Wattpad is a free online website that allows account holders to post and view original stories that range from a broad variety of topics. Although there are many websites that offer this, what attracts these users to Wattpad is the desire to read from over 100 million stories published by over 40 million users. In addition, there aren’t as many websites that have had press mentions from TechCrunch, USA Today, Mashable, NBC News, and The New York Times, making them more well known if they’ve received coverage. As the website says in its about page, “With thousands of stories added each day, there’s always something you want to read. Want a story about a daughter smuggling her zombie mother to safety? We have that. Want a story about a time-traveling frog with super powers? We don’t have that, and we’d be happy to see you write it.” As you can see, Wattpad firmly believes that you should feel free to write whatever your heart desires, no matter how bizarre, because it’s a safe environment for the most part that allows authors to receive constructive criticism from across the world.
For example, Wattpad’s primary audience of viewers tends to be teenage girls who are looking to either read or develop fanfiction. The type of fanfiction that’s gotten the most coverage throughout the site tends to be One Direction, Supernatural, and 5 Seconds of Summer, among many more. While there is other fanfiction available on the website as well, it’s not promoted as much due to the fact that those are some of the most popular fan bases among teenagers. Whereas, the fanfiction that I’ve read on the website is much less popular because the fan bases I follow aren’t as represented. One of the most read fanfiction stories on Wattpad’s fanfiction page is currently Kidnapped By 5 Seconds of Summer. With 3.4 million views and 103 thousand likes, you can see the type of content that the users go for when you compare it to a story that covers issues such as deafness in Deaf Vibrations, which only has 2,600 views. Clearly they’ll have different views because they’re different genres, but here it’s obvious what is important to readers and what they look for online.
Although that’s not the main intention, it’s also for writers searching for an outlet to publish their original works in the hopes of getting them out into the public and receiving constructive criticism from people who actually enjoy and follow the plotline. The orientation of the public generally are those who are either very well off and sheltered from the world, so their writing isn’t realistic because they haven’t experienced what they’re talking about. On the other hand, there are those who are properly educated and self-aware so their work is raw and personal, making it better and more interesting to read. The content varies by category and by age group that posts as well, because older and more experienced writers will be more grammatically correct, etc. compared to a thirteen year old. Oftentimes, I stumble along a publication of someone who noticeably has never experienced what they’re attempting to write about. For example, user penandanotebook has tried to write about topics such as abuse, sexual assault, and romance, all of which she’s never experienced. Sure, you can write about topics that you haven’t been through in your own life, but when you are unaware of the topic and not properly educated, writing about a serious topic like those could be considered offensive to survivors of those traumas. Not only that, but your story will be poorly written, your audience won’t be large, and you’ll receive negative feedback. On the other hand, you can be well-educated and be a poor writer about the topic at hand. I’ve seen people who have suffered and struggled, yet fail to capture and captivate their meaning and intent with the plot they create.
To discuss the navigation of the website, there’s an easily navigable section towards the top of the page that allows you to search for a story by genres ranging from action, comedy, humor, mystery/thriller, romance, to short stories, and more. Wattpad’s layout is set up nicely, with the equal amount of recommended stories and recommended users to follow based on the type of content you’ve read and the people you’ve followed before, in the hopes of introducing users to similar stories and authors. In addition, you can create your own “library” of stories that you like and want to keep saved, or just stories you come across that looks interesting and you want to save for another time. Most of the graphics and designs that are accessible on the side are usually user generated. With every story you post, you are able to give your story a cover, similar to a book cover, but online. For example, attached is the photo of crime scene tape that I chose for my most recent m
urder mystery story titled Detour. While it’s not an original illustration for my book, it suffices for the online sharing of it as opposed to selling it after publication.
Wattpad is one of many free writing sites that enables prospective writers to publish their work online. LitLift, another writing site, is set up differently than Wattpad. While they do offer free membership as well, they don’t seem to have contests to motivate or boost the self-esteem of writers quite like Wattpad. Also, LitLift has the option to keep your work 100 percent private from the site itself. Upon research, LitLift doesn’t read or share the work of the viewers at all, which is the polar opposite of Wattpad. Wattpad encourages the sharing of their writers’s creations, however LitLift sees it more as an issue of copyright and privacy. Litlift comes off as a secluded, private community based on their website and the features that are offered. While that Is nice at times, as writers, it’s necessary to have large crowds of people reading your work and giving feedback so you can improve. This cannot occur if LitLift is comprised of people with the same views, opinions, and genres. Diversity and the ability to be unique is essential as a writer and when you’re secluded, that’s not healthy for an aspiring writer. If all they’re used to is sugarcoated comments oozing with lies, the writers will never improve and may not make it far in their careers. Wattpad is a more suitable choice for writers who plan to move forward in their careers, while LitLift seems to be for those who use writing as a hobby and don’t particularly want anyone seeing their work.
khaberstroh 