How to Fanfic

Tip 5 - Follower Interaction

Hello guys! I know it's been awhile, but I'm back and ready to share some new things with you.

If I can think of any, that is.

I haven't really put this into effect yet, but something I'm definitely going to try to work on is interacting with my followers. I don't know if I actually have done a tip on this particular thing, but I know I did one on updating. Which, I still haven't really put that into effect either, but here I am.

I have recently started using this new message updater thing, which is found on my profile (and on yours too, for when you go to message update). I get to write quick messages and updates about my story progession, and just ask questions or interact with you guys. As some of you guys know, I'm not exactly a pro at it yet, but I'm getting there. I've found it really useful.

Now that I've said that, I must let you guys know that while it's fun, it's up to your followers to really make it work. You can post as many message updates, or as I call them 'Wattpad tweets' as you want, but it's up to your followers to reply and really fuel the purpose of the tool. I am fortunate enough to have really active followers, who seem to vote and comment very frequently and very quickly (thank you btw!), but I know that's not the case for everybody. If you happen to have inactive followers, I suggest you to try to encourage them to vote, comment, and predict what's going to happen in your stories by writing a little author's note at the end of your book updates.

However, don't force it, and don't rant about it. I bet a lot of you guys know that no one likes being forced to do something, and no one likes a pity party. Try befriending some people in your fandom as well, and check out their stories. Not only is it enjoyable to read a book, but it's even better that they're likely to return the favor!

I know I didn't really explain that well, as I'm not really good at explaining to begin with. So let me try that again.

If you go to your profile, you will see something along the lines of 'Post a Message' or 'Write a Message'. That's where you come in. You can post questions, status updates, etc. Now, this part is up to you, but you can check 'Notify my Followers' if you would like. I believe this sends all your followers a notification that you've posted something, and that it's urgent to read what you have to say. I have to say though, if you check this, it's more likely people will read your 'Wattpad tweet' than if you don't check it. Despite the fact that you'll get more activity on your posts this way, do not use this every time you post - save it for something important, like a change in your update schedule or the announcement of a new book. Wattpad only allows you to notify your followers three times a day to prevent spamming. If you abuse this feature, you'll find your follower count will begin to drop. No one likes to be bombarded with unimportant updates like what you're eating for lunch (you can still post these if you want, just do not send the post right into your followers' notification boxes!).

Continuing on, people can reply to you, which you'll get notifications of. It reminds me a lot of Twitter, and I think that's why I like it so much. It just allows so much more interaction between a writer and their fanbase. 

That's really all I have to say. It's kind of a replacement for the Message Board tool Wattpad used to have, and although this is a lot more confusing than the Message Board feature (which I think they still use that term, not sure), it's a lot more useful once you learn how to use it.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the second book of the Skyfall series...oh, whatever it shall be named?

Hope this helped!