We all know the feeling. You log onto Wattpad and there it is. One of your favorite stories on Wattpad has been updated. The worst feeling is seeing that is only one page. The next worst feeling is reading it and realizing that half of that ONE PAGE that you faithfully waited a week for is an author's note.
I'm not here to entirely bash the author's note. A little shout-out to your fans is nice and it makes everything a bit more personal; however, there are a few things in your author's note that should NEVER be done.
1. Tlk n txt spk. its moar annoyin then johnny d8ing sara
2. Speeel reelly badily n uses bad grammer. it's moar annoyin then txt spk.
3. Skip
lines
between
your
words
for
no
reason
4. PUT IT IN ALL CAPS SO THAT EVERYONE WHO LOADED THE PAGE CAN SEE THAT YOU WROTE AN AUTHOR'S NOTE!
5. use lots of punctuation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!wtf?!!?!?!?!!? Moar txt spk!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Threaten to stop uploading if you don't get a certain number of votes or comments. It's unfair to your readers. Not to mention most comments just say 'OMG sooo good upload soon' followed by some cutsie emoticon.
7. Ask your fans for advice on plotlines. All you will get is vampire, werewolf, boarding school, or teen pregnancy.
8. Give updates on your daily life that have no effect on your story whatsoever. I ate a bagel.
9.
Waste three lines of nothingness with no pay off but the word ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. Ask the person reading if they love you for uploading. Everyone on this website is a stranger to me. I don't love you. I may or may not love your novel.
11. Rawr. It's not cute. It's annoying and a waste of characters.
12. Talk about how cliche your idea is, but how you're going to try it anyway. Well, obviously.
13. *********Asterisks!***********
14. Put an author's note at the beginning AND the end. One is enough to convey your thoughts. Trust me.
15. D:< Use a ton of emoticons 0_o Annoying right? >.<
16. Explain/ summarize everything that happened in your chapter. I'm trying to help you, but I'm kind of insulting you.
17. not capitalizing anything or using periods when did that first sentence end
18. letyourfansknowthatyoureuberexcitedbynotspacingbetweenyourwords
The best thing that you can do is keep your Author's note short and sweet. Thank everyone who contributes to your story one day. And always let your readers know that is an author's note especially if your story is in the first person.
A/N Thanks for reading. If you have any thoughts, leave a comment.
