Writers and authors, I’d love to hear about your experiences with Wattpad.
Have you ever published a story there, either as a complete work or chapter by chapter, to connect with readers and receive feedback?
If so, did the response help you develop your writing, understand your audience or build your identity and visibility as a writer? Did it lead to genuine engagement and useful opportunities, or did you find it difficult to gain traction?
I’m also curious about the professional side. Would you feel comfortable sharing an unpublished story publicly, or would concerns about protecting your work and its future publishing potential make you hesitate?
Do you see Wattpad primarily as a place to develop your craft, build an audience, strengthen your personal brand, or simply share your work?
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who later adapted a Wattpad story into a screenplay, novel or another format.
Thank youuuuu
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Hi Sandra Isabel I've never used Wattpad... I am no help to you with this one. I'm sorry! Are you writing a novel?
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Really interesting question, Sandra Isabel I haven't published on Wattpad myself, but I'd imagine the chapter-by-chapter feedback loop could be great for understanding pacing and audience reaction in real time. Curious to see what others say about adapting Wattpad stories into screenplays!
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Okay, I visited Wattpad and I took a look around. It reminded me of that scene in Big. Tom Hank's character Josh fumbles with a toy.
JOSH
I don't get it.
PAUL
What exactly don't you get?
JOSH
It turns from a building into a robot, right?
PAUL
Precisely.
JOSH
Well, what's fun about that?
Along that line of thinking, what's fun about Wattpad? How would a writer get paid? Sharing stories may be nice, but I think like Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maquire.
TIDWELL
It's a very personal, very
important thing. It's a family
motto. So I want to share it with
you. You ready?
JERRY
Yes.
TIDWELL
Here it is. "Show me the money."
(pause)
Show. Me. The. Money.
Did I miss something? I think it's a pretty big leap for the site to claim - Start writing where creators grow together, and stories find their way to books, TV, and film.
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Thank you, Lauren Hackney. No, only scouting new mediums :)
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Thank you, Krenda Alice for sharing. Yes, that's what I would love to know, also :))
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You may not have missed anything, Robert Zwerneman or I, and that is exactly why I asked! I’m trying to understand whether writers have found genuine value in Wattpad beyond simply sharing their work.
Perhaps the “fun” is the interaction with readers, testing a concept, developing your writing and building an audience. But I agree that the leap from posting a story to securing a book, television or film opportunity seems enormous and probably happens for only a small percentage of writers.
And yes, “Show me the money” is a very fair question! I’d love to hear from someone who has actually used Wattpad and can tell us whether it created meaningful opportunities, income or professional visibility or whether the promise is bigger than the reality :))
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Sandra Isabel About as much "fun" as a critique group of elderly women telling me I don't understand what the plot of my book or screenplay should be. I was sure I'd be the next victim of the Thursday Murder Club.
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We never know Robert Zwerneman :))