Where I get my reads- Introducing Wattpad

It was nearing the end of 2011 when I had just exhausted my collection of materials to read. By then I was having “reading pangs”, i.e. I needed to get my cravings fixed. ASAP.

So I went to Google for a quick solution. Wedged among other results was Wattpad. I got curious at its seemingly fledgling yet strange name, which seemed attractive to me at that time. Overwhelmed with a strong sense to read anything, I ventured into discovering Wattpad.

Soon enough, I realised that I had found my little secret heaven. It was miraculously absurd how no one, people around me who shared the same passion as I did, knew about Wattpad. It was exactly what I needed, and more!

Remember the vibes you get from watching post-apocalyptic TV series? Jittery with a strange sense of unfamiliarity yet you can easily relate to it, as if tomorrow will be D-day itself? Well, that was howWattpad felt to me at first. I was ecstatic at the thought of having endless books to read but anxious also now that I am surrounded by thousands, if not millions of other aspiring writers just like me!

 Before I ramble continuously about the multitude of awesome reads I have consumed through Wattpad, here’s a brief tour of Wattpad from a reader’s point of view.

Once you’ve registered as a user of Wattpad , you’ll be brought to a page where you are now free to venture out on your own. On Wattpad, you can be a reader, or a writer, or even both! That is a feature which you might think is unique only to Wattpad. Boy are you wrong. There are writing websites like Figment and others where you can also choose your role, but that’s not the point today. Nevertheless, if you want to fufill your reading needs, feel free to head over to the Discover button hovering above the main page, select your favourite type of genre and  Voila! You can now choose at your disposal thousands of stories to read from. However, do bear in mind that this is a website for the passionate, the amateur, the seasoned as well as published writers, so there is no guarantee how a specific story will turn out to be. In other words, read at your own risk. 

 If it so happens that you’ve met your dream book, no worries! You can choose to add it into your own personal library. The good part is there is no limit how many books you can add to your library. Every reader’s dream. *smirks*

Now here comes the exciting and fun part. In the Wattpad community, every aspiring writer looks forward to the Wattys Award, which is held without fail every year. This isn’t a mere first, second, third prize competition (how mundane), but a full-fledged, extremely-anticipated, world-wide, free admission writing contest with a possibility of signing a contract with a publishing house! Talk about every reader AND writer’s dream. 

This year’s Wattys, aptly called The Wattys2016 had just concluded its all-year round competition after tens of thousands of stories applied and were nominated. The contest relies heavily on a voting system, where readers who’ve read their favourite choices get to cast their votes in the hopes that their favourite story and writer win the grand spot in a specific category in which the author chose to enter. Of course, the judging process involves a selection of experienced panel rigorously filtering the stories before finally deciding on the winning pieces. 

Grand prizes aside, enthusiastic readers are given a chance to interact with their reading kin alongside their beloved writers, which makes Wattpad a digital reading experience unlike any other.

Oh, did I mention that Wattpad comes in a mobile version as well?

 

 Download the Wattpad app into your smartphone now and enjoy reading unlimited books at your arsenal without having to pay a single cent for any of it! The mobile version delivers an enjoyable and convenient reading experience anywhere you want even if you’re offline.

It’s been 5 years since joining the Wattpad community and I’ve never regretted the decision. The experience has enhanced my belief in the beauty of words and sharpened my skills in delivering my stories and messages, so I highly recommend this app to any bookworm who has never heard of Wattpad before.

Well, why are you still waiting?