Top genres to write now on Wattpad
Wattpad stories span every genre under the sun. We adore the breadth of creativity our users bring to writing. While we welcome this vast variety of stories, there are certain genres that we know perform well that we are specifically scouting for monetization. These genres may change from time to time, depending on the market.
Exploring tropes in storytelling
Wattpad users loooooove tropes. You’re all trope experts! Enemies to lovers, bad boys, only one bed–Wattpad writers and readers know tropes inside out and backwards, and everyone has their favorites. But let’s take a minute just to break down the idea of a trope in a bit more detail.
Wattpad webnovel examples for inspiration
In this module, we’re going to examine some excerpts from successful Wattpad stories and think about what makes them work. There are no right answers here; the point of these exercises is to think about why the authors are making the creative choices they do and what it means for the story they’re telling.
Hot Encounter: Vertical guide
Hot Encounter is Wattpad’s contemporary romance Vertical. There are three crucial components to a Hot Encounter story. The story must: 1) follow the development of a central romantic relationship 2) be set in our contemporary world and 3) end with a happily ever after.
Dangerous Love: Vertical guide
Disclaimer: Dangerous Love and its associated subgenres (mafia, underground fighting, romantic suspense) have historically tended to be very heterosexual and heteronormative, with an emphasis on hyper-masculine dominant men and submissive women. When we’re describing the genre, we’ll use language that reflects this, with the dangerous love interest being a man and the main character being a woman. But this is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. Feel free to innovate on these conventions as your heart desires!
Werewolf: Vertical guide
While many stories include werewolves, the Werewolf subgenre as it appears on Wattpad has some unique features. In this primer, we’ll dig into the core components of Werewolf and the central appeal for readers.
Para-Romantasy: Vertical Guide
Para-Romantasy is our vertical for Paranormal Romance and Fantasy Romance stories. These stories are romances set in paranormal or fantasy worlds, that feature magic and worldbuilding as part of the romantic storyline.
Slice of Life: Vertical Guide
Slice of Life stories are smaller-stakes romance stories with an episodic structure that focus on character interactions and character growth. While Goals, Motivations, Conflicts and Stakes are still present, the overall structure of the story leans more to shorter, episodic plot arcs with short-term conflict, rather than the big plot arcs of verticals like Hot Encounter or Dangerous Love. The focus in this vertical is on unique, loveable characters, their interactions with each other, and their personal growth across the story.
Writing diversity: Tips for inclusive stories
Learn to examine tropes in context, write conflict responsibly, and write outside your experience. This module contains helpful guidance and direction to resources for additional learning around writing diversity.
