Wattpad Writing Tips!

Hey Guys x

I've been writing on Wattpad for quite a long time now. I published my first story in 2012 and was reading Wattpad for a while before that, so I'd say that I know it quite well.

Anyway, I thought I'd write a post giving some general tips for writing stories on Wattpad.

However, I don't know everything there is to know. I'm not the most popular writer, and you may think that my advice is bad, which is completely fine! This is just what has been working for me while I've been writing on this platform.

And it may also be worth noting that I only write fanfiction on Wattpad, so the advice might be universal, or it might change depending on what you write.

Update Regularly
I think this is probably one that you can agree on if you use Wattpad. It is really annoying to find a story that you really want to read, only to discover that it's unfinished and the writer hasn't touched it in 5 years.
For me, I find uploading once a week to be helpful, but even if you wait longer, it also works out well because people are just more anxious to read your work. But make sure to keep updating, as it's really easy for people to lose interest.

Write What You Want To Read
This might just apply to writing in general, but don't write something because other people became popular through writing it, or because it looks easy or anything like that. Write something that you yourself would love to read. That way, no matter how many people read your work, you'll be proud of it and it'll be nice to come to it again once you finish.

Keep Your Audience In Mind (*Fanfic Advice)
Specifically for fanfiction based on TV shows, movies etc., whatever you're writing about will have a whole community behind it - a community that has read every variation of fanfic out there and knows exactly what makes it good or bad. If you want to kill a character, or change a whole plotline, or completely destroy your least favourite ship, go for it! But beware that there's always someone somewhere who'll be offended. Keep in mind that people will gladly give their own opinions on whatever you're doing with their favourite show/movie.

Covers and Descriptions
Covers and descriptions really are important. As a general rule, I'd say to just make your cover and the description of your story something that you're really proud of, because as long as you like it, someone else probably will. But think about the things that you read. Do the covers have something in common? How much do the descriptions give away?
I've had stories where I'm half-way through writing them and have just decided to re-vamp both the cover and the description, and changing them really helped me. So it's never too late to make a change!

Originality vs Tried and Tested Plots (*Fanfic Advice)
This is something that I kind of have a controversial opinion on, I guess. For me, I always want to be original, and I try to make my work as original as possible. But it can be very disheartening when 100 stories with the same basic plot get millions of views and your original story doesn't. People say they want to read something original, but at the end of the day, we all tend to stick with what we're familiar with. For me, although my stories are original, you have to have something to entice the die-hard fans, and the people reading those repetitive stories. So if you want to start off with a similar plot to something you've already read (maybe the same love interest or something), WITHOUT COPYING IT, I say go for it.

Do you have any of your own advice to add? Leave it in the comments!

Lou