Survivor's Guide to the Wattpad Jungle | ✔️

FAQs

This little guide is about to come to a close. I thought I'd tackle a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that maybe some of you have.

How can I know where to improve?

Firstly, you can find critics on wattpad. They advertise in the "Improve Your Writing" club, and you can message whichever one suits your fancy. Some of them ask for payments, so it's advisable to choose wisely. You don't want to pay so much only for a small comment - unless you're rather desperate for feedback. Weigh out the options and choose a critic that you think will give you good value for your payment. A good critique should not be less than 600 words, I reckon. Also, differnet critics focus on different things, so you can also look for a number of different ones to check out your work. Hopefully, they'll give some good feedback.

Another thing you can do, that I also do from time to time, is read my own book as if I'm reading someone else's. I'll put my own books in my library and just read them normally. Of course it's weird at first, but there'll be parts I find myself actually liking while some parts I cringe. In this way, I'm able to see some of my own faults that I try and fix. It may sound weird to do this, but reading your own book like it's someone else's is like painting something and then looking at it from afar. You'll be able to see the bigger picture and everything.

Lastly, you can ask your readers what they think. They'll obviously be the ones who think daisies of it all, but then you'll also get the more honest ones who will give you a more grounded opinion.

How can I keep my readers interested?

One thing I can completely sympathise with is when you start out strong and then the more you post, the more your readers seem to disappear. Thing is, it just happens to everyone. Not all your readers will read the whole book. Don't think it's your fault though, because it isn't.

Keeping your readers interested is one of the hardest things to do, but my advice is to just keep going. Keep writing and updating. You're bound to get one or two or three people latching onto your book.

Try and leave your chapters on cliffhangers or on points where you know your readers will desperately want to read more. Keep them on their toes. Update regularly, so that they don't forget about your book.

Another thing you can do is host little competitions or reward your readers. For example, who can make the best banner? Or, like I'd mentioned in the previous chapter, giving dedications to the best comments and so on and so forth. 

How do I get more followers?

Just follow people. Interact with many users. Keep writing.

Plus, lots of critics ask for a follow as a payment. This is a pretty sneaky way of getting followers, so if you want, you could be a critic and ask for that ;)

How do I keep myself from losing psych?

I too have experienced this, where I completely lose any motivation to go on with a story. Maybe it's writer's block, or you're not really liking your readers' response to it. Either way, t can be quite disheartening. Here's what I'd suggest:

- Take a break. It's okay to chill a bit and relax. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Don't think about the book for a while. Let your readers know that you may be gone for a while, so that you don't go completely silent on them.

- Think of the story as a movie. Try and imagine it as a scene in your mind. Close your eyes and imagine the characters talking to each other and everything. What would your protagonist do?

- Brainstorm scenarios. Write it down on a paper and draw a mind map. Or, you could draw one of those diagrams where they start somewhere but go into different places based on different decisions the characters could make. For example:

Gets into a state of depression <-- Wendy breaks up with boyfriend. --> finds another boy

You'd be drawing arrows all around, and each arrow should subsequently lead to another, then another, then another. If there's a path you really like, try and plan it out.

- Try and gather inspiration from around you. Is the story loosely based on you? Does your character sound like someone you know? What did they do, or how did they deal with the situation? Try and look around you and be inspired by stories from people in your life.

I've always been one to say prevention is better than cure, so I'll also provide a few tips on how to prevent this in the first place.

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!

I don't think I've said it enough. If, before you begin to start writing, you have a clear-cut plan on what exactly is going to happen in your book, you're much less likely to get a writer's block.

2. Write in one place

Every time you're writing, try and be regular in where you write. Are you a nature person? How about by the swing in your garden? If you write in so many different places all the time, it'll be hard to try and get your brain to associate writing, creativity and surroundings. I don't know how to explain this, but it's true. Have one or two places that are just for you and your writing.

3. Remember why you started in the first place.

Why did you start writing? It was because you loved it, huh? You loved the fact that you could escape to an alternate reality where you could craft it all by the confinements of your mind. You loved the fact that you could play God, having His power to create your own little world and decide what all the people in it were going to do, say, eat, and wear.

Right?

Right?

Writing is a journey. It's a beautiful one, for that matter. Wattpad is an amazing website where you can channel your inner artist and share it with the world.

I really hope that this little guide helped you. Good luck in your journey!

Lots and lots and lots of love,

- genie_us xx