How to Become a Better Writer: A Wattpad Guide

TIP #3: Creating an Effective Summary

Okay, I know some of you are guilty of telling so much in your story summary that it leaves nothing to the imagination. You've given readers so much in just that part that they are left wondering why bother. They basically know how the story goes before ever clicking the Read button.

There's an art to writing an effective story summary. It's supposed to serve as a "blurb," something that hooks the reader without revealing too much of the actual storyline. Something that makes the reader take notice and want to click that Start Reading button, not dismiss your story altogether.

So, a few points:

1) Keep it short - Who wants to read a summary that is three (full) paragraphs in length? Uh, not me.

2) Don't reveal the entire plot - What are you leaving the reader to figure out if you spilled the beans in the summary?

3) Make it engaging - You want to add enough intrigue so that readers can't wait to start reading.

4) Do away with the clichés - If we've read it once, we've read it a thousand times. Don't rely on clichéd "catch phrases" to try to spice things up and draw the reader. Use another method.

5) (Optional) End with a question of intrigue - While I don't really use this technique, I've seen summaries ended with a question. In the exercise for this topic, you will see this technique in use.