Guide to Writing

Writing tip 17: Keep writing, regardless of readers

Chapter written by  KatherineArlene

How many times have heard someone say, or even thought yourself - I'm writing and posting chapters, but no one is reading. The few readers I had aren't coming back to read more. My writing must not be very good. I should just quit. After all, why write if I don't have any readers?

This is one of the biggest complaints we hear from authors, and it's exactly the wrong way to approach the problem if you want more readers. This is for two very important reasons.

First, for a writer to get better, they have to write.

It could be that your writing isn't the best on the website, especially if you're just starting out. Maybe you struggle with dialogue, or description. Perhaps your grammar isn't the best. But writing well is a skill, and the only way you're going to improve is if you practice.

The way you practice is by working on your story. Write and post those chapters until the day you can mark your story completed. Then if you have a new story idea, go for it! As you continue your stories, your writing will naturally get better, which will help you retain the readers who stumble across your story.

Even John Green and J.K. Rowling wrote terrible fiction when they were just starting out. But they didn't let that stop them from continuing to write, and now they're bestselling authors.

Second, readers are looking for a story.

Most of the readers on Wattpad are regular people who have downloaded the Wattpad app. They did that because they want to read stories. Imagine they come to your profile and see you have a story with three chapters that hasn't been updated in months. Is that going to entice them to take a look? Probably not.

But what if they came to your profile and see a completed story, and another one that's been updated in the last week or two? This tells them you're an author who is actively writing and will probably finish that incomplete story. They'll be much more likely to take a chance on you, and may read the second story if the first one grabbed their attention. When you've completed your latest work, they'll probably stick around and read whatever you post next.

This is how you build a base of readers.

By continuously posting and completing stories, you're improving your skills. And as new readers find you with one story, they usually will read the others, and all your future works.

So don't allow yourself to get discouraged by a lack of readers. Instead, write and the readers will follow!

What others have had to say

drwhogivesadamn "Writing should be an incentive in itself, not a means to an end. Granted, Wattpad is a social app, so you expect readers. However, as a writer who, hopefully, wants to improve, put your craft first. Write because you want to tell a story. Write because it makes you happy. Write because it's part of you. Do all that and the readers will follow, but even if they don't, it matters less because you found something worth doing regardless of what other people think of it." 

dreamflier "Bestsellers aren't made overnight. They take tedious work, editing, and effort--all which might take months, even years. Don't be discouraged if you don't see an immediate fan base; all writers start with a few fans (even none sometimes). If you keep at it, you're sure to get readers." 

Cyril Connolly "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." 

Ammelia11 "We're lucky to live in a time where we can get advice and become popular as we write, but remember that most famous authors didn't have it that way: their stories sat on their laptops, computers and typewriters, gathered dust, and were eventually sent around to various publishers, in many cases being rejected before someone approved them to be published.

The point is, getting noticed shouldn't be the main goal. Write because you want to. Even if your only fans are your best friends, people will eventually appreciate your efforts, and you'll gain loyal readers! But nothing ever happens overnight." 

Richard Bach "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."

We hope you enjoyed! Don't ever let your read counts dictate your writing!