˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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❛ 𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 TO THE 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑳
𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑾, 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬 YOU'RE WEARING
YOUR 𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻 CLOTHES. ❜

do's and don'ts! ━━ no. 020
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     AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN ON WATTPAD FOR NEARLY A DECADE, I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY I'VE STUMBLED ACROSS MY FAIR SHARE OF THINGS YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT DO IN A STORY. In other words, the do's and do not's of storytelling and writing.

     𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑: These are all my own opinions and do's and don'ts. (They are also inspired by the research I have done in my free time and what I have learned.) These aren't targeted at anyone specific and are meant to be helpful in any way possible! Just as I'm pointing out all of these "do nots," I am aware that I have done these things and may continue to, but that's part of the journey. We are all growing in our writing, and mistakes are allowed to be made.

DON'TS

     𝟎𝟏. Don't use extensive vocabulary for no reason. Using big words does not make you a bigger and better writer. I will admit I have done this in the past and do my best not to do it now in inappropriate situations. Sure, using a wider range of vocabulary to sound more intelligent can be clever and helpful and make your writing appear superior, in a sense. However, if you use a big vocabulary excessively, people will notice, making your writing appear amateur.

     One of the most important things to keep in mind is that when you're writing a book, you need to know your target audience and write according to their reading level. If you use a word that they are unlikely to recognize or are rarely used by the everyday person, the usage of that word will only serve as a way to confuse them.

     I'm not saying you should dumb down your writing by any means, but keep your readers in mind. Don't use such an extensive vocabulary that you wind up alienating them from your story.

     𝟎𝟐. Don't make your plot so confusing people don't know what is going on. As someone who loves creating and developing rich plots with multiple layers and plot twists, this is something I always keep in mind. Just because your well-developed plot makes sense to you doesn't mean that it'll make sense to your audience. Keep in mind your targeted readers and ask yourself, To them, would this make sense? Would they be able to comprehend the material I'm providing to them? Will they understand all the intricate details and breadcrumbs I'm leaving?

     𝟎𝟑. Don't overly describe the outfit of a character. We've all seen a WHAT I WORE IN A WEEK video on youtube— trust me, we know, babe. One of the most common ones I've seen— especially in fanfiction— is overly describing what a character is wearing. Sometimes it might be appropriate or crucial to the scene or future events to come in a chapter to describe what exactly a character is wearing. However, it's not a detail your readers have to know. It's just an element that we, as writers, add for fluff and descriptive points. Since it's not always necessary, don't over-describe what a character is wearing or simply don't mention what the character is wearing. We don't need to know.

     Your readers have a vivid and active imagination. Let them come up with the outfit in their heads based on your character's personality and what they know about them. Let them do the work for you. If you do describe a character's outfit, please use simple, straight-to-the-point descriptors and words. Don't write four paragraphs about an outfit. That's excessive, ridiculous, and not needed. It can cause your readers to be less attracted to your work and lose interest.

     𝟎𝟒. Don't EVER address the reader. PLEASE. "Hi, I'm blah blah blah, and you're probably wondering..." WAIT A MINUTE— HOLD UP— BACK THAT ASS UP. Is this the first five minutes of Emperor's New Groove? Is this a narrated story? No, it's not. It's a Wattpad book. Now, I'm saying that portion loosely and comically. I do understand that people take their stories very seriously. (I am one of those people.)

     In most stories, a narrator tells the story to an ambiguous person— the readers. The fourth wall is never broken; everything happens like no one is watching, just like TV. But sometimes, narrators break that wall and speak directly to the reader. Done well, this can make the readers feel as if they're listening to a story told by a friend. Done poorly, it shoves the reader out of the story and reminds them they're reading a story. This is not good.

     Whenever I'm reading a book and the fourth wall is broken, and I'm addressed, I cringe. I hate it and typically stop reading. I read stories to dive into a world entirely its own and immerse myself in the fictional characters and their lives. I don't read so the character can talk to me. Do you get what I'm saying?

     𝟎𝟓. Don't start the first chapter with a character waking up or having a dream. Eleven to fifteen-year-old me is so guilty of this. I did this so much that it was stupid. However, I have learned that this is not a good way to start the first chapter of your book. Second chapter? It's fine. First? Hell no.

     Now, you may be wondering why I'm saying this. Trust me, I was too when I first drafted this chapter, but I couldn't shake this point. I couldn't figure out why, in my gut, I believed you shouldn't do this until now.

❪ 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝙽𝚂𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚈 𝙰𝙽 𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙹𝙰𝙽𝙴 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙳𝙼𝙰𝙽'𝚂 𝚆𝙴𝙱𝚂𝙸𝚃𝙴. ❫

           ➳❥ Why you shouldn't open with a dream/with a character waking up: Never begin the narrative of your book with an enticing action sequence or intense argument— or anything— just to reveal that it's all a dream. One of the major reasons dream sequences often fail in the first chapter is that they don't move the immediate plot. You're stalling the story, the respective characters, and the world you are working to establish and create.

          Two of the most common warnings delivered to fiction writers are:
               𝟬𝟭. Never begin a story with a character getting out of bed.
               𝟬𝟮. Never write, "And then she/he woke up" (or the equivalent).

          As with all rules, not only can these two be broken, but leave it to an author to break them brilliantly: "When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant beetle." With that first sentence of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka strikes a definitive blow not only against both rules but against realism — establishing a parallel universe in which such things happen. No explanations; take it or leave it.

          Dreams have their own logic, one that doesn't play by the rules and is, therefore, hard to argue with. The same can be said of the best fiction: it makes its own rules by spinning (in John Gardner's words) a "vivid and continuous dream." And since the work of fiction is already its own dream, reading about a fictional dream puts us at a two-step remove from our own lives. It's like kissing through two screen doors.

          A larger and more pressing problem with fictional dreams at the beginning of a story is that they ask us to invest emotionally in an experience, only to have that investment rendered null and void when it turns out not to have been— by waking standards, anyway— "real." Don't provide an audience with a narrative that isn't about the true plot and waste their time.

     𝟎𝟔. Don't reveal a character's entire history or past within the first three chapters. I will keep the explanation on this one quite plain and simple. When you first meet someone, do you learn everything about them within the first few days of knowing them? Do you know their childhood, adolescence, adulthood, trauma, conflicts, struggles, secrets, experiences, pet peeves, and so much more after spending little time with them? No. The answer's no. That's not how we, as people, work. We're like onions; the more you peel, the more layers appear. So, don't start your book by immediately revealing everything about your primary character to the reader. Give the reader time to truly get to know that character and have them experience what they're experiencing. Create a bond.

DO'S

     Side Note: This section is much shorter since the tips are straightforward and doesn't need much explanation.

     𝟎𝟏. Do reference real-world things such as TV shows, books, cultural facts, or historical events. Make the book feel real. I will keep the explanation on this one quite plain because it's a simple thing to do. Reference "real world" things. Refer to moments in history that are true and name-drop celebrities, books, franchises, movies, TV shows, or anything you'd like. By doing this, you're adding a layer of realism to your story that helps the readers feel as if this is something that could realistically take place in "real life." It also better helps them connect to your book's characters and the world they live in. There's nothing better than reading a fictional book with elements of the real world.

     𝟎𝟐. Create documents to organize your thoughts, ideas, plots, and lists. This is the simplest one, but by doing this, you can organize your story's elements in one collective space. Some apps can help you with this and are incredibly helpful. Having all your ideas and plans in one place for you to go back to and review is a good idea. Especially since the human mind contains so much information but doesn't retain everything it thinks of.

     𝟎𝟑. Do the research necessary for your book, and don't make things up as you go. Nothing makes a writer appear amateur than false facts or obvious made-up content. Be factual and accurate when writing about particular elements in your books. You don't want to look... like an idiot. I'm going to be blunt. Don't make up "facts" because you're too lazy to Google something.

     𝟎𝟒. Use canon information when writing fandom-related stories so people are somewhat familiar with what you're writing. This tip is directly aimed at those who write Harry Potter fan fiction. Listen... just because the movies exist doesn't mean they're accurate in their portrayal of the source material. The same applies to Marvel and DC at times. Use canon information when writing fandom-related stories because that's what readers will recognize. They will identify and associate your story and characters with that universe, and that's important. It also helps keep the readers connected to the material because they feel like they're just reading an extension of the story they read long ago.

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❛ YOU 𝑪𝑨𝑵'𝑻 𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑩𝑬 THE DOOR
ON 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑾𝑨𝒀 TO THE 𝚂𝙺𝚈. ❜
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