Why I Read Web Novels and Why You Should Too...

Just give them a shot. A whole new world awaits you!

Do you like amazing stories?
Do you like to explore some amazing worlds, the scale of which very few novels have been able to build? 
Do you like reading action-packed stories that evolve or amazing stories that dive into philosophy? 
What about stories that show amazing worlds, the scales of which you've never imagined?

My answer is yes. I hope your answer is the same. That's the sole reason why I love web novels. These stories are written by some of the most amazing, dedicated authors worldwide. Yet, most of the readers I know are limited to the "published" and marketed books from bookstores. This article is my contribution to sharing and promoting the culture of reading web novels.

What are these "Web Novels"?

We all know about those traditional novels published once the entire story is written, edited, printed and sold to us in our favourite bookstores. That's the most prominent way of finding new stories for many readers worldwide. Yet, with the advent of the internet, there have been new formats where stories are being shared with the readers.

One such consequence is "self-publishing" by writers through services like Kindle Unlimited or others. These stories are written, self-edited or outsourced and then shared with the readers on the internet. Some of my favourite stories, like Awaken Online and Cradle series, are written and published in this format.

Now, some writers even thought of breaking this step down. Instead of publishing a fully-written story, people share the story in tiny snippets with the readers, following a schedule. It might be one chapter a day, two chapters a day or four chapters a week. However, the main point is that these stories are not finished before they reach the audience. This is like sharing a TV series, where each episode is uploaded once a week, but with text.

All my top favourite stories are written this way. And I don't think the fully written and published stories could amaze me as much as these chapters do.

How are these any different from the normal stories?

Well, they are not. That's my entire point.

To write any story, you need a clear-cut storyline in mind. You need to imagine fleshed-out characters and the vast world that they live in. Any novel, whether web or normal, is the same. Yet, web novels have a unique advantage that few authors have taken advantage of.

And, of course, it's not the "ease of access". All e-books are easily accessible. Why should one care about a story that makes you wait for the next chapter to be published? It's something different.

The benefits of a feedback loop.

Normally, any writer would want their story to be read by many people. But there's a hidden issue with the traditional writing approach. Do you know why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle despised his creation, Sherlock Holmes? The audience forced him to continue the tales he didn't want to. The same could be assumed for the King Killer Chronicles or the last two books of the beloved "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

The readers pressure the authors for a "perfect" book. Yet, as the delays grow, so do the expectations, and as the expectations grow, so does the pressure to create a perfect story.

This whole issue is not found in a serialised web novel. That's because the reader follows the author throughout the journey. There are no months or years of waiting for the readers to know what happens next. They only have to wait a day.

The authors can interact with the readers who leave comments on their stories. They get to know where they're going wrong immediately. They can fix them on the fly too! Isn't that an amazing advantage?

The dark side of this coin.

Well, the feedback might not always benefit the writer, as most of the time, they fall to the whims of their readers. That's why very few of the thousands of web novels are well-received by the readers. But that's a tale for a different day.

Where should you Start?

Now, everything's fine till now. But now, you'd have to give some books a shot somewhere. But where do you find them?

One place where you can read is called "Royal Road". It's an amazing place where authors write as a hobby or a career. Many who started their stories here had published their books, too!

The other and also my favourite place is "Wuxiaworld". It's a translation company started by RWX, a fan of Chinese web novels (specifically a genre called wuxia) and started translating them to others. Today, it's a place where a bunch of translators and editors share their favourite novels with readers across the world.

You can visit both sites and start reading any story that interests you. You can also try services like WebNovel, but I can not vouch for your money.

My Favourites

It wouldn't be good of me to finish this article without sharing my recommendations. So here they are,

1. Lord of the Mysteries is the best story I've ever read. That's the only line I'll use to describe this amazing story. The world-building, the characters, the depth of the story, everything is pure mastery. (But, you should read this only if you have enough experience reading high-fantasy stories. There are slight horror elements, too, so be careful. You might find a guy with a monocle following you.)
2. Mother Of Learning - A time-loop story done right. It was first published on RoyalRoad and then published on Kindle through KDP. It's one of the most amazing web novels I've read, but not the best. The main reason that this is one of my favourites is the fact that this is a "time-loop" story, my favourite genre.
3. Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint- It's right up there with Lord of the Mysteries—one of the few masterful web novels ever written. There's a cult-like following for this story among its readers. I want to describe this one, but I would not do it justice. Just give it a shot; you'll most likely enjoy it.

Of course, I want to recommend many more to you, like the I Shall Seal the Heavens series I've previously written about. But I'd like to leave it to you to choose. After all, you can only enjoy a novel you rightfully choose. (If you want to know more, here's my review!)

Of course, it isn't very reasonable to think one form of story is better. Many published books fail to get enough readers, and many web novels available are pure trash. Yet, that doesn't mean one should avoid an entire form of stories left to be told. Give them a shot, and get back to me with your thoughts.

I hope you enjoyed this article of mine.
Thanks for reading till the end! I'm looking forward to meeting you next time on a different topic. Till then, keep rocking! ✌️