The Things Every Writer Needs to Hear

@ProjectMyst

What's up, peeps? First off, I'd like to thank @sarsar14 for this wonderful opportunity! (I think I'm the first Ambassador here!) Now onto who I am. I'm ProjectMyst, as you can clearly see-.... Er, I mean read. Anyhoo, I'm a Guitarist, Martial Artist, Mangaka, Gamer, but mainly an Author. (Yes, I'm a guy. I'd rather avoid another misunderstanding since I was mistaken for the wrong gender.) I consider myself all those things since, I draw out my inspiration from everything all around. Whenever I get a story idea, I quickly jot it down in my phone or my notebook and improve upon it later on. Don't be afraid to approach me if you have any questions~

Writer's block. We've all experienced it at least once throughout our lives. I admit, I've had my many shares of writer's block every time I write any of my stories. Most of you would wonder "How can I overcome writer's block?" Or "Can I prevent it from ever happening again?" The answer to these types of questions are no. But instead, we CAN shorten the time we have writer's block. How? It's simple, really. Try to draw out as many inspirations as you can. Your favorite movie, book, television show, activities, etc. The more sources of inspiration you have available to you, the lesser the time you'll have writer's block and an idea of a character, item, or event will come to your mind. Ready for you to add into your story!

Audience. You may have learned this in school many times, but I hate to say it... They're right. You will want to know what kind of audience you're trying to connect to. Are you aiming for a teenage audience? Maybe perhaps a mature audience? Or even small children. Most of the time, you may receive a mixed audience of varying ages, critiques, and tastes. Make sure you have a set target audience at the bare minimum, like for example. I aim for a teenage audience at minimum. Your style of writing and grammar level does have an impact on your performance as an Author. So always keep a lookout and make sure you do your edits carefully.

Roleplaying. Just like what my good friend, @cyborgladiator has already stated. Roleplaying is a good way to put YOUR characters in a situation that you might have never had planned. It's one of the best ways to develop your characters. If you'd like to see an example, "The Awesomest Roleplays of The Awesomest Roleplays." Book is a good source to get started. Especially with original characters, I'm one of the admins of @The_Alpaca_Army. So I basically keep track of the host orders for the main part. With unexpected situations, events from the hosts will take place. Include your characters and you'll already be on your way to making them amazing and able to connect with your targeted audience.

Other. Now I put this here as an example if you'd like to have your works in other forms of media. Like for example, my story "Living Weapons" was originally going to be a 2 hour animated film, graphics that would be similar to FFXIII. Why I put this here, you're wondering. It may look like an advertisement of some form, but that's not my reason. My point here is, other forms of media for your stories is a good way to attract a bigger audience. Another example would be an RPG or a role-playing game, like I'm figuring out with a friend of mine. However, if you have a large enough audience that they start making requests, that's when you know you're doing something right in terms of media.

Promoting. I probably should have put this up higher, but whatever. Feedback is what most of us Watty Authors want on our books. Votes, comments, and reads. Sometimes, you just have to be patient and let them come to you OR you can take the initiative and promote your story on the SYS threads or on other sites. Another way is simply to become friends with other Authors. You'll be amazed at how much they've progressed and how much you can learn from them or teach them. Go out there and be social! (Especially you awkward turtles of awesomeness!)

Word count. Some of us will worry about word count. Whether a chapter would be too long or too short, here's what I do. I aim for at LEAST 800 words per chapter, since that is 2 pages on Wattpad. So, on average chapters for me is a minimum of 800 words, but once I reach a special chapter like an Epilogue. I'd aim for around 3200 words at least. Remember, it's YOUR story. Nobody elses, the length of your story is up to you, however most readers prefer to read long chapters. Think on that for awhile.

Never give up hope and write/type on! Our imaginations can bring us beyond the limit! Where will yours bring you? Thanks again, @sarsar14 for this wondrous opportunity!

-ProjectMyst, (Ambassador)