Awesome advice, Simon! You hit on all the major ones I think about as well. My word count is usually in that 1200-1500 range, sometimes a little shorter, other times a little longer.
Interesting point about AI-generated images. I played around with it for a while but I agree, it looks either very bland or generic, and I never really got what I was aiming for. I put up one image that turned out half-decent in my recent post, but it's only for conceptualization purposes and not used anywhere. Re: word count. Scenes in my upcoming short story (6k words) can be anything between 500 and 1200k words. Maybe release it in full instead of scene by scene (7 in total).
Thank you for these tips! I'll definitely keep 8 & 10 in mind for when I start serializing.
I do feel called out on AI art. You said yourself that presentation is important & I can see why there are arguments against using AI art but I'm not an artist or designer myself so Midjourney is significantly better that anything I would be able to create on my own. Even stock photos + Canva often doesn't match my vision for a particular story cover or illustration, especially in the SFF genre where photos don't really feel fitting, so I'm torn on this one.
Thanks for sharing! I’m currently writing on Substack about my writing process but I have toyed with the idea of using it to serialize my first novel, one I’m working on. It’s a fairy tale/ fantasy. Your suggestions are much appreciated!
Fantastic post Simon. I'm planning to serialize a novel this summer, so your dos and don'ts here are appreciated. Also planning to look into Wattpad for a different novel. Have you written a post on your experience using that platform already? If so, link? If not, might I email you with questions as I begin my research?
I’m still figuring out how to not overcommit 🤣
Also I would add: share the process not just the finished chapters.
And also: Follow other writers you like and get into their works too. The community aspect is essential online!
Awesome advice, Simon! You hit on all the major ones I think about as well. My word count is usually in that 1200-1500 range, sometimes a little shorter, other times a little longer.
So impressive that you’ve done three serial novels! Bravo!
Interesting point about AI-generated images. I played around with it for a while but I agree, it looks either very bland or generic, and I never really got what I was aiming for. I put up one image that turned out half-decent in my recent post, but it's only for conceptualization purposes and not used anywhere. Re: word count. Scenes in my upcoming short story (6k words) can be anything between 500 and 1200k words. Maybe release it in full instead of scene by scene (7 in total).
Thank you for these tips! I'll definitely keep 8 & 10 in mind for when I start serializing.
I do feel called out on AI art. You said yourself that presentation is important & I can see why there are arguments against using AI art but I'm not an artist or designer myself so Midjourney is significantly better that anything I would be able to create on my own. Even stock photos + Canva often doesn't match my vision for a particular story cover or illustration, especially in the SFF genre where photos don't really feel fitting, so I'm torn on this one.
Very helpful Simon.
This is a very valuable post. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing! I’m currently writing on Substack about my writing process but I have toyed with the idea of using it to serialize my first novel, one I’m working on. It’s a fairy tale/ fantasy. Your suggestions are much appreciated!
Fantastic post Simon. I'm planning to serialize a novel this summer, so your dos and don'ts here are appreciated. Also planning to look into Wattpad for a different novel. Have you written a post on your experience using that platform already? If so, link? If not, might I email you with questions as I begin my research?