Even if you're not interested in Wattpad, then the following links still provide some interesting reading, especially because it addresses a specific subject: Pitfalls.
- Paid Stories Verticals
- Vertical Framework
- Trends, Tropes & Tips
Vertical Guidelines
When it comes to genres, well, Wattpad pretty much shows what they are about and what they are looking for on the Vertical Framework page:
Vertical Framework
Fantasy
High (Epic) Fantasy
A fantasy story that takes place on a world that isn’t Earth. The stakes are often large and world-threatening, and the narrative usually features magic, magical creatures, and historic/unusual technology. The plot unfolds through action and adventure.
LitRPG/GameLit
A fantasy story that takes place on a world that isn’t Earth, often virtual, and features a protagonist who consciously immerses themselves in this world by participating in and playing a virtual role-playing game.
Urban Fantasy
A fantasy story that takes place on Earth, almost always a major city, but features fantastical elements such as the supernatural, magic, and monsters. It blends the aesthetics of major cities, sometimes with a mix of noir, with the escapist elements of fantasy.
Science fiction
Dystopian/Apocalyptic
A science fiction story that takes place on Earth, or an Earth-like setting, but where society has either crumbled completely or is in some sort of cataclysmic decline. These stories often take place in the future and deal with themes such as government control, environmental disaster, and the persistence of the human spirit.
Space Opera
A science fiction story that takes place in space and often with a narrative on an interplanetary scale. These narratives feature advanced technology, space travel, and rely heavily on adventure. Romance is often a subplot, but not the main storyline.
Horror
Monster/Slasher
A horror story where the protagonist, often a group of protagonists, are trying to survive from a paranormal/otherworldly/inhuman creature or threat. These stories rely heavily on atmosphere and tension, survival, and the interpersonal relationships between a large cast of characters.
Looking at that it encompasses pretty much anything that doesn't fall in the top 5, and that's why I think it doesn't exactly have the focus 🤔😁
Anyway, when drilling down into, for example, the Werewolf category, you'll find a few different sections:
Notable Elements
Reader Experience
Common Pitfalls
What makes this interesting is that they have identified a range of characteristics for each genre. This is a handy approach for writers that want to be read 😏
Example: Werewolf stories
Going through these items for Werewolf stories (I've reformatted them for clarity)...
Notable Elements
- Supernatural mate/soul bonds between lovers that can be fated by a higher power, the result of a biological imperative (verticaling), deliberately chosen, or even rejected.
- Werewolf pack hierarchies, with an Alpha as the leader and descending ranks assigned to other wolves, such as Beta, Gamma, and Omega. Alongside exploration of both the good—close found family bonds—and bad—abuse of lower ranks—that can be found within those structures.
- Possessive, extremely protective and loyal Alpha romantic leads.
- The struggle against or the embracing of a darker, more primal inner self aka the Wolf.
- A downtrodden outsider, such as a lone werewolf or a human, being folded into a pack and werewolf culture.
- A Chosen One, or a werewolf of unique and special importance.
- Often found in standard contemporary settings, both urban and rural, but commonly crosses over into various other worlds and genres such as fantasy, thriller, mystery, and even historical.
- Characters can live anywhere in the world and come from any background.
The above is pretty much a bullet list of common topics, if not outright tropes. You could come up with such a bullet list for each (sub)genre or story that you want to write.
Reader Experience
- With Werewolf stories readers are looking to indulge in a fantasy about an intense, primal romantic connection, something that runs soul deep and cannot be broken. Part of the appeal is also an empowerment fantasy where, in addition to a perfect partner, someone who has experienced a lot of abuse and been rundown or abandoned can discover a stronger inner self capable of striking back and can find a place where they belong. The tone is sexy, uninhibited, and very emotional in order to highlight those intense, satisfying bonds.
Nothing but a concise description of the (sub)genre, but more importantly, they list here what readers expect. Ask yourself, what do readers of your (sub)genre expect to read in your story? And after identifying those items, did you deliver?
Common Pitfalls
- Non-consensual sexual activity (Non-Con) and dubiously consensual sexual activity (Dub-Con)
Characters are put into a situation where they do not or cannot provide meaningful consent
To avoid this issue, ensure that characters are able to express their desire for and consent to sexual situations throughout the story. This is especially important in situations where being Fated Mates or Mate Bonded is portrayed as a compulsion that can be perceived as overriding the characters’ actual desires.
- Power imbalance relationships
This is due to the general hierarchical werewolf pack structures. Particularly, in instances where a main character is an Omega or low-ranked werewolf in comparison to their love interest/their pack.
To avoid this issue, it’s key that characters have agency in all of their interactions and decisions and, especially, to avoid instances of noncon/dubcon as previously described.
- Gratuitous violence
Excessive gore or abuse that does not serve the narrative but is intended to shock the reader.
To avoid this issue, violence should only be featured where it is necessary to move the story forward and should be described at a level that is appropriate to the overall tone of the story.
Now you could question the validity of some of the above statements... I understand that Wattpad could never publicly support forced conformance or abuse, but they are a large part of these stories, like a kind of 'hidden longing', and that is what these stories provide. In itself there's nothing wrong with this, people can fantasize about whatever they like, as long as they don't enforce their fantasies upon others.
They key point, however, is that Wattpad identified potential and common pitfalls.
That's actually interesting! By looking at the pitfalls you can avoid the elements that would either...
a. destroy your story, or
b. would make the story unacceptable / unsellable, or
c. would trigger an unwanted public response (tarnishing your reputation or that of your work)
That almost makes sense 😁 As for giving in to point c. you have to be careful. Although it's easy to give in to every complaint and wish, it still is your story. And your story may require certain elements. Also, it's humanly impossible to make everyone happy, so there will always be readers complaining about your work. The only solution I can think of is a bit of ignorance and a high dose of integrity.
Unless you wanna' go all commercial, in which case integrity isn't an issue anyway 😎
Pitfalls
Going through all the different categories shows many common pitfalls, shared between all categories (and this is where that Wattpad page might have been a bit more specific), though there are a few that appear to be opposites. The following is out of its original order, and I've sometimes combined elements. Please visit the linked page for the original version.
- Non-consensual sexual activity (Non-Con) and dubiously consensual sexual activity (Dub-Con)
- Underage or teacher/student relationships
- Gratuitous violence
- Toxic love interests
- Power imbalance relationships
- Gender specific
- Harmful narrative
Stories that are inherently homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise harmful to the LGBTQ+ community
This is rather obvious. To write a romance focused at the LGBTQ+ community you should handle sensitive issues sensibly. But this isn't exclusive to romance. It applies to all sorts of stories.
On a side note: the fight against such a suppression or prejudice might be the whole core of your story, though it doesn't have to be. (Not every novel needs to be world changing, culture shattering, boundary breaking. Sometimes a novel can be simply entertaining, even if not entirely politically correct.)
- Poor world-building vs. Preoccupation with world-building and backstory
- Info-dumping and unnecessary prologues / backstory
- Narrative vs Exposition
- Lack of a story
These are all related, and sometimes conflicting, and also depend on the genre and taste of the reader. I often encounter three different flavors here:
- everything is explained
- items are explained when they are brought up
- the reader discovers the world together with the narrator
- the world is not explained at all
Each option is a valid one!
Sometimes it's simply fun to tag along without explanation, as the characters think the world around them is as it always has been and as it always should be. They have no need to explain why the sky is orange, because it simply is.
In SF you often find a simple one or two line explanation whenever a new object / event / fact is encountered. This is a rather common format, and if you use it, then keep it short.
- Uneven balance of romance and action-based plotlines
If the primary focus is on romance, and you take out the romance, then does the story still work?
In movies you often see the opposite: there is a love interest, and yet it doesn't matter to the story if taken out.
- Lack of hook, stakes, or narrative
There must be a reason why the characters do what they do.
- Boring characters, boring story, boring world
This one isn't in the Wattpad list of pitfalls, but I've added it myself. There must be a reason WHY the reader would read the story. (I'm a little surprised Wattpad doesn't discuss this element, maybe because there are many differing opinions on it.)
Personally, I think there's a bit of priority in there. I believe characters are more important than anything, followed by the story, and then there's finally the setting. My logic is this:
1. Interesting characters bring people into a story. Without them, the story will not be read. The reader must become invested in the characters. If the characters are boring or annoying then the author will lose his or her readers before the story reaches its end.
2. Once readers are hooked they must have a reason to keep reading, and that is the wish to know how the story unfolds. What happens next?
3. The world is the background against which the story plays. It provides flavor, a scent, but a story is rarely a travel guide. Even stories in which discovery and exploration are major elements still need something to drive the narrative. Why are the characters doing what they are doing?
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