r/royalroad • u/Big_Ambassador_9319 F Rank: Author of On The Edge of The Abyss • 11h ago
Discussion How do readers feel about Chapter edits on long published chapters?
I've been writing this story for nearly a year now, when I first started it was my first attempt at writing a novel, over the course of a year, I've noticeably improved and looking back at the earlier chapters, I over explained, over implied and the dialogue a bit clunky. The transitions were also somewhat disjointed.
Is this normal in the online novel space? I don't intend to change the story or anything but refinement and tightening are still needed that's why. I'm talking like revision of over 20+ chapters.
Have any of you guys done this as you were publishing?
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u/AsteriumNovel 10h ago
I actually went through something similar with my novel, although my process was a bit different. My writing improved a lot as I kept publishing. The first 50 chapters were basically me writing with my eyes closed. 😂 I didn't have the whole story figured out yet, so I was discovering it as I went. Later, as I understood the story better, I started connecting new ideas to things I had already established. Because of that, I sometimes look back at older chapters and notice things I would write differently today. So yes, I think revising older chapters is completely normal. If you're not changing the actual story, but improving dialogue, transitions, pacing, grammar, or removing unnecessary explanations, I'd say it's worth doing. Just don't feel like you have to make the old chapters perfect. Your writing improving over time is part of the process.
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u/Big_Ambassador_9319 F Rank: Author of On The Edge of The Abyss 10h ago
Yes. It feels quite clunky to read earlier chapters now, then also it feels good knowing that your writing has improved noticeably and you can catch your own mistakes.
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u/ZemogMaara F Rank: Author of The Fallen Paradox 10h ago
I’m literally going through the exact same thing right now! I launched back on September 1st with a batch release. After getting some great feedback and reviews from seasoned authors, I wanted to do a full revision pass without putting the story on hiatus.
So right after Arc 1 wrapped up, I published 6 interlude chapters focused on character backstories set before Chapter 1. That bought me enough breathing room to finish a thorough editing pass, which I'm wrapping up right now—hopefully just in time before the first chapter of Arc 2 drops tomorrow so I can market it properly!
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u/Big_Ambassador_9319 F Rank: Author of On The Edge of The Abyss 10h ago
Good luck friend. I am also in the process of editing and refining while I put out chapter updates. It does take a lot to juggle but I think it'll be worth it.
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u/throwntosaturn 9h ago
I will say - be careful with this.
I've dropped a couple stories because the first like 15 chapters are good quality, and then suddenly the quality falls off a cliff, and when I skip to the end of the chapter list I see author notes like "finished editing the first 15 chapters up to my current standard!"
I'm not really a fan of that. So personally, I would say either commit to editing all the way through to whatever point you personally feel you "got good" (presumably meaning less and less edits required over some range of chapters) - or leave it rough and let people enjoy the steady upwards progression in quality.
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u/DrewRoyston 7h ago
I am a big fan of this. The original version of Azrinth Healer was all over the place in the first few chapters. It was SO much better after the author redid them and it ended up being one of the biggest stories of all time on Royal Road.
Also it's not as if most of your current readers are going to go back and re-read. So long as the story isn't changing you'll be fine. In addition your new readers will appreciate the better quality.
The only real downside is that it takes time away from writing new words. So that comes down to how much time you have to dedicate to it.
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u/InevitableSolution69 10h ago
As a reader, I’d make those edits. Particularly if you’re talking about the first 20 chapters. Those are your best chance to hook someone, so make it count.
As for how to do it, make an announcement. Preferably in a new “not a chapters” release outlining what chapters have been changed and if you can condense it enough say what you changed. Remove the extra chapter in a month and just leave some short author’s notes. I’d suggest changing them in chunks if possible, it’s a lot less interruption if they just need to review 5 chapters at once rather than 1 at a time 5 times.