Write a Web Novel, Step by Step
Follow one web novel, They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt, from first idea to ready-to-serialize in TypeTak.
This is the real record of a story that started from one word, “earth mage.” It covers working out the worldbuilding, laying out events on the board, writing a 5,000-character chapter 1, and revising it before it goes live. The example is They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt (흑마법사라는데 흙만 잘 팝니다), a Korean web novel written in Korean. Korean web novels are fiction serialized online in short installments, and each one has to end on a hook. The chats, agent answers, and manuscript in this course are translated from the Korean original. The comedy rests on a Korean pun: “earth magic” and “dark magic” are both pronounced heuk-mabeop.
Every lesson includes the exact messages sent to the agent, so you can swap a few words and follow along with your own story. You can finish the whole course on the free plan. What you need and how to follow along are in “Before you start.”
- Before you start · 4 min
Before You Start — Getting Ready for They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt
What this course builds, what you need, and how to follow along. You can finish the whole course on the free plan.
- 1Part 1 · Ideation · 8 min
From a One-Line Idea to Web Novel Worldbuilding — They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt, Part 1: Ideation
Start from one message, “give me worldbuilding for an earth mage concept,” and in six exchanges settle the title, the chapter 1 twist, the academy, and the characters, then save it all to the World.
- 2Part 2 · Board · 6 min
Plenty of Lore, but No Idea What Happens Next — They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt, Part 2: Board
Your lore is all in the World, but you can't tell what happens in the next chapter. Ask the agent where the gaps are, choose, and organize the events by arc on the board.
- 3Part 3 · Chapter 1 draft · 5 min
Ending a 5,000-Character Chapter 1 on a Cliffhanger — They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt, Part 3: Chapter 1 Draft
Say “write chapter 1,” and the agent finds and reads the lore it needs in the World, shows you a plan first, then writes a 5,005-character chapter 1. New lore from the finished manuscript goes back into the World.
- 4Part 4 · Revising · 5 min
Chapter 1 Is Done. Where Do You Start Fixing It? — They Say I'm a Dark Mage, but All I'm Good At Is Digging Dirt, Part 4: Revising
Get feedback on chapter 1 without waiting for a reader. Revision notes flag a repeated mocking scene and the clue behind the misunderstanding, and one sentence gets swapped for a different phrasing.
- 5Part 5 · Sharing · Coming soon
Share your manuscript and World, and export files for your serial