The Skin Thief

Updates

Hello readers!

Thank you so much for reading the Skin Thief, and I hope you all enjoyed it! 

Some of you may have noticed that this series is no longer a part of the Wattpad Originals. If you're reading this story for the first time, this and its sequel were part of the Originals Program from its release until around the 20th of April.

I thought I would come on here and explain some things about why it's left the program and the future of this series.

Why isn't it an Original anymore?

Well, to put it simply, it wasn't getting the reads and engagement it needed. Now, I was given the option to remain in the program without the support of Wattpad (no editorial feedback and no promotions), however, I decided that it was best if I left the program completely.

I made this decision for a few reasons, not all of which I will get into. The two main reasons are that I was struggling to keep up with the writing deadlines, and that I felt my writing style didn't fit with the way Wattpad works.

Because I was a pantser (didn't make solid plans for the story and kind of made it up as I went along), this meant that elements of this story are quite messy. Now, I am proud of my work, don't get me wrong, but it hasn't completely turned out the way I wanted. I think this is where my writing style doesn't fit with Wattpad, because this is basically a first draft that you are reading at the same time I'm writing it. This makes it really difficult sometimes because I have new ideas, or I change my mind about some things, or forget bits that I've written, and there are continuity errors. All these small things I can't go back and edit or change because they've already been read. It would sometimes leave me feeling insecure about this story because even though many of you have enjoyed it, I know it isn't the best I can do, and I know there are errors. Grammatical, pacing, continuity, etc.

What does being out of the Originals Program mean for the future of this story?

The Skin Thief is now completely mine to do whatever I want with, which is why I can post this message on the story as a chapter and not as a message on my profile. Wattpad has no involvement with it whatsoever.

Because many of you have invested in this series, I will try my best to complete book two. However, it will end there, and it won't necessarily wrap up the series as a whole. I had lots of plans, but as I've already mentioned, the series isn't quite working how I want it to in the state it's in. So, on Wattpad, it will end when book 2 is finished.

That doesn't mean I'm giving up on this story. I've had loads of new ideas for it and fully intend to rewrite it based on a mixture of feedback I've received and my own thoughts on what needs to stay and what needs to change. My writing style and the way I plan my stories have changed so much since I began this book.

Writing Future

I will slowly be moving away from Wattpad as I try and branch out into publishing my stories. I am grateful to everyone who has read and supported my stories; it means so much to me. I am also grateful for what I've learned from working with Wattpad. Overall, the experience has been mostly a positive one, but I wouldn't go back to working with them again. It is my dream to be a published author, and I don't think Wattpad can do that for me.

I am so proud of all my stories on this platform. But I know they aren't the best. I would hate for new readers to find my work, see all the flaws in them, and get put off reading any of my published stories in the future.

So, apart from finishing The Shadow Crawler, I'm not going to be as active on this platform any more.

Where can you find me?

I have Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. There are links in my profile bio to my pages. These pages are under a different name from my Wattpad one. The name I'll be using to publish my works is Chloe J. Bartlett. On these platforms, I will be documenting my writing journey as I try to publish my first story.

That story is The Mad Queen, which is my most popular story on this platform.

Now, like this story, because of my writing style at the time I created it, it has a lot of issues that need improving. However, it is a good read, so if you wanted to go and read it and leave some feedback for me as I write the new version, that would be epic!

And, at some point in the future, I will be rewriting The Skin Thief for publication, too! 

Anyway, that's enough from me for now.

Thank you all so much for reading and supporting my writing. I am so lucky, and I really appreciate all of you. I hope you can continue to follow my writing into the future!