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Experiment with the innovative (and free) Tap app to discover new ways to supplement Wattpad stories or create new ones.
Four years ago, I stumbled upon a writing contest taking place on a platform I’d never heard of before. This unique platform allowed anyone to become an author. No longer was book writing reserved for the intelligentsia and the literary glitterati. It was for everyone. And it was free to read! This blew me away. The concept was so revolutionary that I knew immediately I wanted to be part of it. This was the future of storytelling.
And so I jumped on board. Little did I know that my jump would be a leap into a whole new career as a professional author. The day I pressed “Publish” on the first chapter of my first book, Burning Moon, my entire life changed. I ended up winning that competition, and the ball started rolling. And oh, how it has rolled! I now have an agent in New York, publishing deals, thirty million reads on Wattpad, and more awards. Thanks to Wattpad, I’ve become a full-time author, a dream I know so many other writers wish to fulfill. And just when I thought the ball couldn’t possibly roll anymore, that my career couldn’t get any better, more interesting, or exciting, I discovered Tap by Wattpad Labs.
That same feeling I got four years ago was upon me once more. Entire stories told through text messaging? That same thought hit me: This is the future of storytelling. I could see with such clarity the potential for this kind of storytelling. As someone who has written in mediums such as plays, films, ads, radio dramas, features, and novels, the idea of telling stories in a completely different way excited me beyond belief.
So, with no real knowledge of how it all worked, I pressed “Publish” once more. And soon people started reading so much that in only six months, I have written more than twenty-nine stories, been “tapped” (read) more than twenty million times, and won a Watty Award. A whole new way of telling stories opened up to me, and my career grew—again, thanks to Wattpad.
Today, when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that I’m an author of books and interactive stories. That is how integral I see chat stories being to my career and future as an author. Storytelling is evolving at such a rapid pace at the moment, and Tap stories are just one of the new forms it has taken on. I think we’re at a very exciting time in history, and we would be remiss if we did not jump on board and ride the new, exciting storytelling wave.
To put it simply, Tap stories are told through the medium of text messaging, with interactive elements, like images, video, and multiple-choice options that play out between two or more characters. I often draw a parallel between chat stories and reality TV. Reading a chat story gives you that same voyeuristic kick as watching a bunch of plastic surgery–enhanced housewives bicker over a man. It’s eavesdropping on someone’s private conversation. You become the ultimate fly on the wall. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love that? I think this is a big part of Tap stories’ appeal and has definitely contributed to their rise in popularity. Another factor that makes them engaging is that they play out one text message at a time. To see the next text message in the series, you simply tap on the screen.
To draw another parallel, think of the TV show 24, an action-adventure show where each season played out in “real time” over the course of twenty-four one-hour episodes. Consequently, the show was nail-bitingly fast-paced and suspenseful. Well, a Tap story is very similar in that respect. A good Tap story has the ability to reach out, grab your attention, and then keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat until the very end. Reading an interactive story gives you a front-row seat as the action plays out in real time. The other appeal of Tap stories lies in their unique ability to provide you with a bite-sized piece of entertainment on the go. They’re bits of takeout entertainment delivered straight to the device in your hand.
Tap by Wattpad is a very user-friendly app that allows you to create your own chat stories. The app itself is free, as of this writing, but it comes with a limited number of “taps.” You have the option of upgrading to a paid premium subscription (with a seven-day free-trial period), and you can cancel anytime. This gives you access to interactive elements and media, such as pictures and video, as well as unlimited reading.
Creating a Tap story is as easy as having a text-message conversation with your friends. The app is also very simple; take it from someone who is not tech savvy. Here are the steps to creating and publishing your first story:
That’s it! Follow the prompts to create characters, scenes, and texts, and finally, hit “Publish.” This entire process might only take a few minutes, especially if you already have a story idea in mind.
Two genres stand out as being the most popular on Tap: horror and romance. After horror and romance, the top genres (as of this writing) are comedy, science fiction, and fantasy, in that order. When one reads some of the most popular stories on Tap, it’s easy to see why they’ve captured people’s imaginations. Again, it’s all about that voyeuristic aspect, feeling like you’re right there with the characters as they fall in love, dodge the serial killer, or get eaten by a demon. The reader is with the characters every step of the way as they live through the terror or joy of each moment.
To maximize your reads, keep in mind your readers’ demographics. Tap readers are primarily women between thirteen and twenty-eight years old. So when creating Tap stories, regardless of your chosen genre, try to write stories that might appeal to this group of readers.
Character is still king, even in short text stories. Writing text-message stories doesn’t give us license to forget or abandon the fundamentals of good, solid storytelling. It’s easy to make a chainsaw-wielding psycho come after your main character, but if you haven’t crafted a character who readers care about, they’re not going to give a damn about his upcoming decapitation!
When writing chat stories, I usually do a very brief character setup; this can be as short as two lines. I use a smattering of small talk to establish characters’ traits and relationships. This would be especially important if a conversation involves more than two people. You would want to take a few moments to establish each character’s unique voice. Giving each character a distinct voice makes dialogue easier for the reader to follow, especially if messages are being fired back and forth in the heat of a moment. Strong character voices can elevate a decent story to unforeseen heights.
In my most popular story, “Selfie,” I established a loving, flirty relationship between a couple before I ripped it all away from them. This approach makes the reader much more emotionally invested in the characters and their story. It’s very tempting to jump right into the action, and sometimes this is necessary, but it’s also important to consider taking a moment to flesh out your characters and color in their worlds.
Chat stories are a unique medium, so how do we write them? There are a few keys to writing good chat stories, and one of them is “the hook.” Preferably within the first few messages, catch the reader’s attention with something that will make it impossible to stop reading. It could be a creepy plot element, an interesting character, or something bizarre that makes her want to read further.
Another key to a good Tap story is pace. We need to get in and out of the action quickly. These are short stories, so we need to keep them moving. Thus far, the data has shown that (although this does seem to keep evolving as more and more readers use Tap) the sweet spot for a story’s duration is somewhere between two and four minutes. You will be able to see your minute count once your story is published. To stay within the preferred length parameters, try to create stories that are between 140 and 200 lines. But don’t let this suggestion stifle or limit your creativity either.
In addition, when writing a chat story, consider the weight of action vs. conversation. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a chat story is just that, “having a chat,” because that isn’t always the case. There needs to be something happening in the scene; the chat part often occurs as a result of this action. While reading a conversation can be entertaining and does work well for some genres, like humor, that don’t necessarily rely on action, it’s always a good idea to get your characters up and moving.
Keeping your dialogue believable is key to writing successful Tap stories. As someone who studied playwriting and has worked in TV, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share one of the best pieces of advice I ever got: “Read it out loud” (even if doing so makes you look like an idiot). This is by far the best way to check whether you’re writing naturalistic dialogue. Hearing what you’ve written makes it easy to identify where the conversation feels stilted and contrived. Don’t worry about correct grammar and punctuation in dialogue, especially in Tap stories. This is the one place where you can chuck all those rules. Not many people use correct punctuation when texting.
When we talk about dialogue in the context of a chat story, we’re really referring to the actual messages and how they’re constructed. It’s important that messages look realistic, so parent characters should write correctly (for the most part), while thirteen-year-olds texting with friends shld txt short anc quick, possibly with spelling errors. Feel free to substitute emojis for verbal emotional expression or replies to questions, and don’t forget to use the popular acronyms and abbreves (abbreviations) that are synonymous with text talk. Think “WTH,” “LOL,” and “IDK” (“what the hell,” “laugh out loud,” and “I don’t know”). Tap is less forgiving than other platforms when it comes to stilted dialogue because it’s voyeuristic and plays out one text at a time.
This might sound silly, but considering your demographics, it’s a good idea to learn the current text lingo. The language used online and in chat communications is constantly changing, with new abbreviations and acronyms popping up all the time. If you don’t have access to an actual living teenager, use Google to keep abreast of trends.
Overall, the dialogue must serve the greater purpose of the story, especially within the realm of Tap. Keep it snappy. There’s no space for waffling. Dialogue must get to the point and push the story forward.
Moreover, keeping sentences short and sweet is wise from a technical perspective. If you do have a longer one, break it up into multiple messages. There’s no harm in making the same character type three messages in a row. This is only irritating in real life when you’re trying to have a conversation with that person who writes two words per line! Lastly, there’s no need to put “quotation marks” around text dialogue.
Inserting media into Tap is yet another way to further enliven your story. As of this writing, users can insert pictures into their stories. The option for video and sound insertion is available in beta but only to some writers. This will expand and change in the future since Tap is an ever-evolving platform, so be sure to use the most recent version of the app. Using media really brings the Tap experience to life, creating a completely immersive story that engages your senses and uses your mobile device to its full potential.
Surprisingly, the answer is “Yes!” I know some “real writers” rolled their eyes at me when I told them what I was doing, but the truth is that chat-story writing has had a positive impact on my novel writing. Tap is a fast-paced, shorthanded way to tell stories. It forces you to cut to the chase, remove all the fluff, and jump straight in. Tap writing made me evaluate my verbose nature and forced me to look for quicker, more effective ways to reveal characters’ backstories. Furthermore, it has definitely improved my dialogue writing, which has become more free and natural. It has even helped me communicate better with my teenage cousin!
From text messages to your pets to chats with your future self to conversations between Beyoncé’s unborn twins and conversations with characters from your books, Tap allows you to push the boundaries of storytelling in the most imaginative ways possible. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do in this medium, and that’s one of the things I find incredibly exciting about chat stories.
Tap is a great way to enrich your Wattpad experience. I’ve used the app to create bonus scenes featuring characters’ text message exchanges, which I’ve then linked to within my Wattpad stories. I’m also experimenting with using Tap to write an entire book, a sequel to a popular Wattpad novel. Writers could even flip the process around and use Tap as a testing ground for full-length Wattpad novels. In the future, developers are looking to facilitate integration of Tap and Wattpad stories. By embracing this new technology, you can expand your fanbase and build your author brand.
Since you’re already writing on Wattpad, give Tap a try. Download the free app, and start experimenting. Wattpad’s suite of apps is there to offer tools, not rules. Don’t be shy. Put yourself out there, and see what happens.
Jo Watson is a two-time Watty Award winner and a member of the Tap Squad. She is the published author of the Destination Love series, a screenwriter, and sometimes a playwright living in South Africa, where she is probably listening to Depeche Mode.