Tips & Tricks to Writing on Wattpad

5 Dont's in Characters

5 DON'TS IN CHARACTERS

1) DO NOT pull the Bella Swan on us. Please.

This is sort of two things. And it's not anything against Twilight. It just pops up everywhere and is REALLY annoying.  

Firstly, the mirror. Who just walks up to a mirror and recounts the features they've had since birth? No one. We make sure our hair doesn't look frizzy and that our makeup isn't smudged (if you wear any, I don't, so I skip that step). Not go something like 'my naturally pouty lips curved into a slight smirk' or whatever.

1.5) The I'm gorgeous- no wait, I'm ugly. I think everyone's seen this at least once. It's where the main character stresses that they're average or ugly, then go on to describe themselves in a gorgeous way.

Ex. I look average. My long, silky, sunshine coloured hair fell in perfect waves down my back. My green eyes glittered like emeralds and my skin was was smooth and flawless. I had curves in all the right places, but I'm not fat. I'm still ugly, though.

... Yeah, no. What's the point of that? Oh you want to make your main character beautiful, but not conceited? Well, now she sounds like a complete...*searches for nice way to say a certain word*... Idiot. And no one's believing you.  

No one.

2) If you want to tell us about them, do it subtly.

Ex. I have seven brothers, loving parents, and I'm the class president. I'm also captain of the volleyball team and dating the hottest guy in school.

This is sort of show and tell. Telling works in some cases, yes, by when it comes to character info... I don't think so. Your character has glasses but doesn't wear them? Make her squint. Your character is on the volleyball team? Have her telling a friend she has to go to practice, or show her practicing, or have her shove a volleyball and game schedule of her bed when she goes to lie down. Got loving parents without a problem? Have them kiss or hug in front of her and her go like 'eww' but secretly think she's lucky because her friends parents are splitting up.  

Or something.  

I don't know, just don't give it us fact, after fact. This is a story, not a 'Hello, my name is' game.

3) Everyone is either the most popular girl in school or the loser.

Can't they be normal, like middle? They're always super popular, have one sole friend, or no friends at all. I talk to everyone, sort of, but I have a close group of friends. If your character goes to school, and talks to no one except one person, I will be like 'WTF?'

Even the weird people at my school talk to people. As in, more than one person. They might not be close, but they talk. Something like 'can you lend me a pencil', or they talk when they have to work in assigned groups. Sometimes we even have a huge group of people and just talk. Like, not everyone's friends with each other in that group, but we still talk.

4) Must there we be a pyscho blonde cheerleader ex?

Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure in real life, when you're rejected, you leave the person alone and wallow when you're alone. Not go and threaten the girl they're currently with. Even if you do have a lot of confidence.

5) Contradictions.

So you say your characters a reserved person and was raised to be well-mannered and polite. Then they go and slap a near stranger. It doesn't matter how angry the person made them, I'm not really what you would call reserved and polite and I wouldn't even do that!  

You say your character's a rebel tomboy. Then write a paragraph about her worrying about her hair and make-up. And have her tell her best friend she won't skip class because she's worried about her grades.  

Unless you're deliberately trying to confuse your readers, something isn't right.

I get it, it's fiction, but some of this stuff is just *wild hand gestures* crazy. At least in my opinion.

If I missed nay, feel free to comment them below, and I'll add them in and expand this tip/rant-ish thing.

Next Tip: Plotting

~JJ :)