Hey, lovely people. How are you all doing?

First of all ...

I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH! I swear I have the best readers ever! Thank you so much for existing and for deciding to read my story (even though I have no idea why you would) 0_o

Now that that's out of the way, I'm writing a bunch of random 'tips to write better' or whatever because I get this question way too often. I'm no professional, though, so please bear with me. You will find many writers on Wattpad who have thousands of times the reads and followers that I have. However, here are a few things you need to keep in mind when writing (in my very humble opinion) of course. I'm no expert so take it all with a grain of salt.

Number One: Be Original

More often than not, new writers follow the crowd. They see what's popular and try to copy it, which explains the large number of very similar-looking and similar-sounding stories on Wattpad. It's only logical, at first glance, to want to follow the crowd. The natural thought process is 'people love good girl bad boy stories, so that's what I write'. However, this path has one major flaw: a sheer lack of originality. For instance: there are approximately 400K stories on Wattpad with the title 'the bad boy *something something*'. That means you have one in 400K chance (a 0.0000025) chance of getting noticed.

An old but still meaningful quote: in order to be irreplaceable, one must be different.

Number Two: Technicalities

Something many authors on Wattpad don't realize on Wattpad is the effort it takes to produce 'quality' work. Some major aspects of a good story include but are not limited to: good grammar, a solid plot, well-rounded characters. Not all of us will have everything nailed on the first line. So make sure that before you start writing, you have a plan. Using free resources for writing (available on Google even) to polish your grammar and spelling, design your character, and figure out your story arc BEFORE you start writing is essential.

For instance:

Or:

Disclaimer: I wrote both of these just now, I'm not hating on anyone.

Number Three: Write What You Love

Many times, authors get swayed by not only popular stories but also by what the audience wants. You'll read a story/book you love and want to write something like that. Or you'll see your favorite Booktuber or Bookstagrammer talking about their favorite book and want to write something similar. But remember, not every author has the same calling. Imagine NF trying to copy Alec Benjamin's style. Or imagine liking Eminem's music and wishing BTS would make similar tracks. Every artist has a different calling, so find yours. Are you meant to write young-adult fiction? Or horror? Or maybe psychological thrillers. If one isn't working, try another, and maybe you'll feel like that's actually what you want to write.

And to add to that, write what you know. I've seen so many non-Muslim authors trying to write Muslim characters, or straight white people trying to write an LGBTQA+ main character. A 50-year-old man writing teen girl problems or a 16-year-old girl wanting to write how a retired old man feels. While there will be authors who say step out of your comfort zone, if you're a beginner, stick to what you know.

Number Four: Take Constructive Feedback

The best and also worst part (in some cases) of writing on Wattpad, is the reader-writer interaction. Honestly, comments are my favorite part of writing. However, as writers, we have to realize that not every comment will be friendly or encouraging. The occasional hate comment will hurt, it will, but it's unavoidable. If it's just a hate comment, delete, mourn the loss of your self-confidence, and then bounce back. However, if it's constructive feedback, take it seriously.

To demonstrate the difference between a hate comment and constructive feedback:

Hate comment:

Constructive feedback:

Yes, I commented both of these on my story just now to make this authentic. Seriously, though, I've received both kinds of comments. And I can honestly say that I love the second one just as much as I hate the first. Very much so.

Number Five: Read Read Read

You know who makes good art? Only someone who recognizes good art. Every writer must first be a reader. And not just any reader but a voracious reader, someone who lives and breathes good literature. So, yes, the simplest way to write well, read good books. Not just on Wattpad but also off Wattpad. Read published books in the genre you want to write in. Read and focus on what you love about the book. Only then will you understand the way to a reader's heart.

Number Six: Quality Over Quantity

Many writers make the grave mistake of starting their first story on Wattpad right as they join, with no background knowledge and understanding, no plot, and no prep. Look at it like this, would you get in a car and start driving on the first day, without learning how to drive and without a license? No, that's silly (and dangerous). Writing isn't that dangerous, but if it's something you take seriously, you have to do a lot more than just churn out ten chapters and hit a thousand readers and be done with it. Instead of writing more, write well. Instead of posting a chapter daily, post once a week but make it good. Proofread and make sure the chapter is clean and makes sense. Put out quality work.

Being very Wattpad-specific, the question "how do I get more reads" always unnerves me. Why "reads"? Why not "readers"? Don't focus on the numbers. That won't go far.

Number Seven: Promotion DOs and DON'Ts

Ah, Wattpad. How many of us read manuals of appliances we want to use? How many of us read policies and guidelines? I'm sure not many.

Did you know that promoting your stories or profiles on other user's conversation boards and in their stories is against Wattpad guidelines?

According to Wattpad policy guidelines:

Not to mention, it's rude to comment your own story link in other people's stories instead of reading. Imagine someone coming to your business and promoting their own. It's rude.

Number Eight: Don't Give Up

Ah, easier said than done, no? But yes, this is the best advice I can give you. Success isn't linear. It's not a stroke of luck, that you'll wake up one morning and suddenly have a thousand followers and a million reads. It takes a lot of effort, patience, and an occasional breakdown to be successful. It involves dealing with a lot of hate, failure, and self-doubt. It involves learning and growing and realizing you're wrong and changing to do better. It's got so much. But if writing is something you're passionate about, don't give up. You never know, maybe the minute you gave up with the minute just before you hit your goal.

Number Nine: Wattpad-specific writing advice

First step: A good cover, a catchy and well-written blurb, and a nice title that stands out.

For instance, which of these stories would you read?

(Sorry I laughed too hard at what I just wrote for 'THE BAD BOY ATE MY SLIPPER'. Somebody kill me.)

The point I'm trying to make it, it's everything. A good cover, a well-written and grammatically correct blurb, a nice title, and then using the right tags.

Once you've got that, building a community on Wattpad. Read and comment on other people's stories. Follow them, engage, build engagement. You don't have to ask people to read your story. If you're nice and engaging, they will do so automatically. Acknowledge those who follow you and read your story. Read theirs and follow back. Wattpad is a community and you have to be a good community member to be noticed. Exchange feedback (not reads or votes) and join Book Clubs and Contests. Learn learn learn. Grow.

I joined Wattpad in 2018 and had no idea what it was about. I started reading whatever was recommended. Found some incredible gems and also some not-so-great stories. I didn't know anyone and, being an introvert, found it hard to ask anyone about it. I liked a few stories and left some comments but no author ever replied. That made me not want to comment.

I started writing around the end of the year and, as expected, my story slipped under the cracks. I had a few readers but I wanted more. So with about a 100 followers and somewhere around 1k reads, I sent a few people messages asking if they'd read my story. I got one comment back, a rude 'bruh, I don't know you'. I was so embarrassed I never sent another promotion message again. However, I started asking for r4r. I did that with a couple of people, but while I was giving them feedback, they only voted. I didn't want that. I wanted to write better, so I joined book clubs. A few failed attempts and I finally found a good one. It was run by a few ambassadors and was very constructive. I got a lot of feedback, most of it helpful and some quite mean. But I was learning.

Around the end of my first year at Wattpad, I applied for the Ambassador program and was accepted. I deleted my first story (a thriller) and started writing in a different genre (youngadult/teenfiction). I realized I was better at writing stories that were more real, and in 2019, I started writing Knowing Xavier which was based on a true story. It gained so much popularity from the get-go. I was still in book clubs, was an ambassador, and was reading and writing a lot. I finished multiple stories in 2019, read like crazy, and thanked everyone who followed me. As 2020 rolled in, I had a bunch of loyal followers and readers who read anything I wrote, who corrected my typos and who encouraged me to do better.

In January 2020, my story "The Art of Loving A Mess" was featured by Wattpad in its New Year reading list. In March, I was invited by Wattpad into the Paid Program. In May, Knowing Xavier was paid. In the same month, I was invited into the Stars program.

Two years of constant work. Two years of me on the path to my dreams. I'm still not where I want to be, with a paperback copy of my book in my hand, but I've come so far.

I'm not sharing this to show off. I'm sharing this so you know that I didn't just 'get reads'. That person who told me they don't know me so can't read my story reached out to me after two years and apologized for being rude. I said I'm sorry for advertising. That person's exact words were "damn, you're so big now, I'm sure you don't need my reads". And this theme comes up often. So many people are surprised when I answer their comments or thank them for reading or reply to their message. It's not easy for authors to do so, I admit, but I try. Because as that reader who said "I love your story" to a dozen authors and not one replied back, I'd like to let my readers know that I appreciate you so much for reading my stories.

Without you, I'd still be that introverted girl on Wattpad who gave up in her first month. Thank you for everything

Hope this helped. If it didn't, I'm sorry. My brain is mush 0_0