Author reflections
How I Got Started With LitRPG
It’s a fabulous genre, but a steep learning curve.
Perhaps you have heard about LitRPG?
It has become a popular trend in fiction, especially among indie authors. A lot of people have recognised the massive success of writers such as Tao Wong, Matt Dinniman, Dakota Krout, and more, and are looking to join their ranks. Dinniman, for example, hit the top 30 in the whole Amazon store with his most recent release:
I have written elsewhere about what the genre is, and how to get started. This is just a brief reflection on my own journey.
I guess I had read what could be called LitRPG-adjacent books before I’d ever heard the term. For example:
- Novels set in D&D-linked worlds, such as Forgotten Realms.
- Sci-fi stories based upon video games, such as Elite: The Dark Wheel.
- Fighting Fantasy books.
- Ready Player One.
Some of these might nowadays be categorized as gamelit.
I was also an avid player of tabletop roleplaying games such as D&D, and enjoyed video games like Skyrim. These are all important elements of how LitRPG works — and good preparation for authors in the genre.
At the time I first actually came across LitRPG as a term, I loved the sound of a genre where stats were built into the story. I knew immediately that I would have a blast writing books like that.
As I began to seriously consider writing LitRPG, an important nudge to dive in came through speaking to other authors. I spoke to several at a 20 books to 50k conference, including the highly successful Dakota Krout, author of the Divine Dungeon series (I don’t expect that he or any of the other authors would actually remember me, but they were very generous with their time and expertise).
By that point, I had already begun writing historical fantasy books. In fact, I would probably have jumped onto the LitRPG train sooner if I hadn’t been busy with my first published series, the Druid Stones Saga.
As it was, I kept the notion at the back of my mind for quite a while, not wanting to take on too much at once. I wrote the first book of the Shadow Kingdoms series over a year before I actually released it. Meanwhile, I completed all 5 books of the Druid Stones Saga (at least in 1st draft), plus a prequel novella!
Perhaps that was a mistake — for while the genre is lucrative, it gets more crowded by the day. I may have had more success if I had dived in sooner.
But overall, I’m glad that I wrote what I did and took the time to make the connections I now have with other LitRPG authors. This time has resulted in my completing my Sparta Online series, and collaborating with another ten authors on a fantastic anthology, Git Gud.
Now I am deep in the genre — and I love it!
If you’d like to have a go at writing LitRPG, check out the links below.
p.s. you should get my posts direct to your inbox. Do that here! Also, if you’d like to experience Medium yourself, consider supporting me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It only costs $5 per month, it genuinely supports writers, and you have the chance to make serious money with your own writing as well! By signing up with this link, you’ll support me directly with a portion of your fee. It won’t cost you extra. If you do so, thank you so very much!
