What People Do Wrong On Wattpad...

Wattpad is great and so are most (90%) of the people on the site. You have the chance to meet people, share your work and see a lot of new things from people from different backgrounds.

Things that I would advise the average wattpader Not to do:

1. Do Not post up work that is nowhere near finished. If you write poems/songs you probably shouldn't post them unless your finishing up a book full of them. If you write stories and you do this people are going to think you're a joke if you've posted more than one story with fewer then 3 pages. And, they're gonna stop taking you serious. So, when you have something you been working seriously on and want to get the word out there, it's gonna be that whole 'boy who cried wolf' kind of situation.

 I say this as advice with the dangers in mind. You may have a single idea (a poem) that's part of a bigger project (a book). What I'm saying is that if that bigger project is nowhere near done, that's ok. But, if you're thinking about posting a poem or a chapter from that book, that poem or chapter should be complete or nearly complete.

And, when I say 'danger' I mean people stealing/using your ideas, which is nearly impossible to stop but you can make it difficult. And, that's what I would suggest. Make it difficult for people to steal your thunder.

This is just my opinion on how it looks to a reader. I, the reader, do not want to start reading a chapter of a book knowing that the chapter is still being created. Honestly. To me that leaves me open for the opportunity that something I read may not even be in the final cut. Then, I have to mentally go back and  reread the story to the new line. It's not an appealing idea for me, the reader with limited time on my schedule and a life of my own to manage and maintain.

Sit down finish the thought. There's no rush. There will be people on wattpad to read your stuff once you finish it. Once again, this is my opinion on how you can have more people not only reading your work but respecting you as a writer. 

Yes, everyone has a process which should be their own. I should not, could not and would not want to think to tell you to change your process. What I am saying is for your sake primarily and your reader's sake secondarily; show some consideration for your followers and potential readers by being patient and letting your process happen on your own time and not theirs.

I know there are some great writers on this website (RonnyCee23) but, as you see in the initial message I stated "Things that I would advise the average wattpader Not to do". Now I'm not the one to say who is good and who is not. I'm simply trying to help the average and maybe even subpar writer to be taken a bit more seriously.

It is true that to build a following you need to post over a long period of time. Consistency is key. I'm not saying to post your work all at once but, at least let the ideas you post be completed ideas.

You're writing a song? You got two verses done and still, you think more may come to you... It's fine to post the first verse or maybe even both if you would like but, I would say avoid posting the half or quarter verse that just came to you and you love so much.

2. Do Not post up your work thinking that your material is so good that you're going to get reads, votes and follows just like that. I have actually made this mistake myself. No matter how good, in-depth, detailed, relatable, funny or original your writing style is you have to be genuinely active on the website. Yes, genuinely active not just active.

What's the difference between the two??

Genuinely active is to take full advantage of everything the website has to offer and following the guidelines while doing so. It is not the easiest thing to do, especially if you're new to the site and anxious to share you work. It will take some getting used to. Maybe even a couple warnings from site moderators but, it is well worth it in the long run. Join clubs & discussions, start discussions, have some fun, compete in an writing competition (copyright the work you enter in these competitions), introduce yourself to people, ask that they introduce themselves to you, whoever busy you may be, check you their work breifly even if only to know what they're about and where they're coming from, if you come across something you like comment or vote on it, dedicate a chapter of your work to a follower, maintain a healthy level of respect and decency in the face of critics, adversaries and even blatant haters. And, last but not least, do not be afraid to follow someone whose work you've read or talked to and felt you related in the tiniest of senses.

Now, active is something different entirely. Just being active may be as time consuming as being genuinely active but, the results are polar opposites. When you are being active you may do some of the following: going around to different clubs and spamming about your works whether it is the appropiate category or not, starting discussions that do not adhere to the club or posted rules, telling people to read your work but not showing an interest in anybody's work by reading, commenting, voting or adding their work to your list or library, not updating your profile or works regularly, not respecting people with different opinions, not talking to people, joining discussions or competitions.

When you are genuinely active you wattpading experience you be much better. You will get more reads, comments, votes and even followers. True followers.