Wattpad Contest Season Crash Course: 4 Obstacles to Winning the Watty’s and How to Overcome Them

With the Open Novella Contest in full swing and the Watty’s coming up, I’m ready for contest season on Wattpad! It’s the time of year when dreams are accomplished, or hopes are dashed. Not everyone can take home the title, but I’ve put together a month-long Wattpad Contest Season Crash Course to help anyone who sticks to it feel more prepared. Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, you’ll want to stay tuned to my blog throughout March for these must-have tips. We’ll tackle the four hardest parts of competing:

· Obstacles to Getting Started in Course 1

· Putting Your Best Foot Forward in Course 2

· Gaining Traction with Readers in Course 3

· and What to Do in the Aftermath in Course 4

To begin, what are the biggest obstacles to getting and keeping the ball rolling during contest season? Let's break them down.

You’re in Your Own Way. Can you win this thing? Whatever you think, you’re right. Try replacing ‘probably not’ with ‘maybe’ and note the difference in your willingness to push through self-doubt. (Now, try replacing ‘maybe’ with ‘there’s a good chance!’) In my Instagram TV show, “Behind the Scenes w/ LK1,” I discuss how dream-chasing requires a little imagination. When you hear, “There’s No Guarantee of success,” don’t stop at the word No. Whatever is holding you back—whether inexperience, under-confidence or a busy schedule—can be overcome when you plan how, what, and when you will write.

-How to write? Wattpad makes it easy to write from your phone, tablet, laptop, or PC. Experiment with different devices to see which works in your favor. (For example, phones are great when you’re constantly on the go.)

-What to write? Even if you don’t rely on outlines, a beat-sheet requires just a line or two about important plot points.

-When to write? Schedule in writing sprints, as well as longer periods of time for editing and/or revising. Knowing in advance that on Tuesdays you write from 11 AM – 2 PM solidifies the likelihood of you actually getting it done.

Here’s a tip: There are tons of writer’s circles and clubs posting regularly in the Wattpad forums. Become a part of a community where you can set word count goals, check-in with your progress, and discuss your struggles. Having a robust support network can get you over the hump on your tough days.

The Internet is Blocking You. What are doing? Don’t touch that app! I know social media is a shiny bobble distracting us from epic-greatness, and sometimes you can’t avoid it. The modern author must be a dazzling influencer and a dull hermit, by turns. But during contest season, try not to get sucked into the internet. Your focus should be on writing, editing, and presenting your best work. So, how do you live without 24-hour notifications?

-Schedule a block of time for email correspondence and social media, then turn off notifications.

-Use smart apps to stay focused and monitor or limit downtime. (See below).

-Have an accountability buddy to nudge you when you get off-track.

Here’s a tip: Author Jane Friedman curated a list of 10 Apps to Help You Stay Focused on Your Writing. Some of her top choices include Anti-Social, an app you can set to block you from social sites for a prescribed amount of time, as well as the diabolical Write or Die, which will either gently prompt you to keep writing, play an annoying sound if you stop writing or unwrite what you’ve written if you pause for too long. If that doesn’t motivate you to get to work, then I don’t know what will.

Drafting is a Hurdle. It’s been said you should ‘write fast, edit slow.’ What that means from one writer to the next varies. According to “The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors” from WritersWrite.com, Anne Rice of Interview with a Vampire reportedly wrote about 3000 words a day, while Ernest Hemingway of The Old Man and the Sea only cleared about 500 words in the same timeframe. Whatever your numbers, what will definitely slow you down is trying write, rewrite and edit all at once. It’s a common mistake, but there’s a way to avoid it.

Here’s a tip: Get in the zone and go with the flow state. When you achieve flow, your productivity increases, and you tap into almost superhuman abilities with an influx of norepinephrine, dopamine, anandamide, serotonin, and endorphins. This practice teaches you to leave the editing for later as you hammer out your word count goals. Personal Growth Lab offers these 10 Flow-State Triggers to help.

Editing is Hell. Although some of us mull over a draft for what feels like forever, others breeze through the writing only to get stalled editing. We add a word, take a word out, change a name, reconsider the murder weapon, delete a kiss, add a description—but the heavy lifting of content and line editing gets put off in favor of nitpicking with minor details. Editing involves correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling and formatting, as well as fact-checking. However, it also involves checking for plot inconsistencies, weak characterization, stilted voice, and underdeveloped setting. Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is. And you’re on a time crunch to complete your manuscript before the contest deadline. Therefore, you don’t can’t get hung up on the words instead of the story. As with writing, create an editing schedule to ensure you stay on task to achieve measurable results.

Here’s a tip: I’m just going to sit this here.

That’s the end of this week’s Wattpad Contest Season Crash Course. I’d love to know which contest(s) you’re entering and how you’re progressing. Drop a comment below or reach out to me on Wattpad, Twitter, or Instagram. Remember, when it comes to whether or not you’ll achieve success, whatever you think, you’re right! Stay confident, friends.

February Adoration Poetry Contest

It’s the Month of Love, and poetry is the official flavor of the month. Remember the cutesy poems we wrote in grade school? Time to polish that Number 2 pencil and try your hand at it again. This February, I am hosting an all-new contest for the poets and lyricists. See guidelines and enter to win!

Here are the rules:

1. For this contest, you must write a 3 to 20-line original poem in any poetic style on the subject of love or anti-love.

2. Your poem must be in English.

3. You may submit work that you have published elsewhere.

4. I will personally be judging your work. In the event of a tie, an outside judge will be called in to choose the winner.

5. You MUST submit your work via the Contact Form on my website, RE: Adoration Poetry Contest.

6. This contest will run from February 3, 2020 to February 29, 2020 at 11:59 PM (CST).

In order to make sure I have plenty of time to read over your submissions, the winner will be announced March 15, 2020.

Here are the prizes:

Now for the good stuff. Only one person will take home the prize. I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Plus, you will get a shout-out on social media and on my website, www.lesserknown1.com. I will also read your poem on my IGTV show, Behind the Scenes w/ LK1.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started writing your poems today. Join the contest and spread the word. And you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram for contest reminders. I look forward to reading you!

Bring Your Mirror With You

This must be the decade our icons disappoint. Stephen King caused an uproar last week when he said, “I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality.”

In other words, diversity cannot be the hill upon which our creativity dies. Rather, even a staunch liberal should give an unbiased critique of the craft without the messy work of asking, “Who doesn’t this represent?”

What the world-famous horror genius fumbled to the light is a popular “truth” defended in various internet spaces. Indeed, it is an especially attractive idea to writers who prefer not to feel beholden to a market newly clamoring for that fad, #DiverseLit.

It just seems like common sense. If we dismiss a thing because of its lack of diversity, then we run the risk of stifling honest creativity in favor of performative social justice, right? Of course, it takes a thick pair of rose-colored glasses to avoid seeing the inevitable conclusion of this line of thinking. It follows that capitalizing on diversity must lead to a sacrifice in quality.

Now, reflect on imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear that, at any moment, people will realize you are a fraud. It is the pervasive belief your accolades are undeserved, your ascent is a set-up, and your downfall will surely be the result of your incompetence.

Consider Game of Thrones. I recently saw a tweet that pointed out how the ground-breaking HBO series kept us collectively enthralled for nearly a decade, only to cannibalize itself with a terrible season finale. In a facepalm of an interview at San Diego Comic-Con, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the show’s creators, admitted ‘they had no idea what they were doing.’ Imposter syndrome? More like imposters.

I sometimes wonder if people like them get reassuring pep talks their success is well-deserved, despite evidence to the contrary.

Benioff and Weiss were allowed to fail spectacularly without much impact on their careers. Damon Suede, the former president-elect of the Romance Writers Association, was not so lucky. Still, he had a good run while it lasted.

Following the recent implosion of the RWA, Suede’s alleged dark history of lies and unethical maneuverings to make himself look more important were uncovered. This, combined with the backlash from him punishing author of color Courtney Milan for speaking out against racism, led to his resignation.

What can his rise and fall teach us about elevating quality at the expense of diversity? I think it teaches us that women and people of color are critiqued with a different rubric than the one used for mediocre white men. And, while it bothers my sense of decorum to toss around demeaning sobriquets like ‘mediocre white men,’ I struggle to find a better descriptor.

(If it must be said: not all white men.)

This is merely an observation of the inadequacies present in our discourse surrounding matters of art and culture. A surprising number of people seem convinced their rejection of diversity as a qualifier is purely academic. I beg to differ—although it is elitist. For all the talk of universities being bastions of progressivism, this conversation starts at the ivory tower and trickles down to the dinner table. It goes so far as to make its way into the hearts and minds of the marginalized.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, and we work doubly hard to prove our mastery over sometimes foreign concepts. Yes, this is what quality looks like. No, this does not speak to me, but I get it. I can do it. We are not allowed room for mediocrity, as our accomplishments are not judged on merit but on what cannot be demerited.

Regardless of the fact this generation abhors a try-hard, the alternative is to invite discussions of how our work may add to the cannon of diversity yet brings down the overall artistic curve. We must be brilliant while accepting, “Pretty good for [insert demeaning sobriquet].” And we must be happy with that.

Westerners have been the gatekeepers to the halls of success and the lexicographers defining its parameters for centuries. It is no wonder inclusiveness is not a top priority when we discuss quality. That would require a Mirror Moment in which the hero examines his own flaws.

He might see he is an imposter, benefiting from a set of self-serving rules that elevate the banal over the unique. Worse, he might discover that what he considers art is not universal. That he is not, in actuality, a gatekeeper or a lexicographer of anything other than his own subjective experience. His masterpiece is a forgery of familiar tropes when—who knew?—there is an entire globe of perspectives he can only examine second-hand.

His point of view is myopic. It is not a small world, after all. His awards show is a little local thing. He is little. There is art that exists irrespective of his limited understanding of its quality.

Stephen King returned a statement to clarify his earlier comment, declaring, “The most important thing we can do as artists and creative people is make sure everyone has the same fair shot, regardless of sex, color, or orientation.”

Again, he is wrong. The creative community does not need the same fair shot at mediocrity couched in success. Marginalized people do not need to hear out those who don’t consider us in matters of art. We need to recognize that they cannot define quality at our expense. Because every time we create and consume that which resonates with us, we bring a mirror to the table where they once refused to let us sit.

And they see themselves for what they really are.