News & Updates

April 13, 2020 - Inspiring our Community to #WriteTogether

Dear Wattpad writers,

First and foremost, we hope that you, your loved ones, and your readers are keeping safe and well.

In times like these, we are reminded of the power of stories. How stories have the power to lift us up, entertain us, give us an escape from the day-to-day, and connect us with each other. Wattpad's mission to entertain and connect the world through stories has never been more important. We'd like to thank all of our creators for bringing stories to Wattpad for people to read and get lost in while dealing with the strange new reality we're all facing for the foreseeable future.

From our heroes working on the front lines; to people now working from home, taking care of and educating their children who are no longer able to attend school; to those who have lost their jobs or are looking after sick loved ones -- life has changed dramatically for everyone. Please know that we are keeping your well-being utmost in our minds. Even if you are naturally productive and creative, in times like this it is important for you to prioritize self-care and to not feel guilty if you're as motivated as you want to be. If you're finding it difficult to write right now, take a break, recharge, and don't be hard on yourself.

For those of you who are feeling motivated, inspired, and productive, we encourage you to write and connect with the Wattpad community of readers and writers. Writing can help ease anxiety, calm down thoughts and emotions, and bring peace to our minds. Here are a few tips that might help you to stay inspired in the days ahead:

• Create a writing routine. Set aside a time to write each day (if you're able). Even writing for a few minutes every day can keep your creative juices flowing. Don't worry if you're less productive some days than others. The goal here is to build the habit.

• Take the time to recharge your creativity! While it is true that our options for what to do every day are more limited, this can create pressure on creators to work all the time. While it's nice to have the extra capacity, it doesn't change the creative drain that writing, editing, cover-designing, or planning take. Your brain still needs breaks for enjoyment, relaxation, and rest that it does normally. Make sure you're taking the time to recharge creatively, whether that's reading something for fun, painting, playing a video game — it might seem like a luxury during time you could be writing, but without our usual routine, it's more important than ever to actively dedicate time to keeping your creative tank full.

• Set incremental writing goals. Find a fellow writer friend and hold each other accountable. Better yet, take part in a writing challenge. This month, we've partnered with NaNoWriMo to sponsor their annual spring writing event – Camp NaNoWriMo. In case you don't know, NaNoWriMo is an organization that provides tools, structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds — on and off the page. Camp NaNo is an opportunity to work on any type of creative project, not just a novel. First drafts or revision, scripts or stories or poems or essays — all are welcome! Just set a goal and get writing. If you're working on completing a story for this year's The Watty Awards, this is a great place to stay motivated and achieve your writing goals. 

• Give back to the writing community. If you're looking for a way to help out the greater community, consider offering some time to review someone's story, summary, or logline if they're asking for help. Or read something by someone you've never heard of and leave comments. If you can remember how great it felt to get that first comment, you'll know how much it'll mean to someone just starting out.

Over the coming weeks, Wattpad and NaNoWriMo will be working closely together, sharing writing resources, and bringing our global writing communities together to inspire each other. Be sure to subscribe to the NaNoWriMo newsletter, join the Wattys profile page, and tune in to the Road to Wattys Podcast (available here: Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify) to stay connected. As our friends at NaNoWriMo have so eloquently said, "If writing would add to your burdens rather than lighten them, your story will be there waiting for you when you have space for it."

We look forward to supporting you as we navigate the days ahead and and encourage you to #WriteTogether.

The Wattpad Team

#WriteTogether #StayHomeWriMo