My Wattpad Experience #NonFicSpotlight #TheLiteraryAwards2017 #TNTWillContest

Making the Most of Your Experience

So, you're still here. Darn good to have ya! Now that I've slept, I'm going to share a few things that have helped me get, and make the most of, readers, followers and votes. Honestly, I didn't see the value in followers until recently, but the three go hand-in-hand-in-hand. :-)

1. Read. Read. Read. The first Wattpad book I read was by howto_ called How To: Get More Reads on Wattpad. It's a great book, because I was excited about my newest endeavor and when that happens I'm open to learning new things. This book taught me several things I won't disclose (go read it), but I found it very useful that first week on Wattpad. I used all of the tips I felt applied to me and noticed an immediate response.

2. Study. Study. Study. Writing is an Art. You either can or you try. There is no "cannot". You must invest in yourself as an Artist, so the second book I read was Editing by WritersClimax. Some things you just can't know enough about, and editing/proofreading/grammar is the one thing that applies to all Writers.

I have a couple of books in my Library, several others on both my Regular and Completed Reading Lists, and several more to get to on my Gonna Get Around To Reading List, so check out either of them if you want to get a glimpse of what Writers read. I do it all the time on other profiles. I want to see what Wattpad Rockstars are reading, because I want to be a Wattpad Rockstar. It's a no-brainer. This will help you grow as a student of the Art.

3. Write. Write. Write. Every Writer must write. Point blank period dot com. Continue to upload consistently. I personally had about 35 chapters completed when I started uploading back in June, but I only publish two each week. This has allowed me time to work on additional chapters, plus other projects (i.e. Wattmag and this short-story).

@MaraudersPotterhead wrote A Guide to Wattpad: Tips and Tricks. It's another great find with all sorts of great ideas. Some I'd seen before, a few I had not. Those are the ones I recently tried, and they worked like a charm. (Nope, not gonna tell ya. Go read it.)

4. Give. Give. Give. The best way to describe this is by saying read WattmagMagazine. Read the articles, hear the stories, live through the Writers... Feel what they feel, and then give that away in your writing. Be open to inviting others into your world.

When I uploaded my first few chapters, I put up seven. I almost became a nail-biter waiting on friends and family to read and post. Then, one day, I decided it didn't matter. I would give my writing to anyone who stepped into my world. And, giving myself to my writing was the best choice for me. It has trumped writing for everyone else. The readers came. The votes followed. And, the followers have started to come.

Having said all that, I hope your Wattpad experience gets a little easier and becomes a lot more clear. As I learn new things or discover new books, I'll add them here. If you'd like some help, ask. If you're looking for specific help, seek it out. This is our Wattpad community, but it's your life. Make the most of it.

~Stony