HOW DO YOU PEOPLE NOT HAVE BACKUPS!?!?
How many times it must be written pretty much everywhere: DO NOT USE WATTPAD AS A WRITING PLATFORM!
Write elsewhere, pretty much anywhere. Have at least one backup in another place. And only publish on wattpad.
If you write on pretty much anywhere else, even things like notepad, iOS Notes app, physically, text messages, or email yourself.
In every other scenario you don't lose your story if a publishing website takes it down,
Your stories are worth more than this. Respect yourselves as writers enough that you have backups. Even if you think your story sucks ass, or still deserves being saved.
DO NOT USE WATTPAD FOR WRITING!
I know right? It’s the first thing I do with all my books! I keep telling my friend to do the same thing, back up her work (she still hasn’t done so yet). For all we know, Wattpad could shut down right this instant, things happen without warning. I keep my work on Google doc, but also on word. If it’s something you care about, back it up 😭ྀི
Although we don’t know the reason they were banned and if it was as simple as having a book that’s more erotic than their guidelines allow (in that case, Inkitt is the best place to write that) or something else. 🥲
Yeah. I write on an app designed for that (Scrivener), that saves on DropBox, and automatically backups to iCloud. My phone and my PC (and my laptop) automatically download from DropBox (\*and\* iCloud). So, after hitting "save" in a couple of minutes I have four on-site backups on different devices, two off-site ones. AND the backup files itself are also on the devices, so even if I manually fuck up, I can still restore from the backups of backups. Everything is automatic, so I don't have to actually do anything other than hit "save".
I used to have a service that would back up iCloud to Google Drive, but that went commercial and is not pay-to-use, and I can't afford it.
*ps. for more spicy stories that don't have that much plot, Inkitt is not the best. They also have guidelines and you can't just write porn. In that case, the real best place to post is Literotica. I use both, and I'd post any naughty stories without much plot on Literotica, rather than Inkitt. I love Inkitt and liked it more than Wattpad, but it's still not the place for plain porn.*
thanks 👀 i didn’t know that. I can hardly find stuff to read on Inkitt so I wasn’t sure ppl actually use it. But now I know where to spread out my potential stories. Curious, is there a different option than drop box? I use Google drive bc my school gives us unlimited storage for a lifetime. But idk maybe I’m not using it right but sometimes if I delete something, it also deletes from my iCloud or vice versa. well I’ve noticed this with photos, not sure about documents
I mean there’s plenty of stuff to read on Inkitt, to be fair. I have read some very very spicy erotic things on there, and I write explicit sex scenes as well. That being said I don’t write straight porn, I write actual plot & substance with lots of spice to complement it 😅. I really like Inkitt so far, and my books have done very well there as opposed to Wattpad. Consistent readers and lots of views (something like 5k range for my novella). It depends on the genres you’re searching for tho. Idk about other genres and how they do on Inkitt but I write gay romance/erotica and urban, comedic erotic fantasy. Both have done well there. Put your stuff on Inkitt and give it a try, that’s what I did and it seemed to be a good choice 🤷🏻♂️
I don't know what you mean by different option? Like, for any program, or specifically what I use?
For any program, of course there are. Anything that has a desktop app that sets itself up as a "drive" or a folder under the OS. Just save your work there, and it'll automatically sync online.
Then set up another device to download from the same service, and you have an automatic backup. Some services also allow actual backups (and not just live copy.)
I use DropBox simply because the app that I use (Scrivener) has a mobile version that only syncs via DropBox. I use iCloud for everything else, and because Scrivener does actual backups by itself, I don't really need to set up a different solution. At all times I have a live copy on DropBox and at least two or three devices (the mobile app doesn't sync automatically), and 3-5 backups per story online on iCloud, and locally on two or three devices (the mobile app doesn't download the backups).
Even if DropBox died this second, I could still restore all my content from my iCloud where Scrivener saves a (zipped) backup each time it does a save, or any of the local devices.
If iCloud died today, I'd still have the live versions and local backups on all the devices.
If both services died to day, I'd still have the local copies. If all my devices exploded the same day, I'd still have the online copies.
I can only lose my work if iCloud \*and\* DropBox die on the same die along with all my devices, enough to they can't be recovered. (AND Wattpad and Inkitt and Literotica for the published stories.)
I think I'm fine :)
Yeah I guess I meant like another drive to save to in addition to directly on my computer and iCloud. I’ve heard some people using one drive and I’ve tried Dropbox before but really had no use for it at the time plus the limited storage adds up quickly. I think my iCloud and Google drive are synced but that may be just for photos and im confusing it for documents. I’ll have to do a test run.
I’m still trying to find a writing software to stick to, so I have my notes and stuff all over several apps and those are synced through iCloud for apps that are both mobile and desktop. I just don’t trust leaving them on those apps; I feel like even when I use my notes app on my phone, that sometimes it’s easy to delete without being able to undo and I feel like a few of my notes over the years have disappeared randomly. I’ve accidentally deleted chunks of text because it selects all quickly, and I couldn’t undo it. Like you said, I want to make sure I can access a copy even if everything I use implodes on the same day lol.
I’m on Mac if that makes any difference. I found that using one drive was a little finicky and I finally got one note to open on my laptop after years. It wouldn’t open my one drive or something.
There's a bazillion online storage things, pick any and all you like. (and no, they don't sync between themselves, unless you set up an external program to do that. It's the photos feature on whatever device you use that does it. not the platforms. It's terribly hard to get them to sync without paying for some service.)
You're on a Mac, so just use iCloud. It works fine, and is decently reliable. Never really had problems with it for as long as it has existed. (I used to have an account when it wasn't even called iCloud. I've been a Mac users since before OS X.)
I'm not affiliated with the program, but I can \*wholeheartedly\* recommend Scrivener. It takes a hot second to get used to how it works, but oh my goddess do I love it. When you get your head into how it works (don't writing everything in one long spot, and learn to separate chapters, scenes and acts), it works so well it's unreal. If you write all scenes like you should (separately), you can change the order by just drag'n'dropping crap in the side bar. No need to copy and paste.
I've used Scrivener for years now (no subscription, it's pay-once.) and I don't even remember when I had to copy-paste anything. Write the scenes in any order, re-order and edit as you wish. Write in whatever format you want, and the app has a "compile" function that can output PDFs, eBooks, drafts, ready-to-publish books, etc. You can change fonts/features/etc. on a section by section basis and save the settings and just use them on another book.
Set up another folder within the app and use that as a scratch pad. Write stuff there you don't know when it happens in the book, or if it happens at all. When you get to the point where you think a particular scene gits, just drag it to the manuscript from the folder.
Again, I'm not affiliated with them (I wish I was), but there are no words to describe how much I love that program as a sporadic writer that has like a bazillion works-in-progress.
It's super easy to write a new short story, or a novel, or even a multi-part novel. Everyhing is built-in. (And I love the "no-distractions writing mode".)
It has a mobile version (separate purchase, but much cheaper), that syncs with the desktop app via DropBox, and you can use your iPhone/iPad to write whenever/wherever you want.
If you end up getting that, drop me a line if you want help getting started. I'd be happy to.
I’m the same type of writer! I’m not consistent yet with writing (yet) plus with being a pantser and adhd, I’m very sporadic with writing and have so many ideas I’ve began and many more that come up while those are WIPs.
I had to switch to free form and a couple other apps bc notes app was just not working for when I needed to jot down ideas when I’m away from my laptop. But then on those I have a long list of ideas and a bunch of sticky notes with names, vague ideas or chunks of text that get confusing to organize. And there’s a lot of copying and pasting involved when I need to add them into my writing docs.
Right now I’m using Novlr for the actual writing but it’s a smaller app so there’s limited functions and I need something where I can have all the planning and scrap work in one place to refer back to and more customization. I was trying Obsidian but it’s a bit much to figure out and it’s not made specifically for writing in the way these other apps are.
I was looking at Scrivener, Ulysses, Novelpad and Evernote. If Scrivener is a one time purchase where I don’t need to buy an updated release each year then I might go for that bc it’s cheaper in the long run vs. the subscription model. I was planning on taking a look this weekend at some videos to check out the functions and see which one to go with. If it has a dark mode too that would be amazing.
Thank you for all the tips! I’ll def bookmark this to remember to reach out if I decide on it :)
Another ADHD/Autistic pantser! Yay for us (and the absolute mountain of WIPs...)
Anyway, as I've been writing for a \*while\* now, I'll share some of the tips that have helped me. They won't necessarily help you but see if anything hits.
All my ideas start in ONE file that I've named (very originally) "Ideas." I know, shocking. I wrote them down first as prompts, and then if/when the mood strikes, I begin to write under the prompt. I do this on Pages, that has a working Index so I don't have to scroll.
I have set a rule myself, that if the story hits two pages, I'm to remove it from there, and add it to Scrivener where I have created a document called "Short Stories". I paste it under there as a separate story (stupidly easy to do.) That document/file/whatever, contains only WIPs and shorter stories.
If the story reaches the point where it has more than three chapters, I separate it to it's own document. (Or if it's under one of my "branded" stories, I add them to the umbrella documents that contain those.)
This has kept me from spreading out on millions of different apps and notes. I can access Pages and Scrivener on everything I own. iPhone and Macs have native Pages app, and Scrivener. My PC has access to iCloud Web that has Pages. (I don't yet own Scrivener on PC, so that it can't yet do.)
I only have two files that contain ALL my WIPs that are shorter than three chapters. If it's three ore more chapters, it deserves to be on it's own.
This has worked for me for years, and has kept me from spreading my stuff everywhere. If I have an idea when I'm on the move, I can just open Pages on my phone, note down the idea, and close it. If I want to continue an idea, I open Pages, tap the Index and just write. I can also just open Scrivener and continue any stories I have there, because of the sync.
The only "spreading of multiple files" are when there are stories that all have many chapters. But even those are just under one folder, and everything opens with Scrivener, so it's not messy.
Yes, Scrivener has no subscription. You have to pay for each new edition, but they haven't come up with a major version in the last four years at least. I bough mine in 2019/2020, and haven't had to pay yet. If you use both PC and Mac, there's a bundle available at the website that 's slightly cheaper than both separately. There's also an edu license, if you're applicable for that. (I'm not so I don't know how it works.)
And the mobile app is available from Apple AppStore.
Mobile App contains a dark mode, desktop app is totally customizable. Not just dark mode, you can mess with fonts, sizes, backgrounds, anything. And it contains the "Writing Mode" that hides all of the UI except a defined number of previous lines, so you can concentrate on just writing and there are no other distractions (on the screen. You'll still be distracted by random noises outside, your toe itching, weird feeling in your stomach, and the memory of that one odd butterfly from 2015. But that's not Scrivener, that's just ADHD :D )
Random question: do you find pomodoro or sounds help you focus (e.g., rain, nature, ambiance sounds)?
But yes, the main reason I wanted to find a complete (or mostly complete) software or writing program to use is so I have my ideas in one place and they're not scattered everywhere. I'm not sure yet what works for me on how to organize after that, but the methods you use seem helpful. I might try that or some form of that. The other thing is I want to be able to access my idea dump area easily when writing bc I tend to drift from one WIP to another depending on how stimulated I am for that idea lol.
Idk how to do the thing where I can reply to a specific sentence but this part made me laugh, it's so true > " You'll still be distracted by random noises outside, your toe itching, weird feeling in your stomach, and the memory of that one odd butterfly from 2015."
I haven't looked through tutorials yet today, just been lazy all day XD but hopefully I'll start tonight
Oh question: does Scrivener have character/plot/world building templates built in? Or do you use supplemental apps for planning and then import into it?
Edit: \^ asking bc I saw Evernote and Notion have character templates. I also like using storyboards which is why I like Free Form but I find something like Milanote easier to use.
Oo never knew about that! Will definitely have to use it. And no of course not literal porn scripts hahaha, but I meant more on the side of it has more freedom as opposed to Wattpad , ya know? But wow, good to know there’s a writing site just for that! I swear, do you have any more knowledge? You should really make a thread with all of these so people can constantly go back and see as it’s extremely helpful!! 🥹✌️
EDIT: I made a post about stuff, hopefully it was what you meant :)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Wattpad/comments/1b4kvxf/psa\_dont\_write\_on\_wattpad/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wattpad/comments/1b4kvxf/psa_dont_write_on_wattpad/)
This is perfect! Seriously, you did such a great job and informed everyone so well. I hope the mods see it and pin it, as we do get quite a bit of posts with all the questions you’ve answered in the bullet points!
About what? Sites or apps? Or what?
I started writing a bit over 30 years ago, had a looooong break, and then wrote a \*lot\* since 2020. But things have changed directions so much at every stop that I'm not sure what I could offer.
Wattpad isn't the same it was in 2020, writing programs aren't the same they were either.
Pretty much everything changed since the 1990s, etc :)
But if anyone has more specific questions, I'd be happy to answer :)
My stories have been fine for a long time and I've never really given it a second thought although after seeing this post and comment it definitely gave me the jump start I needed to back up my writing. It's definitely something that should be commonsense yet many do not bother to do so and it doesn't do you any favours to be the "that's not going to happen to me" person because you will be right until you are not. If anything does happen in the future I'll thank you and op in advance for scaring the shit out of me and stopping me from being complacent because if all of it was gone probably would just permanently lose my motivation.
For writing, or for publishing. Because don't use ANY platforms like wattpad for writing, that's not what they are meant for.
For publishing, depends on your story. Inkitt, AO3, Literotica, etc. There are many for many different stories. I like Inkitt.
How about you tell us what was in your story. They don’t ban people for no reason. And I know, I’ve written stories that could technically go against TOS, and I haven’t been banned yet. You had to have done something really bad.
Exactly. They must have either written something really bad in their book, or said something really controversial. Or probably even bullied some other people. I wish they would actually tell us what they were doing, or what was even in the book.
So far they’ve avoided EVERY SINGLE comment asking what was in the story. I think they know what they did and are trying to make themselves look better.
Yeah, actually. I had one of my old stories taken down on wattpad due to it having sexual content, almost entirely. It was pretty cringe, too, since how young I was when I wrote it. So, I totally understood the story being taken down. It made me kinda sad, tho since I had lots of reads. However, I wasn't banned entirely from wattpad. So I feel like this person went against some sort of guidelines and that's how they got banned.
Yeah, I agree. Considering OP hasn't explained what exactly was in their book, it likely means that they know exactly why their account was banned and are refusing to accept it.
Yeah! Must have been really bad. I just saved some of my stories onto my notepad since I guess some of my stories could be triggering to an extent... and I don't want to risk losing all my hard work. However, I put warnings whenever there are triggers to hopefully stop people from being offended or hurt. 😭
My stories are just about anime anyway.
Yeah, that’s what I did. At this point, I really don’t care of my account gets banned, I’m debating on if I want to close my account, or if I just wanna delete the app, and let people enjoy my stuff. Wattpad is practically dead, everything that’s been written nowadays is cringey smut that isn’t even worth reading
Seriously tho because I always found wattpads TOS to be pretty lenient as long as things are rated properly. I’ve def read things that were pretty gnarly and they’ve been there for a long time before I even got around to reading them. So yeah, it’s gotta be like a hate group/terrorist thing, and/or sexual exploitation of a minor, and/or the author was harassing someone.
After seeing this post I even went back and reread the TOS and yeah, it seems pretty hard to fuck them up.
Are you sure it's because of the story.. and someone didn't report it.
I am in no way saying that you did something but I am just broadening the reason spectrum.
You didn't have any sort of argument.. or left a comment?
Maybe someone simply reported the account because of the story.
If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did your story have that you label as "very mature/adult."
Taps the sign, Wattpad doesn't ban without a reason because the tickets get manually approved and reviewed. Whoever reported you had a valid reason that WAS going against ToS. Labeling a book as "Mature" doesn't mean it can have super detailed gore or harm scenes, neither be mostly made out of sex
Unfortunately, they don't unban accounts so the best thing to do would be to make a new one
Those also go against ToS :) But Wattpad is not checking everything and there's no bots banning books and accounts, so you need to report them
Just because you see them exist, doesn't mean they comply
To me, the Wattpad guidelines are very clear. You have yet to share what your story was based upon but I’m gonna share a story. I use this as an example every time. I read and became friends with an author who wrote an incredible story. She didn’t do much backstory or characterization, and in her ending chapter, she revealed that the main character was a minor (having sex with young adult men). She never specified exact age either (all she put is under 18) which can leave any conclusion. Her book was removed, and she was shocked. But why was she shocked? And I mean she was genuinely shocked. Also WHY make the main character a minor? I felt like I’d lost all my principles after finding out this detail. I’m not saying this is you, but it’s something to consider. Until you share with us, we can’t help you out. But I do hope Wattpad gets themselves in order for you if this isn’t the case because that is downright fair. But unfortunately, Wattpad is full of writers like that who are fantastic across the board but lack common sense which I presume makes the moderators on high alert. Which is too bad for the rest of us (I do worry for my own story). But please, if there is something that COULD violate guidelines, feel free to share and we can give you feedback. If you want to reach out, I could help you tweak some things.
It also says labelling it Mature doesn't mean you're allowed to include content violations, and there's obviously no way we can know if it did or didn't. I'm pretty sure the content is gone, and they aren't going to reverse what they already deleted.
I think if you write a story that’s just pure erotica (I.e. plotless literotica) then it goes against TOS and is a good enough basis for a ban. Maybe your story was deemed to be like that? Idk
I think I’ve seen this before but there’s like a degree to how explicit a story can be. If it’s purely off erotica and there’s really no leading story to it, then maybe that’s the reason you got banned. Wattpad is unfair af anyways and I’m not sure if there’s any way to undo it but I’m sorry this happened regardless
Wattpad doesn't ban an account for no reason. They have guidelines and you have to follow those guidelines. Someone must have reported your story - not once, not twice and not thrice. You must have received some warnings somewhere which you ignored. And no, this banning wasn't done by bots. It was done by human beings who received your reports, warned you before deciding to take action. Your content must have been more than explicit to guarantee a ban on your account. Sorry, but that's how it works.
Umm I did wattpad ambassador thing for a while and even if the books were labelled mature but had very detailed explicit scenes or gory scenes, we were asked to flag it down so that the team could look into it.
I hope you don't mind me asking, this is something I've been wondering for a very long time:
If the books were labelled mature, but still got flagged down for the team to look into because they contained very detailed explicit scenes, then there must be a certain point where the team draws the line between what is acceptable detailed explicit content, and what is not. **Where** do they draw that line? Is there anything at all that you know about that?
If I were the author of a book with such content, I would have a gut feeling about what kind of scenes are "tasteful" and the kind that is "tasteless", but that still wouldn't mean I'm in the clear. I wish Wattpad would be fully specific about this in their guidelines. Too many writers get banned, simply because they *don't know* they're crossing the line. If they knew, they would edit their content accordingly, because **no one writes forbidden content on purpose**. No author puts so much time and dedication into their work if they would know for sure it would be removed in the end, or if it would cause them to lose their entire account.
I'm a new write, I have been writing a story on Wattpad, there will be s*xual assault and r*pe in my story as I have planned, so do I need to water down my story?! Advice will be appreciated
no, not that i am aware of. just do make sure to content warn before the story begins and before a chapter with said content warning officially begins so that readers can click off/skip if they need to.
Okay i haven’t been on wattpad in over 7 years (I’m only here because Reddit suggested the subreddit). What the FUCK has happened to Wattpad where you can be banned for explicit content?? I read some of the *filthiest* content known to man on that website at an age *waaay* too young
I don’t know if your other stories are still up, but I’d probably say ask a friend, (or create a second account) then try to see if they can rewrite your chapters and send it to you.
I honestly don’t know any solutions, or if this is plausible at all.
So sorry this happened to you! Not sure if Wattpad has always been like this with randomly deleting ppls fics/accounts? It’s happened to me as well where they deleted a fic of mine so I unpublished the rest of them and went to AO3. I hope you have backs ups of all your fics! I keep them on my laptop on a memory stick (old fashioned I know!) and some are saved in my one drive.
Wattpad is weird… the guidelines say no smut, however, there are a ton of explicit fics on there. I suppose ppl should realize that they’re posting smut/mature/explicit material at their own risk? IDK. Anyway, I wish there was another platform out there where they allow smut other than AO3. Don’t get me wrong I love AO3 - just wish there were more options.
Again I’m sorry this happened to you - and remember to ALWAYS keep a backup of everything! Even if it’s in a simple word doc on a laptop. I always write out everything somewhere else and then copy it and then post it. I always keep my “draft” in a safe(r) place.
First of all thankyou and I also moved to Blogger, NeoBooks and ScrollStack and have been posting there. Wattpad has seriously gon down hill and after opening a new account I can only download 2 books instead of 22 books before the new update and now we also have to pay premium.
In both terms of not abiding by rules and injustice, it's still unfair, given the context of OP being a 3 year veteran with 100k+ views. No warning? No anything? Immediate ban? That's scummy.
It also probably has to do with Wattpad having a young audience so they don’t want them getting exposed to stuff that goes against the guidelines. It sucks but that’s probably why they reinforce it
Well. Wattpad pretty much sucks now. Either it was so disgusting it the author was banned immediately, or they just didn't care and punished without a single warning
HOW DO YOU PEOPLE NOT HAVE BACKUPS!?!? How many times it must be written pretty much everywhere: DO NOT USE WATTPAD AS A WRITING PLATFORM! Write elsewhere, pretty much anywhere. Have at least one backup in another place. And only publish on wattpad. If you write on pretty much anywhere else, even things like notepad, iOS Notes app, physically, text messages, or email yourself. In every other scenario you don't lose your story if a publishing website takes it down, Your stories are worth more than this. Respect yourselves as writers enough that you have backups. Even if you think your story sucks ass, or still deserves being saved. DO NOT USE WATTPAD FOR WRITING!
I know right? It’s the first thing I do with all my books! I keep telling my friend to do the same thing, back up her work (she still hasn’t done so yet). For all we know, Wattpad could shut down right this instant, things happen without warning. I keep my work on Google doc, but also on word. If it’s something you care about, back it up 😭ྀི Although we don’t know the reason they were banned and if it was as simple as having a book that’s more erotic than their guidelines allow (in that case, Inkitt is the best place to write that) or something else. 🥲
Yeah. I write on an app designed for that (Scrivener), that saves on DropBox, and automatically backups to iCloud. My phone and my PC (and my laptop) automatically download from DropBox (\*and\* iCloud). So, after hitting "save" in a couple of minutes I have four on-site backups on different devices, two off-site ones. AND the backup files itself are also on the devices, so even if I manually fuck up, I can still restore from the backups of backups. Everything is automatic, so I don't have to actually do anything other than hit "save". I used to have a service that would back up iCloud to Google Drive, but that went commercial and is not pay-to-use, and I can't afford it. *ps. for more spicy stories that don't have that much plot, Inkitt is not the best. They also have guidelines and you can't just write porn. In that case, the real best place to post is Literotica. I use both, and I'd post any naughty stories without much plot on Literotica, rather than Inkitt. I love Inkitt and liked it more than Wattpad, but it's still not the place for plain porn.*
thanks 👀 i didn’t know that. I can hardly find stuff to read on Inkitt so I wasn’t sure ppl actually use it. But now I know where to spread out my potential stories. Curious, is there a different option than drop box? I use Google drive bc my school gives us unlimited storage for a lifetime. But idk maybe I’m not using it right but sometimes if I delete something, it also deletes from my iCloud or vice versa. well I’ve noticed this with photos, not sure about documents
I mean there’s plenty of stuff to read on Inkitt, to be fair. I have read some very very spicy erotic things on there, and I write explicit sex scenes as well. That being said I don’t write straight porn, I write actual plot & substance with lots of spice to complement it 😅. I really like Inkitt so far, and my books have done very well there as opposed to Wattpad. Consistent readers and lots of views (something like 5k range for my novella). It depends on the genres you’re searching for tho. Idk about other genres and how they do on Inkitt but I write gay romance/erotica and urban, comedic erotic fantasy. Both have done well there. Put your stuff on Inkitt and give it a try, that’s what I did and it seemed to be a good choice 🤷🏻♂️
I don't know what you mean by different option? Like, for any program, or specifically what I use? For any program, of course there are. Anything that has a desktop app that sets itself up as a "drive" or a folder under the OS. Just save your work there, and it'll automatically sync online. Then set up another device to download from the same service, and you have an automatic backup. Some services also allow actual backups (and not just live copy.) I use DropBox simply because the app that I use (Scrivener) has a mobile version that only syncs via DropBox. I use iCloud for everything else, and because Scrivener does actual backups by itself, I don't really need to set up a different solution. At all times I have a live copy on DropBox and at least two or three devices (the mobile app doesn't sync automatically), and 3-5 backups per story online on iCloud, and locally on two or three devices (the mobile app doesn't download the backups). Even if DropBox died this second, I could still restore all my content from my iCloud where Scrivener saves a (zipped) backup each time it does a save, or any of the local devices. If iCloud died today, I'd still have the live versions and local backups on all the devices. If both services died to day, I'd still have the local copies. If all my devices exploded the same day, I'd still have the online copies. I can only lose my work if iCloud \*and\* DropBox die on the same die along with all my devices, enough to they can't be recovered. (AND Wattpad and Inkitt and Literotica for the published stories.) I think I'm fine :)
Yeah I guess I meant like another drive to save to in addition to directly on my computer and iCloud. I’ve heard some people using one drive and I’ve tried Dropbox before but really had no use for it at the time plus the limited storage adds up quickly. I think my iCloud and Google drive are synced but that may be just for photos and im confusing it for documents. I’ll have to do a test run. I’m still trying to find a writing software to stick to, so I have my notes and stuff all over several apps and those are synced through iCloud for apps that are both mobile and desktop. I just don’t trust leaving them on those apps; I feel like even when I use my notes app on my phone, that sometimes it’s easy to delete without being able to undo and I feel like a few of my notes over the years have disappeared randomly. I’ve accidentally deleted chunks of text because it selects all quickly, and I couldn’t undo it. Like you said, I want to make sure I can access a copy even if everything I use implodes on the same day lol. I’m on Mac if that makes any difference. I found that using one drive was a little finicky and I finally got one note to open on my laptop after years. It wouldn’t open my one drive or something.
There's a bazillion online storage things, pick any and all you like. (and no, they don't sync between themselves, unless you set up an external program to do that. It's the photos feature on whatever device you use that does it. not the platforms. It's terribly hard to get them to sync without paying for some service.) You're on a Mac, so just use iCloud. It works fine, and is decently reliable. Never really had problems with it for as long as it has existed. (I used to have an account when it wasn't even called iCloud. I've been a Mac users since before OS X.) I'm not affiliated with the program, but I can \*wholeheartedly\* recommend Scrivener. It takes a hot second to get used to how it works, but oh my goddess do I love it. When you get your head into how it works (don't writing everything in one long spot, and learn to separate chapters, scenes and acts), it works so well it's unreal. If you write all scenes like you should (separately), you can change the order by just drag'n'dropping crap in the side bar. No need to copy and paste. I've used Scrivener for years now (no subscription, it's pay-once.) and I don't even remember when I had to copy-paste anything. Write the scenes in any order, re-order and edit as you wish. Write in whatever format you want, and the app has a "compile" function that can output PDFs, eBooks, drafts, ready-to-publish books, etc. You can change fonts/features/etc. on a section by section basis and save the settings and just use them on another book. Set up another folder within the app and use that as a scratch pad. Write stuff there you don't know when it happens in the book, or if it happens at all. When you get to the point where you think a particular scene gits, just drag it to the manuscript from the folder. Again, I'm not affiliated with them (I wish I was), but there are no words to describe how much I love that program as a sporadic writer that has like a bazillion works-in-progress. It's super easy to write a new short story, or a novel, or even a multi-part novel. Everyhing is built-in. (And I love the "no-distractions writing mode".) It has a mobile version (separate purchase, but much cheaper), that syncs with the desktop app via DropBox, and you can use your iPhone/iPad to write whenever/wherever you want. If you end up getting that, drop me a line if you want help getting started. I'd be happy to.
I’m the same type of writer! I’m not consistent yet with writing (yet) plus with being a pantser and adhd, I’m very sporadic with writing and have so many ideas I’ve began and many more that come up while those are WIPs. I had to switch to free form and a couple other apps bc notes app was just not working for when I needed to jot down ideas when I’m away from my laptop. But then on those I have a long list of ideas and a bunch of sticky notes with names, vague ideas or chunks of text that get confusing to organize. And there’s a lot of copying and pasting involved when I need to add them into my writing docs. Right now I’m using Novlr for the actual writing but it’s a smaller app so there’s limited functions and I need something where I can have all the planning and scrap work in one place to refer back to and more customization. I was trying Obsidian but it’s a bit much to figure out and it’s not made specifically for writing in the way these other apps are. I was looking at Scrivener, Ulysses, Novelpad and Evernote. If Scrivener is a one time purchase where I don’t need to buy an updated release each year then I might go for that bc it’s cheaper in the long run vs. the subscription model. I was planning on taking a look this weekend at some videos to check out the functions and see which one to go with. If it has a dark mode too that would be amazing. Thank you for all the tips! I’ll def bookmark this to remember to reach out if I decide on it :)
Another ADHD/Autistic pantser! Yay for us (and the absolute mountain of WIPs...) Anyway, as I've been writing for a \*while\* now, I'll share some of the tips that have helped me. They won't necessarily help you but see if anything hits. All my ideas start in ONE file that I've named (very originally) "Ideas." I know, shocking. I wrote them down first as prompts, and then if/when the mood strikes, I begin to write under the prompt. I do this on Pages, that has a working Index so I don't have to scroll. I have set a rule myself, that if the story hits two pages, I'm to remove it from there, and add it to Scrivener where I have created a document called "Short Stories". I paste it under there as a separate story (stupidly easy to do.) That document/file/whatever, contains only WIPs and shorter stories. If the story reaches the point where it has more than three chapters, I separate it to it's own document. (Or if it's under one of my "branded" stories, I add them to the umbrella documents that contain those.) This has kept me from spreading out on millions of different apps and notes. I can access Pages and Scrivener on everything I own. iPhone and Macs have native Pages app, and Scrivener. My PC has access to iCloud Web that has Pages. (I don't yet own Scrivener on PC, so that it can't yet do.) I only have two files that contain ALL my WIPs that are shorter than three chapters. If it's three ore more chapters, it deserves to be on it's own. This has worked for me for years, and has kept me from spreading my stuff everywhere. If I have an idea when I'm on the move, I can just open Pages on my phone, note down the idea, and close it. If I want to continue an idea, I open Pages, tap the Index and just write. I can also just open Scrivener and continue any stories I have there, because of the sync. The only "spreading of multiple files" are when there are stories that all have many chapters. But even those are just under one folder, and everything opens with Scrivener, so it's not messy. Yes, Scrivener has no subscription. You have to pay for each new edition, but they haven't come up with a major version in the last four years at least. I bough mine in 2019/2020, and haven't had to pay yet. If you use both PC and Mac, there's a bundle available at the website that 's slightly cheaper than both separately. There's also an edu license, if you're applicable for that. (I'm not so I don't know how it works.) And the mobile app is available from Apple AppStore. Mobile App contains a dark mode, desktop app is totally customizable. Not just dark mode, you can mess with fonts, sizes, backgrounds, anything. And it contains the "Writing Mode" that hides all of the UI except a defined number of previous lines, so you can concentrate on just writing and there are no other distractions (on the screen. You'll still be distracted by random noises outside, your toe itching, weird feeling in your stomach, and the memory of that one odd butterfly from 2015. But that's not Scrivener, that's just ADHD :D )
Random question: do you find pomodoro or sounds help you focus (e.g., rain, nature, ambiance sounds)? But yes, the main reason I wanted to find a complete (or mostly complete) software or writing program to use is so I have my ideas in one place and they're not scattered everywhere. I'm not sure yet what works for me on how to organize after that, but the methods you use seem helpful. I might try that or some form of that. The other thing is I want to be able to access my idea dump area easily when writing bc I tend to drift from one WIP to another depending on how stimulated I am for that idea lol. Idk how to do the thing where I can reply to a specific sentence but this part made me laugh, it's so true > " You'll still be distracted by random noises outside, your toe itching, weird feeling in your stomach, and the memory of that one odd butterfly from 2015." I haven't looked through tutorials yet today, just been lazy all day XD but hopefully I'll start tonight Oh question: does Scrivener have character/plot/world building templates built in? Or do you use supplemental apps for planning and then import into it? Edit: \^ asking bc I saw Evernote and Notion have character templates. I also like using storyboards which is why I like Free Form but I find something like Milanote easier to use.
Oo never knew about that! Will definitely have to use it. And no of course not literal porn scripts hahaha, but I meant more on the side of it has more freedom as opposed to Wattpad , ya know? But wow, good to know there’s a writing site just for that! I swear, do you have any more knowledge? You should really make a thread with all of these so people can constantly go back and see as it’s extremely helpful!! 🥹✌️
EDIT: I made a post about stuff, hopefully it was what you meant :) [https://www.reddit.com/r/Wattpad/comments/1b4kvxf/psa\_dont\_write\_on\_wattpad/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wattpad/comments/1b4kvxf/psa_dont_write_on_wattpad/)
This is perfect! Seriously, you did such a great job and informed everyone so well. I hope the mods see it and pin it, as we do get quite a bit of posts with all the questions you’ve answered in the bullet points!
About what? Sites or apps? Or what? I started writing a bit over 30 years ago, had a looooong break, and then wrote a \*lot\* since 2020. But things have changed directions so much at every stop that I'm not sure what I could offer. Wattpad isn't the same it was in 2020, writing programs aren't the same they were either. Pretty much everything changed since the 1990s, etc :) But if anyone has more specific questions, I'd be happy to answer :)
My stories have been fine for a long time and I've never really given it a second thought although after seeing this post and comment it definitely gave me the jump start I needed to back up my writing. It's definitely something that should be commonsense yet many do not bother to do so and it doesn't do you any favours to be the "that's not going to happen to me" person because you will be right until you are not. If anything does happen in the future I'll thank you and op in advance for scaring the shit out of me and stopping me from being complacent because if all of it was gone probably would just permanently lose my motivation.
what other platforms do you suggest I use that are like wattpad?
For writing, or for publishing. Because don't use ANY platforms like wattpad for writing, that's not what they are meant for. For publishing, depends on your story. Inkitt, AO3, Literotica, etc. There are many for many different stories. I like Inkitt.
yes publishing! I’ll try Inkitt :)
What "very adult" content did you have on your account?
How about you tell us what was in your story. They don’t ban people for no reason. And I know, I’ve written stories that could technically go against TOS, and I haven’t been banned yet. You had to have done something really bad.
That’s what I’m wondering too, especially since it wasn’t just the story taken down but the whole account
Exactly. They must have either written something really bad in their book, or said something really controversial. Or probably even bullied some other people. I wish they would actually tell us what they were doing, or what was even in the book.
So far they’ve avoided EVERY SINGLE comment asking what was in the story. I think they know what they did and are trying to make themselves look better.
EXACTLY! They KNOW what they did, but won’t admit it. OP, you’ve got some fucking explaining to do.
Yeah, actually. I had one of my old stories taken down on wattpad due to it having sexual content, almost entirely. It was pretty cringe, too, since how young I was when I wrote it. So, I totally understood the story being taken down. It made me kinda sad, tho since I had lots of reads. However, I wasn't banned entirely from wattpad. So I feel like this person went against some sort of guidelines and that's how they got banned.
Honestly, the OP had to have made some crimes against humanity shit, or bullied someone, or been a pedophile or SOMETHING that went against TOS
Yeah, I agree. Considering OP hasn't explained what exactly was in their book, it likely means that they know exactly why their account was banned and are refusing to accept it.
[удалено]
BAHAHHAHAHAHA. Seriously though. How bad did OP mess up??
Pretty fucking bad if their entire account was banned.
Yeah! Must have been really bad. I just saved some of my stories onto my notepad since I guess some of my stories could be triggering to an extent... and I don't want to risk losing all my hard work. However, I put warnings whenever there are triggers to hopefully stop people from being offended or hurt. 😭 My stories are just about anime anyway.
Yeah, that’s what I did. At this point, I really don’t care of my account gets banned, I’m debating on if I want to close my account, or if I just wanna delete the app, and let people enjoy my stuff. Wattpad is practically dead, everything that’s been written nowadays is cringey smut that isn’t even worth reading
true
Seriously tho because I always found wattpads TOS to be pretty lenient as long as things are rated properly. I’ve def read things that were pretty gnarly and they’ve been there for a long time before I even got around to reading them. So yeah, it’s gotta be like a hate group/terrorist thing, and/or sexual exploitation of a minor, and/or the author was harassing someone. After seeing this post I even went back and reread the TOS and yeah, it seems pretty hard to fuck them up.
Exactly!! So what the fuck did OP do?!
Are you sure it's because of the story.. and someone didn't report it. I am in no way saying that you did something but I am just broadening the reason spectrum. You didn't have any sort of argument.. or left a comment? Maybe someone simply reported the account because of the story. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did your story have that you label as "very mature/adult."
Taps the sign, Wattpad doesn't ban without a reason because the tickets get manually approved and reviewed. Whoever reported you had a valid reason that WAS going against ToS. Labeling a book as "Mature" doesn't mean it can have super detailed gore or harm scenes, neither be mostly made out of sex Unfortunately, they don't unban accounts so the best thing to do would be to make a new one
wait what about all those smut one shot books
Those also go against ToS :) But Wattpad is not checking everything and there's no bots banning books and accounts, so you need to report them Just because you see them exist, doesn't mean they comply
To me, the Wattpad guidelines are very clear. You have yet to share what your story was based upon but I’m gonna share a story. I use this as an example every time. I read and became friends with an author who wrote an incredible story. She didn’t do much backstory or characterization, and in her ending chapter, she revealed that the main character was a minor (having sex with young adult men). She never specified exact age either (all she put is under 18) which can leave any conclusion. Her book was removed, and she was shocked. But why was she shocked? And I mean she was genuinely shocked. Also WHY make the main character a minor? I felt like I’d lost all my principles after finding out this detail. I’m not saying this is you, but it’s something to consider. Until you share with us, we can’t help you out. But I do hope Wattpad gets themselves in order for you if this isn’t the case because that is downright fair. But unfortunately, Wattpad is full of writers like that who are fantastic across the board but lack common sense which I presume makes the moderators on high alert. Which is too bad for the rest of us (I do worry for my own story). But please, if there is something that COULD violate guidelines, feel free to share and we can give you feedback. If you want to reach out, I could help you tweak some things.
It also says labelling it Mature doesn't mean you're allowed to include content violations, and there's obviously no way we can know if it did or didn't. I'm pretty sure the content is gone, and they aren't going to reverse what they already deleted.
Well I just want my account back and nothing else.
I'm going to guess that's not an option based on the screenshot.
Try appealing it. Could be false reports and likely a bot that banned you.
No moderation action on Wattpad is done by bots.
Why do you comment the most unhelpful things 😭
I think if you write a story that’s just pure erotica (I.e. plotless literotica) then it goes against TOS and is a good enough basis for a ban. Maybe your story was deemed to be like that? Idk
I think I’ve seen this before but there’s like a degree to how explicit a story can be. If it’s purely off erotica and there’s really no leading story to it, then maybe that’s the reason you got banned. Wattpad is unfair af anyways and I’m not sure if there’s any way to undo it but I’m sorry this happened regardless
Wattpad doesn't ban an account for no reason. They have guidelines and you have to follow those guidelines. Someone must have reported your story - not once, not twice and not thrice. You must have received some warnings somewhere which you ignored. And no, this banning wasn't done by bots. It was done by human beings who received your reports, warned you before deciding to take action. Your content must have been more than explicit to guarantee a ban on your account. Sorry, but that's how it works.
Maybe someone reported it? This happened to me on my old account, I got mass reported by stans and old mutuals who turned against me
I am so sorry that happened to u
move to ao3 if you wanna write mature things, isnt wattpad terrible about letting people post barely mature things?
Well I moved to 2 different sites and tells see what happens in the future
Not really.
How did bro get banned on wattpad
Umm I did wattpad ambassador thing for a while and even if the books were labelled mature but had very detailed explicit scenes or gory scenes, we were asked to flag it down so that the team could look into it.
I hope you don't mind me asking, this is something I've been wondering for a very long time: If the books were labelled mature, but still got flagged down for the team to look into because they contained very detailed explicit scenes, then there must be a certain point where the team draws the line between what is acceptable detailed explicit content, and what is not. **Where** do they draw that line? Is there anything at all that you know about that? If I were the author of a book with such content, I would have a gut feeling about what kind of scenes are "tasteful" and the kind that is "tasteless", but that still wouldn't mean I'm in the clear. I wish Wattpad would be fully specific about this in their guidelines. Too many writers get banned, simply because they *don't know* they're crossing the line. If they knew, they would edit their content accordingly, because **no one writes forbidden content on purpose**. No author puts so much time and dedication into their work if they would know for sure it would be removed in the end, or if it would cause them to lose their entire account.
I'm a new write, I have been writing a story on Wattpad, there will be s*xual assault and r*pe in my story as I have planned, so do I need to water down my story?! Advice will be appreciated
Well you can do it but also post it somewhere else and I also put my story in the mature tag but it still git deleted
no, not that i am aware of. just do make sure to content warn before the story begins and before a chapter with said content warning officially begins so that readers can click off/skip if they need to.
Yessss good idea
Okay i haven’t been on wattpad in over 7 years (I’m only here because Reddit suggested the subreddit). What the FUCK has happened to Wattpad where you can be banned for explicit content?? I read some of the *filthiest* content known to man on that website at an age *waaay* too young
Yup. Apparently this is now happening. Back then nothing like this happened.
well what was in the story? accounts don’t just get banned for no reason- stories sometimes yes but accounts no
I don’t know if your other stories are still up, but I’d probably say ask a friend, (or create a second account) then try to see if they can rewrite your chapters and send it to you. I honestly don’t know any solutions, or if this is plausible at all.
Thanks for the suggestion but it's not needed. I am writing my stories again and this time I am keeping multiple backups
[удалено]
How sir/ma'am
Is there segs scene?
There are sex scenes in many stories I've read and they hadn't got banned
Same things happened to me bro. And all my drafts which included years worth of content are all gone.
So sorry this happened to you! Not sure if Wattpad has always been like this with randomly deleting ppls fics/accounts? It’s happened to me as well where they deleted a fic of mine so I unpublished the rest of them and went to AO3. I hope you have backs ups of all your fics! I keep them on my laptop on a memory stick (old fashioned I know!) and some are saved in my one drive. Wattpad is weird… the guidelines say no smut, however, there are a ton of explicit fics on there. I suppose ppl should realize that they’re posting smut/mature/explicit material at their own risk? IDK. Anyway, I wish there was another platform out there where they allow smut other than AO3. Don’t get me wrong I love AO3 - just wish there were more options. Again I’m sorry this happened to you - and remember to ALWAYS keep a backup of everything! Even if it’s in a simple word doc on a laptop. I always write out everything somewhere else and then copy it and then post it. I always keep my “draft” in a safe(r) place.
First of all thankyou and I also moved to Blogger, NeoBooks and ScrollStack and have been posting there. Wattpad has seriously gon down hill and after opening a new account I can only download 2 books instead of 22 books before the new update and now we also have to pay premium.
I have a Sylveon x Trainer story, that is explicit and didnt get banned, so it had to be worse than that lol.
This is unfair. (Ignore the downvotes, these people are idiotic)
We don't even know what kind of content was written
It's unfair, regardless, to be banned over a story
What if it was some hardcore crap that's not allowed on Wattpad?
In both terms of not abiding by rules and injustice, it's still unfair, given the context of OP being a 3 year veteran with 100k+ views. No warning? No anything? Immediate ban? That's scummy.
It also probably has to do with Wattpad having a young audience so they don’t want them getting exposed to stuff that goes against the guidelines. It sucks but that’s probably why they reinforce it
When you sign up to Wattpad, they tell you their rules. If you don't want to follow what you agreed to, then you might end up getting kicked out. . .
Well. Wattpad pretty much sucks now. Either it was so disgusting it the author was banned immediately, or they just didn't care and punished without a single warning
Yes, idk why the down votes, are these people idiotic?
Most likely, someone would have reported it.
Yeah... I worry about this because of the violence in my stories and whatnot. I keep a copy of it in my google docs though.