26: Customization for readers who 'dislike long texts'
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Recently, it seems that the number of people who dislike long texts in the first place is increasing.
Moving away from reading or moving away from printed media might be having an effect.
The fact that 'there is a possibility that it won't be read just because the volume of text is large' is a quite serious situation.
So, I thought about it.
'Why not let the readers customize the amount of text to their liking?'
In a novel, the more detailed the descriptions, the more the amount of text increases.
If you omit descriptions, the amount of text decreases, but there is a possibility that it will feel 'too plain and unsatisfying' or 'more like a script or a synopsis than a novel'.
However, I think it depends on the person whether they prefer something with a large amount of text with detailed descriptions or something with a small amount of text with plain descriptions.
If so, I thought, why not let the readers choose that for themselves?
……And so, in the isekai summoning fantasy novel 'Black Hole Princess' you can customize the increase or decrease in text volume.
……Having said that, it would be bad if the story itself changed, so what increases or decreases is strictly limited to the parts with 'descriptions' and 'small trivia'.
For customization, I first create a 'version with a large amount of text', and then I create a 'version with a small amount of text' by cutting out descriptions from there.
What is difficult here is to make it 'readable and interesting' even if descriptions and small trivia are cut.
With the 'minimum necessary' amount of text... but without losing the fun...
If you are someone who writes text regularly, you might understand, but 'cutting long text to make it shorter' is quite difficult and requires skill.
And it's not just about cutting it; there is no point if you don't ensure that the fun is not lost.
Moreover, 'cutting text that you went to the trouble of writing' is not very good for the author's mental health.
However, that process of 'cutting long text to make it shorter' was probably what led to the most improvement in writing ability among the many customization patterns.
In the arts, I think 'subtraction' is probably much more difficult than 'addition'.
But I also think there is a 'beauty' and 'fun' that emerges by subtracting unnecessary things and making it clean.
I don't think I've reached that 'level' myself, but I feel like I've at least grasped a 'foothold' toward it.
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