The Wonderful World Of Wattpad: Writing Tips and Writing Rants

Formating

The way you lay out your story can also have a negative or positive effect on the readership of your stories. There are several things that are very important to consider when it comes to the lay out of your story. Whether or not you do these things can either attract or deter readers.

1:Spacing

This is crucial! Little to no spacing can definitely turn readers away. It is very important to make sure there is spacing between paragraphs. Why you may ask? The answer is plain and simple: It's so much easier on the reader's eyes.

 I immediately stop reading a story that has no spacings. The bright light of the computer is already enough to give me a headache and as a glasses wearing gal  stories that have no spacing between paragraphs do nothing but make me feel cross eyed and make me press the back arrow on my computer. You don't want hurt the eyes of your beautiful readers so please, for the love of all that's good, put spaces between your paragraphs!

You also want to refrain from putting too MUCH space between paragraphs. Having a whole valley of space between paragraphs can also greatly annoy a reader. Readers should not have to constantly  scroll down the page to read the next paragraph. This is a sure fire way to make reader become easily bored with the story.

2: Writing in script format

Remember the days of early fanfiction(cira 2010, 2011) When people posted their fanfiction stories on YouTube? How the video moved too fast and you had to pause the video just to read a paragraph? And remember how a vast majority of them were written in script format? Well, it's 2015 and the forms of which to execute fanfiction have advanced greatly but not everybody has moved on from their  early fanfiction  days. People are no longer posting fanfics on YouTube but many people are still writing in script format.

This is probably the quickest way to write a story and the quickest way to lose readers. This is incredibly lazy! A proper story is not to be written in script format. In fact, no story should be written in script format unless it is a PLAY.

Stories are supposed to flow(Some more smoothly than others.) You completely disturb the flow of a story if you write it in play format. Scripts contain stage directions which are meant to be performed.  The actions and emotions are meant to be portrayed by actors. You cannot properly portray the feelings and actions of your characters by writing in script format it just doesn't work that way.

Example:

Harry:Taylor, wait!*Runs up to her car. It is pouring raining outside. His curls are wet and clinging to his face*

*Taylor rolls down window upon seeing Harry*

Taylor: I told you Harry, I don't want to see you ever again! We are never getting back together. Like, ever. *Rolls up window and speeds off*

No. Just no. This is the biggest turn off in my book. And see how mechanical the characters sound? Let's try again.

Example:

"Taylor, wait!" Harry shouted as her ran towards her 1989 red corvett. It was pouring rain outside and his curls, wet from the rain clung to his cold, pale face. He was afraid. Afraid of losing her.

Taylor spotted Harry through the fog of her car window and sighed. She wanted to be angry at him. She was angry at him. But there was that  feeling deep down inside of her that still was infatuated with him. She reluctantly and angrily rolled down her window.

"I told you Harry,  I don't want to see you ever again! We are never getting back together. Like, ever." Taylor declared firmly as she rolled up the window, fired up the car engine and sped off into the rain leaving Harry soak and wet with a cold, broken heart. It was official; they had bad blood.