Potential Writing Projects (Patreon)

This is going to be one of those posts where I update you on my thoughts of future work, but I'm not really looking for a specific type of feedback (though I welcome it). In fact, I'm not sure what I expect people to say at all, but here goes.

It seems LitRPG authors are pretty friendly people. I've had several of them message me saying "Hey, I liked your book, do you want free promotion?" and they aren't trying to sell me something. Some of this just amounts to getting referenced on blogs or groups, but several of them have also made suggestions, some of which I'm considering.

(Also, NGM1 is having a longer lifespan than I thought! After what I figured was its decline to average numbers, it spiked back up to the #1 slot and I've broken my old Kindle Unlimited record twice. I can't explain this by any work on my end, because I've almost entirely set that aside while I work on TLS. I don't know how long this can last.)

One thing that has been mentioned is the inter-connectivity between the LitRPG community and serialized fiction websites such as RoyalRoad. Now, embarking on an extended serialization isn't something that particularly appeals. But I think there's a chance of doing a hybrid story that gets some of the best from all worlds:

1) Write the whole story

2) Show it to patrons and edit

3) Release the chapters in serialized form on RoyalRoad, with links back to me

4) Sell the finished book on Amazon

There are some other authors who have done this (sans #1) and surprisingly releasing the chapters for free doesn't seem to have a negative impact on their sales. This idea appeals to me as an experiment, because I could significantly increase my digital footprint without investing an excessive amount of time into a new project.

I'm not sure what story I would do, though (or if I should do it as Sierra Lee or Sarah Lin). One idea that's very appealing in concept is some sort of TLS tie-in, but I don't have an idea for this that I'm really inspired by. I think a novelization of TLS would probably do well on RR, but that really isn't something that interests me.

I'm at that stage where I'm staring at a bunch of ideas, but I know I only have the time to invest in one for now. A sample of ideas I'm seriously considering:

Superman Fucks Gotham

Not a new project, but if I did a Sierra Lee account, maybe this would be a quick way to get some attention to my profile and prove I can finish things. Not sure it would completely work there, though.

Menage a Zombie

If anybody remembers my "Zombie Marriage" series of erotica, it'd be an adaptation of that. I had a lot more ideas for Alice and Devin, but those books didn't sell well, so I just wrapped things up when they escape the city. (In retrospect, thinking there would be many people interested in weird erotica was probably foolish. Rereading this, I was definitely aiming mainly for myself and thus I made some weird choices.)

As a gamelit series, though, I wonder if the characters couldn't get a second chance at life. I think it would be a natural fit for the "system apocalypse" subgenre and I've seen people noting they'd like more zombie stories.

Monster Girl Thing

You're more likely to remember this: I finished a partial draft of this theoretical VN earlier in 2018 during my break. Fantasy world with monster girls advanced to modern levels of technology, the male lead being a dysfunctional hero who only cares about fighting. I love this concept, but I still haven't thought of any way to make it work as a game.

I wonder if it might not find an audience as a serialized story, though. RR readers actively say they look for overpowered characters, though the way in which they do so makes me doubt whether or not they'd like this one. He's OP, yes, but as a deconstruction of what happens to such characters when there's nowhere else to go.

Shonen Concept

At several points I've said that I'd like to write a shonen-type series if I had the chance. Well, this would be my shot at it, just in written form. I have some character/plot/world ideas, but to be honest the main creative force with this idea right now is power levels.

So much shonen is light on strategy and consistency. I'd love to try something that would be a cross between Dragonball and Hunter x Hunter. Concept is a world where most people can get explosive powered up forms, but the protagonist is incapable of it. 

Thirty Apocalypse Pileup

A concept I was originally considering ages ago when Nutaku was trying to recruit me to make F2P games for them. Thanks to all of you, I had the confidence to turn them down, but I find myself thinking that this idea might work as a story. It would be something that could be more conventional wish fulfillment while still interesting me.

The basic concept is that the world ends when every apocalypse happens. Aliens invade, zombies attack, giant monsters emerge from the ocean, Old Gods wake, Ragnarok and the Rapture happen simultaneously, etc. In addition to a setting that's fun in its batshit insanity, I have some ideas I enjoy about the ultimate purpose of all that.

TLS Miniseries 

More writing in the TLS world is something that a decent number of people have requested, something I'd enjoy, and something that would probably draw new attention to the game, so this is a great idea in theory. The problem is that I don't have a concept that really grips me right now.

Anyway

Now I need to focus my energy and choose. X| Of course, TLS 0.40.0 comes first, then New Game Minus #2. I don't intend to go spending energy on new projects until those two are wrapped up. But I'm thinking hard about the above concepts. One novel of chapters posted weekly could be an entire year of serialized fiction drawing in new potential players and readers, plus many of the ideas really appeal to me.

As for the ultimate purpose of this post, as I said, it's an extract of my current thinking. If you have strong opinions or if I have neglected something in my considerations, feel free to chime in!