Wattpad Block Party - Summer Edition III (August 2017)

officialfuryevans Presents: 7 Tips on How to Write Better

Hello to my Fury-ous Soldiers and fellow Block Party peeps!

C'est moi, Fury Evans.

I am a seventeen-year-old Muslim boy from Malaysia who enjoys turning covfefe into books. I am also the author of three #1 short stories: Hate Line, Cinderelliot, and Miss Delivery Girl. Although, my rant book Confessions from an Asian Boy has made rounds among Wattpeeps recently.

Of course, we're not here to read about an Asian boy bragging how guys like him actually exist on Wattpad or pull off another Kim-esque banter on his first world problems. He's here to share 7 tips on how to write better.

First of all, I would like to thank Kelly for featuring me — I feel like a golden trashcan right now *squeals* — in this summer's Block Party. And yes, I am the least qualified person in the world to provide writing tips.

But everybody loves a little tea-spilling now and then, don't they?

Alright, let's get down to business.

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7 TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE BETTER

BY FURY EVANS

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1. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

(Totally didn't copy that from Google.)

No, this isn't some John Green philosophical metaphor.

I like to write about topics that I'm passionate about, although there's nothing wrong with venturing beyond your limits at times. But if you're a beginner, try writing about something you consider personal. It might be body-shaming, bullying, or the death of a family member.

Now, think about HOW you can explore it deeply (no kinky thoughts, please). How can you pour your feelings on a certain topic into words? How can you make your views genuine and don't come off as pretentious?

Cancer stories like The Fault In Our Stars are a great read, but they've been done to death honestly. Although, people always love new authors who twist the tradition into something different than the usual o-Romeo-wherefore-art-thou-Romeo cancertastic plot lines.

(I'm sorry if that was offensive, my words mostly possess no insurance.)

But how can you write what you know about what you don't know?

2. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

Seriously, a lot of Wattpad authors (including me) are too lazy to do their research. In the end, their stories are infested with factual errors and stereotypical characters. I'm sure you've come across at least one story where descriptions of the culture and characters are inaccurate according to their settings.

Stereotypical characters is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to this. No, Asia does not only consist of Japan, Korea, and China. And one more thing: NOT ALL BOYS ARE DOWNRIGHT JERKS. Please do not generalize teenage boys like me as sexually-depraved monsters who will pursue random girls' virginity all the time.

No, I'm still here on Wattpad, clean from ephemeral one-night stands and I'm-in-love-with-the-CoCo late night parties.

If you think you've done enough research, then you haven't. Keep doing it. Research will help you a lot in your writing. You can use the facts to come up with associated plot line and also less factual errors!

When writing about mental disorders especially, research is the most crucial thing. For example, not all depressed teens are Tumblr trash, goth-fashioned emos, and antisocial serpents as portrayed by many depression-centered Wattpad stories I've come across. In fact, some people who are depressed in real life are noticeably outgoing, friendly, and well-dressed. But inside, it's an entirely different story.