Writing and Wattpadding (a guide)

Posting Story/Chapters

Some questions that I've gotten have been about posting, such as "when should I post?" and "Should I write out the whole story and then post piece by piece or write as I go?"

Let's start with How should I post?

This is essentially up to you. Each person operates differently, so each person will prefer something else. 

I tend to write as I go. I'll get my basis for the story written down, so where I want it to start out and where I want it to end. I'll get a few of the bigger things that I want to happen in the middle to get me to the end, and then I'll just start writing. 

It may seem odd since when I'm really writing I'm posting almost a chapter a day. Sometimes a chapter a day for two or so stories (don't ask me how I do it, because I honestly don't know). 

But that's me writing and posting as I go. 

If that works for you, then that's great. I found that it really works for me. I tend to have a problem with holding onto chapters once I've finally gotten them written out. It doesn't really work for me. 

HOWEVER there is another option that you could try. 

You can write out your entire story and then just post it little by little. This gives you more time with the story. When you do this you still have time to change things before someone reads it one way. You have more time with it to edit it and familiarize yourself with it. 

When you're writing a story, you're constantly learning about the world you created. You learn more about your characters, you learn more about the laws, rules, and how your world is run. In that regard, it could be easier to write everything out so you have time to change things. 

There is always editing when you're finished which is perfectly acceptable. You're always going to be getting new readers, and you can always keep your older readers up to date with changes if you decide to have a sequel and they go on. Sometimes the changes aren't too important to the story and they won't really care... Other times you may have a more significant change they should know about.

I've really only tried writing as I go, so I can't tell you how well the other method works. It's just a personal preference thing. You just need to find out what works well for you. 

When should I post? 

This is an interesting question... One that could very well determine your story's ranking. 

Last I knew (which was a while ago) the day you posted and how frequently you post could potentially have an impact on your ranking. I heard that the best day to post was on a Friday around mid day because that's around the time that the majority of people are posting. It sort of backs up and stunts the "new post" delay on rankings. (once again I want to point out that I do not know if this is still a real thing or not. It's just what I heard a while ago)

On to some things that I do know have an effect. 

How frequently you post and when you post. 

Frequent postings, while they keep your readers happy, aren't actually the best for rankings. It is possible to get a story to rank well while posting daily, in fact I've done it with three stories (which ended up in the #1, #3, and #5 spots with daily postings). So it is possible, however it's easier to move up when you give a break between postings. 

Something that I've noticed is when I let a story sit for two or so days after posting a chapter, my ranking will improve. It might drop a tad, but then it goes back up. 

Similarly, when you post a new story, it will take about 2 or so days before you'll see a ranking start to appear on it. (Examply is the Trevor Durin novella I'm getting ready to start... I posted a chapter so that people could add the story and they would have it in their library when I started to actually post it. Three days after I posted that information, not even a real chapter, it started to rank. Three days after I posted this guide, it also appeared in the rankings.)

These things just take a little time. It's best to give a break between chapters. (I've already said how that just isn't possible for me because I'm impatient. When I finish a chapter, I HAVE to put it up.)

The time of day that you post also has an effect on rankings. If you post earlier in the day, then more people will read the chapter before the day is over... If more people read, comment, and vote on the chapter, then the better the ranking will look the following day. 

If you post late at night like I tend to do sometimes then it will have a negative effect on the rankings. 

I would recommend posting earlier in the day. 

I used to post my story before two or three in the afternoon, and if I didn't get it posted by then, then I would wait until the next day to post. That didn't last too long though. I've made personal decisions and sacrifices because of my impatience. haha. 

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Remember, if you have any questions about Wattpad or writing, ask them below. I have one more question, and if I don't get anymore... Then I'm done updating this for a while. This is your chance right here to ask whatever you want about any of this. I will answer to the best of my ability. 

Thanks all!
Happy Wattpadding!