Step 1: Have an idea

Just have some sort of basic concept. It can be anywhere from a unique take on a well-used genre or a completely new idea. It can be an original story or it can be a fanfic of an already existing story. As long as it doesn't blatantly rip off a story.

Step 2: Create a basic outline of the story

Write everything you can about your ideas for the story in a few paragraphs. This isn't the story yet but a rough draft. Read through this afterwards and try to figure out what genres your story will fall under. This will help you determine what type of mood or atmosphere you'll try to create.

Step 3: Where to write this

RRL has a comprehensive draft system and plenty of tools while writing that most people ignore. RRL is unreliable when it comes to writing despite all their attempts to be otherwise. During major updates the coding can get messed up, drafts can be deleted, and recent posts may not register. Plus there are glitches that can mess up the spacing in chapters.

These are rare issues but it's better to use other websites and resources overall. Since websites like Gdoc, Microsoft word, and Apple notes(mobile) have autocorrect built into them. Plus they are useful places to keep extra copies of your chapters.

Remember to edit the copies of your chapters then copy/paste onto RRL when you make any changes. This saves you the effort of doing the editing twice. Plus it bypasses the spacing glitch which occurs during "quick edit." Also bypasses the bottom cut-off glitch for "full edit" that only affects mobile devices.

I've found that it's best to write chapters on a mobile device. Proofread them on a computer. Then post them with either or. Using Gdocs is a good way to transfer chapters from a mobile device to a computer and vice versa. This is due to Gdocs having a mobile app, beware the app doesn't work with large documents unless you have wifi.

Step 4: Create a prologue

A prologue isn't the first chapter of a story but rather something that comes beforehand. It's where you explain the events that lead up to the point of the story. Good ones often include world-building and plenty of dialogue.  But remember that it's not supposed to contain the main character unless it's a reincarnation story. It's background info, leave recent events, the protagonist's problem, and stuff like that to chapter one.

Step 5: Create chapter one

Most people would post their story after finishing their prologue but this isn't always good to do. It's better to create your first chapter and make sure that your prologue still suits it. 

In chapter one, you introduce your protagonist and whatever issue/journey/quest/etc they'll face. This often determines the route of the story or at least, the first arc. It's also where people are most likely to decide whether or not to keep reading your fiction.

It's a good idea to keep things relatively vague especially things related to the plot. This allows for the info to be introduced later on when it'll be relevant to the events occurring at the time. Plus it'll prevent annoying info dumps.

Also, keep things related to skills or rankings vague too. This will allow you to scale any rankings to more accurately represent them. Instead of throwing around high rankings everywhere then creating plot holes later on or making the protagonist grossly overpowered.

Step 6: Go back and read what you have written

This will allow you to spot any errors or inconsistencies in your fiction so far. Plus it'll help you decide whether or not it's ready to post yet. 

Go back to the original outline from step 2. See how the story has changed from there. Adjust your story if there are any bad changes.

Step 7: Create a cheat sheet

On a separate document or notes page write down anything relevant. Anything from personalities, positions, descriptions, and back stories. Even things that aren't in the story yet or only foreshadowed. 

This acts as a place where you can quickly check stuff to avoid inconsistencies and plot holes. It can also hold important plot information that you're planning so you don't forget. It helps to keep characters static and not make them seem unnaturally similar.

Step 8: Proofreading

Not only is there plenty of people willing to help you but there are websites too. Gdocs and Microsoft word have spellcheck and word count but not much else. Websites like wordcounter.net do everything from telling you how many words and paragraphs you have to if you overuse a certain word. Then, there are websites like Hemingwayapp.com which point out awkward wording, overuse of adverbs, and even if your wording is too advanced for the average mind.

In the case of wanting people to help you, simply ask around for a proofreader. There's a section in the forum under Assistance Request dedicated to proofreaders and those seeking them. Plus on chat, there's often grammar nazis willing to go over a chapter or two but they're a temporary solution. It's best to use Gdocs and allow commenting to do this. Since people can point out mistakes without directly changing them.

Proofreading/Review thread: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10928

The final, and most common, approach is simply asking fans to point out any mistakes. Which is unlikely to happen since they'd have point out where the mistake is. It's a tedious thing that won't happen except for the worst mistakes like plot holes. 

Step 9: Determine your release speed

You should quickly figure out a release speed and average chapter size for your fiction and keep to it consistently. Choose whatever works best for you.

A. Slow releases- A slow release is generally around 1 chapter every 2 weeks to a month. Any longer and most people won't read it until it gets a lot of chapters or finishes. If you choose this kind of release then it's recommended to have long chapters to make up for the time gap. 5k words is a good average in terms of long chapters, but it doesn't hurt to have more.

B. Fast releases- Fast releases is anywhere from 3 chapters a day to once a week. This type of release is the most preferred kind for readers yet is the most stressful kind for authors. Usually, the chapters are short to reflect the short times between releases. But it should be at least 1k words per chapter. Having any less is annoying as they'll feel like fragments of chapters rather than full ones. But if you want to hybrid release, go right ahead. Make sure that the important chapters are long while less important ones are the short ones.

C. Hybrid- A mix of slow and fast releases. It's best to avoid this kind of release and just do slow releases. If you've got time to make a chapter and then some then do so. Then release them at a consistent time. Maybe save the extra chapter for when you're busy or do a double chapter during a special day.

D. Volume releases- This is a style of release where you wait until you have a whole arc done then post them all at once. This is recommended for mystery fictions or other genres rich in foreshadowing. This is because readers may guess an important plot-twist correctly early on and unnerve you. It can also be used by people that aren't confident in keeping up with releases or have several fictions and don't want to neglect them. It's recommended to post the chapters at 15-30 min intervals to keep the fiction on the update board for as long as possible.

Step 10: Submit your idea

http://www.royalroadl.com/guide/2/

Step 11: Check your fiction 

Every once in awhile go to your fiction and check any reviews or comments. Positive comments/reviews are nice but almost useless. They can give you the encouragement to keep writing but can also inflate your ego to the point you ignore anything negative.

Written reviews tend to be the most important as they have the most content. Comments may have advice but that usually applies to just that chapter. Written reviews have widespread info about all the chapters. Pay more attention to the negative/neutral ones than the positive ones. Since those ones generally have advice that can be used to improve your fiction and points out flaws.

Step 12: Status of a fiction

When you have a fiction sometimes things pop up to get in your way. Real life issues, planned revamps, hiatus, dropping, and other things can happen. Here are some ways to express this:

A. Put it in the synopsis. You can have something under the synopsis that can say a percent of the completion of the next chapter. Alongside something about it like hiatus (delayed indefinitely), minor delay, writer's block, or something more specific like RL issues. You could also put down that it's being revamped and the percent revamped so far. Or you could simply say that it's been dropped. The downside to this is that not many people read the synopsis or skim over it so they won't notice. Plus it can get complicated if you have more than one fiction.

B. Do a post on your fiction to keep for statuses of chapters and other things. Problem is that people won't frequent it that often. Plus readers, especially followers, will be disappointed that it wasn't a chapter.

C. Do a single post to inform people immediately after a chapter. This works well for hiatuses, revamps, and dropping but not for much else. Since it's immediately after a chapter, people won't be disappointed by the lack of a chapter. Can combine this with B in order to remove one of its drawbacks.

D. Put links to your fiction(s) alongside its/their status(es) in your signature. Seems like a good idea at first since it'll show up at the end of every post but it has a major drawback. The drawback is that signatures don't show on the mobile version of RRL.

E. Put links and statuses at the end of each chapter. Using ["hr"] to create a pseudo-signature that shows up on the mobile version. This option would be good if you have only a few fictions, if not it can create quite a lot of clutter and be tedious to do.

Step 13: Donation button

Here are the rules about donation buttons and where to apply for one: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10417

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This is a guide focused on creating and then managing fictions. Feel free to post links to other things that can help in the comments. Also, feel free to suggest stuff to be added in like extra details, alternate choices, new steps, corrections, and even your own opinion on certain things.

That's helpful, thank you

Awesome guide, thanks for the read.

Very Informative Guide, Thanks for the great read

This was very informing thanks!