So you want to be a writer. You've got your reasons and they're good reasons to you.
And now you're writing, and you want to improve so you start reading advice books and they all tell you to get input...but who do you talk to? If you're a nobody with no money to throw at an editor or some other professional who can help, where do you go for help?
Editors.
[usually the last step, but I'm putting them first because they're easy to find.]
If you're talking off wattpad, these are usually professionals, and they require some form of monetary payment that can vary depending on what you want from editing.
If you need an editor like this, I have three pieces of advice for you:
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH.There are different kinds of edits, and they have different rates and pricing structures.
2. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT THE STORY'S CONDITION. It is so easy to waste your money on the wrong kind of editor. Depending on the shape your story is in, you may need something basic or extensive. Try to be honest with yourself. When you have plot holes everywhere and inept storylines, just because you paid an editor for a proofread doesn't mean the story is going to be fantastic; your plot holes will just look like they were dug by a gardener using a shovel rather than a bored golden retriever.
3. MAKE THE STORY THE BEST YOU CAN BEFORE YOU SEND IT. Don't pay someone to tell you what you already know. If it's something you can fix, fix it. Spend your money on the stuff you and your friends, family, beta readers couldn't see. Don't let the editor miss it because they're too busy being bogged down by inserting periods instead of flagging the more unusual stuff.
Wattpad Editors.
On wattpad, the majority of editors are not professional. They may or may not have any experience with editing or understand how to edit. They're just doing their thing and it might be really helpful, or it might be terribly useless. I've seen wattpad editors tell a writer the story 'looks good; no mistakes in grammar" and without even trying I can pick out four missing commas and typos.
The perk is that they won't cost you anything out of pocket, just a little time and effort to review their story or make some other form of payment.
If you want to find a decent wattpad editor, go to the improve your writing forums, and make a business relationship with one. Here's what you can do to help ensure you don't get an editor who doesn't know what they're talking about:
1. SCREEN THEM. A lot of them tell you what they read and what they do. Often the more experienced editors come across as professional (no, a fancy background and pretty text do not mean professional). They use proper spelling and grammar. They detail their services. They seem knowledgeable about the parts of editing.
If you're on the fence about one, see what they've written or see if you can get some examples of edits they've done in the past. Some people are bad writers and great editors, but based on their ad, their profile, and their stories (if they have any), you can usual figure out if this is the kind of person you want editing your story.
2. TALK TO THEM BEFORE YOU 'BUY.' Ask them what they do. Tell them what you're looking for and find out if they can do that. If you open a conversation with an editor, you'll usually get better, more personalized help than by completing a payment and letting them do as they please. Talk to them about what you're looking for, what you don't want to comment on (there shouldn't be much, but if you're re-writing a scene or something, it's cool to tell them not to go crazy on that scene because it's changing or something).
3. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER, ASK. If you disagree with something they said or don't understand why they said it, feel free to ask for clarification so when you're making edits, you understand where they're coming from. This is not the time to say: FYI, just so you know... and tell the editor what you feel they got wrong. This is a chance for you to see why they think something needs to be changed.
Beta Readers
Traditionally, these are readers who will read your entire novel for free and give you feedback on it. By definition, they're unprofessional. They're readers who get a sneak peak at a novel before it's actually published and sometimes they would get a free copy of the finished product as a thanks: that's the traditional rewards, so-to-speak.
In the modern day, there are people out there who have decided that beta reading is a lot of work, and as such, they should (and do) charge for their services. A lot of these people did not go to school for beta reading. Their are no real rules and regulations about what they should provide you. A lot of these people are basically offering editorial services under the guise of 'beta reading.'
Be VERY careful if you decide to pay for a beta reader. Do your research. Ask around to see how rates compare. Ask for examples and samples. Find out what a beta read from this professional entails. If the work they're offering sounds like something one type of editor does, compare this beta reading experience to what you'd get from asking an industry professional. If you like the price and what they're doing, feel free to pay. If not, move on. Hiring a beta reader isn't a bad thing, but make sure you get all your information first.
If they're doing it for free, congrats. You can get some great, solid feedback!
Unfortunately, finding beta readers can be really difficult, both on and off wattpad. You may have to do a little legwork. Sites like Goodreads has a beta reader group (be careful; several of them will charge). If you have a story that needs betas, feel free to note that in the story itself, or ask some of your dedicated readers to help you out if they can. I've had people volunteer without asking to beta some of my stories, and likewise I've asked readers who agreed to this. I just explained myself, sent them a nice message about how I valued their input, and the ones who had time agreed. :)
I've also found free beta readers by asking around on twitter and by using google to search for them. Sometimes I look for just beta readers. Other times, I search for more specific things, like new adult beta readers, and poke around the search results. Or I ask other people who have found beta readers, see where they got them, or if their reader might be interested in checking out my writing, too.
A good place to start is also a good place to ask for your story help, which brings me to the next group of people who can help you:
People who read your genre.
Wattpad has forums for this. Some are more popular than others, but if you have questions about your story, sometimes the best people to ask are those who have experience reading it.
For example, say you write sci-fi and want to know if your Transplootometer sequence sounds realistic. So you ask for help from people at large. Wanting to be helpful, someone comes along who mainly reads Supernatural fanfiction and erotic contemporary romances.
And they look at your sequence and check out the spelling, grammar, flow. Thing is, they read it as JARGON JARGON JARGON FLASHING LIGHTS ENGINE ROAR JARGON JARGON SHIP ESCAPES. Yup! This sounds good!
The same thing can happen in other genres, like historical fiction, where the average reader may not know what types of clothing or firearms were available in the 1820s, but a reader who reads that sort of story might.
To find these readers, first look at your own story. The people who vote and comment are people who have given you a chance to click on their usernames and open up a conversation. They may not always respond to you, but don't be shy. Some of your readers are happy to help if you wanted to know what they thought about XYZ.
Apart from that, advertise as wattpad suggests on twitter, the spot in the forum of the genre of your choice, go make friends in the genre's forum, etc. If you read other stories in your genre, take a look at some of the comments. If you see someone leaving messages that seem to be the kind of feedback you're looking for, politely message them, explain how you found them and why you love it if they would please take a look at your story and let you know what they think.
People who write in your genre.
Same as people who read your genre. These people tend to have a better, more in-depth knowledge about the subject matter of your story, so they can better assist you in polishing it. Unlike readers, these are writers. They've probably been where you are at some point. They get how difficult it can be to phrase something in just the right way, how challenging world building can be, give you some tips that helped them, etc.
You can find them on the forums at wattpad. Writers dominate the forums. Otherwise, you can find them in a quick search of stories. Again, I do not advise asking them to read your story. Be courteous and polite. Check out their works. Tell them what specifically you admire about them, and if you have a question- one question, not 'can you read my story?', ask it. From personal experience, I'm much more receptive to helping out a fellow writer when they sound genuine. More recently, I had a great person ask me how I plan out my stories, and I was happy to send them along a preview of the next chapter and several stages of it, so they see how it went from a 200 word blurb to a full-blown 3000 word chapter.
When people just ask me to read their stories, I largely ignore it. But when people seem to ask me for real help, I do my best to find time and help out when I can. Lots of writers will do the same. :)
Find other writers.
Broader than writers in your genre, the perk about finding other writers to help is that there are a lot of them all over the place. Sites like Scribophile and Critique Circle are good for fair exchanges of critiques, and there are so many other sites out there where you can find entire communities of people who are trying to get their story out there, just like you. And they all have resources and experiences they're happy to share to help you (and they themselves) grow!
Go to conferences.
If you have the time, transportation, and money, writers' conferences are always nice. You can often make some nice connections, get feedback, and hear from industry professionals about the writing world. It's not always practical or affordable, but keep an eye out for anything coming to your town or somewhere close.
A quick google search will find conferences.
Go to critique circles.
Again, this is one of those time/transportation issues. Critique circles can be really helpful, but depending on how old you are, what time they take place, and if there are any in your area, they just might not be something you can attend.
If you do find one, find out if it's right for you. Some critique circles are toxic. Some are the best thing you could ever have done.
If you're looking for a place to start looking, libraries are a good place. My local library has critique circle meetings and flyers, and even if they didn't, the librarians may have some suggestions for you.
Use yourself (and the internet).
Need help with your commas but you don't know who to turn to to edit them? Teach yourself! Go on the internet and read through a couple websites. There's information out there all over the place for you, and guess what? YOU CAN USE IT. Don't know what a comma splice is? You can find out! Want to know common cliches in romance so you don't make the same mistakes? You can find out!
Why "Don't ask family or friends. They love you too much." isn't entirely true.
It's not that you shouldn't ask family or friends for advice on stories. It's that you should ask more people than them. Their input is fine; their input is probably full of fluff. If this is all you have to start with, you can make it work.Just seek more opinions after theirs and you'll be fine.
Not because they're wrong or don't know what they're talking about, but because they may be holding back even if you tell them not to.
Heck, if your uncle or cousin or friend from school has knowledge about writing or what you're writing about, by all means, ask them for their input! If I had someone who worked with bears in my circle of friends, I would so ask them about bear behavior to see if the bears in Run Cold come across as realistic. Alas, I don't.