What’s a Wattpad??!?

By Loni Cameron

April’s free member-run workshop brought us an in depth look at the writing website, Wattpad. A good mix of writers, both familiar and not, were present to learn about this growing writer medium.

Wattpad Ambassador Maaja Wentz introduced us to Wattpad: an “…online community for readers and writers”. Maaja walked the group through the process of creating an account and publishing a story. Maaja presented all the benefits of joining Wattpad, with tips and tricks to make it work for us. One of the most important things Maaja also did was make it fun.

For those who are unfamiliar, Wattpad is a free to use website where writers can create a story, poem or non-fiction work, and allow other users of the site to read it (also for free!).

While some writers are hesitant to “give away” their writing, Maaja outlined the benefits of using Wattpad and how it can create opportunities. One of the other attractive aspects of Wattpad is the community. Maaja highlighted how supportive the readers of Wattpad are. There are groups of people who are there to help in so many ways: to beta read, to critique, to find your typos, and to simply share in your ups and downs as a fellow writer.

Maaja provided a lot of useful facts too, such as:

• The average time a user spends on Wattpad is 30 minutes.
• Spanish is the fastest growing language.
• 90% of Wattpad activity happens on mobile devices.
• And so much more!

Recently the site added a Writer’s Portal, a new division to help create stories. This is well-worth reading.

I started my first story on Wattpad this past weekend. I plan to post regularly, at least once a week, allowing my story to grow on the site. I’m hoping for constructive comments and to maybe slowly grow a readership/following.

If you plan to publish your WattPad manuscripts, it’s simple to either “unpublish” on WattPad or “reduce content” to the 10% required by Amazon and other major retailors.

I also plan to read on the site. I’ve started following some of the creators Maaja follows, taking a look at their stories. I’ve also followed the other WCYR members who created their profiles during the workshop, including Board Director MJ Moores and Program Coordinator Kim McDougall. A tip to find more WCYR members: follow MJ or Kim, you can see their followers and who follows them, easily finding Jenn, Nanci, myself and others.

One last tip for Wattpad: write what you love.

Don’t write with a specific demographic in mind or who you think is reading Wattpad. Write something that speaks to you, that you feel passionate about. Experiment and have fun – Wattpad is the perfect place to do this. If you are loving what you’re writing, Wattpad readers will love it too.

Upcoming Events:

Craft Tips to Fix the Sagging Middle with Mary Sullivan and Wanda Ottewell – Tuesday, May 15^th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Newmarket Public Library

Pens ‘n Friends: Luncheon & Peer Critiques – Sunday, June 10^th from 12pm to 4pm at the Newmarket Community Centre ~ NOTE: Preregistration by May 11th is required in order to participate.

Rescheduled: Opening Scenes with Kelley Armstrong – Saturday, June 30^th from 1pm to 4pm at Ray Twinney Recreation Complex.