Doujin novels and quick notes on note

I'm G-pon, the writer for Sakimori no Osa.
Well, having spent the last six months posting my past doujin novels (transcribed from TRPG replays) on note, I've discovered a few bits of know-how. Since I haven't seen anyone else touching on these points, I thought I'd write a few of them down.

1. note is well-suited for doujin novels

This is something others often say, but note is better suited for starting doujin novels casually than other services.

• The screen is easy to read. The font, background color, and line spacing are well-designed for reading long-form text.

• Basic features like ruby text and center alignment are covered.

• Illustrations and links can also be inserted easily.

• Using the magazine feature, you can specify the order in which you want them read.
  (This is a very helpful feature when you write things like 'Character Introductions' later on.)

Of course, there are some points I'm not entirely satisfied with.

• You cannot change the order of articles unless you use the magazine feature (you can only sort by timestamp).

• There is no freedom in cropping header images (when a banner is cropped, it is cut into a horizontal rectangle in the center, which can make design difficult).

• It's a bit difficult to post 18+ content. (Although it seems you can use zoning under the current terms of service, there isn't as much of it as on other services.)

I discussed these points with my fellow collaborators, Weapon Smith Hat-kun and Yukara Ryumonji, and the opinion was that since it's a tool primarily for writers, they might have intentionally narrowed down the options.

By the way, you can't do vertical writing on note. But honestly, when reading text on the web, I don't think vertical writing is that necessary. I've seen services that force vertical writing, but the usability is often not very good.

Another thing is that I haven't really heard of any major flame wars or chaotic situations on note. Even though some articles use quite rough language, there doesn't seem to be much chaos in the comment sections. This makes it very easy to post text.
To be honest, I'm not posting here with the motivation of wanting others to critique my work. Actually, before that, if you ask why I write novels, it's above all because "I want to read them myself." Weapon Smith Hat-kun and Yukara Ryumonji also say they draw illustrations because they want to grin at them themselves.
Reading on note is easier than just looking at a text editor, especially because the line spacing is appropriate, and there's no risk of accidental deletion. I've also chosen to make them public for people who like these kinds of stories and for old friends I used to play TRPGs with.
That's why the soil here on note is convenient for me. Well, of course, I'm happy when the PVs and likes increase, but...

2. Some verification results

Now, since I'm publishing novels in this format, I've learned a few things by observing the PVs. These aren't really written in the note beginner guides, so I'll talk about them as a sort of memo.

Create a sense of the extraordinary in the title

Looking at the PVs for my own series, "Migite-kun no Hon," I found that the title makes a significant difference. Surprisingly, the presence or absence of the word "Majin" (Demon God) makes a difference.

"Migite-kun Big HANABI" -> "Flame MajinMigite-kun Big HANABI"

Actually, just this doubled the PVs. Well, it's a story about going from 50 to 100, lol.
Thinking about it, it's obvious, but no matter how much it's a series, people see the latest issue first, so if the title doesn't convey the characteristics, it won't work. Just the name of the protagonist, Migite-kun, doesn't tell you what it is. It seems it doesn't catch people's eyes unless you include a catchy keyword like "Majin." It's obvious, but this was a blind spot.

Character count per article

　I received some feedback from a reader I know in real life who said, "When I'm reading an article with over 10,000 characters on my smartphone and I have to stop halfway through, I lose track of where I was." With a printed book, you can just use a bookmark, but that doesn't work for web novels. Some services have a bookmark feature, but it often doesn't work very well. Naturally, note doesn't have such a feature either.
　This means it's better to structure things so that the story continues in the next article after about 7,000 characters. It does seem easier to follow when there's a break in the story at that length. I failed with the "Hagure Mashin Hito Arc" (each article was just under 20,000 characters), so I decided to split it up by sections. Of course, this increases the number of articles per story, but I can just bundle them into a magazine.

About illustrations

　As a writer, I ask Bukikaji Boushi-kun and Yukara Ryumonji, who is active on pixiv, to do my illustrations. While these aren't strictly necessary for a novel, they seem quite important when considering the layout. Even when looking at them on the web, illustrations create breathing room, which helps pace the reader, especially in long articles.

　Well, I understand that outsourcing illustrations is very difficult. It was something I, as a writer, hadn't even imagined, but it's because "illustrations, insert art, and manga are all completely different things." Just because someone can draw manga doesn't mean they can draw illustrations well, and as for insert art, it might be the genre that illustrators dislike the most.
　The reason is simple: you can't draw insert art without reading the text. And artists are often not good at reading or writing text... they draw because they aren't good at those things. There is also a significant difference between illustrations and manga; people who draw manga often have a story in their heads and want to arrange it like a movie. In a sense, it's closer to video. Many illustrators don't follow that flow; they prefer to draw a single, striking, cropped scene.

　I've been rambling, but for those reasons, asking for illustrations is extremely difficult. The reason I can ask Bukikaji Boushi-kun and Yukara Ryumonji for illustrations is actually because we were at the same TRPG table, so to speak, we experienced the same situation. That's why we can express the same thing through text and illustration. This is, in a sense, a special case. (It's a story unique to TRPG replay novels.)

　The solution is quite difficult. However, if a friend is willing to draw cuts for you, we writers should be truly grateful, and we should at least make an effort to convey the image accurately. If you just say "draw this scene" and hand over a draft, both parties will likely end up dissatisfied.

• By the way, the ultimate solution is to do both the art and the writing yourself, but that in itself is quite difficult. However, even if it's amateurish, as long as the atmosphere is conveyed, that's enough. It's worth a try.

• Using photos you've taken yourself is an interesting experiment. I plan to have Bukikaji Boushi-kun talk about photos and doujinshi in a separate article, so please consider it.

3. Summary for today

　I've summarized a few things I've noticed after posting doujin novels on note. I'm not a super popular writer or anything, and above all, I'm the type who creates doujin novels because I want to read them myself, which makes me the least helpful type of person here on note. Of course, on note, how-to articles and the like are mainstream, and there are many writers aiming for monetization. In that respect, my direction is completely different.
　However, because of that, I'm able to spend my time comfortably and write what I want to read and write. I think this is also a valid way to use the platform.

　If I have another opportunity, I'd like to talk about hobbies and doujin know-how in this format again. See you then.