Crash Course For Aspiring Writers

Preparing Your Book

Hi! I'm Milofitia, but please call me Milo. I'm here to help you. You've opened my book because you wish to get better at writing, correct? Or you're here because you're bored. Whichever one you're here for, I'm happy to see you! In this chapter, I'll be going over preparing your book. I mean on Wattpad of course.

So, as you all know, Wattpad demands a name, a cover and a description for you to be allowed to publish a book. So, this chapter will be split into 3 parts where I'll go over each one.

Title

So this one is important. Your title is something that, more times than not, brings someone in. Names like 'Oneshot Book' are boring! Try to look up fancy words that have something to do with the themes in your book: for example, if it has to do with romance, type 'love synonyms' or a variant of it into google, and look in the list for something that makes your brain worms go 'mMMMM aesthetic word ooga booga'. For example, let's say you're writing a story about a murder mystery. I looked up 'anxiety synonyms' and already have a bunch of ideas: Disquietude, worriment, trepidation, misgiving, and so many more! Make sure it's a non-drab word.

Cover

Before I go into how I myself make my covers, I'll explain their importance and why you can't just leave it blank and let your profile picture fill the space. 

I have noticed two sorts of ways covers can go wrong in my time making them: 

1. The Cluttered One

These ones are, as the name implies, cluttered. This means that there are too many elements within your cover. Think of it as a room; if it's cluttered, you'll have trouble finding things, and your mum will shout at you to clean it- okay, this metaphor only works with having trouble finding things. Cluttered covers make it difficult for the eye to travel in a natural way, and can get tiring. I myself find myself turned off by cluttered covers, and therefore hesitate more to click on a story. Having a cluttered cover means you won't get that nice, smooth travel of the eye that you see on real-life books.

2. The Overly Empty One

As I have mentioned before, too many elements lead to eye tiring. But on the entirely opposing end of this spectrum, you have the Overly Empty Ones. These ones don't have enough elements to interest people. They tend to hold a singular color, a singular decoration and bland, generic text. These ones are boring; they tend to give the impression your story will be flat, boring and filled with stereotypes.

The importance of covers is often underestimated: they bring a person in, and plant a seed of wonder, of interest within them. That seed can grow to a full-blown plant if watered and fed correctly with a good title and description!

Now, here are my tips on your cover!

1. I personally use Canva. This app comes in Wattpad with no need for download, and to use it you simply need to click on the cover in the setting up of your book, and select 'Create Cover'. You must create an account, but it's entirely free. It has all of the things you need for a Wattpad Cover: elements you can look through, an option to add in an image you have on your computer, text and is incredibly intuitive and easy to use for beginners. There is an option to pay for a wider range of elements and images to add, but here's a secret: if you need something and you need to pay for it, look it up on Pinterest.

2. Start off with an image that has to do with your story; for example, if it has something to do with masking or hiding something, you can look up 'Mask' on the search bar and select the one you prefer. Try to be as straightforward as possible, and pick something not too complicated. You can then begin to add extra stuff! For example, you can add flowers into your mask image by placing their tips on the ends of the image.

3. Look through the text font options. There are some pre-formatted texts, but you can also select 'Add Title' and then the font and look up the look of the text you want. For example, if you want typewriter-esque font, you can type 'typewriter' into the search bar.

4. Move your elements around. Try to make them fit in next to each other nicely, to form a path your eye takes. Make sure your title pops.

Description

So, with this part, I will be closing off this first chapter!

If you used a fancy word in your title, I suggest you look up the definition (do this before picking a whole title, you'd be surprised what some words mean) of it and copy paste it into the description. Then, you're good and can get on with your description.

Quotes from within the book help. They give a peek into the book itself, and its atmosphere. If your book is filled with suspense, use quotes such as 'They're coming.' and other foreboding quotes. If your book is romantic, use quotes such as 'My heart would stop if I lost you.' (ehhhhh I'm sorry I'm not good with romance).

Next, we get into the meat and potatoes. The summary. I'll give you a quick insight on my previous descriptions.

"No one can stop time, no matter how many people want to, and how many people have given their life for a simple second to change an event in the past; a gun going off, a small push, a simple letter. But it still marches on, unforgiving and blind to the pleas of all. It remains as cold as a slab in a bank's walls, as infinite as... Well, nothing is as infinite as time; not even a spell surrounding a cursed island. Even that renews itself every Midspring, and when the tide is low, that is when the barrier between worlds is weakest, going back to its shielding purpose.

Why would you need to keep things out of the island, you ask?You don't need to keep things out; you need to keep something in. Something of such evil, such dark and malicious intents, that the very thing it creates, life, is after the very same thing it is; to infect the world of Lorln. And it may have just found its way out."

This description is from my 'Soaring Heights' book. I suggest you build up an interest in your story, leaving aspects that would explain everything out on purpose. It makes someone want to read more.

"The town of Ark Creek is your classic, run of the mill forest town. Small amount of citizens, clumps of forests separating buildings with only gravelled paths linking them, a few stores. It's all Milliana knows, having been born and lived her 16 years of life there. It's beautiful, yes, but gets boring on rainy days where the water hits the leaves of the greenery surrounding her family's remote (even by Ark Creek standards) house. Her dad is at work all day, and all her friends are either not allowed to go out in the rain or on holiday. It IS the summer holidays (well, summer. It rains too much for Wisteria to be happy), and they're all going to fancy resorts, the beach, or the mountains. Netflix isn't enough to keep her occupied, and her mind can't be bothered to work on another painting in the old greenhouse attached to the house she turned into her studio.Who would've thought a piece of paper would be enough to change her life? Not her, that's for sure."

This description is from my original story 'Strawberry Stone'. I suggest you quickly give background on the events that happen within the story by using a location, describing it and give a quick peek (once again) at your story's beginning. Never give detailed descriptions; that is like feeding a bird the whole bag of seeds in one go. Never do this. It satisfies the hunger for information, and they'll likely fly away before you can get them used to you. In non-metaphor, that means that they'll get their answers and won't read, won't get engaged knowing what happens. Keep it as vague as possible.

And with that, go on and go prepare! Comment your books, I want to see them :D