Let's share some pointers that pertain to writing, creativity, and navigating Wattpad. Keep reading and you'll find another open discussion down below! Answer as many questions as you're comfortable with.

GENERAL TIPS

Work on the basics. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling matter. Although there are plenty of books on Wattpad who haven't mastered these elements with large amounts of attention, it's still great to put your best foot forward.

Write down your ideas as they come. Put character names, plot details, and new book ideas in your notes as soon as they pop into your head. Synonyms for commonly used words are another useful thing to jot down and store for later usage.

Make sure your details are consistent.  It can be easy for a writer to forget minute details in their story as they go along especially if the book is completed over a long period of time. But your readers will notice! Too often authors contradict themselves about the plot events and character descriptions because they simply do not remember what they've typed.

For example, the main character is wearing a specific pair of earrings in chapter seven that you said were destroyed in chapter five. What happened to the pet that lives with its owner while the owner has gone on some magical journey into the spirit world? Like how is the hamster still alive after being home alone for three months? Don't forget, you wrote that someone borrowed something important! They should probably return that. Oh, and that character that you described as having hazel eyes in the beginning shouldn't randomly have dark brown ones at the end. Making an outline of your book, and rereading your story will help to keep things cohesive.

Make sure the sequence of your books are easily distinguishable! Somewhere in your book's title, synopsis, and/or intro section there should be an easy to find indication of where that book belongs in its series.

For example:
"XYZ # 2"
"Yada Yada II is the sequel to Yada Yada and cannot be read as a standalone."
"This is the third installment of the blah blah blah series."

Keep your followers in the loop. Celebrate your milestones. Thank everyone for their reads, votes, and comments. Tell your readers when major editing has taken place, and plot details have changed. People love following active users!

Read other people's work. Nothing gets the mind going like immersing yourself in another person's world. Whether you enjoy the story or not, it will give you ideas of things that you want to include or exclude in your own work. Bonus: you will learn a ton of new, interesting, and unusual words.

Save your books. Wattpad has deleted many authors' books with zero warning before. Make sure your novels are saved in Google docs, Microsoft word, your computer's hard drive, etc.

OPEN DISCUSSION

~What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

~What common, easy-to-fix mistakes do you see people make in their writing that bug you?

~What qualities in someone's writing make you love a story? Do you enjoy poetic wordplay, or do you like simple direct language?

~What do you think people should keep in mind when writing a Black character?

~What do you think people should keep in mind when writing in first person POV? Personal likes/dislikes about this POV?

~What do you think people should keep in mind when writing in third person POV? Personal likes/dislikes about this POV?

~Do you prefer reading longer chapters (over 3k words) or shorter chapters (under 3k words)?

~Do you prefer writing longer chapters (over 3k words) or shorter chapters (under 3k words)?

~ A good story typically has both well-crafted plot and character based elements, but if you had to pick, do you prefer plot-driven stories (primarily focuses on action-packed events and external changes to the world the characters live in) or character-driven stories (primarily focuses on the characters emotions, mental development, and internal changes)?

~Would you rather read a book that is poorly written with an amazing plot, or a book that is beautifully written with a unsatisfying plot?

~What is your creative process like? Do you make an outline of your story before you start? Do you need music/noise to write, or is silence better?

~What do you think is the formula for getting reads/views on your story on Wattpad?

~Comment the title of your most well written body of work.

~Comment the title (+ the author's name) of a very well written book created by someone else. It can be an officially published work, or something from any writing platform.

~What unusual, interesting, pretty word(s) have you learned that you've already implemented in your writing, or plan to use in the near future?

~Any advice to writers that are new to Wattpad?

~Share any other writing/creativity tips that you have here. →

Next Chapter: RECAP.