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✦ 𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐋 ✧
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Here you can get help creating stories, creating OC's, and improving your writing! I thought it may be beneficial to provide some tips based on my own experience as a writer. Please keep in mind that I'm not a professional, so be sure to use your own discretion when determining whether to take my advice or not. This is just what I've learned and what I've found has helped me, but your experience may be different. Please feel free to share any of your own writing tips!

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✦ 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 ✧
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✦ 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒; Whether you plan everything out in advance or you follow the flow of the story, there's more than one right way to write a story! For my writing process, I do a bit of both. I try to plan out as many of the important scenes as I can in advance and then I follow the flow of the story for the parts in-between. This allows me to create a structure for my story while also allowing it to flow naturally. Think of it as creating the bones and then adding the flesh as you write! My biggest piece of advice is to be open to changes in your story as it goes, because as you'll find, sometimes the story writes itself! What is your writing process like?

✧ 𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍; When planning your story, it's good to keep your information organized so that you don't forget anything important. Everybody has a different method and there's no right or wrong way. Personally, I keep track of important information such as dates, plot points, character information, etc. in the notes app on my phone but you can do whatever works best for you! How do you keep your story information organized?

✦ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃-𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆; World-building is a complex process, but some basic components to consider when creating your story is the physical layout, history, and logic of the world that your story takes place in. The more world-building you do in advance, the more flushed out and compelling your story becomes and the less likely you are to have plot holes.

━ LAYOUT: Whether your story takes place in a sprawling kingdom or in a small town, understanding the layout of your setting is a good way to prevent plot holes. To do this, I highly encourage that you make a map. It doesn't need to be a good map, because you're often the only one to see it, it just needs to give you a sense of where things are. What is next to what? How long would it take your character to walk from one location to another? Are there obstacles in the way, such as natural landmarks? I usually just draw one on a piece of paper but there are also both free and paid resources online that you can utilize to help.

Feel free to share any resources that you utilize for creating maps here! ➔

━ HISTORY: Like understanding the layout, understanding the history of your world is also a good way to prevent plot holes and to flush your story out more. To do this, creating a timeline can help. It doesn't need to be exhaustive, it just needs to give you a sense of what happened prior to the story that led up to the story taking place. When and how was the setting created? What was the catalyst for change, if any, and when did it occur? How much time has passed between major events? Where do your characters fit in? These are just a few questions to consider when creating your timeline.

━ LOGIC: Keep in mind that logic doesn't necessarily mean realistic, it means the rules through which the world your story exists in operates. Determining these rules beforehand can help you to avoid plot holes. For example, if your story takes place in a vast and empty desert, it wouldn't be logical for your character to constantly have a full water bottle. Often, the more rules you have the better, because these rules create obstacles which makes the story more compelling.

✧ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘; Keep in mind that you don't always have to start from the very beginning of the story! Sometimes the best way to hook readers is to flash-forward to something later in the story, like the moments right before a character's death or right before they walk down the aisle, or maybe you flash forward to when a character gets arrested or when they get fired...This gives readers something to look forward to and encourages them to keep reading to find the answer. Wherever you start, it's also how you start that's important. An intriguing opening line is a great way to pull readers in. I often like to start with dialogue, particularly mid-conversation dialogue to pique readers' interest about how the conversation got to that point, but there are tons of different ways to begin! How do you like to start your stories?

✦ 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘; Keep in mind that stories don't always have to have happy endings! Maybe the main character dies or they don't get their way, or maybe the main character reverts back on their character development or they turn out to have been the villain the entire time...Happy or sad, there's so many different ways that you can end a story and none of them are necessarily right or wrong, but the one thing you want to be sure of is that the ending is satisfactory for the time invested in reading the story. The term, "satisfactory", is obviously highly objective, but generally this means that the ending is (1) logical for the story, and (2) answers all or most of the reader's questions. Regarding the latter, sometimes it is beneficial to leave the story open-ended to allow readers to interpret if for themselves or to use their own imagination to determine what happens next. Some of my favorite stories end this way, however, you want to be careful that it's not too open-ended and that readers still receive the answers to most of their questions. How do you like to end your stories?

✧ 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆; Finding the right pace is often one of the trickiest parts of writing a story. If a story is too slow, it may lose the reader's interest, and if it's too fast, readers may become confused. Everybody's definition of "too slow" or "too fast" varies, and it can also depend on the story, but generally, in my writing, this is the formula I strive to follow:

━ FIRST QUARTER: Within this portion of the story, I include the exposition, which is the background information about the characters and the world that the story takes place in. Keep in mind that you don't need to share every piece of background information at this point, as it can lead to info-dumping which can confuse readers. It's a good idea to sprinkle some background information throughout the rest of the story as well to keep readers on their toes. During this portion of the story, I also introduce the flaws/weaknesses of the main character, as well as the inciting incident, or the event that starts the main character on their journey.

━ SECOND QUARTER: Throughout this portion of the story, I include the rising action, where the main character attempts to solve the problem(s) but fails. This creates conflict, not just with other characters, but within the main character as well. This is a great point to further highlight the flaws/weaknesses of the main character by putting these flaws/weaknesses into action. For example, perhaps your main character is a notorious liar, and a character that they've grown close with asks them for the truth, but they fall back on old habits and give them a lie.

━ THIRD QUARTER: Within this portion of the story, I introduce the climax, or the turning point in the story. This is often the part where the main character goes against the antagonist and where readers start getting answers to some of their biggest questions (key word, some, as it's often a good idea to reserve at least one big reveal for the end). This is also a turning point for the main character's character development, where they acknowledge and fight against their own flaws/weaknesses. Building off the previous example, perhaps the antagonist offers your main character hush money if they lie about something bad that happened, but the main character has learned that this is wrong and refuses, telling others the truth regardless of the harm it may cause them. Within this portion of the story, there may also be some residual rising action prior to the climax based on what makes sense for the story.

━ FOURTH QUARTER: Within this portion of the story, I include the falling action, or the consequences of the climax, and the conclusion. This is where the main character has to pick up the pieces and where they start to cement their character development (however, depending on the story, that could change in the conclusion). The conclusion is perhaps the most versatile part of the story, but by this point, the reader is given the answers to all (or most) of their questions and the story is all (or mostly) wrapped up.

Again, keep in mind that this is just a basic template and that it may not apply to every story. Feel free to utilize this formula and alter it however you need! What formula do you use for pacing your story?

✦ 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇; Because this varies based on the preference of both writers and readers, there's really no right or wrong answer. There's also other variables that may influence this as well, like the type of story (novel, novella, short story, series, etc.), chapter lengths, etc. My best piece of advice is to listen to the story on when it's done being told rather than to pick a set number of chapters ahead of time, otherwise you may rush the ending or even drag it out. What is your preference for story lengths (chapters/words) as a reader and/or a writer?

✧ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇; Like with story length, there's no right or wrong answer because it's all based on the preference of readers and writers. Personally, my reading and writing preference for chapter lengths are the same, at about 2,500-4,000 words per chapter, but this varies from chapter-to-chapter based on the flow of the story. In my experience, I've found that keeping your first couple chapters shorter in length is a good way to hook readers in quickly because many readers often just give the first chapter a cursory glance to see if it'd be something they'd like. What is your preference for chapter lengths (words) as a reader and/or a writer?

✦ 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍; Everybody has a unique way of writing description and this is often where people's writing styles show through, but generally good description enables readers to picture the story in their mind. You want to be careful about how much description you include, however. Generally you want to provide enough that readers are able to see it in their head, but not too much that they're aren't given some room to imagine for themselves. You also don't want to describe everything all at once, as this can lead to walls of text that the readers get lost in. Spread the description out to provide readers with reminders of what the setting/characters look like. When it comes to describing characters, this is where a lot of personal preference comes in. Some writers like to keep their descriptions vague to enable readers to see themselves in place of the character while others like to provide you with a full picture. I often go for something in-between. How do you write description?

✧ 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄; Like with description, everybody writes dialogue differently so there's more than one right way, but generally good dialogue is realistic for the story, flows naturally, and doesn't info-dump. This is just a general example, but if you're writing a story that takes place in medieval times, it's not realistic for characters to utilize modern-day slang. You also want your dialogue to flow between characters and for it to feel natural rather than forced. Natural dialogue isn't perfect. In real life, people stutter and use filler words such as "er" and "um", so it's a good idea to reflect this in your writing. If your character has a certain accent or dialect, this is also something to keep in mind. Lastly, a good rule-of-thumb is to show more than you tell. Your characters don't have to explain everything that's happening. Information is often more compelling when you let the description reveal it rather than the dialogue. How do you write dialogue?

✦ 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒; Plot twists aren't a necessary component to every story but they make stories a lot more thrilling. Personally, all my favorite books include plot twists and they're one of my favorite things to write, but they can also be one of the trickiest things to write. When writing  plot twists, you don't want them to come completely from out of left field or readers may become confused. One way to avoid this is to utilize foreshadowing, where you drop subtle hints throughout the story that indicate the plot twist without giving it away. A good plot twist leaves readers with an "a-ha" moment where the dots all finally connect and encourages readers to re-read the story to pick up on clues that they missed the first time. A good plot twist also shouldn't be written just for pure shock value, it should have a logical role to play in the story. How do you write plot twists?

✧ 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒; Just like plot twists, cliffhangers also aren't a necessary component to every story, but they can be very effective if written correctly. I frequently utilize cliffhangers at the ends of chapters to encourage readers to continue reading to find out what happens. Cliffhangers can also be used at the end of a story, but you want to be careful about how and when you use them. If the book is part of a series, a cliffhanger at the end is a good way to get readers to read the next story, but if the book is a standalone, utilizing a cliffhanger may be frustrating for the reader if it prevents the majority of their questions from being answered. Depending on how it's written, a cliffhanger at the end may also feel abrupt and readers may question whether the story actually ended at all. How do you utilize cliffhangers?

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✦ 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐂 ✧
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✦ 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆; When creating an OC (original character), you want to flush them out and make them feel real. Just like real people, they need strengths, weaknesses, interests, fears, etc. A great way to practice making OC's is to apply to apply fics, which are stories where you can create a character to join a plot created by the author. They often include a form to help you create your OC and while these forms vary from apply fic to apply fic, I thought it may be beneficial to provide an example to help with creating OC's. Feel free to utilize this form and alter it however you need!

━ 01. FULL NAME (What is the meaning and origin? Why was it chosen?)
━ 02. NICKNAMES (Do they like them? Who calls them by these?)
━ 03. DATE OF BIRTH (Where were they born? Time of day?)
━ 04. GENDER (Do they feel comfortable with their gender? Are they still figuring it out?)
━ 05. PRONOUNS (What's their preference? Have they changed pronouns? Do they use certain pronouns with certain people?)
━ 06. SEXUALITY (Romantic/sexual attraction? Are they still figuring it out? Are they out to others; if so, who?)
━ 07. RACE/ETHNICITY
━ 08. NATIONALITY
━ 07. APPEARANCE (Hair? Eyes? Complexion? Stature? Do they have tattoos or piercings; if so, what and where?)
━ 08. STYLE (What do they feel comfortable in? Do they have a specific style? Accessories?)
━ 09. PERSONALITY (What are they like when they're by themselves? Around others?)
━ 10. STRENGTHS
━ 11. WEAKNESSES
━ 12. FEARS (Have they always had them? Did something cause them?)
━ 13. HABITS (Do they bite their nails? Tap their feet? Play with their jewelry?)
━ 14. SKILLS (What are they good at? Do they have any hidden talents?)
━ 15. HOBBIES (What do they do in their free time? Are they in any clubs/organizations?)
━ 16. LIKES
━ 17. DISLIKES
━ 18. BACKSTORY (What happened before the story? What were they like as a kid? What was their home environment like? Where did they live?)
━ 19. FAMILY (Who is involved in their life? What is their relationship with them?)
━ 20. OTHER RELATIONSHIPS (Who are their friends? Have they dated anyone? Do they get along with their coworkers? How do they feel about strangers?)

✧ 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒; After creating your OC, try imagining them in different scenarios to determine how they would respond so that you can understand how they'd react to different things in your story. How would they react if somebody cut them in line? If they didn't get the job they wanted? If their favorite TV show was about to come on and they couldn't find the remote? If they found a wallet on the ground? If somebody close to them forgot their birthday? These are just some examples but there are countless scenarios you can utilize to help you understand your OC and their motives better.

✦ 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒; If you're struggling to develop a personality for your OC, try taking a personality test for them! There are many out there, but here are some of the more popular ones:

━ MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI): Sorts people into 16 different personality types (Introverted (I) vs. Extroverted (E)/Intuitive (N) vs. Sensory (S)/Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)/Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)). Free test and detailed information about each of the types available on 16Personalities!

━ ENNEAGRAM: Sorts people into 9 different personality types (Heart (Type 2, Type 3, Type 4), Head (Type 5, Type 6, Type 7), Body (Type 8, Type 9, Type 1)). Free test available on Truity (your results are free but you have to pay for an in-depth report, however you can look up more details about the types on other websites)!

━ ASTROLOGY: Sorts people into 12 different personality types, or zodiac signs, depending on their date and time of birth (Water vs. Earth vs. Fire vs. Air/Fixed vs. Cardinal vs. Mutable). While there's not a test for this, it may help you to determine a birth date for your OC! If you want to go even more in depth with their personality, you can include their moon, rising, mercury, mars, venus, etc. signs as well!

━ SORTING HAT: Sorts people into 4 different personality types, or houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff). This test is used in Harry Potter but it can be useful even if your story isn't set in the wizarding world. Free test available on WizardingWorld (you have to create an account)!

━ MORAL ALIGNMENT: Sorts people into 9 different personality types, or moral alignments, based on responses to situational questions (Lawful vs. Neutral vs. Chaotic/Good vs. Neutral vs. Evil). This test was created by Dungeons & Dragons so it's perfect for helping you to develop your OC. Free test available on Easydamus!

Feel free to share any personality tests that I missed! ➔

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✦ 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ✧
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✦ 𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖; One of the best ways to improve your writing is through peer review. Having a peer read through your story is incredibly beneficial because they can offer a different perspective and may even catch things that you missed, such as plot holes or spelling/grammar mistakes. A peer can be anyone, from a friend to a family member to another user on Wattpad. There are even free and paid services online where you can submit your stories for review. If possible, I recommend having multiple peers review your story so that you can see the story through multiple perspectives.

✧ 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐒; If you're like me and you're scared to share your writing with your friends and family for review, review shops are a great alternative. Review shops work by requesting a review of your story from a Wattpad user, who will then go through your story using their own rubric and grade it. Each user may have different opinions on what works and what doesn't work for your story, so oftentimes it's beneficial to request reviews from multiple shops so that you can get multiple perspectives. When I first started writing on Wattpad, I submitted my stories to several review shops and learned a lot from their feedback. If you'd like to see an example of a review shop, I have one published on my profile (although it's currently closed) called Night Owl Reviews!

If you have any open review shops, feel free to share them here! ➔

✧ 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐒; Editing shops are similar to review shops in that you request help from another Wattpad user with your writing, however editing shops usually focus specifically on spelling and grammar. Each editing shop operates differently, and some are even combined with review shops, so be sure to read through the rules and services before requesting. This is a great service to utilize if you're writing in a language that is not your first language!

If you have any open editing shops, feel free to share them here! ➔

✦ 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁𝐒; Book clubs are another alternative if you're scared of sharing your writing with people you know. Book clubs work by providing a community space on Wattpad for writers to read each others' works and provide feedback and spelling/grammar corrections. Each book club operates differently, but oftentimes you're either paired with another user or placed in a small group (depending on the size of the book club). Some book clubs are even created for specific genres/fandoms. When I first started writing on Wattpad, I joined a book club and found it immensely helpful because I was able to receive feedback on my own story and explore other styles of writing as well.

If you have any open book clubs, feel free to share them here! ➔

✦ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒; One of the best ways to improve your writing is to see it from the other side. Be not just a writer, but a reader as well. Reading other stories exposes you to different writing styles and helps you to understand what works and doesn't work when creating stories. It also enables you to see what's popular and to find a niche that you can fit your story into! Most importantly, it gives you a new perspective to look at your own story through and to better understand what readers are looking for.

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✦ 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ✧
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If you have any questions about creating stories, creating OC's, or improving your writing that I didn't address above or would like to add your own tips, feel free to leave them here! ➔