AJCampbe11
Hi Saifal, I'm really interested in what motivates readers to read on so I thought I'd share my thoughts as I read through the first part of your story.
Your cover definitely does motivate people to read on. Your prologue... not so much. In truth, I really identified with the main character because my Grandpa is sort of responsible for motivating me to become a writer, so I did click on to the first chapter. However, I think most people will read the prologue and then chose to find something else to read.
The hook is the key. The blurb and the cover in your ad did a great job hooking readers. I came in wanting to know who destroyed Alex's home. You'll hang onto more readers through the prologue if you infuse it with a little bit more of the secret sauce that makes your story unique and exciting. I didn't get that yet, but I haven't read the first chapter yet. I'll keep reading and let you know if I see anything that I think will help more readers discover your work.
FYI, I came across your ad for The Forgotten World in the Fantasy forum. The cover immediately struck me as enticing so I had to read the blurb. The blurb was great, so I had to click through and read on. Your graphic was a striking image with minimal color and single-point focus on the content in the center, no clutter to take away from the main show. Great job on that design.
Saifal
Just wanted to start and say I think what you've done here is amazing. P.s I'm glad you liked my front cover.
As for the blurb...I'll admit I sat for a hour/s trying to change from my old blurb. I knew the story was short relative to others and couldn't think of what to write whilst still keeping them(readers) in the dark. The current blurb is what I decided on on a whim, hoping it would be enough :)
Now the origin of this story is a few years old. It was the first ever story I made aprox 4 years ago when I was 15-16 years old. Not satisfied with my result, I resolved to remake the story with more dialogue and hopefully told better. For reason after another the remake(final edits included) ended only a few weeks ago. It was a story I was determined to finish regardless of my true feeling towards it. Because it was my first I couldn't scrap it and had to polish it as much as I could(it's course is now quite different from the original story)
As for the prolgue, I felt it may off put of readers beforehand. I guess it was my stubbornness to keep it (along with the epilogue) as it added a bit more to the story overall. Originally, after I started re-writing the story, chapter 1 was supposed to be my prologue.
After you have now pointed out, I have seriously started considering removing it. I may change the epilogue also to fit with the change. Writing this I can already think of how it can be done.
If I do do this the original(of the remake) prologue and epilogue of the story will stay with me in either digital or printed copy and the newer alternate version will stay as the public version.
Again thank you greatly for your response. All this typing and thinking of my story has giving me plenty of ideas on how to change prologue/epilogue and still be very much happy with it.
Now I think I need to stop typing or I may waste away the night :)
Thank you again
P.s From this point on Chapter 1 will be the first part of the story here on wattpad
