Help on Making a Story

Chapter Three : More Info That I've Crammed Into This Crummy Story

Publishing?:
1) I know, it seems a long way off, but it's better to really think about it beforehand. When you grow up, do you want to be an author, or is this more of a hobby? If you were to be an author, what kinds fo stories would you write--what genre?
2) If you want your story to look like a real story, without stupid grammar mistakes and so on, I suggest looking in a real book, like a Harry Potter book, or a Percy Jackson book. Look at many things that the author does--how they judge what the right punctuation is, how they keep their characters' personalities, how they describe things, how they--well, the list is endless, and no, my goal isn't trying to bore you.
Updates:
1) Trust me, don't leave off updating. It's sort of confusing to find the right time for updates, but this is how I suggest you do it. Never post two chapters in one day. If you have a large brain storm capped with enough info for two full chapters, split them into two chapters and publish the first, and then publish the next chapter at least a day later. I suggest not waiting longer than a week to post the next chapter, because I've known stories before where people haven't updated in less than a week and I've ended up imagining my own version of an ending and deleting the story.
Predictability:
1) I know what you're thinking: The ending should be perfect. Right? WRONG. This is the annual Disney mistake: The guy gets the girl, they ride off into the sunset, the evil people turn good and fix all of the things that they did, no one dies (we went over that one), bla de bla de bla. Does that really seem like the ending you want? Spoiler Alert for Monsters' University ---> [An example is Monsters' University (SPOILER ALERT!). In Monsters' University, Mike and Sulley don't do their best in school, and eventually get expelled. Yes, they do! Instead of getting to be Human-Scarers through school, they do it through packaging items in the post office. Yes, I'm being serious. But this is the kind of unpredictable ending that doesn't turn out the way you were expecting, but still has a happy ending. This is a perfect example.]
Comments:
1) Always, ALWAYS make sure your comments sound:
1. Genuine
2. Polite
If they sound rude, the person won't like you and won't read your stories. Be careful to make a good impression on them.
THIS IS SO MUCH WORK, DO I REALLY HAVE TO DO ALL OF THIS?:
1) I know, I know. If you don't want to have to do all of these things, I get that. You don't have to. If you really want to, just go on Wattpad to update your story every now and then, but make sure to follow the time limit in the section Updates, introduced earlier in this chapter. If you don't feel like doing all of these things like making comments, voting, and constructive criticism, by all means, don't. But I assure you, you will get reads faster if you follow the comment-voting-and-constructive-criticism tips. It's not like you can get any less.
Cliff Hangers:
1) If you want your readers clinging to the end of every chapter and unwilling to let go, cliff hangers are the best way to do that. If a chapter ends in a cliff hanger, it leaves the reader wondering what's going to happen in the next chapter, hungry for another chapter, at which you'll stop with another cliff hanger. This will ensure that your readers continue reading your story. If someone begs you to update, wait until the next day and update. At the beginning of your story, give shout-outs and dedicate chapters to your voters, commenters, and followers, so that when people read your story and see the announcements, they'll vote, comment, and follow you, so that they can be in your story, sealing the fact that you'll just get more reads. It's a good circle--see?--and I want to help you get inside, because, unfortunately, the circle is inside the middle of a tornado, with strong winds buffeting you back and trying to keep you from getting to the center.
Eating:
1) If someone's talking while eating, you have to make sure to do something like this:
"Wha' d'ya mnn?" she asked thickly through a mouthful of pie, really meaning, "What do you mean?
NOT something like this:
"What do you mean?" she asked, biting into another mouthful of pie.
You have to really think about what they're doing when they're eating: are they a loud eater? Do they eat a lot? Are they picky? Are they hungry or not? What are their favorite foods? Do they chew with their mouth open or closed? Do they wait until they're finished chewing or talk, or do they just talk through their food? It's more complicated than you think.
Emphasis:
1) Emphasis is very important. Emphasis is like this; Italics. It can be used for:
a) Emphasizing a word, like "I don't have to!"
b) A note or a story, like, "She read out to the class, 'The girl skipped on the path, picking up flowers.'"
Also, you can use emphasis on different words to give it a different meaning. A perfect example is "I don't have to!" There are three ways to say that:
1. "I don't have to!" This one means that they told you that you have to do something, and you're saying you don't have to, probably, from the context, trying to make someone else do it.
2. "I don't have to!" This one means that if someone told you that you have to do something, you say, "I don't have to!", meaning that you're defying the person who told you to do it in the first place and are countering them.
3. "I don't have to!" This one means that if someone told you that you have to do something, it means that it's not a "must," just like 2. Pretty much, 2 and 3 are the same thing, but 3 is more common, so if you have a choice, go with a choice that sounds most like 3.
Weather:
1) Is it sunny all of the time where you are? Is it rainy? Is it cold? If it's cold, does it snow a lot? Does your breath rise in a mist?
Long chapters and short chapters:
1) Try not to make your chapters too short or too long. You can't make them too short because, if you do, your readers will lose interest. If they're too long, then split them into two chapters to get twice as many votes.
Planning:
1) Try to plan everything before you write it--what will happen, if there will be a sequel, who will die and who won't, etc. Also, take little things from one part of the book that don't seem to be important and make them crucial to the story later--like in Harry Potter where Harry finds the Horcrux locket and throws it away, only later realizing how important it was.
I know this is short, which is what I warned against, but this is tips on how to make a story, so this isn't interesting anyway, and making it longer would just improve it's boringness. So bye.