Nick's Wattys Tune-Up Thread

Though I’m sure other tune-up threads will also appear, what matters is that I got here first.

And I’m not a judge of the Wattys so there’s no conflict of interest in helping people. It’s not like I would decide which Wattys entries might move into Paid. Zero conflict in helping people.


Lousy with a logline? Suck at a summary? Ailing from alliteration?

You should post here for all your “OMG the wattys just became very real to me and I realized I’m not good enough, nothing will ever be good enough, please, why did this happen?” moments. (That’s right I’m a writer too I can capture the feels accurately).

As per my usual rules, I can help with specific issues you see in your story or logline/summary (but I can’t help with generic “is this good?” or “read my entire story/chapter” requests). Just plop them in and I’ll answer when I can.

saving this… summaries are hard…


Considers slapping down my whole book and asking you to help me fix that pile of crap


nvm (edited)


“Sets down three books here.” XD


As in beginnings that are dreams or what would be an ideal, dream beginning if I could have anything?


I feel that XD

My books have a loooooong way to go before they’re close to Watty ready and with my attention being brought to Watty’s legal stuff I may refrain anyway.

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It’s a beginning that is a dream.

I relate to this on a spiritual level.

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I need to edit a few things as well. More like three book’s worth of editing.

Well a beginning of a story needs to also be a beginning of a character’s motivation to change. It’s not very often I have a dream wherein afterwards I decide to change myself. That said I basically don’t dream so I’m not a great source of knowledge on this. It’s just dark, then I’m awake. This feels like it fits within the vision people probably already have of me.

Anyways, if your opening chapter doesn’t do that captivating thing, however it’s presented, it will not function. Be it dream or not isn’t really important. A dream would be substantially harder but it’s your story, you set your own difficulty level. So long as they dream about some sort of consistent, universal issue anyone could relate to and in doing so they finish by being motivated to do something about it or something happens to force their hand, it would work.


As excited as I am about The Watty’s this year, I only have one issue that doesn’t even concern needing help on editing. It’s just a question The Watty’s rules doesn’t answer and I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if the question doesn’t get answered… after you submit your “ongoing” book into the Watty’s, does it affect your updates? Like can you no longer update your book and have to hold off until after the Watty’s are finished? If anyone knows for sure, can you please let me know. :sob:

I would ask about editing small portions too, but I’ve seen that question answered already.


I’ve been told for TWR people think my MC changes her mind too quickly, but she just witnessed a town being burned down for crying out loud. I think that would play a huge factor in her behavior change, even if she was hesitant to do the other thing at first.

I just don’t want the other side then complaining it takes too long for the story to begin.

The dream is what drives her to show up at a particular place where she is offered a job and also demonstrates why she’s so militarily minded/her struggle with PTSD as a result of 12 years military service.

I guess it sets up the character motivation because it pushes her to do certain actions can that land her in the plot by the end of chapter one.

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When you submit your book, that’s what will be judged and it starts when you submit. So if you know you’ve got more to go, just wait until closer to the end of submissions to submit that version of the book


How would they know how consistent your writing is if they banned updates? XD

Okie! Thank you so much!

I have so much I have work to do, it’s overwhelming. I may just not this year because of legal stuff in the Watty’s and me trying hard to mask how fed up with Wattpad I am. (Looking forward to my break, soon as chapter seven is done)

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I need to write about 500 more words for chapter nine in Wings of Fire here. Then maybe a small break and editing tomorrow.

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Apparently, they won’t anyway, because I can no longer update after submitting lmao. That’s okay. I’ll just do as Nick suggest and submit near the end of the deadline, so I have more to offer.

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The framing of this question implies you want me to answer that you’re in the right and other people are wrong? I think? So I’m going to side with the people cause that seems more fun.

If your character changes her mind too quickly it means you have set them up in such a manner that it makes it hard to believe they would switch motivations. If this happens early in the story as you’re saying, it’s probably better to just open with the moment her mind snaps to “I need to do X in response to fire” as opposed to the moments before (hence nobody would see them changing their mind), or you need to downplay in the pre-part how seriously she believes a certain thing that she’s about to change her mind over. Maybe make her less super into whatever it is (I have little to work with here so I’m really guessing)