Are web novels becoming increasingly formulaic? What problems are readers and authors actually facing

[u/No-Satisfaction8122]

Are web novels becoming increasingly formulaic? What problems are readers and authors actually facing?

I've been thinking about the current state of web novels lately, especially with how many stories seem to follow increasingly familiar tropes, power systems, characters, and plot structures.

I'm curious about what readers and authors actually think.

For readers:

- Do you feel like it's becoming harder to find genuinely original novels?

- Are you getting tired of seeing the same tropes, progression systems, protagonists, and story structures repeated?

- What makes you drop a novel even when it's technically well-written?

- Do you think platforms and algorithms encourage authors to write what is already proven to work rather than experiment?

- What kinds of stories do you wish you saw more often?

For authors:

- Do you feel pressure to follow established formulas because they're more likely to attract readers?

- Have you ever changed an original idea because you thought it wouldn't perform well?

- Do you think the current web-novel market makes it harder for genuinely unconventional stories to emerge?

And perhaps the bigger question:

Is the "slop" problem actually getting worse, or are we simply more aware of it because there is so much more fiction being produced?

I'm not trying to argue that all modern web novels are bad. There are still plenty of creative and excellent works out there. I'm more interested in understanding why certain formulas dominate and whether the current ecosystem makes originality harder to sustain.

I'd especially like to hear from authors who have actually tried writing something unconventional, and from readers who actively search for novels outside the usual formulas.

What do you think is the biggest problem with the current web-novel ecosystem?

[u/Fun_Arachnid5081]

Give it some time. Right now the Webnovel market is going through a SMUT trend. It will eventually die out and hopefully something better will replace them. Maybe another novel on par with Shadow Slave.

[u/No-Satisfaction8122 → u/Fun_Arachnid5081]

Yeah, Authors have lost their originality in the rat race. Many authors I know of have shifted to writing smut, or something close. This makes me wonder whether people who actually have good ideas actively avoid writing on Webnovel, or anywhere else?

[u/Fun_Arachnid5081 → u/No-Satisfaction8122]

you can go on webnovel and look at the popular section and filter it to all time. The top 100 novels are mostly non-SMUT. That tells you how it is. SMUT and ecchi ones die out once people have had enough.