Welcome to the wonderful world of writing on Wattpad!
This is Wattpad, not the Olympics, so there's no need to panic. Anyone can try it, no training required.
Writing doesn't have to be complicated, and you don't have to be a graduate of some fancy...
Your cover and summary have brought readers this far – and now it's the job of the first chapter to convince them that your story is worthy of their time. And you have about 20-30 seconds to do so.
It's not so much about your story not being good enough, as you are competing against a lot of other distractions, like other books, Netflix, video games, social media, etc.
The first chapter has to introduce the main character *without* an info dump. My suggestion is to start the story in the middle of a scene or with the character doing something interesting instead of a summary/background story. You can work in the background details later.
Make those first few paragraphs count! (Please see the Writing Exercises chapter for ideas on *how* to do this)
There has to be at least one hook to intrigue the readers without confusing them. This may or may not include the 'inciting incident' that sends the main character on their journey.
This chapter must reveal the genre and theme – don't wait until halfway through the book to let readers know that a hardcore detective is a romantic at heart! Drop hints, even subtle ones will work to let such readers know that they will want to hang around.
Also, don't give false promises. If someone is reading a love letter in chapter one, the sender better be important to the plot or let us meet the one who wrote them, or it's a broken promise, and readers don't take broken promises well.
Some books start right in an action scene or something similar to build mystery and suspense. Some use humor. If you choose a slower-paced story (like most of mine), ensure the reader doesn't get bored with trivial details (like the color of their clothes and how many pictures are on their walls - that can come much later, if it's even needed at all).
Example of several fast beginnings I saw on Wattpad: "As I gazed out the airplane window, the stranger beside me rested his hand on my knee and began lightly massaging it." And "I had planned a lot of things, but going to an interview without underwear on was not one of them."
In the Science of Storytelling, the author shows many examples of why humans are some of the most curious creatures on Earth. We need to tap into our readers' curiosity and make them wonder what happens next. Of course, for them to wonder what happens next, something actually has to happen to pique their interest. If they can relate to the main character and care about them and their goals, even better!
It's a fine balance of providing enough details without overwhelming the reader with details that aren't essential at this moment, all while trying to convince them that they want to read your book. It's a skill I'm still learning, so please don't use my stories as guides in regards to a good first chapter.
On Wattpad, have the first chapter actually start out with your story – not an author's note, copyright page, or character description list. There were a few studies where over half the readers who landed on such pages promptly hit the back button and never actually saw any of the actual story.
If you want to include a short author's note or copyright blurb, the bottom of chapter 1 or 2 is a good place. If you really want a chapter with pictures of the characters and a world glossary/syllabus, then I recommend putting it at the back of the book and telling readers about it in the bottom of chapter 1, 2, or 3.
Homework assignment!
Open your story and write down 5 of the most relevant tags that describe it.
Pick the 4th one and go to Wattpad. Type it into the search bar.
Look at the first 5 books. (Or go to your bookshelf and pull out five random books)
First, focus on the covers. Which one would you click on based on the cover alone – and why? Is your cover better or does it convey its message well enough?
Second, open up the summary for each of the five books and compare them. Which one catches your interest the most, and which one the least? Write down a quick explanation for both of them.
Open up your summary and compare it to the other five. Using your notes from what you liked most and least, is there anything you can improve or change?
Now, let's go to chapter 1 on all 5 books. Which one was written the best? Is it the one that makes you want to continue reading the most? If yes, write down why. Which one bored you the most and made you want to leave? Also write down why you wanted to leave.
Skim your own chapter – are the good elements present? Is there anything you need to change or remove?
I learn by seeing, and I find this sort of exercise always teaches me something. Hopefully it helps you too. If this exercise helped you, I have a Writing Exercises chapter with a longer, more in-depth exercise
Some links given by Wattpad: -Writer Tips by TheWattys: https://www.wattpad.com/1348569118-writer-tips-make-your-wattys-story-immediate -creators.wattpad.com/blog/trends-tropes-and-tips-from-wattpad-hq-january-2023/ -creators.wattpad.com/blog/trends-tropes-and-tips-from-wattpad-hq/
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