The (Unofficial) Wattpad Writer's Manual

SECTION 7: Posting Etiquette

SECTION 7: Posting Etiquette

Yes, there is such a thing so stop staring at me and close your mouth! ...it's not nice to point.

Anyway, the reason I included this section is because it can get messy quickly when posting. I'm talking about the author's notes. While I find it refreshing to read what you have to say about the story, at least let me ENJOY the story before I have to read everything you're internally thinking!

I don't even put author's notes in my text unless I have no other choice whatsoever. In my current 20 chapter book, His Mistress-Slave, you will not find ONE word from me anywhere but in the comments sections! And it's usually all in reply to what someone else commented on.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do love the occasional author's insights, mostly only if it makes me laugh, but try and keep it to a minimum and clearly define when it's you and when it's part of the story.

And, I'm not going to lie to you. When I'm reading on my iPhone Wattpad app, I just skip right by the author's notes because I want to read my story like I would in a regular paperback. So there it is. Keep that in mind whenever you post because while it's ok to throw in shout out or tell the world you love gummy bears just because you want us to know (I heart random!!!!), it shouldn't be so long that the reader is going to get into your inner monologue and forget about the story!

I also find that, depending on your style, you can type in the chapter number at the top of each section. This works best on readers, like the iPhone Wattpad App, because it doesn't show the chapter information at the top like the website does. So that's up to you. I personally don't put any of it in there. I used to, but then I changed my mind and thought it would be a little more clean and streamlined without it.

And while you may think it necessary to post and then send a message to all your fans that you posted. It really isn't necessary. Trust me, they will get the first message automatically each time you post. If they're reading their emails, then they will see the message. At least, if you are going to gently remind folk that your story is up and waiting for them to read, plug in something more insightful than "it's up now". Use this opportunity to throw in there that you are creating a new book. Or that things are heating up between so and so, look and see what's coming next. Thrill me! Knock my socks off!

AND, another tip. I know that editing in Word or whatever other text program can get tedious. I'll write my chapter, then I'll edit once, then I'll upload, and THEN, I'll read my text over again (the next day so I can get different perspective), just so that I can see the final output and tweak whatever needs to be done. Obsessive compulsive? Slightly. Beneficial? Most definitely.

Side Note on Photos, Artwork, Covers and Videos: I don't expect everyone to be an artist. I don't care what your cover looks like, as long as you have one that relates to the story! Heck, go crazy and throw in a related music video or select your cast. Show the character's in a rotating .gif - whatever you want to do. I love when the author includes all these little additives into the story. It's really cool to see the words kind of come to life with all the visual cues. So if you can, use the tools that are set before you to enrich the reader experience, but only if it flows with your topic / story. Don't force it.

A good editing program (that I use in conjunction to Photoshop) is called PhotoScape. It's a free photo editing software which you can download to your desktop and use for a multitude of other things. My favorite tools within the program include "screen capture", "editor" and "animated .gif". I use this program religiously!

Download here: http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/download.php (make sure you're downloading PhotoScape and not the PDF creator or Image Viewer - unless you also need those things!)

Read about the program capabilities and view samples: http://www.photoscape.org.

Additional Screenshots: http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/screenshot.php