I also change the 'difficulty' of the story for each work

In a previous article, I wrote that I 'change the writing style to suit the work,' but...

Actually, I also change the 'difficulty' of the story to suit the work.

I create a 'rough image' of 'I want readers in this age group to read this,' and then adjust the difficulty accordingly.I adjust the difficulty to match that.

Naturally, when I want a younger age group to read it, I aim for a 'easier' work.

If I make it too simple, there is a risk that some readers might find it 'unsatisfying' or look down on me, thinking, 'Is this the extent of this author's writing ability?' but...

(A level 1 author cannot choose level 99 writing skills, but a level 99 author can choose any writing skill from level 1 to 99...perhaps there are surprisingly many people who don't understand that. By the way, level 1 has its own merits, so a low level does not mean inferior.)

By having a wide variety including difficulty levels, I feel that I can expand my range as an author, so I enjoy taking on the challenge of adjusting the difficulty.

■ Changing the difficulty of the writing

The most easily understood 'difficulty' is the difficulty of the writing.

How many difficult kanji to include, to what extent to include difficult words, etc...

(I also consider how much furigana to add depending on the work. I always tend to add too much, though...)

For example, even with 'words that have similar meanings,' you can choose words according to the audience.

'Automobile,' 'car,' 'vroom-vroom'—these are extreme examples, but...

Like this, there is not just one word to describe something, and the difficulty changes depending on which one you choose.

Also, in the case of historical novels or period dramas, 'how much archaic phrasing' to include is also related to the difficulty.

Terms and phrasings that are 'not very familiar' in modern times will likely make some readers feel it is 'hard to get into' or 'difficult.'

However, if you write only in modern language without including any of those, it will lose its 'period piece' feel.

Whether one feels it is 'difficult' or 'too easy and unsatisfying' also depends on the reader's proficiency.

For example, for a 'beginner' in historical or period novels, archaic writing will likely feel high in difficulty.

However, for an 'expert' who has already read many historical and period novels, they should be able to read through a certain amount of historical terminology and old phrasing with ease.

When you are unsure about what level of difficulty to aim for, keeping in mind 'which level of reader you are writing for' will make it easier to choose your writing style.

(By the way, among my own works, I think the two below show the clearest difference in difficulty... The top one is difficult, and the bottom one is easy↓.)

■ Changing the 'complexity' of the story

In addition to the writing style, there is also the 'difficulty' of the story itself.

First, there is the 'amount' and 'density' of information.

For example, in historical novels or period dramas, it is about how much terminology and knowledge related to that era is included, or in medical stories, how much obscure medical jargon is included.

The more 'information' there is that is unknown to the reader—and unfamiliar and difficult—the higher the difficulty of reading becomes.

The second is the complexity of the structure.

Surprises and 'plot twists' that turn things around make a work exciting and 'interesting'.

However, if taken too far, it makes the reader feel 'I don't know what's going on anymore' or 'I can't keep up'.

When 'plot twists' are layered upon 'plot twists' to the point where it's like 'the back of the back is the front,' some readers will be able to tell that 'it's the front now,' while others will be confused, wondering, 'Is it the front now? Or the back?'

The third is the difficulty of the theme.

When dealing with philosophical themes or problems that have no answer, stories tend to become complex and difficult.

Also, whether you make the 'perspective' simple or complex and multifaceted will affect the difficulty.

For example, in a story where the 'protagonist's side' and the 'enemy's side' have different 'forms of justice'...

If you narrow the perspective down to just the 'protagonist's side' and depict only their justice, it will be easy for the reader to understand.

On the other hand, if you tell the 'other form of justice' from the 'enemy's side,' the story becomes more complex, and while it may sometimes confuse or bewilder the reader, it adds 'depth' to the story and can even strengthen the impression of the story by making the reader 'think'.

(...However, such 'thought-provoking' stories often leave a vague feeling after reading, so there will be readers who do not like that. And I think there are also plenty of readers who prefer simple stories with 'only one side's justice'.)

The above three are the main ones, but... if these three elements are too many, it becomes difficult, and if they are too few, it diminishes the appeal of the story itself so finding the 'perfect balance' is difficult (after all, which line is 'just right' depends on the reader)...

In my case, I often adjust the 'overall difficulty' by balancing it with other difficulty factors, such as 'if the theme is complex, I will at least lower the difficulty of the writing'.

■ Selection of 'Explanations'

There is a saying, "an explanation with neither too much nor too little", but...

The 'amount' of 'explanation' also relates to the difficulty level.

For readers with little knowledge or lower comprehension, more detailed and more frequent 'explanations' are necessary.

For example, explanations of the world-building, the characters' 'feelings', the situation, terminology, knowledge, etc.

Everyone's level of knowledge and comprehension is different.

Even things that the author thinks, 'I probably don't need to explain this,' may require an explanation for some people.

If the story keeps moving forward without any explanation, readers may not be able to keep up and might drop out halfway through.

However, if you include too many explanations for everything, the text becomes long and tedious to read.

Also, readers who already have sufficient knowledge and comprehension might think the 'explanations are excessive'.

Furthermore, explaining things that are 'already obvious' can be a 'turn-off' and diminish the appeal of the story.

This is another problem where finding the 'perfect balance' is difficult, and there is no clear answer as to what is 'best'...

■ Writing while remembering your beginner days as a reader

When I am conscious of the 'difficulty' of a novel, what I often do is 'remember the time when I was a beginner at reading'.

For example, 'When I was in elementary school, I couldn't read the word "Arigatou" (thank you)...' or 'When I first saw the word "Naishi" (to/or), I thought, "What is this, noji?"...'

I recall the time when I didn't know much, couldn't read kanji, or misunderstood the content.

No one was able to read stories fluently from the very beginning.

No one was able to easily understand difficult content from the very beginning.

By remembering those 'times when I couldn't do it' and thinking about the text for 'my past self', I can keep the difficulty from rising too high.

Personally, I believe that 'never forget your beginner's spirit' is an especially important proverb for creators.

There are always 'beginners' in the world.

Not forgetting one's own 'beginner's mindset' is very useful when creating things for such 'beginners'.

■ I want readers to choose the difficulty level themselves

I have talked about various 'difficulty levels' so far, but...

In the end, whether it is difficult or easy is nothing more than the 'compatibility between the work and the reader'.

No matter how much effort the author makes to lower the difficulty, some readers might think, 'It's still way too difficult, I don't feel like reading it.'

Conversely, there will also be readers who think, 'It's too simple and childish. I don't feel like reading it.'

Perhaps it is a 'miracle' for the difficulty level of a work and the comprehension level of a reader to 'perfectly balance'.

...However, don't you think it's just too much that this situation is a 'reader gacha for the author' and a 'work gacha for the reader'?

So, I thought, 'Couldn't I have the readers themselves choose their preferences in writing, including difficulty?' and I have been 'experimenting' with this ever since I opened the site.

Specifically, I am talking about the 'customization feature' for the novels posted on the site...

I have made it possible to 'adjust' to some extent the amount of technical terms and knowledge (archaic expressions), or the amount of text itself.

...However, since I make them manually, the downside is that they cannot be adjusted very finely...

(And, in the first place, it seems that there are few readers who even notice the customization feature.)

Also, as I wrote at the beginning of this article, by 'varying the difficulty level for each work', I am trying to increase the 'variety of difficulty levels'.

(In the case of an omnibus collection of short stories, there are some where the difficulty level differs for each short story. ← In most cases, I change the difficulty level to match the type of protagonist.)

By increasing the variety, I hope to increase the reader's options even a little...but I don't know if it's effective at the moment.