There are many websites that one can use to write stories, poems, short stories, or even a personal diary. I've learned that there are just too many sites where people like myself can show off their talent as a writer. However, there is one website in particular that sticks out to me the most and holds a special place in my heart: Wattpad. Now some of you may be asking, "What is Wattpad?" You're all in luck, for I am here to introduce a whole new world to you.
Wattpad, which was founded in 2001, is known to be an online writing community in which people from all over the world can post their own written works in any format the writer chooses: article, stories, fan fiction, poems, and many more of the like. Wattpad's popularity has been growing significantly over the years, however not too many people have heard about it and why it is such a big deal.
Wattpad offers writers the opportunity to show off their talents with the possibility of getting discovered and published by a writing company; Wattpad has connections with many publishing houses for many reasons: (1) for writers to receive compensation for their works, (2) to receive book deals, and (3) to get discovered. Some of these publishing houses include Random House, HarperCollins, and many more, which has led to the expansion of Wattpad's borders all over the world.
One success story in particular includes the author of the well-known, One Direction fan fiction saga called the After Series, Anna Todd, known as imaginator1d on Wattpad. After reaching billions of views (or "reads,"as the writers of Wattpad call it) on the three stories she published on the site, her stories were picked up and sold worldwide, and thanks to Paramount, are currently being adapted into films. I've met Anna Todd and she is a sweetheart! She also follows me on Wattpad and Twitter, too!
As I mentioned before, Wattpad's popularity has been growing, but wouldn't you like to know the statistics of just how well this blog is doing?
As of April 2014, Wattpad has 35 million visitors per month with over 100,000 story uploads per day. As for how many writers... There have been over two million writers that have joined the Wattpad community. Impressive, isn't it? It's 2016 now, so can you imagine how many writers have joined within the two years?
More than three years ago, I was going through the App Store on my phone because I was bored out of my mind and nothing good was playing on TV, so I wanted something that would be able to keep me entertained. I wasn't in the mood to play any of the cool games that were the fad of that time (and also because games just took up too much room on a 16GB iPhone), so I was in the mood for something out of the ordinary. Luckily, Wattpad happened to be the only app that popped out to me because not only did it offer unlimited stories beyond your wildest imagination, it was and still is free.
In order to view stories from your phone, you need to make an account; if you prefer reading from your computer, you don't need to create a profile. I would recommend creating an account because as you are reading a story that you can't seem to get enough of, you will be able to vote and comment your feelings after you finish a chapter.
In addition to being able to vote and comment on stories, you are also able to create as many reading lists as possible. For example, I have reading lists for stories that I am currently reading, which books I intend to read, which books I have already finished, and books that are my favorites.
Having a Wattpad account is kind of like having a Twitter account, too! You follow the accounts of other writers whose stories you very much enjoy, or the accounts of people who you think would be able to help you advertise your stories. That is how I first started out on Wattpad: I made friends within my preferred community of writing, they helped me advertise my stories to make them more known, and the rest is history. It may seem difficult to make friends online, but it is essential to get yourself out there. There are so many genres and people from all over the world have created communities for each one. Fan fiction is seen as the most popular community on the website/app. Fan fiction isn't only seen in the One Direction fandom, but it is seen in the Games of Thrones, Doctor Who, One Upon a Time, Twilight, Divergent, and countless more communities as well.
But wait, there's more!
Wattpad hosts writing contests throughout the year; small competitions include the ones that occur each month in which specific writing prompts are given with a certain theme that best fits the month. For example, for the month of October there is a Halloween-themed competition. In February, writers needed to write something that had to do with romance. The submissions can be about anything you want, just so long as it is around the theme of the month. The biggest writing contest is the annual Watty Awards. Any genre can be submitted in the "Wattys," even if your story isn't completed. There are awards in many different categories, including "Visual Storytelling", "Writer's Debut", "Hidden Gems", "Talk of the Town", "New Voices", and "People's Choice".
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As a member of the Wattpad community, I can say that joining the website has been the best decision I have ever made. I've made many friends from all over world, my stories have more than 13K+ reads and, at most, 900+ votes and counting each day, and I've learned how to make my writing better.
Will I ever get discovered? One can only dream. For now, all I can do is keep writing and hope I've opened your mind a little more about the hidden gem called Wattpad.
