Sword System Academia Fantasy Xianxia Action Adventure School Life Martial Arts
2/17 NOTICE: I'm putting this on hiatus, possibly permanently.
I didn't want to spam with an "update chapter", so hopefully here and in the story blurb will get enough eyeballs.
There are a couple reasons for ending SSA for now.
1) I wrote the next chapter but wasn't happy with it. I've been less and less satisfied with SSA's quality the more I thought about it. Part of the reason is...
2) I am seriously thinking about trying to publish some novels to help pay the bills, since I don't have my other source of income anymore. I have never asked for anything from SSA readers, no money, not even a review or rating. SSA is written for fun to amuse myself, primarily, and I would kind of feel bad actually charging someone money for something as unserious as that. I don't think it is good enough to ask anything in return.
To use an analogy from music, SSA is more like a jam session with a bunch of friends. You're just chiling and having fun playing some music. I mean, if you are Mozart or even Eminem, your jam session is good enough to sell, but for an amateur beginner like myself, haha, no.
If I want to publish something, I feel like I need to go the proper route of practice and rehearsals, which might be more similar to a classical concert performance.
With SSA, I work from worldbuilding notes and a loose outline, but what you are essentially getting is the first draft with lots of so-called pantsing. Pushing out a web novel like this also means it is very difficult to go back and improve things without breaking everything else downstream. I wanted to try this "jamming" approach, as it was a good way to teach me about another aspect of writing, but to move forward, I think I need to hone my "classical" techniques, which emphasize rewriting, or at least, revising outlines.
3) While I intend to try to make $$$, my actual current goal is to "get gud". I've spent a lot of time recently trying to understand the self-publishing industry, and I'm pretty sure I can make some money by using short-term strategies with my current amateur skill level. But I've seen too many authors come and go/burnout, and really, the only way that I think I can enjoy writing and still make money on a long-term basis is to become a better writer.
And the next step for me, which I haven't done much before, is to spend more time on rewriting and outlines. That is pretty much antithetical to the way SSA is developing. I've always been kind of 20/80 plotting/pantsing, but I want to spend a lot more time outlining before I even start writing. SSA jam sessions don't really fit my goal anymore.
If you're curious about what's next, read on...
Among other regrets, I regret not finishing SSA. It's the first story I've dropped, but then again, it's the first web novel I've attempted, so I suppose that's not a surprise. I don't think traditional web novel formats suit me that well. The whole SSA story I had loosely planned (beyond a first book or major arc) is way too large as well. Big story = good for neverending webnovel with Patreons, bad for penniless and fickle writer like me.
I am currently outlining a complete trilogy to another story in great detail. I want the story to end concisely, and I also want the chance to really spend a lot of time on the full outline to spot pacing problems, character issues, lost themes, and so on. I'll still share this story on RR.
What I intend to do is finish book 1, flash-publish the whole thing here for a few weeks, then publish on the big Zon. Repeat for books 2 and 3.
The upcoming story will be about crafting heroes. The backdrop is an isekai-like setting, where elves will summon humans to their world as heroes, but the whole hero crafting business is still in its infancy. The elven mage researchers are figuring out how to imbue heroes with power, while the heroes are trying to figure out how to use the powers that they gain. Humans are the best hero templates because they are blank and have no intrinsic magic. Or at least that what the elves thought. The human MC has his own secrets...
There will be some similarities with litrpgs, but I would call it more a progression fantasy or gamelit story. For example, the stats are very low, at least initially. Say we have a stat called Str. Going from Str = 1 to Str = 2 is a huge deal. Also, going from Dex = 0 to Dex = 1 is an even bigger deal. I guess you could call it a "low-stat litrpg", haha.
Also, the heroes won't be gaining stats simply by killing things or leveling up. You can't increase stats arbitrarily, either. There will be rules to how stats can increase, and how they work with each other. The elven mages will be figuring out these rules in order to craft stronger and stronger heroes. Some inspiration will be from cultivation magic systems, but there won't be overt cultivation, at least for now. A theme I really want to explore is the idea of interactions. That includes things like hero crafter vs hero, tactics vs strategy, skill synergies, racial interactions (dwarves, elves, etc), and son.
Yeah, so hero crafting. I'm super excited about this project and venturing into publishing.
If you want to check out the upcoming story, you can follow my RR author profile to see when it drops here.
Finally...
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!
I'm very sorry that SSA is stopping, but I hope at least some of you will find the next story at least as enjoyable, if not more. Thanks to all the readers who gave SSA a shot. Big hug or solid fistbump to all of you, whichever you prefer!
I hope this message is not a downer but an upper, because I am psyched!!
-purlcray
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BLURB:
Talen, youngest Master of the Koroi, makes his way to the Empire's capital to salvage his clan's fate. But the bustling city has few opportunities for the traditionalist.
For the old sword clans are fading. With the rise of alchemy, gold can purchase strength that ordinarily took years of training to cultivate. Sword artists, once rare and accomplished, are quickly growing in number, especially among the wealthy noble class.
Even with such alchemy, though, no one has advanced to the rank of Grandmaster in countless years. Talen's true dream is to walk the path of a sword artist to the very end while fulfilling his clan duties.
And then the Swordgeists return, fabled founders of all sword arts, gods who had touched the world long ago and vanished. These myths turned into reality warn of a coming threat. Alongside this warning, they issue an invitation to the Sword System Academy, a path to power beyond the mortal realm. But first, they will hold an entrance exam...
Story notes:
Sword System Academia blends elements of western and asian fantasy such as xianxia and litrpg. I took parts from different genres I enjoyed and twisted them into my own creation. There will be an explicit system, both of the litrpg kind and the hard(ish) magic kind, but it is embedded within an academic structure that will develop over the course of the story. This is my attempt to design a unique type of system, the System Academia.
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My World To Live
[Do Not Read this version, New FINAL version uploaded August 9th, 2021 as separate fiction, click to link here on RR. Essairyn had never felt truly alive on Earth. It felt like something was missing ever since she was born, but even after nearly 20 years of mundane living, she could never pinpoint what this or the emptiness in her heart was. Suddenly, she awakens in a grandiose, primordial forest and encounters both demons and spirits in a parallel world called Sol'h'meyr. She befriends, in particular, a sassy fox-spirit named Akari who just reincarnated after three millennia. Essairyn is an abnormal human with elemental powers, and Akari is being chased by those of her dark past. Together, they set out on an adventure in a world of magic, danger, mystery, and intrigue. But this not a game. That simple adventure is actually the modest beginnings in a chain of disruptions that tear even the dimensional fabric of time and space. No one, not even Essairyn, was who she thought she was. And not even the gods can change the destiny of the universes... A single promise shook eternity’s existence. — Fantasy || Adventure || Romance || Action || Mystery || Drama || Science Fiction — The My World To Live (MWTL) series, the alternative short name is Canaan, is comprised of three books symbolically named My World, To Live, and My World To Live. Two years prior, the entire story had been planned and detailed out from start to finish before actual writing. Thus, the story will never be dropped. While the genre is largely Fantasy, the book is comprised of many other elements including a School Life (Magic Academy) story portion. MWTL has a lot of scattered symbolism and allusions, hence, the mystery aspect. The science fiction elements progressively become more pronounced, and the slow romance is a late bloomer. The female lead is strong and independent, and her backstory and identity unravel as drivers of the plot. Expect lots of action/fighting throughout and scattered philosophical and psychological themes arising. It's a human journey to find the essence of one's living and purpose. What kind of world do I wish to live for? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope to share the journey with you~! Canaan's Original and New Covers: If you're curious about my art and the various covers I made for this series and other authors, I have a RR thread that makes free covers and shows art processes. [October 1, 2020 Notice: Hello, I aplogize to all followers for suddenly taking an extended hiatus. Life threw a lot at my face and then the pandemic happened, so I hadn't been able to write until around the last month when I decided to challenge myself and finish the first book in this series. I am ok now, and thank you for your patience and understanding. No words can express how much every reader means to me. RR was the first writing platform that I ever felt accomplished to any small degree, so I am forever grateful to it. Multiples changes have been made since this final revision and writing of the ending, so please see the latest chapter detailing the update. This also includes my decision to submit this story to the 2020 Wattys contest (the deadline was Sept 30th). That means I will not be posting the updated version of this story on here until the contest is over (since I doubt I'll win anyway lol). And so, if you want to read the full, now completed (woohoo!) story, please go to my Wattpad. Thank you once again, and wishing you all the very best health and happiness! FINAL UPDATE, March 7, 2021: The complete story has been re-posted after the Wattys. This version that was on Wattys is the one being re-posted. However, the Final Version (which will be on a separate book from this to remain organized, and is technically the fifth version of the story xD) will be released May 2021. For more information, please read this update linked here. Thank you to all readers for taking this two year journey with me!
8 187The Heavenly Wandering Sword
The Deity of Swords has lived for thousands of years upon Sword Mountain. In that time, he has tired of living the way a god does. To find the simpler life he had before his ascension, he leaves the Heavenly Palace to once again travel through the Jianghu. Since his ascension thousands of years ago to the Heavenly Palace, Li Jian found himself in a position where he never truly wished to be. Having lost track of all those who he had met throughout his time in the mortal world of cultivation, he seeks to find the various wisdoms he had forgotten in the millenias past. He had been many things: fisherman, warrior, and teacher to name a few but he has never been able to simply be. What he has sought since the first time he picked up his sword was a sense of tranquility with the world but it had only lead to his Heavenly Ascension. A swordsman without peer, he chooses instead to defy the law of the Dao and once again live in the world of mortals.
8 190Isle of the Extinct
A ragtag gang of survivors, scraping out a living in the jungles of prehistory. An apex predator, hardened by the wild and viciously defending his throne from competitors and the elements alike. A strange, unnatural liquid, lurking in the cracks and cobbles in the earth, taking its toll on the world around it. The remains and relics of an ancient yet advanced society, whose greed and ignorance led to the downfall of their most prized creation. One mystical link connects them all. A mysterious island, shrouded in mystery and sinisterness, revealing horrors beyond the teeth and claws of its saurian inhabitants. Man and Beast collide in an epic arms race for survival on the ISLE OF THE EXTINCT! PRAISE FOR ISLE OF THE EXTINCT: "There is real effort in skill being put into this and it is unlike anything I have ever read on this site...9/10 would recommend... "...fast-paced...incredibly descriptive...give yourself a ride into this thriller!" "...writing style is amazing..." "Excellent! I want more!" "...fleshed-out characters..." "Effective and well-written imagery..." "...top-notch description..." "Anyone who is even remotely into science fiction and is not reading this is missing out..."
8 137A Cultivation storie : Stupid edition
In this cultivation world some chosen people are given the chance to create their own world . Follow the young Gold and his weird clan as he create his own strange and wonderful world !! Error : Restart protocol initialize !! Note : I am not a native english so do not expect perfect grammar , no schedule the chapter will be publish when ready Happy reading and have a good day
8 220Eyes of the Divine (Yandere!Eyeless Jack X GN!Reader)
As a child, you were exposed to the deadly secret this world hid as fiction. You came face to face with Slenderman, an entity known for making children and adults alike vanish, as though they'd never existed.But you...you survived. After the experience, you were given the ability to see his servants, the people he'd brainwashed into becoming murder machines. You saw what you called their 'corrupt' form and their 'original' form. Despite the fact that you could see them, they never payed attention to you or the people around you.That was until you moved out to achieve your dream of being a digital researcher. After that, a particular attitude towards you changed drastically.(this is a work of fiction. all the Pastas belong to their original creators. they are not real, nor am i saying that they are. the only thing i own is the plot and any OCs. please do not re-write my work.)
8 131Natasha x y/n
y/n has a traumatic past, but is hoping to leave it behind. she falls head over heals for a fellow avenger.
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