[Academy] Differences Between Online Literature (Web Novels) & Traditional Literature

Some of our novice authors often upload traditional literature works, such as drama scripts, poems, prose and of course, literary novels.

To be honest, many of them are not bad. But they are all closed by our editor team without exception. Because they have a fatal flaw: they will very hardly be accepted by online literature readers.

First of all to be very clear: online literature must be fictional works.

So poetry, prose and any other non-fictions definitely can’t be considered online literature.

There is an exception: fan-fiction, as a genre of fiction, cannot be counted as web novels on our platform as well, for they are so easy to be involved in infringement issues.

Secondly, online literature needs to serve the pleasure of readers to the greatest extent.

Web novels and traditional novels are just like commercial films and literary films: the former’s creation purpose is more inclined to leisure and entertainment.

But online literature doesn’t include drama scripts, which are written for film shooting or theatre rehearsal, not entertaining any common audiences.

To achieve the entertaining purpose, web novelists need to write stories full of conflicts which usually happen on approachable lead characters — who are just as normal as you and me.

Besides, the web novelists need to keep up to a certain frequency of updating in order to constantly provide entertaining experiences for readers.

The third and the biggest difference between online literature and traditional literature is the profit model.

The traditional profit model is that an author sells books one copy at a time through a publisher. While the profit model of online literature is to sell books on a continuous basis by word count on the Internet. So with a constant number of readers, it is definitely the books with more words that make more money.

The difference in length, in turn, creates a difference in writing requirements. Traditional literature is usually between dozens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of words; the authors need to exert elaborate writing skills in a limited space, using sophisticated language to describe complex psychological insights and demonstrate intellectual beauty to attract thoughtful and tasteful readers. But online literature is just the opposite, the author has to write a complex story in as simple a way as possible to make it understandable and interesting, otherwise it will lose its entertaining nature, and it is difficult for a story that cannot entertain the public to be commercially successful.

In fact, writing long is a benefit in a way, because compared to traditional literature authors, web novelists do not need to refine their language so much, but focus more on making the story fun and intriguing.

We know that for many web novelists, it is traditional literature that enlightened them to write stories. However, times have changed. Online literature has replaced traditional literature as a more profitable industry in the long run. To adapt to the industry and reach more readers, web novelists need to learn how to make up a better and longer story in a faster and easier way.

Sounds like a mission impossible, huh?

But New Reading Writers Academy will try our best to help you accomplish it.

If you find that your story doesn’t seem like a web novel, don’t be frustrated. Web novel writing is easy to master as long as you acquire necessary theories and techniques which we will teach in our courses.

Besides, if your book is more like a traditional novel, it also probably reveals your potential to reach a higher writing level faster than other authors, for traditional literature is much harder, isn’t it?

Trust yourself and us.

Visit Goodnovel Academy for more writing courses: https://academy.goodnovel.com/section?sid=24