Watty 2023 Prep Talk #2: Watty Rules or Holy Cow!

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by DomiSotto

by DomiSotto

First, hugs to the fanfiction writers who got cut out. Argh.

Second, the new timeline is even tighter than last year. OUCH! Usually I advise to finish everything by August 1st, take a deep breath in, then reread summaries and loglines, think about stuff, then submit. This year, I am afraid that the soaking period is very short, so plan accordingly.

Third, the 'you have one shot at it, kid' rule. I would still take a shot at it this year if your book is completed and hope for the best. It might change next year.

Fourth, new genres. It looks like Wattpad subdivided General Fiction into topical subgenres. But I am not seeing a category where, say, a coming of age fiction fits in. The description of the Action/Thriller and Mystery/Detective is basically identical. Oh, well, we kind of know, 'kay?

Last, but not least, the biggest elephant in the room is the ongoing stories.

Guys, reading everything Wattpad posts about Verticals and Serialization as new buzzwords and the rules, I would strongly caution using this category to enter anything but a long serialized fiction you have a backlog of 10-20 episodes for.

Otherwise, the requirements to remain eligible for the shortlist will suck a life out of you between June and October, forcing you to update weekly until the Shortlist is announced (10 weeks from August 8 onward).

If you still want to give it a shot, the good news is that in 2024 you will still get another shot at Watty with the same story. But that's the last year we might be able to have 2 shots at Watty.

I kept going back and forth on using it to enter 'The Tetrachromat', since it would work great for this year's Culture category, but it is very, very, very risky thanks to extra work required.

As a mentor, I also feel it's irresponsible of me to take on a commitment to produce new content in June-August. I can probably slice backlogged 2K words' chapters in 500 word pieces, but come on. That borders on gaming the system. The Tetrachromat is an interesting book. I hope it's Immediate and Engaging, but I'm pretty sure it's not Commercial.

Let's discuss looking at your story prior to editing through the lens of the genres offered in Watty 2023, the IEC principles, Serialization and Verticals next.

Buckle up, Watty 2023 is upon us!