Wattpad - Things that make you go... Urgh!

Before you start your book...

So you have an idea and you've got it into your head that you're going to write the story that's been buzzing around your skull for the last day/month/year/decade. Excellent. 

Welcome to Wattpad, it's a wonderful place to share your work. You may find yourself wandering in to the fantastic forums to say hello or ask advice and then ***CRASH*** you see a thread where you discover that everything you've written is cliché and all your dialogue tags are wrong, your paragraphs are too short and your chapters too long.

It's at this time that I would like to introduce you to the most important word you will ever read when it comes to writing - this word is...

SUBJECTIVITY!

Subjectivity, a subject's personal perspective, feelings, beliefs, desires or discovery, as opposed to those made from an independent, objective, point of view .

Let me explain... I have a close knit group of friends. There are four of us.

I like to read horror/fantasy/adventure/drama.

Friend 2 enjoys non fiction, sociology abuse, biographies.

Friend 3 - a primary school teacher - enjoys celebrity biographies and children's books.

Friend 4 will only read chick lit.

Now think of your book. What genre is it? I'm going to guess that only 1, possibly 2 of my group would be willing to take a look. That has no bearing on the quality of your work, it just means that for the other 2/3 it's not their cup of tea! 

Subjectivity...

50 Shades of Grey... What a book. Friend 5 loaned it to me and I was hooked. The terrible use of language, the ridiculous concept, the repetition - it was like a car crash - I just couldn't look away, and yet friend 5 loved it (and friends 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10). Why? How could they read it and take it seriously?

Subjectivity...

We all like different things, from books to people, food to music. It's all about personal preference.

It's all about subjectivity. 

You don't agree? That's absolutely fine, it's okay to have your own opinion (subjectivity) and I won't condemn you for this. 

Just keep in mind, as you tread the rocky path that is literacy, you can't please all the people all the time - it's just not possible! So don't get dismayed, persevere and remind yourself...

It's all about subjectivity!

:)