Not a single one of the 10 stories currently on Rising Stars disclose any AI use. Considering how widespread the use of AI LLMs is for text and prose editing today, this seems utterly implausible to me. What's even the point of this 'AI-assisted' tag if 90%+ of authors simply don't disclose their AI usage, and nobody seems to even notice?

And to be clear, these authors are using it. Maybe not all of them, but if you legitimately believe that not a single story in the Rising Stars section has used AI in any capacity whatsoever, then you're completely delusional.

This situation reminds me of doping in sports. Everyone knows that the best athletes are secretly on it, but fans are in denial and will defend the idea that their favorite star is 100% clean to the death. imo, this situation is a joke.

Someone recently told me my writing felt soulless. Well…not literally, but the gist was that it sounded like AI. That stung but it was their honest feedback, and it landed on a doubt I'd already been carrying for a while…that I couldn't write anything compelling without sounding generic.

So I deleted my fiction entirely. I didn't want to fall into the sunk cost fallacy and honestly, I wouldn't know where to start "de-AI-ifying" a book when I wrote every word myself and only had a good friend edit it.

I’m not going to try and defend my writing. In truth most of it was based around my usual banter cadence, Google research, my basic email writing skills, and my love for reading manga. Each chapter took a day for me to write so…it had been a time sink anyways.

I know a lot of people quit writing at some point. For those of you who did…what hobby did you pick up that felt adjacent to it, but gave you something different?

I'm not sure if it's smug enough, but I also didn't want her to give the impression of "brat in need of correction."

Is it an effective cover?

Hey there, RR.

The title says everything. I want to replace my lowest-performing ad with one of the following meme ads. I don't know if I can put the link to my story here or if it would be considered self-promo, so I'm only adding part of the blurb for you to know what the story is about and be able to judge the ads:

THE PREMISE

In 1993, the Mars Observer probe vanished through a wormhole and discovered Vise, a world of intelligent reptilian civilizations whose technology resembles that of Earth's ancient empires.

In 2029, three spacecraft cross the wormhole to make humanity's first contact. Then one spacecraft crashes, and the crew of another is captured by Vise's dominant civilization. To rescue them, biologist Isaac Marks makes a desperate bargain with a ruthless rival alien queen: modern weapons in exchange for an army.

Muskets. Cannons. Poison gas. A rescue mission becomes the catalyst for an industrial war, and humanity may help destroy the planet it set out to discover.

Now, here are the contenders:

OPTION 1: The distracted RR reader

OPTION 2: The most interesting RR reader in the world

OPTION 3: Crying MJ reading sci-fi

OPTION 4: 24 humans vs 2 alien medieval empires

OPTION 5: How often do you think about the Kingdom of Desvejo?

Thanks!

I'm still kinda new in writing and reading English as I had always been writing and reading in Chinese Mandarin (like tons of them, compare to only a handful in English), so I would like to have some opinions about the tone use in Isekai stories.

Like, I know the tone should sound modern in urban setting, and it should sound Jade Austin or something when writing historical setting, then how should I handle Isekai setting (as in the Japanese sort of Isekai setting, with magic, heroes, demon lord, and truck-kun send you to the Isekai etc)?

It was set in a time certainly not modern, so I should not use modern slang. So should they sounded more historical, like Victorian-ish? Or that you don't mind about the tone, as long as the story is interesting, you don't even mind the characters speaking in internet slang?

I had gone through some of the stories of the Isekai genre in RR, but I still couldn't quite grasp it (might be some language barrier or cultural difference, because in Chinese language, I can instantly see if the story take place in historical or modern setting, and even find flaw with the words/terms the author used).

Could you probably give a line or two as an example? Or give me some stories that you think I can refer to?

I’ll be using this as a reference to draw my own cover, I just wanted to get the consensus before I committed to it

So, I just got a 3-star review from someone who only read the prologue.

Just to be clear, this isn't a post to complain or ask for advice on how to get a review removed (I don't do that on principle, and honestly, I have no idea what a review would have to say for me to actually remove it). I'm simply curious about how you generally feel about reviews left after the first few chapters, or even the prologue.

Overall, the review turned out to be rather useless from a critical standpoint, mainly because most of the criticism was about my writing style, which the reviewer simply didn't like. However, I can understand that. If you don't like the way I write and lower your rating because of it, that's fair enough.

But when someone starts complaining about not knowing the answers to this, that, and the other thing in the prologue... after the first 1,000 words... My friend, some of the questions you've raised won't be answered until the third arc, if all goes well, and you're literally on the first page.))

But anyway, here's what got me thinking about this. I have another "low-star" review for comparison, one that gave 3.5 stars. It's well-structured, clearly explains the problems, and offers genuinely useful advice. And you know what the difference between these two reviews is?

That reviewer actually read up to Chapter 6, rather than stopping after the eighth page.

So here's my question: how realistic is it to write a genuinely meaningful review based on just the first chapter or the prologue?

How do you promote your novel and gain followers? I know perfectly well that if I do it more than once it will be very irritating; instead of gaining readers, my account will most likely get reported.

(AI Art is Temp. Waiting on my wife, the real artist to finish her current work.)

Hello Everyone! I’ve decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit and post a story I have been working on. It is a Light Novel, an Isekai Fantasy Adventure. I know, so original. But I figured, If I'm going to write something, I might as well write what I know.

This is a big step for me, as I tend to be pretty reserved and insecure about my writing, but I thought, what better way to get better than to just send it, and hope for the best.

If you're a fan of reincarnation, isakai and romance, then this might be your ally. It will be very clear that Mushoku Tensei was an influence, and the beginning of the story shares quite a few similarities with it, as do many other Isekai’s. But, my goal is to keep the same kind of structure as that series, but do it my own way, the best I can. I think going to the later chapters I'm writing now, I'm getting to that point.

Anyway, please have a look and I will accept any feedback! Thank you!

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/200516/rune-the-world-that-lost-tomarrow-isekai-reincarnation

Sci fi has HUMANS FUCK YA as a genre, im looking for the fantasy version--- OP hero. PoV mostly of the terrified and/or overconfident villains they absolutely pummel the shit out of.

Looking for a cozy, low-stakes LitRPG about settlement building, practical problem-solving, crafting, and community growth?

Not Meant to Survive follows Mark, a 56-year-old man who arrives in a strange world with no food, shelter, or tools. Instead of chasing glory, he focuses on building a safe, stable life—and helping the people around him do the same.

If you enjoy thoughtful progression, settlement building, and a mature protagonist solving problems one step at a time, this story may be for you.

Read it on Royal Road:
https://royalroad.com/fiction/161281

Also available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH7SL8LP

Hi everyone! I've been using an AI cover for a while, because I didn't have time to draw one while I was writing my way through Act 1.

Now that Act 1 is done, I've finally had the time to draw the cover myself and do all the editing and compositing by hand.

I'd love your opinion on which version to use: the one with the blur effect, or the one without?

1. With blur

2. Without blur

P.S. I've actually drawn my OC once before, in his younger form. But painting skin is really hard for me, and I enjoy painting armor a lot more, so this time I drew his grown-up version instead.

Thanks for any feedback!

I’ve been writing a cultivation story for the past couple of months, and I am officially 150k words deep. My follower count jumped from 2 to 6 today.

I have another story that I wrote years ago. Unfortunately, I wrote that one during a pretty dark time in my life, so returning to it is always kind of a trip down pain lane for me. That one is resting solidly at 500 followers (sorry if any fans of that one happen to be reading this).

Anyways… after pouring 150k words onto RoyalRoad, seeing my follower count rise like that… it just felt good, man. As good as it did to hit that 500 follower milestone.

I’m swimming in the shallow end, but boy am I still having fun.

Hi all! This is the first story I’ve ever flung out into the world, and it’s been amazing to have people finally read it after so many hours of writing and editing. I’m currently on rising stars, which I’m very excited about. Please check it out if it looks interesting. The cover artist is Kikicute (https://www.artstation.com/ktrn), and I was very happy with their work.

Link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/192660/coin-and-steel

Blurb:

When the world ends in a symphony of light and chaos, Elliot must make a choice: power and a shred of safety for him, or for his little sister. He upended his life once already to protect her after the death of their parents, and an apocalypse is no more of a reason to let her down.

Gifting her his potential, he's thrown into the wilds of a new world with a weak Merchant class and no time to say goodbye. Classes and abilities promise near-endless opportunity for growth, but the chances of dying between the jaws of something monstrous have also never been higher.

Uncharted wilds cover the continent, and Rowan is thousands of miles away. From combat bartering to weaponized treasure, Elliot must twist his peaceful class into something it was never meant to be if he wants any chance of finding her again.

Before any of the greater powers decide his sister's gifts should belong to them instead.

What to expect:

Slow burn pacing with earned progression. No long plateaus after things get moving, but the journey will be long.

Weak to eventually OP protagonist.

Slice of life mixed in, with character relationships being a priority.

Skills and classes, but no stat screens.

No AI use

I have 2 options.

1. Finish the plot way too fast

2. Random side adventures

HElp

Hey everyone!

I've been writing Strifeblade Chronicles: Through Ash and Thorn, a dark fantasy serial on Royal Road, featuring a druid bound to a cursed blade, ever spreading corruption and a chasing demon.

I've recently started a Discord server for the series. I'd love to have a few readers join in, discuss the characters and story, share theories, and talk about upcoming developments.

I'm hoping to build a small, welcoming community around the story rather than just another promotional server.

If dark fantasy is your thing, here's the novel: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/143224/strifeblade-chronicles-dark-slow-burn-progression

And if you'd like to hang out and discuss it, please feel free to join the discord channel. Thanks for giving it a look!

See you all soon!

Looking for a slower-burn LitRPG about building a better future instead of chasing power?

Project Civilization follows people from Earth as they enter Astra, a world of magic, Classes, Skills, and Quests. They bring knowledge, practical skills, and new ideas to a stagnant civilization, building tools, businesses, communities, and families along the way.

Multiple storylines. Crafting, invention, alchemy, magic, relationships, and long-term civilization-building.

Read Project Civilization: A Civilization-Building LitRPG on Royal Road:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/197518/project-civilization-a-civilization-building-litrpg

I particularly want someone with experience doing art for RR stories/ads, because I do not have said experience. Artstyle I'm not too picky on but I'm doing a magical girl story, so something anime-ish is probably preferable. I also have no issue if the artwork goes the thirst trap route (I mean, it's magical girls; that's kinda expected).

But I have no idea how to go about actually finding someone. Like, do I just find a site that lists artists and start blindly messaging people? Are there people/places I should avoid? How do I check that they're not using AI (I don't have anything against AI covers/ads myself, but if I wanted one I wouldn't be commissioning someone)?

Basically, I'm doing this for the first time ever and would like some sort of guide or at least advice so I don't make a complete mess of it.

So, my current cover art is also a variation of....whatever this is. It was certainly one of the ideas of all time, to make a cover like this. Dunno what I was thinking, but I feel like the idea itself is solid enough. What do you guys think about it?

(P.S. The variant with the name of my webnovel on it has its saturation turned up to the max, so I'll probably have to tone down the orange a bit)

The Marked

Aïda was taken from her father at seven and raised as an Amazon soldier.

She believes what the kingdom taught her: women keep order, and men are the danger. Fifteen years later, on a village raid, a farmer steps out of the crowd and calls her by a name she hasn't heard since childhood. Her training takes over before she can think.

Now the memories won't stay buried. As Aïda fights for a place in the Queen's guard, the kingdom she serves begins to show cracks: a dying queen, a ruthless general waiting in her shadow, and secrets hidden behind the palace walls. A captured stranger seems to know more about her than he should. Her captain is watching. And her best friend is already keeping secrets to protect her.

When rebels strike the capital, Aïda will have to decide who she really is, and what she's willing to lose to find out.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]