Social Media Guide for Wattpad

Let's Talk About Writing Itself

Wait, Haven’t We Been Talking About Writing All Along?

Well, sure we have. But this section is about social media and how it all specifically relates to writing. After all, we are on a social media site right now.

Wait, … What?

Yes, folks; Wattpad is a social media site. It just so happens to have the written word as its focus, as opposed to, say, Instagram, which is devoted to images, or YouTube, which is for videos. 

Now, I won’t go into the basics of getting noticed on Wattpad. We’ve been over this already (Chapter 2 if you need a refresher). But there is a social aspect to writing beyond Wattpad. Just like every other social networking site, it has its own unwritten rules and protocols, ways that people behave and interact. Like what?

GoodReads, Fanfiction.net, and others

GoodReads (you can log in from Facebook; I do) is devoted to reading and reviewing the published word. Of course this is the traditionally published, the hybrid published, and the self-published. It’s the vanity press, mixed in with the classics. It is everything from textbooks to the Bible to Harlequin romances to your friends’ own works. 

There are any numbers of fan fiction sites. One of the biggest (yes, I am a member there) is Fanfiction.net. There are also more specialized fan fiction sites. It should come as no great surprise that I am a member of several Star Trek fan fiction sites and I post to many of them (but not all). 

Their general principles are similar to Wattpad’s, so we’ll treat them all more or less the same, okay?

Should you give out bad reviews?

@alexkarola asked this question earlier. It applies to both GoodReads and Wattpad and any place where original or fan fiction can be posted, too, such as Fanfiction.net, etc. 

I like to go with a Rule of Threes for reviewing. Ready? Here it is.

1.       If it is wonderful, I am unstinting in my praise. I try to offer some sort of detail(s) about why I really liked something or other. I try to offer something unique but I do admit that sometimes I only have the time to write, “That was freakin’ awesome!” But if I have some time, I try to say specific good things when I really love a piece.

2.        If it is a mix, I try to provide a sandwich review (@KatrinHollister explains these very well on her blog). I love this, this needed work, and I loved that. If the problem is a technical one (e. g. a piece needs to be spell-checked, or the cover is bad, etc.), I will tell the person, because those are the easy fixes. I try to find something good to say, and balance more positives over negatives.

3.       If the story is awful and all I want to do is burn someone’s computer, I try not to tell them in public. And even in private, I try to be kind. After all, it could just be me. If there is a means (and there is here, but I don’t think there’s one on GoodReads) to privately communicate with the author, I will. Nobody wants to hear all nastiness, so I try to take the emotions out of the equation. I try not to write things like, “Your plot is derivative, your characters are Mary Sues, and your scenes are clichéd and you wouldn’t know research if it bit you in the patoot!” Even if I am thinking them. Instead, I try to remind people that maybe they should research their work better, or get it edited or at least beta read before posting. And if there is anything at all positive that I can say, I do try to. Failing that, though, I tend to just maintain radio silence. Of course, when reviewing regular old classic literature where the author is long dead, such rules do not apply. If you don’t like Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native, then have at it! He won’t know.

But …

There is admittedly one huge flaw in all of this. When you give out few to no bad reviews, where is your credibility? And what happens if someone asks for a review? 

Consider this. A lot of first-time authors are dying for reviews. Reviews are helpful. They get the word out, they have credibility, and the author can show that there are clicks and there is traffic. 

You should never feel obligated to give a positive review if someone asks you for a review. You should give a review, and it should be fairly detailed, yes. But the deal is for a review – it is NOT a deal for a slavish, loving ode to the author. Unless, of course, you really do love the piece. And if you really want to help a friend but their work is really lousy, there are ways to single out some small thing that’s working and at least focus on that.

Here’s an Idea

Got a literary blog? How about spreading some love, and fulfilling the helping others and spreading their content, aspect of the Rule of Thirds by handing out some reviews? Don’t do too many of these, so make them a big event. What do I mean by big? Interview the writer, and ask about all sorts of things, like inspiration, process, or a teaser for what they are working on next. Add the cover art and even an image of the author or at least his/her avatar, so long as you get permission to use the visual media. 

Write a thoughtful review. Make sure the writer knows about it. Ask him/her to spread the link. And maybe even make it something that stretches over more than one post. You could devote a couple of weeks to a long book if you can get a good-sized interview and a lot of images from someone. This is you volunteering to review, so it should probably go without saying that you’re going to be reviewing your favorite works. You are going to be positive here. 

This might spur some people to contact you and ask for a review. That’s great! But make it clear to them that you are going to write an honest review. And an honest review isn’t guaranteed to be 100% positive. But do vow to not trash the writer. After all, that person is putting himself/herself out there. That’s not an easy thing to do. You don’t owe them a positive review but I think you’ll agree that you owe them some kindness, yes? 

And if you find yourself on the other end of this, where you have requested a review, and it comes up as less than stellar, try not to fly off the handle. Consider what the reviewer is saying. Sometimes there is a disconnect between writer and reader. And sometimes there are technical issues that we miss. Or sometimes, you know, they’re right.

And also make sure to check out @KatrinHollister’s blog, too, as she writes an in-depth guide to giving out reviews:

http://katrinhollister.wordpress.com/ 

The link is to the obituary for Howard Thompson, mini-reviewer extraordinaire. Trust me, you want to read it in its entirety; it is fantastic. The image is me, of course! The YouTube video is for a great review of Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Did this chapter help you? Did it hold your interest? Let’s hear your opinion about reviewing below in the comments section and vote! You know the puppy wants you to. ;)