An Office Worker's Web Novel Author Challenge

WasabiDog made mobile games at EA Mobile and Com2us and now works as a graphic designer on the photo editing app PhotoScape. In the 1990s, WasabiDog contributed to a short story collection put out by a fantasy club on Chollian, one of Korea's early online services, and recently started writing fantasy web novels again while holding down a full-time job. We talked about finding time after work, what got in the way after so many years away from writing, and how revision works.

What got you into writing web novels while working a full-time job?

I've always been interested in genre literature, especially fantasy. Back in the Chollian era (1990s), I was active in a fantasy club called 'Sword and Magic Club' and even participated in publishing a short story collection once. As I got older, my interest gradually diminished, but recently, with the web novel boom, I suddenly felt the urge to try writing myself.

As an office worker, what was hardest about writing web novels alongside your job?

There would be as many difficulties as stars in the sky, but above all, securing time was the most challenging. As everyone knows, daily life isn't just made up of company work and writing. I truly admire those who somehow manage to pull it off.

What did you do to balance writing with work?

Initially, I looked for improvement methods focused on time management, starting with reducing sleep time, utilizing spare time, and scheduling. Now I think what makes all these things possible is ultimately physical strength and concentration. I feel this more and more as I get older.

What made you start using a writing tool?

When I tried to write again after a long time, there were quite a few areas where I got stuck. Creating completeness for each episode's story wasn't easy, changing my writing style that had become rigid over time was challenging, and unlike the club days, it was almost impossible to get advice on my writing or hear readers' reactions. Just when I was about to give up on writing, I tried TypeTak with the mindset of "might as well give it a shot," and it felt like I gained a reliable secretary who could help solve various problems together.

What changed once you started using TypeTak?

The biggest change was that I wasted much less time on one or two sentences, and I could respond quickly without getting lost when controlling the pace of paragraphs. Writing while consulting with TypeTak AI reduced worries about various minor details, and thanks to that, I could dedicate more time to thinking about the overall structure of my writing.

How did you get feedback on your writing?

I mainly ask questions about evaluation and improvement methods after completing a piece of writing. From a writer's perspective, having a third party, whether human or AI, objectively review my writing and discuss it is a great help. From the perspective of an aspiring writer who finds it difficult to confirm readers' reactions, TypeTak's question feature was quite helpful in looking back at my writings more objectively and making revisions.

What was the hardest part of revising?

There were quite many cases where I wrote what I thought was a scene, but the sentences weren't satisfactory. Sometimes the content seemed to drag on, or it felt difficult for readers to understand. I tried revising several times, but since it came from the same person's mind, it didn't change much like "same old, same old." Breaking out of my own writing style by myself is really not an easy task. However, I was able to solve this problem to some extent through TypeTak's AI sentence recommendation feature. Of course, TypeTak doesn't create 100% satisfactory alternatives like a magic wand, but it suggested new and diverse expressions I had never thought of, which was a great help in finding clues for improvement.

Could you show us a scene you revised?

While developing the final antagonist's personality in the novel I'm writing, I had to change the tone accordingly. In the initial setting, the final antagonist was an enthusiastic fanatic type, and accordingly, I used the following dialogue in the story:

But fear not! At last, the throne of the abyss shall manifest in the world, and you shall be reborn as new beings under the guidance of the greatest ones!

Then, feeling the need to change the final antagonist's personality to a clear-eyed madman, I had to modify this character's tone to a more gentle and calm feeling. For this, I obtained the following example sentences through TypeTak's 'question' feature:

• Innocent blood has been spilled, and the light of paradise has descended upon that place, so He has acknowledged us.
• Where innocent blood has soaked in, the light of paradise has come, and at last He has found us.
• Where innocent blood has flowed, the light of paradise dwells, and He has come to us.

This way, I was able to change the tone used by the final antagonist. Next, for scenes where prophecies are proclaimed intermittently, I wanted it to feel more like reading scripture rather than a calm feeling, so with TypeTak's help, I revised the dialogue as follows:

Truly, where the blood of unblemished sacrifice has been offered, the glorious light of paradise descends. At last, He shall have mercy on us and come to us with His holy presence.

What would you say to people trying their hand at web novels?

Even in these times when AI-assisted writing is becoming increasingly common, it is ultimately human will that completes and finishes that writing. TypeTak will be a practical tool and interesting companion that helps ensure that will doesn't break or fade unnecessarily. Finally, I express my sincere respect to all those challenging themselves with all forms of writing, not just web novels.