Sam's Wattpad and Writing Tips

Bad Blurb Dilemma

A/N I've received a lot of great feedback and I just want to say thank you all. You guys help me as much as -- or more than -- I help you. Without you, this tip/rant book would get lost in the sea that is Wattpad. Thanks for keeping it afloat. If there's anything you'd like tips on that I haven't addressed yet, please feel free to ask in the comments.

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Wattpad is a gargantuan place with over 40 million users. That is a huge reason why your blurb has to be powerful. It's a peek into your story, and if you want reads, it's gotta pack a punch. Let's cut straight to the chase...

What is not a blurb:

•A blank space (obviously). Nothing says, "This isn't worth reading," more than a blank space where your blurb should be.

•An excerpt from your story. Some would say that's cheating.

•Song lyrics. This is uncreative. It belongs to someone else and it says nothing about your story will be original. Even if it fits, it tells us none of the things we need to know. If you want to insert song lyrics, put it like a quote on the first page inside your story, before your first chapter.

• Quotes. This is cheating (if from your story), uncreative (if someone else's). If you want to include a quote or excerpt, it goes on the first page inside, before you start your first chapter.

What is a blurb: A teaser-summary of your story compressed into a few paragraphs.

When I say teaser-summary, I mean- what it's about, but not everything it has to offer. Some things should be a mystery.

Things you should put in your blurb (not in particular order):

•Your setting. Does it take place in the future? Are your characters at a cabin in the woods? Is your story an exploration of the sea? We need to know what to expect.

•Your protagonist. You don't always have to name your main character, but unless their privacy is essential to the plot I suggest you do. What makes them interesting? Are they the last werewolf on earth? Are they an invented of a time machine? We like to know a bit about them to determine if we want to read about them.

•Your goal. What is the main goal of your main character? Are they searching for a legendary artifact? Are they trying to run from assassins? Are they trying to get the man/woman of their dreams? We must know the reason for your story.

•Your obstacle. What is keeping your protagonist from meeting their goal? Is it a long dangerous journey? Is it a devious villain? Is it the fear of falling in love? There must be something keeping your protagonist from making a beeline to their goal.

•The stakes. What happens if your protagonist doesn't reach the goal? Will a civilization be lost in ruins forever? Will an evil genie take over the world? Will the protagonist's love interest marry someone that isn't right for them? Setting stakes makes the whole ride more suspenseful. Suspense equals interest.

When you finish your blurb, go back and ask yourself if it contains the five things you should have in your blurb. If so, you're already doing better than most. But don't rejoice just yet. Check out the tips to remember.

A few tips to remember:

•Don't leave it blank. This says, "I don't care enough about my story to coax you to read it."

•Don't put, "I suck at blurbs, but it's good, please read it (give it a chance)." If people feel you can't even tell them what it's about, then they think you probably won't be able to write a good story either.

•Mind your grammar and spelling. If you can't be bothered to follow basic writing rules on your blurb, people won't expect you to have put much time or work into your story.

•Less is more. Don't tell everything that's going to happen in your story. Not only does it leave the reader with no reason to actually read it, it makes the whole thing boring to read. Shorter blurbs hold the reader's attention and leaving some things mysterious peaks their interest.

•Don't ask questions. This is so bad. Forcing your reader to ask a question is frowned upon. They don't want to feel like you're telling them what to do. Your blurb should be subtle enough to coax them into forming the questions on their own.

•Don't end with, "Read on to find out." Of course they know they must read on to see the conclusion, you don't have to tell them. Also it is a demand and most people respond negatively to orders from people who want them to do them a favor.

•Don't name more than two people. This will make it easier for your reader to remember the protagonist's name. The reader doesn't need bombarded with a ton of names before opening your story. Give them the main character(s) only. They don't need to know the names of any minor characters in the blurb. This means best friend's name who hooks protagonist up with her love interest has got to go. If you must mention another character, don't mention them by name. Call them by their relationship to the main character. Their brother, aunt, ex. The only people the reader needs to know about are the very main ones. Try to stick with two at the most. More than that should be bundled together. For example, A group of teens take a trip to a cabin after graduation, etc. If one character sticks out in particular mention them and bundle the others, i.e. Sarah and her friends go on a weekend trip to her uncle's cabin, etc.

•Be clear. Have a family member read it, ask a friend to read it- whatever you have to do to confirm that your blurb makes sense to someone that knows nothing about your story. If your blurb doesn't make sense, we're not going to rush to read the story.

If you've checked off the things you should add and cleared the tips to remember, then you're good to go! Congrats and may many lovely readers come your way!

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