How to Create Good Fiction in Wattpad?
Wattpad is a website or app where you can write and publish your written works. It is the home of many writers. It is where some of the most famous fiction writers start. There are millions of stories posted on that writing platform. I’m a casual reader. And after reading hundreds of books, a thought came to my mind. What if I start to write? What if I make a book that can inspire readers like me? What could be the difference between me and the other writers? There’s no harm in trying, right? So, in order to help aspiring writers like me, I came up with a step-by-step guide in creating good fiction in Wattpad. So, here it is:
CHARACTER. Think of a character that you want to write about. What are his/her traits? Do you want them to be on the good side or the bad side? Do you want them to be family-oriented or to be an independent person? How does he/she look? Is it a girl or a boy? You might consider researching some famous personalities and get inspired by their experiences in the past. It’s much better if you write a character that most people relate to.
PLOT A STORY. Your imagination is unlimited. Might as well use them in making a good plot. Also, think of a genre that you want to do. It can be romance, teen fiction, mystery/thriller, horror, fantasy, etc. You can choose the genre that you’ve always read about so that you’ll have a clue on how to write them. I have one tip in making a plot: be bold.
MAKE A GOOD TITLE. The title is one of the most important parts in making a story because it is the face of your book. I believe that the title reflects the whole story so it should be thought carefully. Your title should be intriguing. I prefer short titles but at the same time, it captures the reader’s attention. The title can be the name of the main character or should be connected to the plot of the story. It’s much better if you can be witty in making a title because it will leave an impression on the readers.
OBSERVE GOOD GRAMMAR AND CORRECT PUNCTUATION MARKS. Nobody likes to read paragraphs with messy grammar and wrong positions of punctuation marks. Personally, I’m more motivated in reading a story if it looks tolerable aside from its plot and intriguing characters. If you’re not fluent in a foreign language like English, you are free to write in your own language. Wattpad is a free writing platform, you can do whatever you want in your story. But it’s still a good thing to be able to write in another language so that more readers will be enticed.
THINK CAREFULLY. It’s okay to write whatever you want to write. But, think about it first because whatever you put there might affect the plot of the story. Affecting the plot of the story in a bad way might lose the interest of the readers. Do not be fast-forward in writing. Take your time. You must also realize if there are some offensive words in your story. If that’s the case, put a warning in that chapter or much better if you remove that part.
TAKE BREAKS. Every writer encounters a writer’s block. Writer's block is a condition, where an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown(Wikipedia). If you happen to experience this condition, it’s okay to take a break. Don’t push yourself. Your ability to write will come back soon.
PROOFREAD AND EDIT. Take a look at your work after you finish it. Observe all the typographical errors that you might’ve made. Then, proofread and edit them. You may also call a reader friend that could practice reading your book and ask for feedback. Asking for feedback may help you in improving your writing skills.
PUBLISH. Here comes the most important part-- the publishing part. In Wattpad, publishing means posting your story on the platform. When you publish it, people can read it already. But it’s not easy to gain readers. There are aspiring writers like you on that platform so you shouldn’t expect to have a person read your book in an instant. Be patient. Do not be disheartened even when no one reads your book. Think of a reason why you wrote the story in the first place and let that reason motivate you.