Creative Notes in the AI Era | I've started to feel that rankings don't evaluate works, they just homogenize them. Why do web novels end up being so similar? (#CreativeTheory #WebNovels #note #Essay #BookPublication #GenerativeAI #ImageGenerationAI)

Hello. Good evening.
I go by "Ura-byoshi" and I usually write light novels.

A long time ago,
there was a period when I interacted with an author on Kakuyomu
who had incredibly good writing skills.

They had a level of expressive power that I couldn't even hope to reach,
and possessed overwhelming historical knowledge.

I even wondered,
"Why is someone like this writing web novels?"

But one day, that person
deleted their works and disappeared.

I didn't understand the reason at the time,
but recently I've started to see it from a different perspective.

It's the algorithm.

Current platforms,
rather than looking for good works,

seem to be looking for
works that are hard to drop,
works that are read by many,works that get good reactions.

That is what they seem to be searching for.

Of course, that in itself is not a bad thing.

However, when everyone starts adjusting their work to fit those evaluation criteria,
the same things start being mass-produced.
I've started seeing articles like that on note more often, too.

Profound stories and beautiful Japanese prose
cannot be said to be compatible with the current web novel market.

Suchdeep works
are evaluated by the algorithm
as works that readers drop halfway through.

Then the writer learns.

Let's avoid difficult things.
Let's stop using complex structures.
Let's make it in a form that won't be dropped.

As a result,
the individuality of the work is gradually shaved away.

Actually, my own novels have recently become quite simple in language,
and I intentionally use structures that can be read smoothly.

So,
I end up wondering,
"Are readers seeking similar works?"
or
"Are similar works increasing as a result of optimization for the algorithm?"

Thinking about KADOKAWA's publishing deficit,
"Things I want to read, but not enough to pay for"
—there are days when I feel anxious, wondering if that is the current position of web novels.

Like this, I've come to think deeply
about the value of my own writing.

Afterword:
Triggered by last week's article on 'books', I've recently been listening to Eastern philosophy before bed (on Audible). The morning after falling asleep while engaging with philosophies that affirm the very act of 'being,' the theme of the podcast that came on during my daily routine was, of all things, 'The Linguistics of Erotic Novels' (lol). The temperature difference between morning and night was so extreme that even I thought, 'My emotions!!' But strangely enough, both are profound. Even though their directions are completely different, I feel like both are digging deep into the creature that is a human being.

● If creating becomes painful, head to the back cover note

● Daily notes you can read quickly (with a different cat every day♡)

● This is what the person behind the scenes is like

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Thank you for reading until the end!
If you liked this article,
I would be happy if you could give it a like or follow.
See you in tomorrow's post.
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── Opening the door to the Creative Jun-Kissa 'Mike'.

Clang-a-lang

I'll be waiting for you at Creative Jun-Kissa Mike tomorrow too♪