#TrueLoveOnTapas Novelists, How are we feeling about this contest? Promote your work here, too

ChipChop 2023-12-30 06:46:07 UTC #1

Hi yall, I thought I'd post this question mostly so we can share our thoughts and of course our entries, so just post your thoughts, ie: are you feeling good about your chances, has it been stressful are you already finished, how do you feel about your work, or just general thoughts about the contest and then add a link to your story!

My thoughts: I'll go first, I've been feeling a little better about my story, mostly since I'm nearly finished but I mean this last month has just been stressful writing 30 chapters. I've heard of a similar experience from other creators, mostly since it's been hectic trying to create and also write so much within the time limits of the contest and I'm hoping to hear how we are all coping with the deadline fast approaching. I think my story is good but having never uploaded anything in the past and this being my first experience, I've been feeling a self conscious tbh how are other first time tapas creators doing?

I hope we are all doing well and can get our 30 chapters out in time, I know everyone's been putting their all into stories and wish everyone the best of luck!

Also, with the contest nearing its end, does anyone have any bets they wanna get out there and place before the deadline arrives? I mean I wanna know what we're thinking

My story link:

ralyash 2023-12-30 13:11:00 UTC #2

Oh boy. I'm ready for it to be over XD.

I started this story late October and wrote and released roughly 6 chapters a week until mid-December when I just crashed XD. Burnout is real. T-T

I'm happy I got the first arc done before I went back and edited; it filled in some important things that have gone into the edits. This last half of December though, it started to feel like nothing wanted me to actually finish what I wanted to finish XD. At this point, it's not as clean as I wish it were, but... ./throws it to the wind.

As far as my chances go... I have no clue. I think I've done pretty good in the time given to us. I have all 30 required chapters and then some. I've caught as many errors as I think I possibly could have without setting the manuscript aside for at least a month to reset my eyes. Most of my doubts come from the fact that I'm totally new to Tapas, and I don't really know how people feel about my style of storytelling. ^-^""""""

It's been a good run, though. Now I know what I can do in 30 days if I set my mind to it XD. I hope everyone feels very proud of what they've done, and I wish them the best of luck!

ChipChop 2023-12-30 18:05:06 UTC #3

The burnout was so real for me too I wrote my first 8 chapters and wanted to quit, and then 20 and I wanted to quit! Earlier on, I thought it was just me struggling as a first time writer, but nope, I soon learned everyone else was going through it as well!

AnnonRaye 2023-12-30 20:11:53 UTC #4

I was really on the fence about whether or not to enter the contest, but finally decided to give it a shot. I've had a desire to write a historical fantasy for a long, looooong time, but couldn't figure out how or when to go about trying. In some ways I feel like my story is more adventure themed, because I like to explore how situations lead to the build-up of love, versus start off with mutually inherent attractions or pushy, forced relationships. Which isn't a good thing, I think, in a romance themed contest.

Honestly, a lot's changed from the direction I meant the story to take, and continues to shift and change as I upload new chapters. It's all sorta hectic to me atm, but I hit my required 30 chapters a week ago, and I'm determined to see this story through to its end!

I'm not sure how well I'll fare as far as the contest goes, though. There's some amazing stories in the running. But overall, I'm happy with the world and story I've managed to create thus far. So long as my regular readers, and hopefully future readers, find it as entertaining as I do, then I'll be satisfied regardless of the contests results

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Adventure

ThunderChicken 2023-12-30 20:31:08 UTC #5

Since Tapas gave a big middle finger to anyone who isn't American I probably shouldn't say how I'm feeling about the contest

TadxSarah 2023-12-30 20:47:31 UTC #6

I'm not sure how i'm feeling about it, but i hope i get at least a few more subscribers from this XD

ChipChop 2023-12-30 20:54:01 UTC #7

You make a good point about romance being forced, it kinda just tells the reader to ship it rather than allow them to come to that conclusion themselves, and boy oh boy were there so many changes for my story too i think its hard to make set decisions for a story without putting the characters into a box so its just a natural part of storytelling ig kinda just gotta go with the flow sometimes

ChipChop 2023-12-30 20:57:24 UTC #8

Sorry to hear that friend, it was pretty lame of them not to open up the contest to everyone

kimia 2023-12-30 21:23:14 UTC #9

I have two more chapters left to finish so I'll be spending some time today getting them done! I joined three weeks ago in December so it's been a huge hustle! Other than the rush, I feel good about my series!

ChipChop 2023-12-30 21:30:00 UTC #10

You're super close! Keep going! I'm gonna get my last chapter done today, gotta hustle for that deadline!

skidiggy 2023-12-30 22:52:15 UTC #11

Hoo boy, very happy to have gotten the minimum number of episodes in on time. My web novel is a slow burn, so I wasn't sure if anyone would want to stick with it for the big payoffs, but it definitely qualifies as a romance, once we get there. The gushy good stuff is still a ways off, so I'll keep plugging away at it and get a good buffer going (hopefully) soon.

Huge shout-out to all the other authors out there who submitted. You guys are awesome and your work is inspirational. Thank you for putting your stories out there for us to share.

Leyelle 2023-12-31 12:21:24 UTC #12

I was feeling pretty lost in the beginning because I didn't find out about the competition until almost December but with a lot of hard work and my brother's help, I managed to meet the chapter quota and we're finally gaining some traction...making people cry...it's cool. hopefully gonna finish in the top fifty at the very least but I have my fingers crossed, grinding so, so hard. Making fun new ways for folks, especially ones who started late like me, to promote. We're not gonna flop from lack of trying that's all I'm saying. Anyway, here's the story.

(artwork kinda courtesy of my little sis, i was just making a paint splotch for the cover but she noticed that it looked like a heart, so here we have it.)

infjdany 2023-12-31 17:54:08 UTC #13

so !!

this idea is one i started two years ago (tomorrow, actually!) and it initially started as an hour-long pilot i wrote for a class back in march 2022. the plan was to hold off for a bit until i made considerable progress on my main comic and then make it a comic too! but back in july i started taking the pilot and forming it into a novel that i planned to start releasing in february, but with the contest opening up, i took the chance and now we're done with part 1!! it was a bit stressful trying to do 30 chapters not because of the word count (i almost kept running out of room actually!) but because it was the matter of coming up with new things beyond what i had written previously. that, ind it's my first novel!! i know comics much better, but this was such a great exercise in what i can do so i feel quite accomplished ^^ and im really proud of the story/characters this far !!

the hardest part was promotion and getting out of my own head. "oh well this story has ten times the views i do" okay and? keep going anyway!! that's what i had to keep reminding myself because the support i got was still incredible and again its a story i love !!

ChipChop 2023-12-31 19:14:25 UTC #14

@skidiggy, me too, it was a very proud moment to have all 30 chapters out! And a buffer is a good idea, having one made me feel more relaxed and gave me more to time to actually go over my chapters with a pair of fresh eyes, got a couple headaches typing at night

@Leyelle, Believe me I was feeling lost writing my story too, finishing that chapter quota felt very unlikely for a while, especially with a lot of entries having started all the way back in October, made me feel like it was a losing battle from the start but I'm proud to know that we have finished!

@infjdany Oh I feel you on that! Wordcount isn't generally a problem for me either, its coming up with stuff that's the hard part! I too had a lot of ideas in the beginning, but continuing in a way that's new but still maintains integrity to the story was a learning curve for me! And same, in the beginning I fell very easily into comparing my story, only made me feel bad about it! Yup, gotta remind ourselves that sometimes self-love is the best love to have, especially when sharing our art with the world!

As a side note to everyone who's replied so far, I will say it's been nice to hear from you all, talking to you all has made my day!

irr11tauthor 2023-12-31 19:33:28 UTC #15

VERY up and down. It's been a roller coaster lol
I came up with the idea the same day I started writing and posting which is not my usual MO so it's been a ride.
I don't think I'll be one of the top 15, but maybe I can squeak in one of those top 50 contracts, ya know??

ChipChop 2023-12-31 19:51:23 UTC #16

Yeah it's been a ride alright , I started organized enough with like a pretty good buffer of chapters, but then I started losing that buffer as my productivity rate went down haha oops, but I've seen your story and I think you are in the top 50 so you have a good chance! as far as I've heard the top 50 are the ones in the running for the top 15, but how that will play out in judging I have no clue

irr11tauthor 2023-12-31 19:53:57 UTC #17

Yeah I've seen a lot of debate. I'm neither counting myself out, nor holding my breath. Come what may!

ratscout 2023-12-31 20:10:25 UTC #18

My thoughts: Well, what can you expect? It's an online writing contest LOL. I think those who already had big audiences will take home the prizes. However, I mostly just entered to get exposure and look at the other entries which has been fun! I also enjoy how well put together this contest is compared to previous writing contests Tapas has thrown. They've done great, visible advertising for it! Not a first time Tapas novelist, but I do think this contest is a great opportunity to show your stuff! My goal was to not get last and I think I achieved that goal, LOL.

I think @ralyash has a great chance of winning! The story can be appealing to a younger audience and an older one and it's well written to boot! @AnnonRaye's story is impressive, too! The structure is really interesting and I like the premise.

Here is my humble little story.

Man, I just barely made the 30 chapters! What a crunch!

ChipChop 2023-12-31 20:43:34 UTC #19

So true! My thoughts exactly, I saw an add for it online looking for a webcomic and I thought hmm, yeah why not? I definitely think those already with a good following have a pretty good advantage, but looking at the submissions today, I have noticed some will not be meeting the 30 chapter requirement.

And fr @ralyash I definitely think she has a good chance of winning, as for the rest of us, I think it comes down to the judges to call, going down the list of entries below a certain sub count is confusing, it's hard knowing what the judges are looking for storywise. I think @AnnonRaye is unique with her writing style and mythology, which I like my writing is a bit unique too (Victorian era lol) since I wanted to go for something more immersive for the reader!

Leyelle 2023-12-31 23:29:52 UTC #20

Seriously nervous now that we're in "the eleventh hour" as they always say in anime. Who here is pretty confident they'll at least place within the top fifty?