and memory. Your writing is the musical score for this "inner voice" of the reader. - Readability is one of the most universally praised qualities by readers in reviews. It's not a detail, but a key element of the reading experience. ### Practical Applications 1. **Write Short, Clear Sentences:** The goal is to always guide the reader's gaze forward. 2. **Prefer Parataxis to Hypotaxis:** Use simple, connected clauses (and, but, so...) instead of long chains of subordinate clauses. 3. **Position Dialogue Tags Strategically:** Place the "he said..." or the action tag so the reader immediately understands who is speaking, ideally within the range of their peripheral vision. This will prevent them from having to mentally "correct" the scene they had imagined. 4. **Logical Concatenation:** Ensure that each sentence is the logical consequence of the previous one. This creates a "momentum effect" that pushes the reader to continue. ## Second Live Editing Session A very strong point of the lesson is the call to overcome one's insecurities and the tendency to procrastinate. The teacher urges to **"silence the inner voices"** that say "I'm not ready yet" or "I need to study more." These doubts are defined as "resistance" and the real obstacle to overcome to turn the dream of writing into a concrete project. The time to act is **now**. The idea that you learn a great deal by analyzing the edits made on others' texts is a powerful insight. This process allows you to: - Develop greater critical sensitivity. - Recognize common patterns and errors. - Apply the proposed solutions to your own writing, but with a more objective eye. ## **The Importance of the System** - **What is the System:** It's a narrative mechanism, a macroscopic component of the setting, often found in genres like LitRPG, Isekai, and "cultivation" stories. It's not that the story has a system, but the narrative world itself does. - **Primary Function:** It offers a clear and measurable growth structure for the character and, consequently, for the plot. It combines elements of fantasy, science fiction, and game design. - **User Interface (UI):** Often, the System manifests as an interface similar to that of a video game (menus, stats, quests, inventory) with which the characters, or at least the protagonist, can consciously interact. - **Narrative Role:** It acts as a catalyst for the story, providing quests, challenges, and objectives that guide the development of events. It is a kind of "track" that ensures a constant flow of conflict and progression. - **Quantification:** Its main function is to quantify otherwise abstract and immeasurable concepts (strength, skill, power). It transforms the complexity of the real world into a series of numerable and scalable dimensions, creating a sense of progression. - **Hard Magic System:** The System must be treated as a "Hard Magic System," with clear rules, defined from the outset, to which the entire story must adhere. It cannot be vague or flexible. ### Interesting Takeaways - **Meta-Narration:** The concept of "The System" is a relatively new literary trope, with few precedents in traditional literature, that has won over the large audience of Web Novels. - **Flavor:** The nature of the System defines the "flavor" of the setting. A system based on MMORPG stats will give a video game feel; a system based on spiritual ascension will give a completely different tone. - **The System as Antagonist:** Often, after using the system to become stronger, the final challenge for the protagonist is to challenge, hack, or subvert the system itself. This transforms the conflict into "man versus system," a modern variation of classic conflicts (man vs. man, man vs. nature, etc.). - **Examples Cited:** - **Dragon Ball:** The scouter that measures power levels is a proto-system that quantifies power. - **Solo Leveling:** A classic example of a system as a personal game interface for the protagonist. - **Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint:** An example of meta-narrative in which our real world is "encapsulated" and transformed by the rules and system of a Web Novel. ### Practical Applications - **Structuring Progression:** If your story is based on the long and gradual growth of the protagonist (especially in terms of power or skills), a System can be a powerful tool to make this progression clear, tangible, and compelling for the reader. - **Generating Conflicts:** The System is an inexhaustible source of narrative prompts. It can assign quests, create challenges, and introduce new elements that keep the plot moving, which is very useful for long serial stories. - **Simplifying Complexity:** It allows you to reduce complex and "messy" reality to a set of defined rules. This helps manage the internal consistency of the world, especially if there are many characters and different power levels. - **The Underdog Protagonist:** It is a perfect tool for stories with a protagonist who starts from the bottom (the underdog). Climbing the levels of the system perfectly visualizes their journey from "weak" to "all-powerful." ## **Publishing Cross-Border** The lesson explores how AI-assisted translation (the **TIA method**) is opening the doors of international markets to independent authors, not just for Web Novels but for self-publishing in general. This is all told through the concrete case study of Stefano Impelliteri. ### The Stefano Impelliteri Case Study - **The Success of "Botticelli":** Stefano translated his historical thriller into **5 languages** (Spanish, English, French, German, and Japanese) using his TIA method. - **Concrete Results:** - He received excellent reviews (e.g., 4.2 stars in Germany, 4.4 in France) from "cold readers," meaning people with no connection to him, demonstrating the high quality of the translation. - International sales more than compensated for a decline in the Italian market for his niche. In August, **over 50% of his total sales came from abroad**. - **The TIA Method (Translating with Artificial Intelligence):** - Stefano is the creator of this method, which is **not a simple "copy-paste"** into an automatic translator. - It is a structured process that requires **qualified human supervision** to guide the AI and, most importantly, for the final review. The goal is to maintain the author's intent and style. - **Accessibility vs. Traditional Costs:** The method made an otherwise prohibitive operation possible. A traditional professional translation would have cost him around **€6,000-€7,000 per language**. For him, it was the difference between "being able to do it" and "not being able to do it." - **Window of Opportunity:** Stefano speculates that there is a **time window of about 2-3 years** in which those who adopt this method will have a significant competitive advantage, before it becomes the norm for everyone. ### Interesting Points Raised - **"International Author" Effect:** Having the book translated into multiple languages also had a positive return on sales in Italy, increasing the perception of his authority as an author. - **Cultural Adaptation:** Each market has its own specificities. For example, the Spanish-speaking market is vast and culturally diverse (Spain, Latin America), which presented different challenges, including those related to religious themes in the book. - **Perceived Quality:** Foreign readers did not notice that the translation was assisted by an AI. In fact, an English reader left a 3-star review complaining about a sentence "forgotten by the proofreader," attributing the error to a human, not a machine.