Wattpad Pet Peeves

When You Don't Know What the Setting Looks Like

Okay, Wattpad writers, LISTEN UP, because so many of you are culprits of this!

I know you're eager to get right into the action of the scene, but you need to take a second to describe what the heck the scene looks like before we get started! Especially if you're indoors, please describe what the room looks like! Because if you're outdoors, you can literally just say "We were in a sunny meadow", and that basically covers the entire setting requirement. 

However,

If you are indoors, you can't just leave us to assume that your scene is taking place in some blank, boring, room that I don't even know what kind of building it's in. In my experience, if writers fail to describe the room or the building, I just imagine it as some unfurnished bedroom in a random suburban house. 

Bottom line: if you're a writer, don't let the readers get stuck in the suburban house for sale!

Tips for describing the setting (even though I'm sure most people will skip these):

1. Take least one sentence at the very beginning of the scene to describe some aspect of the setting. First of all, where the heck are you? Then maybe some smaller details, like the lighting/ambience, the size/shape/layout of the room, and what kind of furniture there is. You don't have to go overkill either, just paint a little picture. 

2. Once you have the initial setting down, you can describe other setting details that are relevant to the scene as it unfolds. Maybe you didn't initially tell me about all the darn bookshelves on the wall, but once the main character goes searching for a specific book, you can describe all the ancient tomes or something. 

But what I don't want is this:

I entered the room to see Seth! 

Then we fought to the death!

I'm such a poet. But what the heck kind of room is that??

Those are really the only tips I have. I know this chapter is boring (I feel like I say that on every chapter), but it's something that I suffered with throughout my entire Wattpad experience, so it needs to be said.