How to Become a Better Writer: A Wattpad Guide

All Things Wattys [2015]

This year's Wattys is well on its way. In fact, you can learn all you need to know about this contest on the TheWattys profile.

Still, what I'm noticing, even with there being a dedicated profile for this contest, is that folks still have lots of questions. So, I'm here to help. I've come up with my own Q/A to answer the many questions that have been asked.

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Q: How do you vote on a story for the People's Choice Award?

A: To vote on a story entered into Wattys 2015:

[Option 1]

1) Launch Wattpad from your internet browser.

2) Find your favorite Wattys 2015 story.

3) Copy the link to that story.

4) Open Twitter and create a new tweet and paste the Wattpad link into the new tweet.

5) Add the tag #MyWattysChoice and click Tweet.

[Option 2]

1) Select the "Share a Twitter link" feature in your favorite Wattpad story.

2) Add the #MyWattysChoice tag to the link in the pop-up window.

3) Click Tweet.

That's all to it. That's how you vote for your favorite entry for this year's Wattys. I'm sure you can do all this from the mobile app as well, but the procedure might be slightly different. Voting will take place between Aug. 24th and Aug. 31st!

Q: Does my story have to be completed by the last day for accepting entries (Aug 31st)?

A: No, your story does not have to be completed on or before Aug 31st. Wattys is accepting stories that are ongoing?

Q: The hash symbol (#) doesn't show up in my tag after I save my updated tag list. What did I do wrong?

A: You've done nothing wrong. The # symbol disappears by the design after you save your updates. As long as Wattys2015 appears as one of the tags in your story, then you are good to go. 

Q: Do I still quality if I wrote my story in 2014?

A: You may enter a story that was written in 2014 ONLY if you've updated it in 2015 with at least 3 new chapters.

Q: Can I enter one shots, fan fiction, poetry, or short stories, and how long does my story have to be?

A: This year, Wattys has opened the door wide and is accepting all genres. And guess what? Yeap, there is no length criteria. As long as your story is not an excerpt and is fully available as a completed, ongoing, or serial story, then you are good to go. 

Q: I've tagged my story, but I can't find it when I search #Wattys2015. Why?

A: As I've come to understand, it may take your story a few days after you've tagged it before it starts showing up under the new hashtag. Even still, you may have to refine your search even more to find it due to the large volume of entries. Not to worry, though, if you can't find your story. As long as you have it correctly tagged by the deadline, Wattpad will find it and count it as an entry in the contest. 

Q: Does my story have to have a gazillion reads, comments, and/or votes to have a fair shot at winning?

A: The simple answer: No. Wattpad will be judging your story on a number of criteria, not necessarily limited to the popularity of a story. For your part, be sure that you have given it your best effort at developing and telling your story, make it has polished as you can, and just enjoy the ride!